Our brains are very much like sponges. They are malleable and constantly adapting to peripheral input by strengthening existing neural connections and networks, a process called long-term potentiation (LTP).
The famed Czech researcher Dr. Karel Lewit states: “Respiration is our primary and most important movement pattern… and also the most dysfunctional.”
Manual therapists routinely use bones as levers to reduce tension and protective spasm in hypertonic muscles. For example, the femur and humerus are excellent tools for stretching tight hip and shoulder girdle muscles, and we commonly rotate and sidebend a client’s head to relieve neck tension.
A “crick in the neck” is a common complaint among clients seeking manual therapy. This informal umbrella term can refer to symptoms that range from general cervical stiffness to complete immobility and unrelenting pain. When assessing cricks…
Pelvic floor muscles such as levator ani, coccygeus and obturator internus attach to the front, back and sides of the pelvis and sacrum and form the bottom of the core. These muscles must be able to contract to maintain continence, and to relax allowing for urination and bowel movements, and in women, sexual intercourse.
A fundamental feature of the foot often missed in our assessments is first-toe mobility, specifically the metatarsophalangeal (MTP) joint. The first MTP joint should be
Both professional and recreational athletes depend on their hands, wrists and fingers for proper strength, grip and range of motion for optimal performance. Sprains commonly occur during active sports or household falls…
Addressing Postural Plasticity by Erik Dalton In the early 1990s, I had the opportunity to study with legendary neurologist and physiotherapist Vladimir Janda, M.D. He and
Everything designed to move has a built-in factor of “play” to promote efficient functional movement. For example, an automobile piston and cylinder, a wheel on an axle, and even a simple hinge all have calculated play between their moving parts to allow efficiency of movement. Why not in a human joint?…
From Essential MAT Assessments course One of the primary functions of the tib-fib synovial joint is to help dissipate lower leg torsional stresses during
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