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Using Manual Therapy to Restore Essential Gait Mechanics
Moving and Beyond: Essential Gait Mechanics Gait—it’s the movement of our limbs during locomotion. Our gait changes as we move faster or slower, and when we change terrain. Many people have poor gait mechanics, which limit their ability to perform to their fullest potential. Sometimes this limitation results in pain, and other times, there may
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Barefoot Basics—How to Regain Your Footing
Move Naturally Barefoot Natural movement means your body is moving without any alteration from its normal state or function. It also means your body is experiencing full sensory feedback from your surroundings, which is hopefully a natural environment. Do you think you’re moving as well with shoes on as you could be without them? You’re
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Everything in Moderation?
Moderate Your Holiday Moderation With the holidays, Halloween through Easter is a long time to play the moderation card and slack off on diet, exercise, and your (hopefully) healthy lifestyle. It’s actually the time when your diet should be the most healthy and “clean,” as cold temperatures, travel, and holiday stress are enough to take
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Grinding Away: Bruxism
The Night Grind: Bruxism Bruxism—it’s clenching your jaw and grinding your teeth, sometimes to the point of breaking a tooth. When you’re awake and conscious, the force your body can produce by grinding your teeth together is around 250 psi (pounds per square inch) in the back molars and 85 psi in the front teeth.
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NSAIDs—I Still Say Never
Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs—the infamous NSAIDs—are touted by many to curtail inflammation, accelerate healing time, and even improve performance. But over the past several years, there’s been more and more research supporting why you probably shouldn’t take an NSAID, due to the inherent dangers and the fact that they really don’t address the root of the
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Surgical Intervention: Think Twice Before You Get Knifed Part II: Going Under the Knife
So you’re still thinking about some surgical intervention for your injury. Getting cut open? That’s fine. Maybe it’s right for you, as long as you’ve fully investigated other treatments and have second opinions, as I discussed in Part I. Let’s now talk about what surgery can do to your body—because even a surgical incision is
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Surgical Intervention: Think Twice Before You Get Knifed Part I: Making an Informed, Educated Decision
An injured athlete is sometimes faced with the decision to go under the knife to hopefully get rid of pain once and for all. With the multitude of diagnostic tests available today, it’s often very easy to be convinced that surgery is the only way you will get better, even if it’s exploratory surgery. After
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Truly BAREFOOT
Humans, with rare exceptions, should be able to function well while barefoot from birth until death. Although sadly, many people are unable to walk, run, or stand barefoot even for a few minutes without feeling discomfort, pain, or general uneasiness. Many people have essentially lost their ability to support themselves without secondary support, either because
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No, It’s Not Your Hammy
The hamstrings are a group of muscles in the back of your thigh that every athlete is familiar with. Simply put, they are three muscles that provide motion to two joints: the hip and the knee. They’re of great importance if you choose to extend your hips, flex your knees, and rotate your lower legs.
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Aging Athletes: Your Excuse Is Getting Old
“Your joints ache because you’re old.” “You’re fat because you’re old.” “You don’t sleep well because you’re old.” “You can’t do that anymore because you’re old.” “This disease you have is common in old people.” “What? You’re only 40? Well, that’s old enough.” Blaming age for a health problem is perhaps the biggest “diagnosis” cop-out
