Discover the four game-changing strategies to improve your running performance. From power meters to targeted mobility and smarter weight training, elevate your game today.
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Tag: mobility
Can I Gain Muscle and Move Better? – Michelle Boland, Tim Richardt, Francis Hoare
If you want to move better and get stronger at the same time, this is the podcast to check out
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Functional Muscle Contractions
Compression, expansion, limitations, oh my! Have you ever wondered how muscle contractions impact movement? Or why in the hell we are using fancy terms like compression, expansion, all that mess? Or how does tissue tension create movement limitations? I get it, the terminology and stuff can be confusing AF, but passing that learning curve will allow you to: Figure out why movement limitations happen Better make decisions based on the infrasternal angle Determine how loading changes contractile orientations Are you ready to take your programming and exercise selection to the next level? Then check out Movement Debrief Episode 130!
Read More9 weeks with Bane, I mean Zac…Oops Sorry Wrong CI
Note from Zac: This is my first guest post, and to start things up is the one and only Trevor Rappa. Trevor was my intern for the past 9 weeks and he absolutely killed it. Here is his story. It’s very exciting for me to get to write a guest post for Zac’s blog that I have read so many times and learned so much from. The experience I have had with him over these past 9 weeks has been incredible and I hope to share some of it with all of you that read this. He challenged me to think critically in every aspect of patient interaction: how I first greet them, which side of them I sit on, the words I use, and how I explain to the patient why I chose the exercises they’ll go home with. All of this was to create a non-threatening environment to help to patient achieve the best results they can. He also taught me how to educate patients with a TNE approach, incorporate other interventions such as mirror therapy into a PRI based treatment model, and deepened my understanding of the neurologic concepts behind performance. Therapeutic Neuroscience Education Perception of threat can lead to a painful experience which will cause a change in behavior. It’s the PT’s role to introduce a salient stimulus to attenuate the perception of threat in order to cause a positive change in experience and behavior (Zac and I came up with that, I really like it). Pain
Read MoreCourse Notes: Cantrell’s Myokin Reflections
Third Time’s a Charm Mike Cantrell was in my neighborhood to teach Myokinematic Restoration by the folks at PRI. And I couldn’t resist. This is the third time I have taken this course, a course I feel I know like the back of my hand, yet Mike gave me several clinical gems that I want to share with y’all. This post is going to be a quick one. If you want a little more depth, take a look at my previous myokin posts (See James Anderson and Jen Poulin). Or better yet, take a PRI course for cryin’ out loud. Hip Extension, We Need That Yo. Sagittal plane is your first piece needed to create triplanar activity. Since this is a lumbopelvic course, we look at getting hip extension as high priority. If I am unable to extend my hip, here’s what I could try to use to do it: Back SI joint compression Anterior hip laxity Gastrocnemius and soleus. We use two tests to see if we have hip extension: adduction drop (modified ober’s test) and extension drop (Thomas test). The adduction drop will look at your capacity to get into the sagittal and frontal plane, and the extension drop test will look at your anterior hip ligamentous integrity. A positive extension drop is a good thing if you are in the LAIC pattern. It means you didn’t overstretch your iliofemoral and pubofemoral ligaments. Well done! The reason why this test is not a hip flexor length test has to
Read MoreCourse Notes: Advanced Integration and PRC Reflections
I Passed I officially became a Jedi this past December after retaking Advanced Integration and going through the Postural Restoration Certified (PRC) testing. Both were a wonderful experience in terms of learning new concepts and fine-tuning old ones. Since I have retaken this course, I will not go into huge detail in terms of the material covered (if you want detail, read last year’s AI notes here, here, here, and here). Instead, I will reflect on a few concepts that really hit home for me (No, i’m not saying what we did at the PRC)! Enjoy. Extension is Evolution Extension is what allowed our brains to develop because it brought us to two legs. The big extenders: psoas, paravertebrals, lat, QL, capitis Extension given us more but comes with a cost. As we continue to extend, we increase system demands. Extension will likely be a necessary adaptation to live in the world we are creating. I’m scared to see what the future looks like. Position Refers to triplanar position of the body. Neutrality is the state of rest and transition zone from one side to the other. We want this most of the day, but can’t expect this to occur all day. We want to establish a rhythm in and out of neutrality in alternating and reciprocal function. The alternating and reciprocal rhythm has alternate appendages on either side of the body. When the left leg is in front, the right leg should be back. In right stance, the appendages take
Read MoreThe End of Pain
I’m Done Treating Pain. Yes. You read that correctly. I’m over it. Several different thoughts have crept into to my mind sparked by what I have read and conversations I have had. I would like to share these insights with you. I remember when I was visiting Bill Hartman Dad a few months ago and we were talking about a specific treatment that is quite controversial in therapy today. He said something that really resonated with me: “Maybe they measured the wrong thing.” This sentiment was echoed in “Topical Issues in Pain 1” by Louis Gifford. Check out this fantastic excerpt: “Thus, pain can be viewed as a single perceptual component of the stress response whose prime adaptive purpose is to powerfully motivate the organism to alter behavior in order to aid recovery and survive.” Notice what I bolded there. Pain is a single component of the stress response. Not the stress response. Not a necessary component of the stress response. Just one possibility. Why do we place so much importance on pain? Many proponents of modern pain science (myself included) often use this statement against individuals who are over-biomedically inclined: “Nociception is neither necessary nor sufficient for a pain experience.” Agreed, pain is not always the occurring output when nociception is present. That said, pain is only one of several outputs that may occur when a tissue is injured. Just because pain is absent does not mean other outputs are also absent. Many different outputs can occur when an individual is
Read MoreTreatment at the Hruska Clinic: The Finishing Touches
For part 1, click here. For part 2, click here. A Low Key Day 3 Day three consisted mostly of putting the finishing touches on my quest toward neutrality. The morning began by tweaking my gelb splint so I was getting even contact on both sides. This way I would be ensured to not have an asymmetrical bite. I put a pair of trial lenses that fit my PRI prescription, and grinding commenced. We finished with this: Once the splint was done, I had a final meeting with Ron to go over my exercise program. I was placed into phase one visual training with two pairs of glasses. My training glasses were to be used when I lift weights, perform my exercises, walk around, etc. I could wear these for up to 30 minutes at a time; making sure I maximize my visual awareness of the environment. While I was wearing these glasses, I was to be keen on finding and feeling my heels; especially when I turn my head. The glasses would help me find the floor, as well as help my eyes work together and independently from my neck. My second pair of glasses was to be used while performing any activities within arms reach. This pair helps my eyes converge better and promote less eye fatigue. Ron gave me several phase I vision activities as well as a few others. His main objectives were to get my eyes to move independent of my neck. We also
Read MoreCourse Notes: PRI Integration for the Home
The Pilgramage One of the many reasons I was drawn to make the trek to Lincoln was to experience my man James Anderson’s original affiliate course. I always enjoy hearing James’ perspective on PRI, and he did not disappoint here. The course felt like an Impingement and Instability with a bias towards the geriatric/chronic pain populations. Some might argue that James is the king at implementing PRI here. I really admired James saying throughout the course that the Geriatric population houses his favorite athletes, and they really are. High performance at any task, be it sprinting 100 meters or walking to pick up the mail, require similar alternating and reciprocal components. We still go after the same pieces to achieve different goals along a continuum. So let’s dive into this high performance course for some high performing individuals. PRI 101…or at Least the Pieces You Didn’t Get from My Other Reads The affiliate courses have a huge introduction that gives an overview of PRI principles, namely the Left AIC and Right BC patterns. I’m not going to go through all the nitty gritty as this course did, but instead I’ll review concepts that James cleaned up for me. Think of this post as an in-depth FAQ. If you want to learn more about the left AIC, you might want to read the course notes on Myokinematic Restoration and Pelvis Restoration. If you want to learn more about the Right BC, then read my Postural Respiration notes. The Overviewing Overview The big keys
Read MoreCourse Notes: Dermoneuromodulation
What? You Mean You Have to Touch Someone???!!?!? My gluttony for punishment continues. This time, I had the pleasure of learning Diane Jacobs’ manual therapy approach called Dermoneuromodulation (DNM). My travels took me to Entropy Physiotherapy and Wellness in the Windy City. These folks were arguably the best course hosts I have ever had. We had lunch!!!! Both days!!!!! That is unheard of, so a big thanks to Sandy and Sarah for putting the course together. I took DNM out of curiosity. I have been lurking around Somasimple on and off for the past couple years, and wanted to learn more about the methods championed there. Believe it or not, I have yet to take a pure manual therapy course, DNM seemed like a great way to get my hands dirty. That darn PRI has lessened the hand representation in my somatosensory homunculus! One reason I haven’t taken a manual course is due to the explanatory models many classes are presenting. It seems as though few are approaching things with a neurological mindset, but I was pleased to hear Diane’s model. It is the best explanation I have heard yet. I know that I usually list my favorite quotes at the end of the blog, but I wanted to share the best quote of the weekend right off the bat: “I don’t know why.” I heard this phrase so much throughout the course and it was quite refreshing. Diane made few claims about her technique, admitted who she “stole” from,
Read MorePRI and Pain Science: Yes You Can Do It
Questions You may have noticed that my blogging frequency has been a little slower than the usual, and I would like to apologize for that. I am in the midst of creating my first course that I am presenting to my coworkers. It has been a very exciting yet time-consuming process. It makes me excited and more motivated to someday start teaching more on the reg. Ever since I started blogging people started asking me questions. These range from many topics regarding physical therapy, career advice, and the like. Some of the more frequent ones include: What courses should I look at? Any advice for a new grad? Seriously, Bane. What’s the deal? But the one I get asked more often then not is as follows: “Zac, how do you integrate PRI into a pain science model?” A great question indeed, especially to those who are relatively unfamiliar with PRI. With all the HG, GH, AF, FA, and FU’s, it’s easy to get lost in the anatomical explanations. Hell, the company even has the word (gasp) “posture” in the title. Surely they cannot think that posture and pain are correlated. I think there is a lot of misinformation regarding PRI’s methodology and framework. What needs to be understood is that PRI is a systematic, biopsychosocial approach that predominately (though not exclusively) deals with the autonomic nervous system. The ANS is very much linked into pain states, though not a causative factor. But of course, that may not be enough. Perhaps
Read MoreThe Post Wonderful Time of the Year: Top Posts of 2013
The Best…Around Time is fun when you are having flies. It seems like just yesterday that I started up this blog, and I am excited and humbled by the response I have gotten. Hearing praise from my audience keeps me hungry to learn and educate more. I am always curious to see which pages you enjoyed, and which were not so enjoyable; as it helps me tailor my writing a little bit more. And I’d have to say, I have a bunch of readers who like the nervous system 🙂 I am not sure what the next year will bring in terms of content, as I think the first year anyone starts a blog it is more about the writing process and finding your voice. Regardless of what is written, I hope to spread information that I think will benefit those of you who read my stuff. The more I can help you, the better off all our patients and clients will be. So without further ado, let’s review which posts were the top dogs for this year (and some of my favorite pics of course). 10. Lessons from a Student: The Interaction This was probably one of my favorite posts to write this year, as I think this area is sooooooo under-discussed. Expect to be hearing more on patient interaction from me in the future. 9) Clinical Neurodynamics Chapter 1: General Neurodynamics Shacklock was an excellent technical read. In this post we lay out some nervous system basics, and
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