Most Popular Articles on this site

Joe Heiler PT
I've been playing around with the Bunke planks for awhile now as part of the discharge criteria for my runners and other select athletes. It's just nice to have one more way of gauging symmetry and in this case its looking at stability through the fascial lines of the body. My only problem has been that the tests can be too difficult for larger athletes, older patients, and those with shoulder dysfunction so I needed to regress these planks a bit to allow all my athletes and patients a safer place to start and to give them a shot at being successful. The following videos will show a few of the regressions I use plus I've attached my original interview with Jason Brumitt who has been doing some research using the Bunke Test with runners....keep reading

Dr. Hammer has been in the business over 50 years now and has taken just about every soft tissue course out there. He gives us the low down on Graston Technique and the new Fascial Manipulation courses, talks about some of the new research on fascia, adding functional movement testing to the soft tissue evaluation, and more...keep reading

Andy Barker PT
I really like this exercise for two reasons. Firstly, it's often good to use to highlight poor hip control with athletes that think they are 'strong.' Those athletes that can squat a small car but put them in a position like the glute step up and they can barely complete 5 good reps....keep reading

Dr. Robert Butler discusses the research on the 'pillars' of the Functional Movement Screen (FMS) and Selective Functional Movement Assessment (SFMA) including pain and motor control, high threshold strategy and training through pain, and the significance of asymmetries to injury. Rob will also talk about the FMS and injury prediction including what the research is now indicating, and where the research needs to go in the future looking at movement competency and injury prediction....keep reading

Joe Heiler PT, CSCS
I'm going to be starting a new series of reviews on research articles and case study reports from the physical therapy literature. This first review is from JOSPT (March 2014): Rehabilitation of Proximal Hamstring Tendinopathy Utilizing Eccentric Training, Lumbopelvic Stabilization, and Trigger Point Dry Needling: 2 Case Reports. I hope to generate some discussion in the forum as well. You'll notice some questions I would like to have answered but feel free to bring up any points you see as valid from this article....keep reading

Dr. Cheng is a dynamic speaker, clinician, and trainer who has great skill in a variety of methodologies. Mark talks about his background in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and the martial arts, acupuncture and dry needling, manual therapy re-sets, and his corrective exercise philosophy integrating TCM, the martial arts, kettlebells, and functional movement....keep reading

Michael Boyle MA, ATC
If you have read "A Joint by Joint Approach to Training" this is a straight-forward piece on the "essential eight". Eight simple things that everyone can do to warm-up. The nice thing about these exercises is that anyone can do them. Everyone may not be able to do them well but, they can do them. The people who can't do them well need them the most....keep reading

Teleseminar Interview #7: Brett Jones discusses kettlebell training and how this unique tool can make you a better trainer and therapist. Brett goes into detail on his screening process and how he blends kettlebells and the FMS, corrective exercise for rehab and performance, and exercise progressions targeting the hips and shoulders....keep reading

Phil Page, MS, PT, ATC, CSCS and Clare Frank, PT, MS, OCS
A great article reviewing the work of Vladimir Janda, specifically describing the upper and lower crossed syndromes and his approach to treatment. A man definitely ahead of his time....keep reading

Dr. Evan Osar discusses his new book "Corrective Exercise Solutions for Common Hip and Shoulder Dysfunction" including his rehab and training philosophies, training the CNS and the importance of motor learning, joint centration for optimum joint mobility/stability, assessing and training breathing patterns, muscle over activation strategies, and more....keep reading

Joe Heiler PT
In this month's commentary I discuss common errors in assessing the MS Flexion pattern of the SFMA, tips to tighten up the breakouts, the importance of the sacral angle measurement in the seated toe touch, finding the key impairment(s) of the SFMA, and more......keep reading

Understanding the science of structural and functional asymmetry and the role that it plays in human movement is integral for those involved in the assessment, treatment, rehabilitation and training of individuals. This webinar will review some of the basic PRI-based evaluation techniques, as well as some of the non-manual approaches to establishing optimal integration of the deep respiratory system and stabilizers which are essential for balanced, reciprocal activity. Specific corrective exercises with progressions will be reviewed as well....keep reading

David O'Sullivan
The common exercises for the core include the front and side planks. The reverse plank concludes the plank series but is often forgotten about. This exercise is much more than a typical 'core' exercise however. The reverse plank will traditionally aim to work all the muscles along the back of the spine while front plank with work the muscles at the front of the spine with the side planks working the muscles at the side of the spine. However an often unnoticed benefit of the reverse plank is the invaluable stimulus to train the posterior knee stability....keep reading

Joe Heiler PT, CSCS
So here we go again with another chapter breakdown from Shirley Sahrmann's book: Movement System Impairment Syndromes of the Extremities and Cervical and Thoracic Spines. The last chapter covers the ankle and foot....keep reading

Joe Heiler PT, CSCS
This is a repost of techniques still use often to address the muscles that interface with the IT Band (Vastus Lateralis and Biceps Femoris in this case) using some basic manual techniques, using instrumented techniques, and how to address these areas with a foam roller....keep reading

This week's interview will be with Greg Rose, co-founder of the Titleist Performance Institute. Greg will discuss TPI's model for treating injured golfers, performance training and injury prevention using Joint-by-Joint approach, training youth golfers, and lots more. He's also going to talk a bit about the business side of things so if you want to grow your business working with golfers you can't afford to miss this interview....keep reading

Robert Panariello talks about the advances in sports physical therapy and sports performance, and also some of the "tried and true" methods we always seem to come back to. Robert also discusses post-op knee rehabilitation, the role of squats and olympic lifting in program design, shoulder rehab, and more.....keep reading

I've been playing around with using a balloon to help teach diaphragmatic breathing in a variety of positions. I've been finding it very challenging for patients but most of them really accept the challenge and have some fun with it. The videos I've posted show some variations including the PRI method and one from Jeff Cubos who is more DNS influenced. I've used both depending on the person in front of me. Hopefully this will get some good discussion going and I'll start a thread in the discussion forum as I would love to hear from other members about how the different postures or pre-activating different muscles can influence the outcome....keep reading