Tag: cranium

All About the Neck

A comprehensive look at cervical biomechanics and exercise The Wu-Tang clan once said “Protect Ya Neck,” but how in the heck can you do that if you don’t know the biomechanics?????? The neck can be quite complicated considering all the factors that influence it’s dynamics: Ribcage position Thoracic spine Hyoid bone Cranium Temperomandibular joint OH MY! Yet despite all of these influences, there are simple, useful heuristics you can follow that can lead to favorable changes in neck mobility! Want to make the neck, cranium, and more ridiculously simple to understand and apply? Then tune in for Movement Debrief Episode 125.

Read More

Mandibular Retrusion, GIRD, and Distance Assessment – Movement Debrief Episode 85

Movement Debrief Episode 85 is in the books. Below is a copy of the video for your viewing pleasure, and audio if you can’t stand looking at me. Here is the set list: What is the relationship of mandibular in relation to the head and spine? What could be a negative consequence of the retruded mandible? What treatment strategies would you use to improve it? What is GIRD? Does my hierarchy for improving movement change with someone who has GIRD? How would you improve GIRD? How do I perform an assessment with a distance client?

Read More

Frequently Asked Questions

Over the last year I’ve been asked a bunch of questions, and I’ve tried to answer them immediately. Instead of sifting through all my Movement Debriefs to get your answer, maybe you just want to get a quick answer and then go apply what you learned. Or maybe you can only stand listening to me for so long. I GET IT! Well, look no further. Below is a link to every question that I have answered thus far on my Movement Debriefs. While I won’t continually update this post, going to my FAQ page will be updated after each debrief. If you have a question, just sign up for my newsletter, and when the next email comes by, just hit reply and I will do my darndest to answer yours. [yikes-mailchimp form=”1″ submit=”Yeah, I want Zac to A my Q”] Learn away my fam! Continuing Education   PRI vs. DNS Exercise Coaching Anchoring Old Movements to New Coaching Progressions Getting Changes to Stick Home Exercise Execution Lower Body Death of the Vertical Tibia Slideboards Squats Performance Agility Programming Exercise Programming Periodizing Physical Therapy Sessions Upper Body Dead Hangs   Overhead Pressing Pushups vs. Quad Sets   Health and Wellness The Off-Switch Sleeping Tips for New Parents Stress Response Taking care of your health Personal Development Daily Routines Building Daily Routines Deciding What to Learn Just in Time Learning Embracing Failure Detaching Refocusing Check Your Ego The Art of the Debrief Work-Life Balance Professional Development Questions to ask an interviewer New

Read More

Course Notes: The Last Craniocervical Mandibular Restoration Evahhhhh

You’d Think I’d Learn it the First Time Around You’d think, but CCM is one of the hardest PRI courses to conceptualize.  It didn’t hurt that my work was hosting the Ron’s last time teaching this course, as next year we will see Cervical Revolution instead. I took this course last February, and it’s amazing how different the two courses were. We had a room filled with PRI vets, and the Ronimal went into so much more depth this time around. It was such a great course that I would love to share with you some of the clarified concepts. If you want a course overview, take a look here.  The TMCC  The right TMCC pattern consists of the following muscles with the following actions: Cranial retruders/mandibular protruders Right anterior temporalis Right Masseter Right medial pterygoid Sphenobasilar flexors Left rectus capitis posteror major Left obliquus capitis OA flexors that maintain appropriate cervical lordosis Right rectus capitis anterior Right longus capitis Right longus colli If this chain stays tonically active, then there is better accessory muscle respiratory capacity present. These muscles provide the fixed point needed for an apical breathing pattern. We want the muscles on the other side, the left TMCC, to be active. Their activity will allow alternating reciprocal cranial function to be possible. We also call this gait.  Keep Ya Sphenoid Flexed One cranial goal we have is to achieve sphenobasilar flexion, but what does this mean? In the RTMCC pattern, the sphenoid is in an extended position.

Read More