Tag: pelvic floor

Top 10 Posts of 2021

The posts the fam loved the most! At the end of each year, I like to see what you wonderful folks loved! What the fam….recognized (fam). This year we went IN DEEP with biomechanics. A whole lotta pelvis especially, but also some feet and scapular stuff. If you want to learn more, then definitely check out this year’s top 10. Wishing you the best for 2022! 10. All About The Pelvic Floor My understanding and application of what the pelvic floor is doing as we move and breathe has become much more refined. This post is the best example of that. When you recognize that the pelvic floor contracts segmentally, you’ll look differently on exercise prescription. 9. Split Squat Biomechanics The split squat is an incredibly versatile exercise, and you can really vary it up if you grasp the biomechanical positions that occur as you move through the movement. This post provides a deep dive into this awesome move! 8. Maxillary Expansion Before and After 1 Year in the Crozat Appliance This year, I learned that there are three polarizing topics that you should not discuss with others: Religion Politics Upper airway treatments This post was by far my most controversial, where I outline what happened to myself after a year of being in the Crozat appliance. So far, the results have been pretty solid! 7. Core Training Do rib flares matter? Why do we stack and posteriorly tilt the pelvis? How should the core work as we walk? These were a few of

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All About The Pelvic Floor

A deep dive into pelvic floor biomechanics Breathing is super important you know, but the base of breathing is the pelvic floor. Well fam, what if you don’t have the biomechanics on point down there? Then you’ll need some help! We will sift through it in this post. Check out Movement Debrief Episode 157 below to learn more.

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Pregnancy, Pectus, and Bruxism – Movement Debrief Episode 106

Movement Debrief Episode 106 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 setlist: How can pregnancy affect one’s ability to move? Can pregnancy change one’s infrasternal angle? What type of adjustments and considerations should we make for those who are pregnant? What is pectus excavatum? How can this structural change impact movement options? What type of exercises can we use to improve movement when someone has a pectus? What is bruxism? What is bruxism’s relationship to upper airway? What are other potential related factors to bruxism? What are some treatment considerations for someone who has bruxism?

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Kegels, Overhead Reaching, and Overuse vs Deconditioned – Movement Debrief Episode 104

Movement Debrief Episode 104 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 are pelvic diaphragm mechanics during breathing? How do these mechanics relate to two different types of kegel (holding in urine vs gas) Is there a reason to encourage a kegel? What could be the negative implications of a kegel? What breathing mechanics does reaching overhead encourage? What type of reaching would each infrasternal angle presentation benefit from? What are some signs to differentiate an overuse injury vs tissue deconditioning? How do you encourage someone with an overuse injury to proceed? How do you encourage someone with tissue deconditioning to proceed?

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Pelvic Dynamics, Lower Back Weakness, and Finances – Movement Debrief Episode 103

Movement Debrief Episode 103 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 are the inhaled and exhaled orientations of the pelvis? What movement strategies would you use to improve dynamics of each orientation? How often is each orientation found? Why might clients feel lower back weakness? Is there a time when you work on lower back strength? How do you educate clients who say they have lower back weakness? What are some of the key financial areas to focus on as a new grad? What are some good financial resources?

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Movement Analysis and Breathing Strategies for Pain Relief and Improved Performance

Chris, a high level mountain biker, at first didn’t believe someone could help him move better over the internet. He had back issues for a hot minute, what the heck was an online consult going to do? A couple consults later with me, and Chris is pain-free, back to doing all the wild and crazy things he was doing before without issues. Chris was so juiced up about his results that he wanted to learn more about my thought process and what I do that he had me on his podcast. Chris Kelly is the owner of Nourish Balance Thrive, a really cool site that brings several great practitioners together to help clients remotely with whatever their goals are. Despite Chris technically not being in the field, he’s one of the best interviewers I’ve had the pleasure of podcasting with. He asked some great, unique questions, and we got into a wide variety of topics. Here are some of topics we discussed on the podcast: Ben House and Flō Retreat Center in Costa Rica How I got into physical therapy. The influence of Bill Hartman. Working with NBA basketball players. The influence of Dr. Bryan Walsh. Sleep and performance How to treat pain Assessing movement Movement variability The online assessment process Pain vs. tissue damage How we improved the host’s chronic lower back pain The importance of the pelvic floor What is considered normal breathing How to promote behavior change in our clients Applying the principle of minimal effective dose

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Elevated Heels, Pelvic Floor, and Identifying with Medical Labels – Movement Debrief Episode 79

Movement Debrief Episode 79 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: Why is it useful to elevate the heels during squatting? Why do I coach “holding in gas” during inhalation? How does this cue impact pelvic floor? Is there a difference between holding in gas and kegeling? What is my educational approach like for someone who identifies with a medical label?

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Belly Breathing, Cramping, and Exhales – Movement Debrief Episode 77

Movement Debrief Episode 77 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: Why is belly breathing not beneficial? What should happen during “normal” respiratory mechanics? What happens when you belly breathe? Why would certain muscles (e.g. back, hamstrings, etc) cramp during breathing activities? What are the two ways I coach exhales? When indications would lead you to choosing a specific exhalation strategy?

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Neurodynamics, Thorax and Pelvis, Scapula, and Muscle Activation

I recently had the opportunity at to do a Q&A session at Enhancing Life, the gym of my dear friends Lucy Hendricks and Dave Wilton. In this Q&A, personal training students from the Lexington Healing Arts Academy asked me a bunch of questions, to which I had to answer immediately. Topics include: Neurodynamics Infrasternal and infrapubic angles Pelvic tilt and rotation Pulling the shoulders down and back The myth of muscle activation Does the warmup transfer? This was an absolute blast, where we dove in deep into these topics. I hope you get a lot out of it. Enjoy! and the audio version Neurodynamics 101 The Relationship Between Infrasternal and Infrapubic Angles The Difference between Pelvic Tilt and Rotation Shoulders Down and Back The Myth of Muscle Activation Human resting muscle tone (HRMT): narrative introduction and modern concepts. Does the Warmup Transfer? Photo Credits Cover photo courtesy of Lucy Hendricks 😉

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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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Course Notes: DNS Summit

Why? In my short time out I have gotten heavily into the influence that breathing has on the nervous system. Obviously PRI has been my favorite explanation thus far, but the DNS approach had me intrigued. The summit is the first of two DNS courses that I took this past week. This summit was the first of its kind, and was an amalgamation of many different speakers. Unfortunately, this summit was mostly review and wrought with little innovation. Here are some of the big points I got from a few of the speakers. “Developmental Kinesiology: Three Levels of Motor Control in Assessment and Treatment of the Motor System” by Dr. Alena Kobesova There are three levels of development: spinal, subcortical, and cortical Spinal level of motor control is primitive reflexes; subcortical motor control is core stability; cortical motor control includes individual patterns. DNS suggests inhibiting primitive reflexes instead of facilitating them for function. Core stabilization occurs first at 4.5 months development, then locomotion follows. All movement patterns are either ipsilateral or contralateral. The former develops in supine, and the latter in prone. “DNS Among Elite Athletes – MLB” by PJ Mainville Didn’t get much out of this one except PJ dancing around PRI 🙂 Recommended using theratube around the wrist so you can perform hand movements with PNF patterns as such.  “DNS in Gynecological and Obstetrics Disorders” by Martina Jezkova When in quadruped, the pelvic floor does not create a base for the trunk and had no postural function. The

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