Project585 Physical Therapy and Wellness

Today’s Tuesday Mobility Tip is mid back mobilization take 2; a different take on mobilizing the thoracic spine (mid back) compared to last week’s tip. This week’s mobilization is done in quadruped (on hands and knees) instead of in standing. This allows for improved stability and control of this mobilization which makes it ideal for people who have more sensitive backs. It also incorporates the neck by adding a visual component. You’ll notice in the video, I complete each... mobilization two different ways; once while maintaining my gaze straight forward (which stabilizes my neck), and once while allowing my gaze to follow my hand (which allows my neck to move along with my mid back). If you’re neck is feeling more sensitive sometimes keeping your gaze centered feels more comfortable. I chose to spend two weeks in a row discussing mid back mobility because I personally find that spending long hours sitting bothers my mid back more than other areas of my body. What types of mobility tips would you like to see next week??

Work From Home Wednesdays are designed to provide you with tips and tricks to correct common errors in desk set ups that contribute to pain or chronic postural dysfunction. This week, with my client’s permission, I’ve shared a video of her WFH set up and how it was contributing to her back and buttock pain. As you can hear her describe in the video, she spends large amounts of time on video calls at her lap top on the L shaped portion of her desk, but frequently needs to ...refer to her monitor to view documents. This set up resulted in her constantly twisting and, overtime, contributed to her back and buttock pain. Solution? There were several things that we discussed in our session to address this issue. Here are a few: 1. Adding a video camera to her main monitor instead of using the lap top for video calls. She had already initiated this change before our call, and this would have been my first suggestion. This allows her to complete her video calls and view documents without twisting. 2. Remove the arms from the chair. She doesn’t use them and they prevent her from pulling her chair close to the desk which forces her to hunch forward to type. 3. Physically slide the chair from monitor to monitor (instead of leaving the chair planted and twisting). This will be much easier done with the arms of the chair removed to allow easier maneuvering. Have a question on desk, key board, monitor, or chair set up? Leave a comment with suggestions for future WFH wednesday tips!

Spend most of your day hunched over a desk Take a peek at this video for a quick mobility series that introduces movement to the mid back and shoulders to combat stiffness. Try adding a few reps of this mobilization several times throughout your workday

Who is (still) working from home and finding that the make shift office in the spare room that you thought you’d only need for a month is not cutting it Who is experiencing pain in their neck, back, wrists or legs or dealing with more frequent headaches Several people have reached out over the past few months to have me take a look at their work from home office set up and provide them with suggestions for ways to make their desks more ergonomic in hopes of addressing pain and improving posture. I’m happy to finally be able to offer a few of these virtual evaluations each week . Head over to our website if you’re interested in booking yours!

Today’s run tip is for all those new moms pushing strollers and dog moms holding leashes as we approach Mother’s Day! Running with a stroller or a leash can drastically change the mechanics of how you run. The thoracic spine (mid back) is supposed to counter rotate the hips and pelvis as you run- this helps to effectively load your glutes and core. When we anchor our arms (one arm or both arms) to a leash or a stroller, we change or completely inhibit the ability of the ...trunk to move effectively (which then changes the way our core and glutes are loaded-or not...). Going a step further, when you run with a leash, not only do you you inhibit your trunk mobility, you also add a lateral force (from your dog) which can pull your center of mass toward which ever side your dog runs on. What does this mean? Increased likelihood of injury- especially if you push the stroller or hold the leash with the same arm every run. What’s the solution? For the moms: alternate which hand is anchored to the stroller- try to make sure that each arm has the same amount of time pushing the stroller through the course of the run. It might not always be possible, but try to save your stroller runs for your shorter weekly runs, and do your longer runs solo. For the mom’s: invest in a leash that attaches around your waist like the one pictured below-and make sure your dog is properly trained to run with you. Although your arms are free to move normally, and you regain your normal trunk mechanics, you also inherently have less control over your dog (which can lead to tripping and real serious injuries if your pup doesn’t behave well on leash). Also, if your dog allows, switch up which side of your waist they run on so that you don’t always receive those lateral forces to the same side of your body. See more

A little glimpse of this Saturday’s virtual PT session with a client about one month post calf strain Starting to introduce some calf lengthening in all three planes of motion. What does this mean? It means that our bodies are built to move 3 dimensionally- side to side and rotationally (not just forward and backward in the sagittal plane of motion). Unfortunately, most standard stretches, lunges, workouts in general etc etc are only ever completed sagittally, and w...e miss a big piece of the functional puzzle for our clients. This client was a prime example: she strained one of the more medial calf muscles (meaning all of her symptoms, pain, tightness etc were felt on the inside of her calf). When she tried the first variation of this stretch, she said it doesn’t feel like it’s targeting the right spot. It wasn’t until we attempted the second and third variations (stretching side to side and rotationally), that she started to feel improvements in her mobility. Working 3 dimensionally MATTERS- if we had stuck with a traditional sagittal plane calf stretch, we never would have effected the muscle that truly needs to start lengthening again. #functionaltraining #3dmovement #virtualphysicaltherapy See more

take a peek at today’s episode of my body hurts because I’m working from home... We are specifically looking to help mobilize the thoracic spine (the mid back between your shoulder blades). This area of the back often gets tight and stiff after a day spent in front of the computer as gravity and poor posture contributes to slouching and a rounding of the mid back. Over time, this rounding can contribute to a decreases in mid back mobility which can lead to pain in ...the back and even contribute to dysfunction in the shoulders (mid back and shoulder blade mobility are both crucial to proper shoulder mechanics)! Try this shoulder/thoracic spine mobility series a few times throughout the day while working at home and take note of how you feel. Less back pain? Improved shoulder mobility? Fewer tension headaches?? The list could go on... See more

WFH office set up causing some new aches and pains? Try standing up at least once an hour and going through some full body movements (like the ones demonstrated below) to allow yourself a postural and mental reset. Full body movements like these can help prevent tightness and stiffness that often effect the hips and back after hours of sitting in front of a computer- especially when your home office is likely not ergonomic. Getting up and moving a few times a day can also improve blood flow to the brain and allow for clearer, more focused thoughts when you return to your desk

Project585 just completed their very first virtual PT session! Maintaining social distance doesn’t mean that you have to say good bye to your physical therapist (especially when you have a physical therapy emergency!). There’s actually plenty that a physical therapist can do to guide you (and in the case featured below, your spouse) through assessments, and interventions to get you feeling and moving better from the comfort and safety of your home. ... Email [email protected] or send us a message for more information! Stay safe everyone! See more

Come get stronger, healthier, and learn how to recover quicker for your next race!

Very excited to announce that we are officially adding run coaching to our list of services! Spots are limited, so drop us a message if you’re interested in hiring a run coach for your upcoming races! The VDOT coaching method is the only truly individualized method of run coaching (based on the runner’s current level of fitness and race goals). Run coaching is no longer one plan fits all!

Who enjoys a good snowy run Winter running can be beautiful and refreshing, but make sure you’re taking the proper precautions to avoid injury: 1. Set aside time for a proper warm up: foam rolling and dynamic mobility exercises help to-you guessed it-get the body warm! This is especially important when you’re heading out for a chilly run to avoid cold, stiff muscles and joints that can alter gait and lead to injury. ... 2. Wear shoes with traction: if you don’t have trail running shoes, invest in a pair of @yaktraxtraction (or something similar) that you can attach to the bottom of your normal running shoes. I see many ankle sprains or injuries resulting from slips and falls during winter running- don’t let it happen to you! 3. Run on the shoulder of the road or on plowed sidewalks: obviously use common sense here if the road is extremely busy, and consider mapping out a run on quieter streets or sidewalks that you know will be plowed. The less ice and snow you run on, the less likely you’ll be to have a slip and fall. Wear bright colored, reflective clothing if you choose to run in the streets! See more

#foamrollfriday is for anyone with tension headaches, shoulder, neck, and/or mid back pain. The muscles around each shoulder blade are, often times, areas in our body where we hold much of our tension. This means that we keep these muscles engaged almost constantly. Because of this, blood flow and the normal slide and glide of these muscles is restricted creating what many people refer to as knots in the muscles and disturbing typical movement of the shoulder complex.... Tonic engagement of the scapular muscles can also manifest as tension headaches due to attachments of some of the muscles at the base of the skull. Try taking a few minutes each day to practice soft tissue maintenance of these muscles...take a lacrosse ball and place it at the top most edge your shoulder blade between the outer edge of your shoulder blade and the spine (DO NOT roll over your spine). Roll the ball side to side and slightly up and down. You can also try crossing your arm over your chest or raising it up and down- this can help you access parts of the muscles that are typically under the shoulder blade. Repeat this sequence down the length of the shoulder blade. You can control how intense this technique feels by leaning harder into the ball or by easing up a bit. See more

Pretty exciting to see another Gray Institute Fellow (FAFS) doing such incredible things! The Gray Institute guides PT’s, trainers, and movement specialists on the principals of functional movement. This allows us to assess the movement patterns of the ENTIRE client to develop rehab, prehab, or strength plans that not only address the area of pain or worry, but also take into consideration how well the whole body integrates movement during everyday movements and oh shit un...predictable situations. Workouts ranged from throwing medicine balls from 36 different directions and doing squats from nine different positions. ‘We wanted to make sure he was comfortable in uncomfortable positions,’Stroupe said. ‘Because his playing style is so unorthodox, our training has to be built in a way that protects his creative freedom. What I mean by that is we’ve got to do a lot of things where he can produce power in really unorthodox positions.’ Read more here: https://www.star-telegram.com/spor//article239511233.html https://www.star-telegram.com/sports//article239511233.html

Attention all runners: this post is a reminder that PR’s require more than simply running further and harder; they require consistent, functional strength training. Why not use these cold, dreary, winter months to establish a solid strength routine? Research shows a correlation between muscular weakness and increased incidence of injuries in runners; in addition to getting faster, spending some time strength training may also stave off injuries once you’re in the thick of... your race season. Building a strength program during the winter allows you to establish a routine before you get caught up in this year’s marathon (or half marathon) training schedule- the idea here is to carry those strength workouts right into your marathon training without slacking off as your miles pick up. to the rest of the article (which was written while I worked at @finishlinept in NYC) and some suggestions for programming your routine in bio!

This week’s #foamrollfriday comes with a twist and focuses on the hamstrings it’s difficult to effectively address the hamstrings with the foam roller alone, so using a lacrosse ball to trigger point specific spots along the back of the thigh can be more beneficial. ... find a firm surface to sit, ideally with room for your legs to swing freely. Place the ball just below your sit bone on the outer most portion of your hamstring and allow the weight of your leg to sink into the ball. Slowly bend and straighten your knee 2-3 times. Repeat this in several spots along the outer portion of your hamstring moving down the leg and stopping just above the knee. Move the ball back up toward the sit bone and slightly toward the inner thigh and repeat the process along the mid hamstring and then inner thigh. this is a great alternative to stretching the hamstrings when they are sore, which can actually contribute to further injury. this is an easy exercise to do at your work desk if you keep a lacrosse ball in your desk drawer. See more

Foam rolling: calf edition Many people don’t realize that the muscles of the calf cross over the ankle and attach in the bottom of the foot. Foam rolling the calf is a great way to help alleviate ankle discomfort, plantar fasciitis, Achilles pain, and arch pain by improving circulation and restoring the slide and glide of tissues. Make sure you start at the heel and work your way up (towards your knee), moving SLOWLY and stopping periodically to complete a few ankle circles. Rotate your calf slightly as you work your way up to ensure that you are able to roll the inner and outer calf, not just the back of your calf.

The glutes are a powerful muscle group, but are often neglected when it comes to foam rolling. We spend so much of our days sitting, we owe it to our glutes to show them a bit of love on the foam roller. Try sitting one glute on your roller and crossing that ankle over your opposite knee. Roll from the top of your pant line to your sit bone, shifting further to the side of your hip as need for 1-2 minutes on each side