* For your health and well being it is always best to consult your doctor or other health care provider before doing an exercise that you are unsure about. This article is for educational purposes only. A proper warm up will: Lubricate your joints which will protect your cartilage and joints to prevent arthritic damage and pain Make your muscles flexible so they’re less likely to tear Make your muscles ready to contract so they will perform fast and protect your joints. There are different types of stretching and some are better for certain activities than others. For example static stretching (when you hold a stretch for a length of time) is not recommended for football because it will make your muscles slower to contract. In football your muscles need [...]

Hours spent in one position can place a lot of strain on your body resulting in pain and muscle tension. I am not a big fan of writing about posture because I think way too much attention is given to it and that can make you feel like you have horrible posture and that you constantly need to do something about it. As Science writer and massage therapist Paul Ingraham notes, you inherently know when your body is in a bad posture and therefore tend to fix and correct it. A better approach to fixing and addressing posture can be as simple as taking more frequent breaks and adding a little more more movement and exercise into your routine. Check out his article here:  In his article Ingraham explores some [...]

So many times you hear to "lift with your knees" when shoveling snow in order to protect your back. It's a bit more complicated than that and really it's better to lift with your hips. Here's a great video by Dr. Scott Gillman that gives some great tips to shovel snow while protecting your back. It also makes a great and fun workout!(Yes, I used fun and shoveling snow in the same sentence.) I broke down the steps below for you. Don't round your back. This places a lot of strain on your back (especially the disc joints) It also will encourage you to lift with your back. Also, don't round your back while twisting. Bending and twisting are the two motions that place your back at risk for disc [...]

Sometimes I feel pretty stupid telling people breathing is really important. To which I get a reply " No sh&@!, I do it all the time."  As Dr. Andrew Weil, M.D, a world renowned leader and pioneer in integrative medicine, explains in this video breathing is an interesting action as it is one of the few functions of your body that is under unconscious control and under your direct control.  The importance of this should not be taken lightly.   Conscious, on purpose breathing directly activates the parasympathetic nervous system which is the branch that controls the healing and repair of your body.  The autonomic nervous system is the branch that reacts to stress and is often overactive. When the autonomic nervous system is overactive the parasympathetic nervous system doesn't [...]

Muscle tightness is by far the most common condition that people come into my office for. Muscle tightness and trigger points are often overlooked by most doctors which is too bad since these conditions can cause a wide array of symptoms like tingling in the arms, hands, legs, and feet; headaches, weakness in your muscles, and plain old pain.  Since muscle the primary cause of trigger points is muscle tightness the most common question I get is "if muscle tightness causes this then is it bad if I go to the gym since I am going to tighten the muscle?" Well, ultimately the answer is that it depends on how you workout or exercise. If you give yourself the proper amount of rest and recovery I would say no. From [...]

I Had a Burning Question: Can You Train With Very Little Chance of Injury? I spent eight years working in a very busy pain management/ physical therapy clinic. I have worked with a lot of different pain conditions as well as a very diverse population. From athletes of all sorts like runners, yogi's, pilates instructors, cross fitters, triathletes. Probably a ton more. One thing I have always seen is that generally most push and push their bodies. Even when it is not healthy. There are so many sources out there that believe and say that in order to be stronger you must push yourself. But if you injure yourself often and chronic injuries resurface doesn't that indicate the strength of the tissue is overwhelmed? One burning question that I have [...]