In my previous blog post I explained the science behind musculoskeletal pain and how Redcord is my secret weapon to overcome it. Today, I’m going to discuss one of the most important aspects of suspension based physical therapy: creating a "zero-gravity" environment so that you can move your joints through pain-free ranges of motion.

Balance is something often taken for granted until it is gone. Whether you suffer from a sudden physical injury or simply notice that things you used to do are getting harder over time, losing your balance can affect your quality of life. In some cases, it can even shorten your life.

Stress incontinence is when urine leaks while performing an action or activity. This can happen for many different reasons and here’s a hint: it’s not always weakness! There are three main factors that can be happening at the pelvic floor to cause stress incontinence: weakness, increased tone, or lack of coordination. Weakness can result after any injury or trauma to the pelvic floor, or just over time from dysfunctional movement patterns. If there is a lack of strength at the pelvic floor, that means there is not enough tension to combat pressures...

When Activcore and CORE merged earlier this year in Atlanta, we introduced a new movement method to our suite of services: the Gyrotonic Expansion System®. This system has two parts: 1) Gyrotonic® exercise which is performed on specialized equipment, and 2) Gyrokinesis® work which is performed on a chair and/or mat.‍ If you’ve been at Activcore lately, you might have seen the equipment in our back room. The Gyrotonic® equipment uses a system of weights and pulleys to simultaneously offload body weight, similar to the Redcord suspension system.

In this video, I am performing a side-lying hip abduction (side plank) exercise utilizing the Redcord suspension system to assist me. This is an excellent way to target the hip abductors, and more specifically the gluteus medius! Research continues to grow discussing how important the hip abductors are for optimal function in sport and everyday life.

The serratus anterior is commonly referred to as the Boxer’s Muscle. It is a fan-shaped muscle that originates on the superolateral surfaces of ribs 1 to 8 (or even 9 in some people) at the lateral wall of the thorax, and inserts along the superior angle, medial border, and inferior angle of the scapula.‍ Given its anatomical location, origin and insertion, and extensive documentation, we know that the serratus anterior muscle is critical in healthy shoulder function.

To keep the abs flat, you need core coordination. Your pelvic floor, transverse abdominus and thoracic diaphragm need to work together to keep the abdominals flat during exercise. Abdominal coning is when the abdomen bulges upward during an exercise. This points to a difficulty recruiting the deep abdominal muscles. We need the deep abdominal muscles to stabilize the spine and the pelvis.‍ If they are not firing at the right time, it can result in pain, movement dysfunction, and postural changes down the line.

In this interview, I had the pleasure of chatting with Golf Pro Heidi Mitchell about her career path, her specialized training, and her top tips for golfers eager to improve their game. I met Heidi as a golf student myself. I sought out golf lessons not only to improve my swing, but also to enhance my understanding of the game to better help my physical therapy patients who are golfers. Heidi’s instruction is detailed, coming from years of experience on the golf course, creative, and (maybe most importantly) fun.

As a physical therapist, testing has been ingrained in me since PT school. I learned that the initial evaluation process should involve testing of specific parts of the body, such as the joints, muscles, and nerves. The results of these tests would then play a role in guiding my treatments. Basically it gave me a starting point.

Congrats, signing up for an Olympic-distance triathlon takes bravery! It also keeps you accountable to actually train to swim 1.5km (0.93 mi), bike 40km (25 mi), and run 10km (6.2 mi). Typically the hardest activity to train for is swimming, because it's where most people have the least amount of experience. In this blog article, there are some tips to help prepare you for the swimming portion of the race, as well as some tips on what to avoid.