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Movement Practices to Settle Your Body

9/29/2020

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I have been reading the book, My Grandmother's Hands by Resmaa Menakem.  This book "is a call to action for Americans to recognize that racism is not only about the head, but also about the body.  Menakem introduces an alternative view of what we can do to grow beyond our entrenched racialized divide and takes readers through a step-by-step healing process based on the latest neuroscience and somatic healing methods." Quote from the back cover of the book.

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I have been taking time with the second part of Menakem's book, which is titled "Remembering Ourselves".  He says, "The place to begin the all-important healing of trauma is with the body.  Your body.  Each of our bodies."  He provides body and breathing practices to get to know, experience and understand the body.  I have been enjoying these practices and have incorporated some of the ways to settle into a movement practice.  The movement sequences shared below bring in novel ways to move the spinal chain and mobilize the joints.  "Sometimes trauma energy can get stuck in the joints," Manakem states.  The momentum and rotations can help to release the energy and reduce the tension along the kinetic chain. 
Susan McLaughlin is a physical therapist who specializes in the management of pelvic floor and orthopedic dysfunctions. She is the owner of ALIGN integration|movement in Salt Lake City, UT.  Helpful tips and other self care strategies can be found at www.alignforhealth.com.
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Disclosure: I only recommend programs and products that I would use myself.  If you use these links to purchase something, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you.
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How Do You Breathe?

1/13/2018

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Breathing is the key to life. If we can't breathe, we die within minutes.  Breathing is so essential to the health of our systems, yet rarely do people understand the connection and importance of HOW TO breathe effectively for the support of our core and the health of the shoulder girdle, hip complex, and lumbar spine.
Poor stability strategies and unconscious habits interfere with the proper movement of the muscles of the ribcage, diaphragm, abdominals and pelvic floor.  In order to have good stability to support the spine, we need to generate appropriate intra-abdominal pressure.  What I see over and over again with my clients is the inability to access the core muscles mentioned above during the breath cycle, as well as in functional activities.  A typical compensation pattern that people use is a pushing strategy to create strength, rather than allowing the muscles to activate and generate the intra-abdominal pressure.  This pushing strategy creates excessive outward and downward strain onto the pelvic organs and abdominal wall (think pelvic organ prolapse, urinary leakage, diastasis recti and hernias).  Not to mention over activation of the neck, shoulder girdle and paraspinals which impact neck/back/hip pain and function.

​Try this right now:

  • Lie down on the floor with your legs out straight
  • Bring your legs together
  • Keep your knees straight and lift both legs off of the floor about thirty degrees.
  • Notice: what happens to your abs?  Did they bulge outward?  What does your back do?  Does it arch?  What does your neck do?  Does it tense?
​How did you do?  In my experience, 95% of my clients use a pushing strategy: holding breath, pushing out into abdominal wall and pelvis, arching back and tensing or lifting the neck. Outside of pilates, or working out, this strategy gets carried over into daily tasks such as: getting out of bed, bending and lifting tasks, pushing open a heavy door, etc.   ​

So, what is optimal breathing for core function?

The first step is to become aware of the day to day habits that interfere with optimal breathing:
  • shallow breathing into chest and neck
  • holding breath
  • holding abs
  • locking down ribcage or gripping shoulder blades back and down
  • lifting shoulders to breathe (over activation of the scalenes, upper trapezius, levator scapulae)
  • squeezing butt cheeks (tightens the pelvic floor muscles)
  • ribcage and pelvic positions
The second step is to practice breathing.  During quiet respiration there should be movement in the intercostals (the muscles between the ribs), the diaphragm, the abdominals and the pelvic floor.  In order to have strength in the muscles, they need to move through full range of motion: lengthening and shortening. In this video, I talk about diaphragmatic breathing and core function.  Practice lying down, sitting and standing.  Each position places a different demand on the body. 
​Have fun and explore!

The third step is to begin to challenge the system.  Can you maintain the breath as you add a new skill or a new load?  Are you able to get movement into all areas of the thoracolumbar pelvic canister?  Quite often I observe tension and stiffness surrounding the ribcage.  Below I share a breathing drill to get mobility at the lower ribcage and diaphragm and a link from Dr Evan Osar on Three Dimensional Breathing. 
​Susan McLaughlin is a physical therapist who specializes in the management of pelvic floor and orthopedic dysfunctions. She is the owner of ALIGN integration|movement in Salt Lake City, UT.  Helpful tips and other self care strategies can be found at www.alignforhealth.com.
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Movement Time Out

12/19/2017

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Decreasing tension is essential to get out of back and hip pain
Time Out
I grew up playing sports, so I understand the importance of a  time out.  In sport we use a time out to take a rest, make substitutions, communicate with the team to re-strategize or to inspire.  Part of the work that I do with clients is to help support people to get out of pain.  Often I suggest time outs to check in with the body and make the changes as needed: how am I sitting or standing, am I breathing, am I holding tension?  These time outs are a great way to break the stagnation of the day, to connect with the body, and to come back into the present.  Way too often our day gets caught up into automatic drive.  So stop right now, get on the floor and try out these moves!

Your body will love you with these quick movement time outs:

  • Spinal Rotation: trunk and head
  • Flexion & Extension: Feet to head
Susan McLaughlin is a physical therapist who specializes in the management of pelvic floor and orthopedic dysfunctions. She is the owner of ALIGN integration|movement in Salt Lake City, UT.  Helpful tips and other self care strategies can be found at www.alignforhealth.com.
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Tension Between The Shoulder Blades

12/10/2015

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Help for tension in the shoulder blades
Just looking at the muscles in this picture on the left, you can see that there is a distinct connection between the head and the shoulder blade, and the shoulder blade to the arm.  You don't need to know the names or actions of the muscles to hypothesize that movement of the shoulder blades are key to healthy arms and a healthy neck.

Quite often clients come to see me with "knots" between their shoulder blades, rock hard upper traps, or a sensation that someone is stabbing them in the back with a hot poker. When I assess the movement and ability for the shoulder blades to move over the ribcage, the motion is almost non- existent.
In the video on the right, I share with you one of my favorite ways to get motion to the shoulder blades and freedom to the entire upper extremity!
Susan McLaughlin is a physical therapist who specializes in the management of pelvic floor and orthopedic dysfunctions. She is the owner of ALIGN integration|movement in Salt Lake City, UT.  Helpful tips and other self care strategies can be found at www.alignforhealth.com.
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Improving Thoracic Rotation

11/18/2015

3 Comments

 
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This image demonstrates the opposite rotation of thorax and pelvis during a kick: the pelvis rotates left as the thorax rotates right.
During the gait cycle our spine goes through flexion, extension, side bending and rotation.  When we step forward and load onto that leg, the pelvis rotates away from the front leg, the lumbar & thoracic spine extends, rotates and sidebends toward the front leg and the cervical spine flexes, sidebends and rotates away from the front leg.  If what you just read is "gobblygook" just look to the picture on the left.  This soccer kick is a great demonstration of what the body does during gait: it is like a spiral.
Motion is our friend, and quite often we lose it, especially in the thorax.  Look around at people walking, how many people do you see who have an arm swing, much less rotation at their trunk?  Not many.  Are you one of them?
Test yourself: in sitting rotate your trunk right and left. Ideally you should have moved about 45 degrees.  In standing, plant your feet hip width apart and rotate, let your pelvis rotate as well.  Ideally you should move the trunk 90 degrees.  How did you do?  You may notice that you are stiff in both directions, or just on one side.  If you are stiff try these exercises below.  And then see if you can incorporate arm swing and rotation into gait.
Susan McLaughlin is a physical therapist who specializes in the management of pelvic floor and orthopedic dysfunctions. She is the owner of ALIGN integration|movement in Salt Lake City, UT.  Helpful tips and other self care strategies can be found at www.alignforhealth.com.
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Healthy Hands, Wrists, Elbows and Shoulders

5/15/2015

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Self Myofascial Release of Forearm
There are many muscles that make up the forearm. The pic on the left is the superficial layer of the back of the forearm. The pic on the right shows the deep layer of muscles on the back of the forearm.
Did you know that there are 20 muscles within the small real estate of the forearm?  That's a lot of muscle packed into a little space. The forearm is divided into 2 compartments: anterior (front) and posterior (back). Generally the anterior compartment (8 muscles) flexes the fingers, the wrist, and pronates the forearm. Pronation is the internal rotation of the forearm resulting in the palm moving down or back. The posterior compartment (12 muscles) generally extends the wrist and fingers, and supinates the forearm. Supination is the external rotation of the forearm resulting in the palm moving up or forward. 
Think of all of our daily tasks, sports and workouts that require forearm activation: computing, gripping, holding, lifting, turning. pulling, pushing, reaching overhead, etc.  
Repetitive movements and forearm tension can lead to stuck tissues, decreased blood flow and less motion to the fingers, wrists, elbows, and even the shoulder. Eventually, this may lead to pain....
Do yourself a favor and spend some time to improve the health of the tissues in the forearm, and feel good while you are at it!
Below I share with you a self release to the forearm using 2 rubber balls, and a couple simple exercises to improve the mobility of the shoulder and shoulder girdle.

Myofascial release of the forearm


Exercises for shoulder mobility

Susan McLaughlin is a physical therapist who specializes in the management of pelvic floor and orthopedic dysfunctions. She is the owner of ALIGN integration|movement in Salt Lake City, UT.  Helpful tips and other self care strategies can be found at www.alignforhealth.com.
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Exercises For Computer Posture 

1/12/2015

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Computer Posture Exercises
A common computer position
Computer posture:
  • Forward head 
  • Upper cervical extension
  • Round (internally rotated and forward) shoulders
  • Hyperkyphosis of the thoracic spine
  • Flexion of the lumbar spine
  • Tucked pelvis
  • Stiffness in the entire  body from long-term sitting

Does this look familiar?  Look around your office...  Let's face it, it is prevalent, and we all do it to some extent. Hopefully you know that this position over time is hazardous to your health.... Just say "no".  This post is dedicated to beating the slump: 2 exercises to de-slouch the spine, and free up the neck, arm and shoulder girdle.
STEP 1:  Get some stimulus to the lats and the muscles between the shoulder blades.  As the arms have moved forward to type on the keyboard, these muscles are now resting in a lengthened position.  This active shoulder girdle stretch takes the muscles into more of a stretch, just like a sling shot, so they can contract back into resting position.

STEP 2:  Stretch the neck and arm.  Lengthen the tissues in the entire arm and neck by holding onto a door jam and leaning away.  This provides a traction stimulus to the wrist and shoulder, which is a wonderful reprieve after sitting hunched in a ball at the computer.

STEP 3:  Get up out of your chair every 30 minutes.  Walk to the water cooler, stretch your arms to the ceiling, stretch your legs, something simple before sitting down again. 

Susan McLaughlin is a physical therapist who specializes in the management of pelvic floor and orthopedic dysfunctions. She is the owner of ALIGN integration|movement in Salt Lake City, UT.  Helpful tips and other self care strategies can be found at www.alignintegrationandmovement.com.
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Improve Neck Mobility and Stiffness Within Seconds

11/9/2014

20 Comments

 
We have all been there... the debilitating stiff neck that occurs after:
  • Waking up in the morning and somehow in the middle of the night you "tweaked" your neck.
  • Long hours sitting cramming for finals or finishing a big project in front of the computer.
  • An intense workout of pull ups, lifting overhead, etc.
  • Not so roomy airplane seats and carrying luggage around the airport.

In times like these you feel that you are never going to be able to turn your head without pain again..... Until now.  Here  is a quick trick to get more rotation motion in your neck.  

  • Assess your neck motion, rotate your head to the right and to the left.  Find a landmark in your field of vision at the end range to mark your initial motion.  Also notice the quality of motion: is it painful and tight? where do you feel the pulling?:
Improve neck mobility
Assessing neck range of motion
Neck mobility

  • Cross your arms out in front of you like "I dream of Genie".  To gain right rotation at shown in this example, you are going to rotate your trunk to the left.  Make sure to keep your head and eye gaze facing forward.  Keep your pelvis steady as you rotate your trunk to the left 10-15 times.
Treatment for neck pain
Treatment for neck stiffness

  • Now reassess your motion.  Rotate your head to the right and notice if you gained more motion.  Notice if it feels differently than before.  99.9 % of the time you will gain more motion and it will feel better.  Repeat this process for left neck rotation by moving your trunk to the right.
Treatment for neck pain
Treatment for neck stiffness
This is a simple and effective strategy to improve neck range of motion within seconds.  Whether you are in pain, or just have a stiff neck, use this exercise often for ongoing benefit!
Susan McLaughlin is a physical therapist who specializes in the management of pelvic floor and orthopedic dysfunctions. She is the owner of ALIGN integration|movement in Salt Lake City, UT.  Helpful tips and other self care strategies can be found at www.alignintegrationandmovement.com.
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Relieve Upper Back Tension

3/4/2014

16 Comments

 
Below is a video sequence to address spinal mobility and upper back tension.  Before you begin, lie on your back with your legs out straight.  Notice the contact of the back of your legs, your low back, lower ribs and shoulder blades to the floor. After you complete the sequence, lie on the floor again and notice the change of your muscles and your connection with the floor.  Enjoy!
Susan McLaughlin is a physical therapist who specializes in the management of pelvic floor and orthopedic dysfunctions. She is the owner of ALIGN integration|movement in Salt Lake City, UT.  Helpful tips and other self care strategies can be found at www.alignintegrationandmovement.com.
16 Comments

A Simple Solution for Rounded Shoulders

11/11/2013

9 Comments

 
PicturePectoralis Minor on the left. Pectoralis Major on the right.
Almost a year ago I wrote about the pectoralis minor's referral pattern into the shoulder blade and shared a lovely release using a tennis ball (you can read about that here).  I am back at it again with another post highlighting the pectoralis minor and pectoralis major.  Due to the location of their attachment sites on the skeleton, they can affect the function of the head, neck, shoulder and arm.
Pectoralis Minor attaches to the coracoid process of the scapula  and to the outer surfaces of the third, fourth and fifth ribs. Restriction here can pull the shoulder blade forward (you will see the bottom/inferior portion of your shoulder blade lift away from your body wall), potentially bringing the entire arm with it).
Pectoralis Major is a big fan shaped muscle that is attached to the chest at the sternum (breast bone) and clavicle (collar bone) .  The fan shaped fibers coverge at the arm and attach into the bicipital groove of the humerus.  Restriction in this muscle will pull the arm in front of the body and rotate your arm into internal rotation (with your arms at rest at your sides, look in the mirror: where are your elbow creases facing?  If they are turned toward your body, that is called internal rotation.  In neutral, the arms should rest at the sides of the body with the elbow creases facing forward).

Just get it off your chest and feel more free!

Before you begin with the exercises, do a motion assessment first.  Stand with your elbow creases and palms facing forward.  Lift your arms up and see how far you can lift without arching your back or letting your lower ribs lift away from your body wall.  Complete the movements as show below and then repeat the assessment.  For the first exercise you can use a tennis ball, but I prefer the high grip rubber of the Yoga Tune Up massage balls.
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Place the ball at the groove, just under the clavicle.
pectoral release with a tennis ball at the wall
Lean into the wall. You can add more pressure by shifting your weight forward into a lunge. Find a tender spot and allow your muscles to release. Come down farther onto the ribs and find another spot. Work 2-3 minutes.
sidelying thoracic mobility
Lie down on your side. You may want to have a pillow under your head. Bend your hips and knees to 90 degrees, arms straight out from your shoulder.
Sidelying arm reach
Lie down on your side, bring your hip and knee to 90 degrees. Let your leg completely rest on the ground. Reach your left arm to the ceiling stretching your shoulder blades wide, then begin to reach toward your face/over your head. Then begin to sweep your arm in an arc of motion keeping your palm and elbow toward the ceiling from your head down to your side.
Sidelying pectoral stretch
Keeping your knees stacked on top of each other, begin to open up your chest by reaching your top arm toward the floor. The driver of this movement is thoracic rotation. Try to increase the motion by using your breath to get deeper. Take a breath into your ribcage and on the exhale try to get your shoulder closer to the floor. Repeat on other side. Hold for 1-2 minutes or until tolerable.
Sidelying pectoral stretch windmill
Once your arm gets to your side, turn the palm down sweeping back up in an arc of motion toward your face. You will complete a full 360 degree circle. Repeat the process 5-10 times on each side.

Reassess your arm motion:  Hopefully you have more freedom in your movement!

Susan McLaughlin is a physical therapist who specializes in the management of pelvic floor and orthopedic dysfunctions. She is the owner of ALIGN integration|movement in Salt Lake City, UT.  Helpful tips and other self care strategies can be found at www.alignintegrationandmovement.com.
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    Disclosure: I only recommend programs and products that I would use myself.  If you use these links to purchase something, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you.  Thank you.  

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Contact:  Susan McLaughlin, PT 801.859.4142
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