Fascial Stretching Improves Performance
Sure, you can play through the pain. But everyone knows that they perform better when things don’t hurt and move freely. By reducing pain and increasing range of motion, Fascial Stretching improves performance for both amateur and professional athletes [...]
Diaphragmatic Breathing Reduces Back Pain
Low back pain is routinely listed as the largest cause of chronic pain in the US. It is responsible for more occupational disability than any other cause. It doesn't seem possible that simply practicing diaphragmatic breathing reduces back [...]
Low Back Pain – Rectus Abdominis
Rectus Abdominis - The Six Pack Muscle Chronic Low Back Pain - Rectus Abdominis can develop trigger points that cause severe back pain. It may surprise you that the quest for a flat stomach does not strengthen your [...]
The “Core” of Low Back Pain
Low back pain is routinely listed as the largest cause of chronic pain in the US, responsible for more occupational disability than any other cause. This problem has deep roots in modern western lifestyles. Many people have been through [...]
Improve Posture by Opening the Chest
We often find that we can improve posture by opening the chest muscles and fascia. Stretching and opening key tissues in the chest is a vital step in the process of correcting head forward posture and rounding of the [...]
Low Back Pain – Psoas / Hip Flexors
Chronic Low Back Pain - Psoas Psoas major is your primary hip flexor. It can cause a well defined and excruciating pain pattern. The two psoas muscles and ileacus together are called iliopsoas. Dysfunction on either side will [...]
Which Kind of Low Back Pain Am I?
What causes my particular Low Back Pain? It is one of the most debilitating conditions in the US. There are many causes that overlap and inter-relate.
Strengthen Shoulder Depressors to Reduce Pain
Our trapezius or "traps" divide into three sections. They have have radically different shapes, fiber directions and primary movement functions. Yet, this does still behave as one muscle. In particular, when our lower traps are weak or inhibited, our [...]
Self Care for Hip and Glute Pain
Hip and glute pain isn't glamorous, but many people are living with it every day. Sometimes the pain is deep in the hip, making it difficult to lie on that side. It can also radiate down the leg to [...]
Exercises Reduce Low Back Pain and Sciatica
Low Back Pain can be excruciating, but the radiating pain of sciatica can be even worse! Such pain is often caused by neuromuscular and fascial issues and can be treated conservatively. These exercises are very similar to those [...]
Low Back Pain – Quadratus Lumborum
Chronic Low Back Pain - Quadratus Lumborum (QL) can cause debilitating pain. It is a factor in most chronic low back pain cases. The pattern often radiates downward from the low back into the crest of the hip, [...]
Treatment of Lower Crossed Syndrome
Do you want to reduce low back pain? Have you ever heard of Lower Crossed Syndrome? We have mentioned in other articles that individual muscle syndromes do not occur in isolation very often. So, you might find [...]
Low Back Pain – Paraspinals
Deep vs Superfical Paraspinals The chronic low back pain multifidi and longissimus cause can be severe. Of the seven primary muscle groups that refer pain into the low back these are the only two of them live in the [...]
Strengthening Cervical Flexors Reduces Pain
If you have headache, neck, and upper back problems, strengthening cervical flexors reduces pain. This is a key consideration in Upper Crossed Syndrome and Forward Head Posture generally. Several muscle groups that flex the neck forward. At first, [...]
Will an MRI Help Diagnose Your Low Back Pain?
Should you consider an MRI for chronic Lower Back Pain (LBP)? Maybe, but it depends quite a lot on your history. First, numerous studies show there is little correlation between patient histories, MRI results and outcomes. In fact, [...]
Low Back Pain – Gluteus Medius and Maximus
"Lumbago" Anyone? Chronic Low Back Pain - Gluteus medius and gluteus maximus cause low back pain in multiple ways. These "glute" muscles include the fleshy and outermost gluteus maximus, gluteus medius and the gluteus minimus, deepest of the [...]
Back Pain and Head Forward Posture
We treat more back pain than any other complaint, split about evenly between upper and lower back pain. Additionally, most of the people we see whose chief complaint is low back pain (LBP) also often concede that they have [...]