Fascia is currently a buzzword in the sports medicine, health, and fitness community, and thanks to the foam roller has nearly reached household name recognition status. While the foam roller you’re using on your IT band might be having some effect on your myofascial system, it’s doubtful that what you are doing with it is actually myofascial release.
Read moreIs It My Hamstring or Is It My Jaw?
This post will highlight an interesting issue that came up in the clinic last year for myself and an athlete that I was working with. The athlete in question is an elite race walker and had had ‘on again, off again’ bouts of hamstring pain, soreness, and tightness throughout the season. We successfully managed it and treated it as it arose, but on one later flare up I had the intuition to check a little bit further up the chain from where we typically work and noticed right away that the alignment of her cervical spine, especially upper cervical spine, and even her jaw were not optimal. Just a brief palpation produced pinpoint tenderness at C1-C2, the occipital region of the skull, and on the same side of her jaw as her hamstring problem.
Read moreVoodoo Floss Protocols for the Ankle - Updated Videos!
This series will help if you have issues with past sprains, current sprain, or suffer from mobility issues, midfoot fixations, Achilles, shin, and/or plantar problems. Please watch these videos if you are can relate to any of these issues or if you simply want to see your ankle strength and mobility improve.
Read moreRethinking the Practitioner's Approach: The Client-Centric Model
I meet frequently with therapists, doctors, and practitioners from all levels, as well as many starting into a career seeking advice, mentorship, and intern opportunities. Too often I see young practitioners head down the path of: “I’m going to be X (fill in the blank type of provider) So that I can do Y kind of work.”
Read moreUsing the Reverse Hyper
This article will summarize my clinical and personal experiences using the reverse hyper as it pertains to improving function of the lower body and the spine, especially strengthening and improving mobility of the lower back. Many people may not actually know what the reverse hyper is nor have they seen one, let alone tried it. If you haven’t, I recommend that you seek one out and try it out, because there’s really nothing out there that I’ve seen in over 15 years of high level training and work as a therapist that I’ve been able to compare it with.
Read moreLow Back Pain
It seems a lot of the people I see with low back pain and chronic low back pathologies usually show up once they’re stumped, having already tried a lot of other things. I typically work alongside colleagues and other providers on these cases and I’m proud to say we have a system where we can get many of these chronic cases better, even after many other attempts have failed. Today I’d like to share my general philosophy in regards to this major issue.
Read moreHamstring Tendon Injuries and Hamstring Strains
Hamstring problems are a complex issue, and damage to the hamstring tendon, belly, or insertion of the muscle can originate from a multitude of sources. However, in my experience working on this commonly strained area, many times the injury arises from some of the following common factors.
Read moreQ&A with Jeremy Fischer
Jeremy Fischer is the Head Coach of Track and Field at the Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, California. He has coached at every level from College to pro track athletes, as well as working with MLB and NFL players on speed development and power. He was a professional athlete in the High Jump and All-American for the University of Wisconsin. Over the last few years, I've had the pleasure and privilege of working with him and his athletes doing trackside performance therapy with them. He is an outstanding coach from whom I've learned a lot about elite performance and training. You can find him on twitter @jeremyfhj and web here: http://www.maximumvelocityathletics.com/ He is the personal coach of Will Claye and Brittney Reese, both Olympic medalists from London 2012. I hope you enjoy these insights from one of the greats!
Read moreTrackside Therapy in Chula Vista
In 2015 I had the pleasure of returning to the Olympic Training Center, where I had previously done some work and also had trained as an athlete in the past, to help Jeremy Fischer, the head coach of Track and Field, with the preparation for the U.S. Championships (in Eugene, Oregon that year) and leading into the World Championships in Beijing. It was a great opportunity to get to be on the track with the athletes and coaches and watch and observe. I thought I would write a short post about some of the things that I learned and then try to extrapolate a couple of those points into take away lessons that others reading this may benefit from.
Read moreAchilles Tendon Injury Part 2
Achilles Tendon Injuries
Achilles tendon injuries are some of the most feared injuries in sports. Whether the issue is a tear, inflammation, or a tendinosis of the Achilles, any of these conditions can place an athlete on the disabled list or out of competition and training for an extended period.
Read moreWhat Do I Eat?
I field this question frequently throughout my day of work and in my life in general. In my line of work, nutrition is a big factor. It closely correlates to tissue quality and the person's ability to recover from treatment or injury. It affects performance. Whenever I suspect and voice nutritional concerns, people immediately turn it around and ask me, "Well, what do you eat?" So here goes: today's blog will be about what I eat!
Read moreShin Splints
Shin splints are one of the most dreaded injuries known to runners, triathletes, ballet dancers, and certainly to weekend warriors of all types. Shin splints typically present as a dull ache in the lower shin, that will likely intensify during exercise.The good news is that they are actually an easily-treated injury to a skilled practitioner.
Read more