Physics...Physiology...Physical Therapy

Video: Post Race Recovery Routine

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How many of you like the feeling of completing your race? All the hands are going up right now. How many of you like the feeling of going down stairs the following day? Not as many hands going up with that one. We all want to feel that our bodies are bouncing back quickly and ready to go for the next workout or to start gearing up for the next big event. But how we do get our bodies to behave more quickly?

Today’s video covers dynamic stretches as well as rolling and self myofascial approaches to get you ready to run again quickly! Utilize this routine to bounce back quickly from a race or tough workout and share with a friend!

Video: The Muscles That Go Unappreciated…Until They Act Up

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If you have pulled or strained a groin or inner thigh muscle, then you probably do appreciate your Adductor muscles. These are the muscles that run along the inner thigh. They don’t command much attention, until they decide to really act up. The tricky part about these muscles is figuring out where things went wrong. It’s easy to see how a basketball player, gymnast, or tennis player could aggravate this area since there is a lot of lateral movement in these sports. But how could this happen to a runner?

That’s the topic of today’s video. Not only what they do with running, but how we can better prepare them for running, as well as bring them back up to speed when they get cranky and misbehaving.

Please share this with a friend and fire any questions you may have about the exercises in my direction. Exercise #3 is especially helpful if this is an area of concern for you!

Video: Sacroiliac (SI) Pain with Running

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Have you experienced Sacroiliac pain before? Most likely, if you have felt pain around your tailbone, you weren’t thinking of such technical language, perhaps something a little more colorful! Many of us have experienced this when sitting or standing in awkward positions, in which case it can be easily alleviated by changing positions. But what about those of us that experience it with running? This can seriously derail a training program quick.

Today’s video dives into the mechanics of the SI joint, as well as practical things you can do to take care of this area. The SI joint is a very complicated, but very stable joint. The movement that takes place is subtle, yet very important. If the joints are not moving properly, sharp pain can occur with each step.

Please pass this along to anyone who experiences pain in the SI area, and give these a try for yourself. Let me know if you can do #3 exercise without losing your balance!

Video: Take Care of Your Muscles!!

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Who wants to run without pain? All of us right?! If I could promise that you would never be sidelined ever again, that would be pretty amazing. Unfortunately, I can’t promise that, perhaps someday! What I can deliver on is some guidance to help you get back out there more quickly. As runners, we’re usually adept at using our foam rollers, tennis balls, or whatever the latest contraption might be. There’s certainly nothing wrong with this, especially if you’ve found it helpful as part of your weekly or daily routine.

But if you’ve ever wondered why the same spots seem to always tighten up, then this video will be extra helpful. What often happens with a tight or overworked muscle, is that the fascia (connective tissue) around and adjacent to the muscle adapts to the bad pattern, and if it’s not addressed using a myofascial approach, then it may be fully effective. Using most common self-massage techniques concentrates pressure perpendicular to the muscle fibers. Using a myofascial approach, as we discuss in the video, puts pressure in the directions the fascia needs to be stretched in, which will help the muscles escape the strangle hold that fascia can have.

Enjoy the video and please let me know if you have questions!

Video: The importance of extending your hip with running

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Hip flexion gets all the press with running form. But what about hip extension? In order to run well, we need to effectively bring our hips forward and allow them (one at a time of course!) to be extended. Proper running form requires some level of hip extension, thought it is more subtle when it’s not being done properly. Picture someone who takes too short of strides, or someone who runs with an excessively arched back, chances are that they are not extending properly.

But here’s the tricky part, we can work on hip flexion by actively flexing the hip, and this is how the hip flexes when we run. We can also work on extension by actively extending the hip, but this is NOT how hip extension takes place when we run. Rather, our hip extends via the body advancing overtop our planted foot. Because of this, the way we improve our extension with running is perhaps a little different than you might think. See if today’s video is helpful!

Let me know what you think and how these go for you!