We have the BEST patients! Even though Olivia is going through ACL rehabilitation, she still found time to wish Dimitry happy Birthday!
Thanks for the early birthday surprise pistachios. She just gets me!
“He needs to stretch his hamstrings” -every doctor who has seen this client touch his toes.
Guess what ⁉️ At a glance you can see where they might come to this conclusion (picture on the left ⬅️) but…everyone knows what happens when you make assumptions!
This is not a magical before and after in one session, but the result from assessing, reassessing & assessing some more…AKA putting in the time. His straight leg raise was good – a test that indicates this is not an issue with hamstring flexibility.
The key 🔑 for this client was improving his strategy—working on control of his spine, pelvis, and hips💪 Stretching his hamstrings would have been an easy intervention to choose (likely ineffective), but we don’t do easy…we do thorough. 👊 #movehealchange
Remember these beauties 👣 from about 1 mo. ago? She was the client with the Right over-supinated foot and 30+yr. history of Right groin pain who was told she needed orthotics for her ‘flat feet?’
This observation was NOT the main focus, but I decided to keep an out to see if this would change.
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3 sessions later & working on her hip movement, thorax, breathing patterns during dynamic motion & BAM! 💥
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R Foot looks real pretty now!🌟 No orthotics needed folks! 🙌 But lots of work near those hips 🍑yielded some pretty interesting results down the kinetic chain!
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Oh . . . .& that 30+yr. history of groin pain? Well … that’s now history as well!! Poof 💨
Using band walks for glute activation 🍑? The lower left picture shows our client trying to engage hip muscles with the band but struggling to align the knee over the ankle—an indication that those glutes just don’t want to do their job!
When verbal cues and tactile cues 👉 just don’t do the trick, consider that the muscles don’t know what it feels like to engage. A quick set of isometric holds in sidelying (top picture) allowed her to successfully “find and feel” her glutes 💪 and 1 minute later executed a much more productive band walk, shown bottom right 🙌.
This simple change relieved her plantar fascia pain ✅ #magic
Go see Lauren! I was very close to having knee surgery when a friend recommended I go see Lauren first. Thankfully I did and a month or so later, I was pain free! And still am two years later. I’ve been back for some other minor issues (shoulder/heel) which she has also remedied. She clearly communicates what you need to do after every appointment – including videos to show proper movement. She is truly amazing! Thank you Lauren!
This plate is up on our wall in our Summit office. Can you spot the #diaphragm? Why do we keep chatting about this mystery #muscle 💪🏼 ?
Note the arrows. . .
**R side is higher then the L. (Red)
**attachments to the back muscles (yellow).
**much larger anchor on the R side of lumbar side (green).
The diaphragm integrates a lot with many contractile and non-contractile tissues. It’s uneven set-up creates normal imbalances in the anatomy of the body – this creates undo torque that in-turn may cause you to compensate and move in abnormal patterns that you are not aware of.
If you don’t know how to breathe properly during specific movements then you are going to have a problem☝️
Do you know how to inhale and exhale properly when you are performing “_______?”
Here’s a picture of one of our athletes 7 weeks post ACL reconstruction surgery. Who says you can’t deadlift significant weight <2mo. Post-op!?
Always follow protocol ☝️, but remember folks … it’s a guide & NOT a bible! ⚽️💪🏼
If you have proper form and know how to stabilize the pelvis and spine, those knees become quite 😃 & stable!!
Foot position, breathing & other factors come into play here. This one’s going to be killin’ it in 2019.
Have you gone through ACL #rehab ? When did you start doing #deadlifts ?
Do you know the #why behind the most relevant movement the lower body has during PT? 😮
My 14 year old daughter sustained a ACL tear playing soccer. She was able to work with Dimitry Polyakov after her ACL reconstruction surgery.
Dimitry was absolutely amazing with her during her rehabilitation! After 4 months of Physical Therapy she is ready to return to playing soccer and lacrosse!
Even her Orthopedic Surgeon (Hospital for Special Surgery) commented on the great progress she made with Dimitry while in Physical Therapy.
Thank you for everything Dimitry!!!
I highly recommend Dimitry and Total Physical Therapy to all.
Being aware of how you stand is a BIG deal☝️. Of course it’s important to figure out WHY you’re not standing in the most optimal way, but 1st you need to bring attention 👀to the fact that their way isn’t exactly sustainable.
Most clients have no idea that they’re leaning forward/backwards, to one side or the other or hanging on one hip more than the other. To them – they feel upright 🗼 …. but as you can see here – its not always the case.
We often discuss ‘stacking’ of the ribs over the pelvis as one way of looking at creating a better center. What muscular patterns compliment that position?
What tissues create optimal tension that generates the necessary torque to position the body more optimally? 🙌 Those are all questions that we discuss in order find a solution to our cases.