A Great 1 1/2 Minute Whole Body, Multi Directional Exercise

This is a great little exercise routine (inspired by Gary Gray)that involves multiple planes of motion, multi level lifts and doesnt take a lot of time.  So, if someone tells me they dont have time to exercise, I say Bull@#$&!  I have an answer!  The Matrix.  It only takes about a minute and a half! [...]

The Lumbar Spine: Poor Communication Equals Poor Spine

 
 

By Michael Rizk, CPT, ART  
 
Have you ever witnessed a relationship gone sour? The telltale signs are significant, but many  
times the root cause stems from poor communication. There is one particular area of the body  
that seems to get more press than a short‐lived Hollywood hook‐up. You’ve got it – the lumbar  
spine (LS) is likely the most injured, dysfunctional, and (supposedly) weakest link of the body.    
  In relation to the rest of the body, the LS is active in nearly every functional task performed … it  
resides at the crossroads of the body. For that reason, it is important for the rest of the body to  
communicate with the low back to let it know how important it is, how much it is needed, and  
how much it is appreciated for all it does.    
  What is meant by communication with the LS? Great question! Communication refers to the  
ability of all our joints to feed triplane motion to the LS creating triplane stability. A lack of  
triplane  mostability  (mobility  plus  stability)  can  shut  down  the  phone  lines  feeding  
proprioceptively rich information to the LS, thus creating undesirable chain reactions.  
  By design, the LS facilitates flexion and extension, allows lateral flexion, and almost inhibits  
transverse plane motion. The small amount of transverse plane motion may in fact be the most  
important motion allowing the LS to be the transverse plane transmitter of forces between the  
upper and lower extremities.   
  To simplify motion, we consider two phases: loading and unloading. Loading is the preparation  
of the task and unloading is the performance of the task. Using the golf swing as an example,  
the backswing is the load and the downswing / follow through is the unload. The moment of  
time between the load and unload is what we call the transformational zone (TZ). The TZ is  
where  motion  is  decelerated  and  transformed  into  a  concentric  production  of  force.  
Understanding what happens just as we enter and exit the TZ will allow us to effectively assess  
our patients and clients.  
  I  recently  assessed  a  57‐year‐young  right‐handed  golfer  with  [...]

The Transformation of Strength and Power

By David Westerman LMT, FAFS  
Are  we  utilizing  “authentic”  principles  of  Function  when  designing  our  strength  and  

power programs?  

Is  there  a  special  population  that  might  be  missing  two  of  the  most  important  bio‐ 

motor abilities in their training and rehabilitation programs?  

As  a  former  collegiate  and  professional  strength  and  conditioning  coach,  strength  

and power were (and are) the two most emphasized bio‐motor abilities.   

Take,  for  example,  the  “power  clean”  in  an  athletic  weight  room.  This  is  one  of  the  

most  utilized  exercises  in  “power”  [...]

The Hip: Power Source, Biggest Rock, Best Friend

 By Barbara Fuller PT, FAFS
The late-seventyish woman looked at me with a bit of skepticism mixed with a little fear. After I introduced myself to her she said, “Before we start, I want you to know that I would like for you to address my low back pain, but I don’t want you [...]

Balance in Motion

 
  
By Andrea Wasylow PT, FAFS  
  The  billing  coordinator  at  the  small  hospital‐based  rehabilitation  clinic  where  I  work  is  
phenomenal.  In  addition  to  being  one  of  those  people  who  you  just  enjoy  spending  time  with,  
she  is  exceptionally  skilled  at  finding  those  small  discrepancies  that  could  potentially  delay,  or  
give  reason  for  denial,  of  payment  for  services.  Prior  to  joining  our  team,  she  worked  [...]

Ankle Sprains: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

 Will H. Stewart II, FAFS, CMT Fellow of Applied Functional Science
The Scene: 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia USA
The Event: Womens Gymnastics The Apparatus: The Vault
The Athlete: Kerri Strug
This should start ringing a few bells. The US team needed a score of 9.493 to win the gold medal for the US. [...]

The Cervical Spine: Getting the Whole Story

Andrea Wasylow PT, FAFS
A few years ago I had the opportunity to play a round of golf with some people I greatly
admire. It was a fairly typical golf outing until one of my opponents took his tee shot on
the 7th. It was one of the most amazing shots I have ever seen.
The paragraph [...]

The Functional Knee: Caught in the Middle with No Where to Hide

Injuries to the knee are seen throughout virtually all sports and all age ranges. Have you ever wondered why the knee is the most common reason for a visit to an orthopedic surgeon? Moreover, have you ever wondered how rehabilitation and training programs could better alleviate the stresses placed on the knee? The answers lie [...]

The Hips: The Monster Under the Bed

 
 
A few weeks ago, my six-year-old nephew was sleeping over at our house. I was awaken in the middle of the night by him exclaiming, “Uncle Joe, there’s a monster underneath my bed!” I went into his room and said, “Be nice to him and he’ll be your best friend. Give him a pop tart or [...]

The Real Life Function of the Hamstring

Most anatomy classes teach that the hamstrings flex the knee.  Based on this many people train and strengthen the hamstrings using a leg curl machine either sitting or laying on their stomach.  If we stop and look at the body function in various activity you will see that rarely ever are people sitting or laying [...]