Filed under: Lower Extremity, Movement Dysfunction, Runners, Sports, Tennis | Tags: Athletics, Fitness, Running, Shoes, Sports
Athletic shoewear have recently gained a lot of attention for their role in assisting a person to acheive a variety of health and fitness related goals. Skechers, being on of the first in the industry, have now come to the forefront of our attention again as some of their claims have been refutted.
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/05/16/skechers-toning-shoe-customers-to-get-refund/?ref=health
Oftentimes we see patients who are flirting with shoes to solve an underlying biomechanical issue. In actuality the shoes are a “band-aid” and not solving the true physical issue at hand. Once the physical issues are resolved, the shoes become a means to assist instead of a failed solution. If you have questions regarding your shoewear and what it may or may not be doing for your health, please get in touch with one of the Motion Stability therapists!
Filed under: Lower Extremity, Movement Dysfunction, Musicians, Spine, Sports, Upper Extremity | Tags: core, exercise, movement, Movement Dysfunction, redcord, strengthening
Do you think you have a strong core? The latest trending exercise for core enthusiasts is at Motion Stability! Redcord is gaining popularity in the world of wellness and with elite athletes as a strengthening appartaus which emphasizes perfect form and maximizes muscle specificity! The advantages of redcord as an exercise also play a key role in the world of rehabilitation for the correction of movement dysfunctions found in musculoskeletal pain and chronic pain.
Redcord was featured in a recent edition of Marie Claire magazine! Check out the article here: http://www.neuracpt.com/pdfs/Marie%20Claire%20Cover%20March%202012.pdf
Filed under: Courses, Lower Extremity, Motion Stability News, Movement Dysfunction, Upper Extremity | Tags: Continuing Education, Courses, Janda, Movement Dysfunction
Available to all residents, fellows, physical therapists! Please see the link below for more information:
As the height of running season approaches, it is prudent to address the importance of the hip musculature in keeping a runner pain-free while maintaining the efficiency required for long distance events. Motion Stability has partnered with Phiddipides, a local running store, to discuss this topic with their runners.
A lack of hip muscle strength can cause a myriad of problems in any person, but is especially problematic for runners as the hip muscles not only provide the propulsion for a powerful stride, but also the pelvic stbility required to keep the lower legs moving efficiently. For a closer look at how weak hips can literally be a “pain in the butt” for runners, read the article posted on Motion Stability’s website: http://motionstability.com/mediacenter.php. The website has been redesigned to include a running section and will have more updates and interesting articles available to download in the coming months, so keep checking back in!
In the Journal of Orthopaedic Research – September 2006, Coppieters MW, Alshami AM, Babri AS, et al measured the strain and excursion of the sciatic, tibial and plantar nerves with a modified straight leg raise (SLR) test. By bending the ankle into dorsiflexion first before raising the leg, nerve movement at the ankle, particularly the tibial nerve was greatly increased. Clinically, the diagnosis of ‘plantar fascitis’ can be caused by multiple sources, one being sensitization of the tibial nerve which is a branch of the sciatic nerve. Thanks to Dr. Coppieters, as well as other neurodynamic specialists like Michael Shacklock MAppSc, DipPhysio, we now know that movement of nerves occurs greatest where joints move first, a concept called ‘neurodynamic sequencing’. By sensitizing the tibial nerve through the SLR test, or even a slump test (picture shown) we can differentially diagnose plantar fascitis as a peripheral nerve disorder.
In, Hoskins W, Pollard H. Hamstring injury management – Part 1: Issues in diagnosis. Manual Therapy 2005;10:96-107, the authors provide a research review of the possible factors in hamstring injury.
Muscle strength and balance: Various studies have found different ratios in quadriceps and hamstring strength ratios, which could be dependent on the specific sport.
Warm up: There is a lack of literature existing to identify best warm-up procedures Fatigue: The authors showed that fatigue is a factor as the incidence of hamstring injuries occurred greatest at the end of a games or matches (Woods 2004).
Flexibility: There is conflicting evidence on the relationship of hamstring flexibility and injury.
Body Mechanics: The authors found that poor lumbo-pelvic mechanics can indirectly cause hamstring injury, showing that increased anterior pelvic tilt can be a causative factor by means of the loss of power of the gluteal muscles in this position
Psychosocial Factors: Even without conclusive evidence, the authors believe that psychosocial assessment of the patient should be considered.
Running Technique: Forward leaning may be a causative factor in hamstring injuries as it increases its relative length and inhibits gluteus maximus contraction. In my clinical experience, I have found altered lumbo-pelvic and lower extremity mechanics are common reasons why patients sustain a hamstring injury. We will continue to explore how abnormal lumbo-pelvic and lower extremity mechanics can lead to hamstring injuries as well as other leg injuries in this blog site… stay tuned!
