Author: Zac Cupples

How Sleep Saved the D-League – Resilient Podcast

Sleep is a big deal. Not only has a lack of sleep been linked to many big bad diseases, it also contributes to poor performance. Behavior change through education and persuasion is hard enough as is. We are all resistant to change, namely because our current habits and routines require Herculean willpower efforts to break. This problem  is especially true in non-conducive environments. It’s hard to eat healthy when your family cooks fried foods and orders pizza for dinner every night. It is these situations where we just have to make the most with what we have, and that’s exactly what I spoke about on one of my best friend’s podcasts, Doug Kechijian. Before we go into the content, let me tell you a bit about Douglas, my younger-older brother. Doug and I first met way back in 2013 at a PRI course in Phoenix.  I was the first person who arrived in town, and it was up to me to take care of the rental car. We had five bros to get to the class, so I needed to find something cozy that could fit everyone and their luggage to and from the class and Phoenix airport. So I’m looking at some midsize SUVs, a couple sedans, trying to find the right car that I could fit everyone in. Then I saw this: Doug and I had never met before, and he was the first person I had to pick up. He asked “what will you be driving?” I

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Workers’ Compensation, Dealing with Late Patients, Fall Prevention, & More – Movement Debrief Episode 9

Episode 9 was a long one, and I’m so sad if you missed it live. Here were some of the topics: The necessary organizational fix to worker’s compensation Ways physical therapists can have patients simulate work Targeting educational-specific impairments The need to expand scope or collaborate to help clients thrive How to deal with patients who are always late and don’t do their exercises Working on getting up off the ground after a fall If you want to watch these live, add me on Facebook or Instagram. They air every Wednesday at 8:30pm CST. Enjoy. Workers’ Compensation Explaining Pain Simply Expanding Your Scope Dealing with Late Patients Fall Prevention  

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Return to Play after a 5th Metatarsal Fracture – Case Report

I was recently featured on my buddy Scott Gray’s podcast,  a great clinician in the Florida area who I have a lot of respect for. Before we dive into the podcast, let me tell you a bit about why I like this guy so much. It’s not just because he is a part of the IFAST family. I’ve been going back to the basics as of late, reviewing concepts such as tissue pathology, anatomy, surgical procedures, and the like. If there is anyone who has the fundamentals down savagely well, it is Scott Gray. He put out an Ebook called “The Physical Examination Blueprint”, which you can download by subscribing to his newsletter. Here he details all the essentials on screening your patients. To me, the most important aspect of patient care is knowing who you can and cannot treat. Stratifying your patients based on who needs to be referred out, and who you can help is essential to providing the best care. Quite simply, there are few better resources out there that outline how to do this than Scott’s ebook. In it, he delves into what relevant questions to ask, tests to perform, and establishing a relevant diagnosis. Often underlooked, yet exceptionally important components of the clinical examination. Again, I cannot recommend Scott’s ebook and site enough. It’s a great resource for many things PT, including many of his eclectic and unique manual therapy techniques. Definitely check this guy out. Rehabbing a 5th Metatarsal Fracture to High Level Basketball In

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The Art of the Debrief & Work/Life Balance – Movement Debrief Episode 8

Episode 8 of the Movement Debrief, despite technical difficulties, persevered. In case you missed it live, we talked about the following topics: What is a debrief? How I structure my debrief Balancing work, social interaction, health, etc What makes you you If you want to watch these live, add me on Facebook or Youtube. They air every Wednesday at 8:30pm CST. Enjoy. The Art of the Debrief Work/Life Balance

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How to Treat Pain with Sitting – A Case Study

Case studies are much more valuable than many give credit for. It is this type of study that can often lead to sweeping changes in how further research is conducted, often create paradigm shifts in their own right. After all, there was only one Patient H.M. One thing that I wish I saw more in case studies was the clinician’s thought process. Why did they elect to do this treatment over that, what were they thinking when they saw this? How do they tick? I was fortunate enough to have an online client of mine suggest to that I make her a case study, and it was a very rewarding experience on both fronts. My hope is that you can see how a clinician thinks first-hand, and see the challenges a clinician faces… When you can’t work with your hands.

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Master the Fundamentals of PT, Neurodynamic Tricks, & Check Your Ego – Movement Debrief Episode 7

Episode 7 of the Movement Debrief (aka The Movement Awakens) occurred last night. I can only imagine how devastated you are that you missed it. But hey, though I think it’s way more fun live, I have a copy of the video below, where we discussed the following topics: Why fundamental PT skills are still relevant Why the basic clinical exam is incredibly important Determining if you can or cannot help your patients A simple trick to making any movement a neurodynamic test Doing what is best for the patient, not your ego or agenda If you want to watch these live, add me on Facebook or Youtube. They air every Wednesday at 8:30pm CST. Enjoy. Master the Fundamentals of PT Neurodynamic Tricks Check Your Ego

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How to Deadlift – A Movement Deep Dive

Deadlift – A Total Body Workout It is hard to find a better fundamental exercise than the deadlift. A time-tested move that ought to be learned by all—whether you’re a professional athlete, bodybuilder, fitness client, or grandma with back pain. What if you don’t know how to deadlift? Or maybe you just want to get better at coaching it? You’ve come to the right place. This “Movement Deep Dive” focuses on the deadlift and all of its variants. You’ll learn why the deadlift is so important, how to do it progressing and regressing the moven, and how to fix common errors. So grab some chalk, branched chain amino acids, pen, and paper. This one’s a mother. If you can’t watch the video right away, I’ve provided a modified transcript below. I would recommend both watching the video and reading the post to get the most out of the material. Learn on!

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Sleeping Tips for New Parents & Patients Owning Their Care – Movement Debrief Episode 6

If you missed yesterday’s Movement Debrief live, you missed a doozy.  We discussed the following topics: What strategies new parents can use to maximize the little sleep they get Ways to give patients ownership in their care There are a few products I mentioned or are relevant that you may want to check out: Recommended Relevant Resources Take a Nap, Change Your Life Metashred Diet Found My Fitness Podcast by Rhonda Patrick Tim Ferriss Podcast featuring Rhonda Patrick Meditation Apps Headspace Calm Insight Timer (free) Nootropic Supplements for Alertness Foursigmatic Mushroom Coffee Teacrine – Shoot for 150mg/day Blue Light Blocking Systems blue light blocking glasses f.lux – a blue light blocking app for your computer. Syncs with sunrise and sunset Circadian Rhythm Devices NatureBright Sunlight Plus Light and Ion Therapy Lamp – For use when you live in an area with poor sunlight. Helps stimulate alertness. Also shoots negative ions, which has a bit of research, at least with earthing, to favorably impact heart rate variability. Zero (free) – An app that promotes circadian fasting. Ensures you stop eating before sunset. Sleeping Tips for New Parents Patients Owning Their Care  

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He Sleeps He Scores: Playing Better Basketball by Conquering Sleep Deprivation

A 16 game losing streak. Worst record in the league. 8 rookies. We were in dire straights. Could we fix it in 2 hours?!? The NBA travel schedule is one of the hardest in pro sports. 82 games in a season plus playoffs. Several back-to-back games that require time zone changes, late nights, early mornings, and playing nightly at a high level. And a high level of sleep deprivation. Fortunately, many NBA teams, including the one I worked for, take whatever measures possible to ensure our guys get enough sleep. They modulate flight times, stay in the best hotels, and use their unlimited budgets to improve sleep quality. We call that soft where I come from. My domain—the NBA D-league. Home of the worst schedule in professional sports. I can’t even call it a nightmare because you don’t sleep enough to hit your REM cycle. Let’s take a look at this disastrous schedule.

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Master Sagittal Plane, Coaching Progressions, Detaching, & TFL Inhibition – Movement Debrief Episode 5

Did you miss Movement Debrief live yesterday? Though much more fun live, I have a video of what we discussed below. This debrief was quite fun, as we had an impromptu viewer q&a. Thank you Alan Luzietti for the awesome questions! If you follow along live on Facebook or Youtube, I will do my best to answer any questions you ask. Yesterday we discussed the following topics: Why you should emphasize sagittal plane activities longer than you think How to coach exercises to maximize client learning and compliance Why detaching from your client encounters makes you a better clinician Viewer Q&A – “centering from the chaos” & TFL Inhibition Lastly, if you want the acute:chronic workload calculator I spoke about, click here. Without further ado: Master Sagittal Plane Coaching Progressions Detaching Refocusing TFL Inhibition

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90/90 Hip Lift – A Movement Deep Dive

The Fundamental Rehab Technique It’s a classic that does so much more than the naked eye can see. This round of “Movement Deep Dive” focuses on the 90/90 hip lift, and some of my favorite variances off that move. I hope you have your pen and paper handy to take notes, because this video is a long one. If videos aren’t your thing, I’ve provided a modified transcript below. I would recommend both watching the video and reading the post to get the most out of the material. Learn on!

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Hamstrings and the ACL, Explaining Hip Range of Motion, & Meeting the Patient’s Needs – Movement Debrief Episode 4

If you missed me live, you can check out Episode 4 of Movement Debrief below. We hit a small technical difficulty early on, but it all ended up working out. We discuss the following concepts: Why I Emphasize Hamstrings before quadriceps after ACL reconstruction Why Hip Rotation isn’t always a reliable measure Interpreting the Ober’s Test Meeting the Patient’s Needs vs the Clinician’s Needs I apologize that the quality is not so great. I’ve moved to a rural part of Arizona, which as of right now does not allow for the best of streaming. If you friend me on facebook, however, you can watch the live stream, which has surprisingly much better quality. Click here for the post I mentioned discussing combining blood flow restriction training with E-stim. Hamstrings and the ACL Explaining Hip Range of Motion Meeting the Patient’s Needs    

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