When I talk to my patients about the importance of cross training, the strength training component is typically what they are most nervous about. Understandably so, especially if it is a new type of exercise or if they are in pain. When pain is present, the last thing on our minds is picking up weights. However, strength training can actually help resolve pain, when performed under the guidance of a qualified physical therapist.

I come from a baseball family and more specifically a family of baseball pitchers. My grandfather pitched for the Braves and the Yankees in the 1930’s and 40’s. He stood a lengthy 6 foot 7 inches tall soaking wet. My dad was a 6 foot 5 inch lefty pitcher from Portland, Maine who played one season with the Kansas City A’s. I was a pitcher in high school but an injury to my elbow ended my career before it even began.

This is one of the most frequent questions I get asked as a physical therapist. The short answer is: a little bit of everything. But let’s talk more about this concept. As we all know, a healthy and active lifestyle is important for both our physical and mental well being. Intentional movement of any type is a great way to maintain that lifestyle. 

In my last blog post I talked about how to simplify explaining anatomy to clients by way of the myofascial system. Before we dig into each myofascial chain, I would like to discuss another simple concept that has also dramatically improved the way I treat and educate my clients.‍ The concept of inner muscles versus outer muscles was introduced by Anders Bergmark in 1989.

If you know me, you know that I love to simplify things especially when it comes to physical therapy. That’s why I love Redcord. It is a simple yet effective tool. Now don’t get me wrong, it looks intimidating with all of those ropes, slings and bungee cords. But once you learn how to use the equipment and understand the testing and clinical reasoning process (known as Redcord NEURAC), it makes treating people so much easier.

I wanted to share something that happened to me while recently evaluating someone for physical therapy. A mother of two elementary school children comes in with complaints of right hip pain and a long history of hammer toes on both feet. Neither of these issues are urgent or in an acute stage. She just wants to prevent them from getting any worse.

Our knees take so much wear and tear for us, but maintaining proper knee health ensures we can stay active during any phase of life. The knee is a complex joint consisting of bones, tendons (connect muscle to bone), ligaments (connect bone to bone), muscles, and nerves (that innervate those muscles).

The day is finally here and we are excited! The weather looks to be in our favor: slightly cloudy and not too hot, even a bit of a breeze. I am caffeinated, hydrated and ready to go. My mission is to have fun, support my team, and survive intact!

A key feature of Spartan races is hurdling. Not like track hurdles, but having to jump or scramble all manner of objects and obstacles in an often muddy environment. As I worked through my training plan to get myself ready to tackle the literal hurdles in the race, I encountered some figurative ones too.

Once I committed to the Spartan race, figured out how to make space for training in my busy schedule, and then got my body (and how it moves) tested by the experts... I decided to up the intensity of my training a few notches!