Most Popular Articles on this site

Joseph Brence DPT
When I was in Physical Therapy school, I learned the whole slue of SI joint dysfunction tests. I was never too sure I was right with my findings and couldn't understand why I didn't see what my clinical instructors would see. As I became more experienced, I came to the conclusion that these tests were merely bogus. So my FIRST recommendation, in this series which I am calling "A few tests to toss", is to throw away the sacroiliac palpatory/movement tests and replace them with provocation tests....keep reading

I wouldn't say this is one of my favorite exercises, but I have had enough patients come through my door that had it prescribed elsewhere. The problem I often find is that the patient is not moving where they need to move most. We all know our clients and athletes tend to find the path of least resistance, and that can potentially be the cause of their movement dysfunction. With that in mind, in this video I show how I commonly modify the traditional Cat/Camel exercise to focus the motion where the person needs it the most....keep reading

Your Game Plan To Overcome an Ankle Sprain and NOT deal with Reoccurring Sprains...keep reading

Joe Heiler PT
Lumbar stabilization programs have been around for a long time now, but are they really doing what they say they are? Stabilization, to me, means 'no movement' or 'resisting movement'. So maintaining control of the trunk with movements through the shoulders and hips would fit that basic definition. In this series, I'll present some basic lumbar stabilization exercises that combine the principles of Shirley Sahrmann and Mark Comerford, plus a bit of PRI postural correction and breathing work thrown in for good measure....keep reading

Andy Barker PT
I find the soleus and its intersection with the gastrocnemius a common problem area to treat. This is mainly given its position underneath the gastrocnemius. Therefore, I often find this position useful when using both active release techniques and Graston Technique and has favourable results when compared to prone positioning....keep reading

Joe Heiler PT,CSCS
I recently returned from another great Perform Better Summit, this time in Chicago. Its been a couple years and now I know why I couldn't wait to get back. Lots of great speakers with great information on topics that bridge both rehab and performance. Here is Part II...keep reading

Andy Barker PT A simple but effective single leg bridge variation. This variation will inevitably recruit more 'hamstring' given the added component of knee flexion torque (dorsiflexed foot with heel force into bench) as opposed to a floor bridge variation (neutral foot with heel force into floor)....keep reading

I figured it was about time to talk about skiing on the site, so I brought on Michael Mullin who has had extensive experience as a skier himself and working with skiers of all levels. In this interview Michael discusses the different types of Alpine skiing, some of the unique needs of these athletes, what types of things can go wrong from an injury stand point, how he screens the athletes plus some of the unique corrections that need to be addressed in this population. Michael was also good enough to send over videos showing a few of his assessments and corrections that he discusses in the interview....keep reading

G. John Mullen DPT, CSCS
The core is one of the most discussed areas in rehabilitation and strength and conditioning. In the world of fitness, constant chatter about core function resulted in the inverse. Knowledge phenomena, the more theories on a subject, the less known. This phenomena occurred for many reasons: 1. Rehabilitation and conditioning are multi-factorial, impossible to study with germ theory. 2. The sequence of events are as important as each event......keep reading

Andy Barker PT
Quite often those patients and athletes that present with lower back tightness are overactive in their lumbar extensors. The vast majority of treatment techniques to release the extensors are in prone i.e. in extension. I have played around with a few positions and have found using a 6 point position for instrumented techniques to have very good results....keep reading

There is a large discrepancy between clinicians and professions on the dosage and physiology behind spinal manipulation (SMT). What follows is a very brief collection of several articles that shed some light on these topics. Mind you, there is an immense amount of research far beyond the scope of a one to two-page discussion. Nevertheless, this may help answer some of the questions that you, or your patients may have....keep reading

Joe Heiler PT, CSCS
Gray Cook recently released his new DVD: Key Functional Exercises You Should Know which covers the Chop and Lift, Deadlift, and Turkish Get-Up. Gray presents a lot of great information, especially as it relates to why these should be the important pieces in your rehab/training programs, and also some new twists are far as technique and cuing. I plan on covering quite a few of these over the next few weeks, starting with chops and lifts....keep reading

Gray Cook PT, OCS, CSCS
In this interview, Gray discusses Functional Biomarkers as measures of overall function and health, the importance of breath to inner core function, the connection between the plantarflexors and glutes, the role of biomarkers in physical therapy, and more....keep reading

Joe Heiler PT, CSCS
Just wanted to clarify things a bit from the interview this week with Rufus concerning deadlifting styles. The emphasis with Olympic lifting is to keep the bar as close to you as possible, and you will notice the path of the bar moving backward slightly during the lift. To do this, you must take up all the available hip flexion to get the hands to the knees, and then flex the knees (or squat) to get the rest of the way to the bar. This positions that athlete correctly, and sets him or her up for a great lift....keep reading

Jeff is Canada's top barefoot running coach, and in this interview will discuss the benefits of training and running barefoot, the results he has gotten with his runners and other athletes, some of the technical aspects of teaching efficient and safe barefoot running including his squat and scoot method, and establishing the proper muscle firing patterns. Jeff also talks about Barefoot Science technology and why its a 'must' when wearing shoes....keep reading

David O'Sullivan PT
The ankle mobility test is a test that is commonly used in the Strength and Conditioning and also Therapy settings on a daily basis. What we find with most our students is that there is a lack of understanding of some of the structures that may be potential culprits that we can influence in improving ankle range of motion if restricted. As with all ProSport Academy Therapists', we would encourage you to know exactly why you are doing a test, what you are checking and what tissues or structures will be important in palpating and treating in order to bring about lasting changes to your clients and athletes....keep reading

In this interview Dave discusses the Apollo software technology and its application to injury prevention and training, important objective markers, and how measuring the right data can prevent overloading tissues and prevent injury. Dave will also discuss some of the research on lateral ankle sprains and ACL return to play, proprioceptive and neuromuscular deficits and how to address them, as well as some return to sport testing and rehab ideas....keep reading

Gray Cook recently released his new DVD: Key Functional Exercises You Should Know which covers the Chop and Lift, Deadlift, and Turkish Get-Up. Gray presents a lot of great information, especially as it relates to why these should be the important pieces in your rehab/training programs, and also some new twists are far as technique and cuing. I plan on covering quite a few of these over the next few weeks, starting with chops and lifts.....keep reading

You are never supposed to posterior tilt your pelvis during a squat!!!.....Right? Today I am going to make an argument against the normal cues for a squat, and why a subset of your clients may actually benefit from this....keep reading