Sliding Surfaces of Tendons and Sheaths

This video series by Dr. Jean Claude Guimbertau demonstrates the sliding surfaces of tendons and their sheaths, skin, muscle, blood vessels during movement of the human body.  While I am not familiar with Jennings, he originally posted one of these videos.  A very interesting look into the human body!

Have a look at Dr. Jean Claude Guimberteau’s web site here. The videos are available for purchase at Terra Rosa here.

Serge Gracovetsky – Fascia Congress

Serge Gracovetsky – “Is the lumbodorsal fascia necessary ?” October 4th 2007 at the Harvard Medical School as part of the First Fascia Research Congress – Boston MA.

A complete description of the theory can be found in the 271 page book: “The Spinal Engine” available at Amazon.com. Please see Serge’s web site at http://sites.google.com/site/gracovetsky/home for more information on his research. Erik Dalton turned me on to Serge’s work back when I worked with the Freedom From Pain Institute, I love Dr. Gracovetsky’s humor and these videos are a great tool in wrapping our head around these complex theories. Enjoy…

The Value of Remedial Exercises in Treatment_ Guy Fisk

‎”Physicians have neglected the use of exercises as curative procedures, with the result that many quacks, cultists, trainers and others have used them as an entering wedge to obtain a medical practice” ~Guy H. Fisk, 1941

Remedial Exercises in Treatment

Click above for text.

Order your Christmas TRX Today!

Click the link above to order your TRX from Stay Tuned Therapeutics. Fitness anywhere will send it right to your house!  From now til Nov. 29, 25% off and FREE shipping! Give a call and come by the Stay Tuned Therapeutics clinic to give it a try for free, 928-699-1999.

Scoliosis and Running

A quick video presentation of treatment options for scoliotic patterns.

Chloe is a freshman at Mississippi State U and has had an awesome running career.  Highlights.

Chloe ran a 4:39.12 in the 1500m at USATF Junior Outdoor T&F Champs, placing 10th in the prelims.

Chloe ran a 4:36.20 in the 1500m at USATF Junior Outdoor T&F Champs, placing 7th.

The Sleeping Flexion Addict and Low Back Pain

Ever wonder why your low back may hurt so much when you wake?

Many claim they need a new mattress while others often state, “I must have slept wrong.”  I agree most often with the latter.  Lets examine this concept through a 24 hr window.

Let’s start with the moment you wake.  Side-lying all tucked up in a ball, protecting the vital organs, staying safe from the lions that live in the bedroom.  (Stomach sleepers, that’s another post.)

You feel just fine in this side-lying position, protected, warm well rested; yet the moment you attempt to come into an upright position you feel that strain begin in the low back.  Why would this strain the low back, that’s not a stretch in the tissue.  It may feel better to go back toward that forward bent position, take the load of the low back.  Okay go pee, grab a cup a joe, and if you are like me, have a seat, get the news for the day, blog a little, fb, twitter and all that.

Okay, here, now.  While you read this, I would venture to say you are seated, as most of the people I come across find  it a new concept to stand while at the computer workstation.  Seem like a familiar position?  Are your legs crossed, or feet flat on the floor?  Lumbar curve locked in or sagging the low back?  How many hours will you maintain this position today?  Hips flexed; deep hip flexors (psoas, iliacus) shortened.  At this point many of you may get up and take out the dog, go for a run/walk or do some sun salutations, smart move!

Many people report sleeping on their stomach to be a major contributor to acute neck and low back pain.  I would agree.  Looking at the mechanics involved, sustained rotation of the cervical spine (neck) may certainly cram the facet joints either open or closed, the AA joint which is responsible for approximately 45 degrees of cervical rotation will become irritated and ask the brain for some protective muscle guarding.  The low back will also become unhappy as a result of the gut sagging forward as the head is held up by a pillow, cramming the facet joints closed on the posterior side of the spine.  With this decreased space in the length of the low back, the muscles will shorten (Davis’ Law) and hold the pattern of a “tight” low back.  Never good.

As a manual therapist I recommend these people learn to modify their sleeping behavior.  But what is the best way to sleep, where do we go from here?

Upper Ribs, Shoulder Pain and Breathing Pt1

Dalton Webinar Night, Wed. April 21.

Join us for the fun and information.  We will be broadcasting on 8 ft screen at 6 pm, at the clinic.  403 West Birch Ave, Flagstaff, AZ. Drop me an e mail if you plan to attend.

A Special Pre-Conference Broadcast as our Gift to You: (click here to preview)

The 42 Pound Head: Fixing Funky Necks

The neck is burdened with the challenging task of supporting and moving the human head. Because of tension, trauma and poor postural habits inherent in today’s workplace, it comes as no surprise that neck disorders rank high among the most common pain generators driving people into bodywork practices. In this presentation you’ll learn how to look beyond the symptoms and treat the whole to correct dysfunctional neck posture, which is key in stopping degenerative joint disease, as well as pain from headaches, rib dysfunction, TMJ, and Dowager’s Humps.

Erik Dalton, Ph.D., shares a broad therapeutic background in massage, Rolfing® and manipulative osteopathy in his entertaining and innovative pain-management workshops, books and videos. Dalton is executive director of the Freedom From Pain Institute® and developer of the Myoskeletal Alignment Techniques®. Visit www.ErikDalton.com to read internationally published articles and subscribe to free monthly “Technique” e-newsletters

Free the Foot, Pt 2

Boney Anatomy

Pt. 1 The technician grasps the ankle gently, inferior to the medial and lateral malleoli, tib/fib.  Applying a gentle squeeze will suffice in creating distraction of the tib/fib away from the talus.  Lifting the leg off the table, the clinician gently “whips” the foot to and fro, mobilizing the foot from the leg, via ankle movement.  As the foot is thrown away from and drawn near to the clinician, balance of supination/pronation in the calcaneus and talus may be achieved.

PT. 2. The Tarsal-metatarsal joint is the target of this hands on mobilization technique.  The technician drapes their up body hand around the arch of the foot, isolating down on the cuboid and cuneiforms.  The down body hand grasps each distal head of the metatarsals 1-5.  While holding steady the arch against the technician’s body with up body hand, the down body hand rocks, rotates and distracts each tarsal-metatarsal joint, restoring movement in this very important, first line of defense, spring mechanism.

Home retraining from Boddicker Performance.

“Do” not “Try” this.

I recently had the opportunity to work with a some great personal trainers, and movement educators in their domains, the gym and personal studios.  A common thread I was made aware of seemed to be a bit of an insult, looking in on the training as a non participant.  I am wondering if this is taught, or just something that some trainers fall into?

In screening movement and reeducation, it seems to be common place to use the word “try” rather than “do”.  In performing the screening of movement function, the trainers would cleverly discover a movement pattern dysfunction: ankle flexion, hip extension, trunk rotation, rib basket expansion, etc.

Moving on to the reeducation segment of the training.  The trainers, armed with the information of dysfunctional segments of movement in the kinetic chain, would use the word “try”.  “Try to bring the hip into extension.”, “Try to feel the glute max fire as you come through this portion of extension.”  With a simple reassurance that the tissue was not firing, a sideways glance, or a slight chuckle, the trainer may now has the client in the position to become a junkie, a student, a follower.

I am curious, at which phase these trainers move into saying things like “Bring the hip into extension.” or “Feel the glute max fire as you come into extension.” with some positive verbal reinforcement and kinesthetic cueing?

I can’t recall if it was my Mom, track coach, Boy Scout leader or who at some point I heard the phrase “There is no trying, only doing.”  This phrase has been ingrained in my brain and being.  If I really want something, this is how I approach it, and I share this with my clients.  I like to see my clients succeed as quickly as possible.

I invite your feedback, please help me understand this.