Most Popular Articles on this site

Perry Nickelston did a great webinar for us a couple months back on Active Isolated Stretching, in particular for the hip cuff. I've had several requests to put together a program that could be downloaded so here it is. Feel free to use this with your patients or clients....keep reading

When a patient comes in with symptoms down the upper extremity it is important to tease out what is implicated in those symptoms. Pain in the elbow may be from a number of pathologies local to the elbow itself. However, those symptoms may also be as result of cervical dysfunction....keep reading

Brett Windsor is the CEO of The North American Institute of Orthopedic Manual Therapy (NAIOMT), and in the first segment of this interview he will be discussing the mission and curriculum of the organization. From there Brett will talk about breaking out the SFMA movement patterns for the shoulder, other considerations such as the cervical and thoracic spines, as well as specific biomechanical considerations....keep reading

Rob Panariello MS, PT, ATC, CSCS
This webinar will provide the attendee with rehabilitation strategies and techniques for the post-operative rotator cuff and Tommy John overhead athlete. The presentation will include the topics of range of motion, strength, and power development in the overhead athlete as well as the effect of muscle fatigue on shoulder kinematics. Also discussed will be the concept of arm deceleration training as well as the necessary weight room modifications for the post-rehabilitation athlete who is prepared to return to training....keep reading

Charlie Weingroff
Here's another great post from one of our 'experts'. Some great things to think about for sure. And if you haven't checked out Charlie's blog yet, you need to....keep reading

Joe Bonyai M.Ed., CSCS
It's summer again and time to get the summer time strength and conditioning programs together. The last couple years I've had good success using Cal Dietz's Triphasic Training system although I've had to modify things a bit for my high school athletes. In this video, Joe Bonyai does a great job giving an overview of how he uses the Triphasic Training system with his high school athletes as well as some benefits to using the system with younger inexperienced lifters....keep reading

Eric Cressey MA, CSCS
A few weeks ago, I published Shoulder Savers Part I and Part II. People ate them up and asked for more. But truth be told, I held back in those articles. Hey, there's only so much info you can cram into two segments! Since I estimate that more than two-thirds of lifters will have some sort of shoulder problem during their training career, I figured it was only right to give the people what they want. Here are nine more tips just to make it a cool 25. Enjoy!...keep reading

Eric Cressey
Eric and Mike Reinold are back with their newest installment of the Functional Stability Training DVD's - this time for the upper body. In this video Eric talks about the importance of Serratus Anterior function, it's effect on the thoracic spine and shoulder, and also shows a couple different ways to really maximize it's function using the traditional wall slide exercises....keep reading

Charlie Weingroff DPT, ATC, CSCS
Some questions regarding the link between dorsiflexion ability and glute activation………….. "I know clinically that there is a connection between an athlete's ability to dorsiflex their ankle and utilize their glutes. I know that the research shows us that the vast majority of people who sustain an ankle sprain develop dysfunction in their glute medius if not properly trained. While I know there is a direct connection, I'm struggling to place exactly what the connection is. I have a feeling it is related to a fascial line (ala Thomas Myers), or there is a direct connection in nerve innervation between the 2 areas"?...keep reading

Joe Heiler PT, CSCS This is an exercise I began 'experimenting' with awhile back when I needed pure thoracic spine mobility with some extra stability thrown into the mix. I've noticed that even when just rocking back into full hip flexion some patients are still stuck in lumbar extension and they still find a way to contribute to rotation by using their already over active lumbar region. So far this has been the ultimate 'lock out' of the lumbar spine, and along with what I've picked up from the PRI folks the past 6 months it now makes perfect sense why.....keep reading

Charlie Weingroff is putting the final touches on his Training = Rehab 2 DVD, and it should be ready to go by mid-May. I just finished watching it last night and I think it's every bit as good as the first so I'm excited for all of you to get a chance to see it. I will definitely have him on to talk more about it. So in the meantime I thought I'd post a cool article of his for those of you rehabbing or training athletes post-ACL. Training does really equal Rehab!...keep reading

Dr. Erson Religioso III, DPT, MS, MTC, CertMDT, CFC, CSCS, FAAOMPT
Dr. Religioso has put together another great video showing a variety of manual techniques to improve ankle mobility. He's also in the process of putting together videos to cover the forearm/wrist and the thoracic spine so look for those coming soon...keep reading

Andy Barker PT
This article, the third in the series, attempts to give some insight and possible ideas of end stage rehabilitation for athletes with a hamstring injury. Of particular focus is how to progress from a controlled running environment to full field training and availability for competitive team selection....keep reading

Joe Heiler PT, CSCS
Tibial internal rotation is often overlooked as a potential cause of knee pain, and also dysfunction with the foot/ankle, hip, and on up the chain. I even overlooked this article which has been in the cue for about a year now! Better late than never as tibial IR is crucial for the lower extremity flexion and rotation patterns. In this article I'll show some ways to assess and treat, plus a great video from Erson Religioso giving his take on tibial IR....keep reading

More Q & A with Gray Cook - this week discussing the work of Dan John. If you're familiar with Dan's work, he has often said (and I'm paraphrasing) "lift heavy weights overhead, lift heavy things from the floor, carry heavy weights for time and distance, and find several different ways to do it". Pretty basic philosophy but great examples of self limiting activities, in addition to exposing asymmetry in movement when performed single sided. Gray discusses some of Dan's ideas here plus how we can use them to become better at assessing movement....keep reading

The videos for the 'Developing Rotation Power' webinar are listed here as well as instructions for accessing Tony's site to view those. Forgot to get those up so apologize for any inconvenience, and big thanks to Tony Mikla for allowing us to check out his site....keep reading

Much like I did a couple weeks ago with the chest, I'm tweaking some traditional type stretches to make them more 'active isolated stretching' friendly. It just seems that I've had better success lately using this technique because it is a little more dynamic and they're really forced to learn how to activate the glutes. Once I get them to move well at the end range of their hip extension, then I can quickly move on to more dynamic type moves like chops and lifts or even split squat progressions....keep reading

Paul Caldbeck
Soccer is a sport characterised by periods of low intensity running (6-8 miles) interspersed by bouts of high intensity anaerobic activities (0.6 miles high speed running; 0.15-0.25 miles sprinting), such as accelerating and jumping. These anaerobic activities tend to occur on average after periods of 90 seconds recovery....keep reading

Several weeks ago, I received no fewer than 4 phone calls as a result of Dan John's Dragon Door seminar (http://danjohn.net/) with the same line of questioning. The topic was the positioning of the neck during hip hinge lifts such as the DL and KB Swing. The questions arose since these individuals that I have coached were seeing a completely different approach to optimal cervical position during these lifts. I teach what I call the neck "packed", which is strong cervical retrusion with capital flexion. It basically looks like you are making an unattractive double chin and feeling a lot of pressure in the cervical spine....keep reading

Patrick Ward MS, CSCS, LMT
Therapists have numerous options these days when it comes to different tools that they can mix into their treatment sessions. One modality that is used frequently is gua sha based treatments which take place by running a specific metal object (although it can be plastic, jade, the horn of a water buffalo, or made from other materials) over the skin in an attempt to address soft tissue dysfunction/immobility....keep reading