standing posture and low back pain

#Patterns. #Habits. 🍅. Tomahto. We look @ patterns & try to figure out WHY our clients come in ’stuck’ in certain patterns/habits. Sometimes they come in saying that they don’t know how to not do what you see here!🆘
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patterns of stance✅
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patterns of movement✅
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Some are optimal, but some need a bit of refinement. This ⬆️ pattern is the most common❗️Anterior pelvic tilt &/or forward shift of the hips. Compensatory anterior rib flare. Forward head posture. That’s just a super short list of the sagittal plane. What’s the ripple effect on the shoulders, neck, knee, ankle, foot, etc…?😲☢️
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You can tell someone to just ‘stand up straight’ or to ‘suck in their bellybutton,’ or to ‘put some weight through your heels.’ But that would not be very optimal now would it? I think that would be very 1999!#movehealchange

PDA Soccer & Total Physical Therapy

We are super excited to be working with the PDA Soccer Pro-Trac Boys Squad ⚽️ over the next 2 nights.

Total Physical Therapy will provide a 20 minute complimentary biomechanical evaluation of each athlete. The evaluation is set up to screen for potential markers of injury such as ACL or meniscus tear, hip or groin strains, stress fracture of the lumbar spine or any other soft tissue pathology. If the athlete has a past medical history of injury or is currently injured, this would be an ideal time to undergo the screening.

Parents are highly advised to attend, as the assessing physical therapist will relay the results to you directly and make recommendations as necessary. This screening will take place in our Bridgwater, New Jersey facility inside Top Corner Sports. #movehealchange

 

physical therapy summit new jersey

Have you had #physicaltherapy like it’s 1999? (sorry @prince)
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Do you start w/ hot packs followed by ultrasound?😕Then you go through a few exercises on your own while no one is watching your form?😟Do you finish up w/ a short massage, ice & e-stim?😩 Do you repeat that 3x/wk for 6-8weeks?Hmmmm . . . . .

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You know that you can do heat and ice @ home for free right? 😠You also know that you can now get an E-stim unit for under $40 on Amazon or CVS & do that at home for free too… right? OK, just sayin’!

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With an average co-pay of $35 – the above course of treatment will run you close to $900 out-of-pocket💰(that’s with a conservative estimate of in-network co-pay pricing folks!) –
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Hmmmm . . . Some of us may have done that too back in 1999, but I heard there are better options out there now!💥 #movehealchange #sundayrant

Single Limb Stance

This is a simple test yet so many people fail it when we assess them. SINGLE LIMB STANCE. This tells us a lot about how you stand and move. Do you see a pattern here? Hips forward & chest back😕
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I can guarantee that most of you know this ‘posture’ or ‘habit’ you see here is not ideal. But WHY?
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Because you’re not generating tension in the appropriate areas & are ‘hanging’ on your spine & hips instead of using appropriate bracing strategies. 👆
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What if …… you could LEARN HOW to do that without even thinking about it (#habit) – just think of the ripple effects that could have when you WALK (single limb stance 85% of the time😲) or RUN (single limb stance 100% of the time!😲) #movehealchange

tennis elbow

I was experiencing pain in my elbow that was limiting my exercise routine. My initial physical therapist was treating it in a vacuum as an elbow only issue.

Lauren was a second opinion and as part of her initial assessment, instantly determined that it wasn’t an elbow issue, rather an issue with my overall core and the surrounding support structure. Once she helped me build up strength within those supporting areas (back, shoulders, core, etc), the elbow issue was resolved.

At the end of it all, she triggered a different way of thinking for me. A mindset in the context of exercise and total body health, which has continued several years later with zero elbow pain/limitations.

I also appreciated Lauren’s flexibility in scheduling, as my work schedule is not the easiest to work around and Lauren made the calendaring process easy.

Total-PT Hip Hinge

It doesn’t get more fundamental than the hinge… here are 4 variations that are great for teaching and training the hip hinge
1️⃣ PVC pipe hip hinge cuing neutral spine position

2️⃣ Banded pull through which adds resistance but encourages reaching the hips back and angling the torso down


3️⃣ Single leg hinge or RDL with PVC in the opposite arm as the standing leg to help with balance and also a counter reach forward as the non weight bearing leg reaches back


4️⃣ Single leg RDL with a long foam roller or short PVC as pictured to increase core engagement and tension through the system
#movehealchange

lunge and knee pain

When performing a lunge movement, what are the focus points? Why are you actually doing a lunge? The benefit is multinodal here. First and foremost, we need to understand that the weight-bearing hip has to be ‘centrated,’ or simply put, it needs to be well centered in the socket. This requires that you properly hinge at the hip and NOT the lumbar spine. It also requires that you generate proper tension in the hamstrings as well as the glutes and hip rotators. This should all be happening while your hip, knee and ankle are all in-line with each other. Watch the video for details!