Tag: physical therapy

Overhead Shoulder Mobility | FIXED WITHOUT STRETCHING | Case Study

Does going overhead feel stuck? Then you MUST watch this case study Full overhead motion is important for many sports, yet so few people have access to the full range. It’s super common to feel a block, stuck, or limited. The issue? There aren’t really any good solutions to getting more overhead. I mean, come on, we all know stretching doesn’t really cut it. What if there was a way to remove that overhead block without a single stretch? Instead, just choosing the right weight room exercises for them mobility gains? We did that in today’s case study. Watch us help someone with limited shoulder mobility, and see the 4 exercises (and one manual technique) that both increased shoulder mobility and removed that sense of feeling blocked. No stretch required 😉

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How to Forward Lean Split Squat

A split squat variation that targets the hamstrings and glutes The split squat is an excellent exercise, but what if you are someone who loads the back leg WAY TOO MUCH, or you really want to work the hamstrings better than ever before? Enter the forward lean split squat (or as I affectionately call it, the superhero split squat). This variation introduces a hinge component to the split squat, which better works the posterior chain and minimizes back leg loading. But what are the keys to performing this well? Who would benefit from this version the most? I’ll answer that for you! Check out the video and post below for all the details!

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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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How to Fix Rounded Shoulders

Having rounded shoulders doesn’t occur for the reason you think it does Rounded shoulders are an often common complaint of folks who perceivably have poor posture. Conventional rehab makes us think that the simple solution to this problem entails stretching the pecs, strengthening the upper back, attaining a good head position, and sitting up straight. But what if conventional treatment for bad posture was all wrong? The problem with typical treatments is that we rarely look at the foundational influence—ribcage dynamics—that likely governs where your shoulders go. That changes today. In this video, we will outline postural factors that contribute to having rounded shoulders. The one’s your standard PTs gloss over.

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Slouched vs Arched Posture – What’s the Difference?

Is your torso posture limiting your movement? Here’s what to do about it! If you have a tendency to be slouched, arched, or anything between, you might be wondering how you can improve the movements that are often lost with these presentations. The hard part is that the motions limited with these postures, as well as the “fixes” to improve these restrictions, are far from intuitive. Until today. It’ll all be cleaned up in Movement Debrie Episode 165.

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The Best Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Exercises in 2021

If you have carpal tunnel syndrome, you may have to look beyond your wrist! With an increase in computer and remote work, we may see the incidence of carpal tunnel syndrome increase. The problem, however, is that most people only look at the wrist and the neural components in the arm. This approach may be missing some critical pieces that can influence the health of the median nerve, the nerve which is affected by carpal tunnel syndrome. What are those pieces? Don’t worry, fam, I’ll tell you in Movement Debrief 164!

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Top 3 Questions to Ask During Your Physical Therapy School Interview

Questions to ask PT school that will actually impact your career When applying for anything, especially PT school, it’s common and expected to ask the school important questions. This shows that you are vested in the process. The problem is that most of the questions people on the internet tell you to ask are IRRELEVANT to moving forward in your career. Like how to pass the licensure, what separates you from other schools, etc. Although the PT school application process is nerve-wracking, never forget that YOU are also interviewing THEM. You have to make sure this school is the best fit for you and will set you up for success for the rest of your career. How will you know that? Check out today’s post below to learn more!

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5 Mistakes I’ve Made as a Physical Therapist

Rarely do we discuss our mistakes. I’ll be the first We learn some of our best lessons from the mistakes that not only we’ve made, but those before us. Yet rarely does one discuss the times that they’ve failed. Instead, it’s all puppies and rainbows on your social network of choice. Everyone has their best life and best practice all up in there. But without that transparency, without sharing how we fail, we miss out on an incredible learning opportunity. We may fall victim to similar mistakes that can happen throughout both patient care and working with your supreme gym clientele. That ends today. I’m going to share with you 5 mistakes that I’ve made in my physical therapy career, what I’ve learned from those problems, and what I’m doing differently. Let ya boi screw up, so you don’t have to. Check out the video, podcast, and blog below to learn about it!

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Hip Flexor Stretches Don’t Work – Try These 2 Exercises Instead

If hip flexor stretching is whack, what is better, Zac? It’s super common to feel hip flexor tightness from sitting or a bazillion other things. The problem is that your traditional hip flexor stretches don’t really work…At all. The reason why is NOT because your hip flexor muscles are this evil piece of your anatomy that hates you and cares little about your feeble attempts to stretch them. It’s because tight hip flexors are part of a bigger movement strategy that your body uses. And in order to get these muscles to let go, you have to teach your body a different movement behavior. One that takes into consideration ALL of the areas that influence hip flexor tension. What are they? Well fam watch the video below and read the blog to learn! What are the hip flexors? Are the hip flexors simply evil muscles that exist within your body to cause you all types of pain and problems? Uh, no fam. The hip flexors are several muscles that act to flex the hip (aka bring your thigh closer to your abdomen. If you’ve ever sprinted, walked, went upstairs, done marching exercises, or kneed someone in the gut (wild times in Vegas), then you can be thankful you have hip flexors big fam! For you anatomy nerds, some of the major players that complete this move include: Tensor fascia lata (TFL) Psoas major Iliacus Rectus femoris What other actions do the hip flexors perform? You’ll notice that the hip flexor

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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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Lateral Pelvic Tilt: Learn It All

If there is a frontal plane problem, you will want to check this out Are you someone who has a lateral pelvic tilt, a lateral spine shift, or Trendelenburg gait. If so, then this is the post for you, because we outline what is going on movement-wise, and what the heck you can do about it. Check out Movement Debrief Episode 156 below to learn more.

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Help! I’m Not Sure What Infrasternal Angle I Have!

Those pesky people who have infrasternal angles right in the middle. What do you call him? Well in this case study, we talk about some tips and tricks for pinpointing the ISA that you are dealing. We also dive into the following topics: A couple quick tests to confirm the infrasternal angle Why the xiphoid process is an unreliable reference point How to prioritize treatments for someone who is compressed in all directions with asymmetries. How shifting at different degrees of flexion changes the pelvic mechanics

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