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Q & A: Have Any Advice on Exercise During Pregnancy? Do I!

My webinar has been generating a lot of great questions behind the scenes. I love this one because it is from a male physical therapist on behalf of his newly pregnant wife. How sweet and cool is that?! Q: My wife and I just found out we are having our first child. I had some questions about my […]

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Female Athlete’s Best Kept Secret

The athleticism at the 2012 Olympics and Paralympics was absolutely inspiring. I said “WOW” so many times I lost count. Some of the wows were for the stories of the athletes overcoming injuries or difficult circumstances to achieve their Olympic moment. Injuries got a lot of press this summer, and a LOT of tape. That […]

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Alignment: The Sequel

Another bad guy to vanquish! Alignment took on the high, tight pelvic floor, but now an inquiring Internal Physical Therapy Specialist wants to know…how can it impact a pelvic floor with a nerve injury? The Question: What if a patient’s left levator ani group was knocked out by nerve injury during childbirth? Is there evidence […]

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A Whole Body Approach: A Global Community Weighs In

I am excited to share a series of great conversations that have occurred in the social media sphere via an extravaganza of tweets, blogs, commentaries, Facebook posts, and Linked-In discussions. The conversation participants, we like to refer to ourselves as the #pelvicmafia, are a global group of Musculoskeletal practitioners that integrate the pelvic floor into […]

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Lions, Tigers, High Heels…Oh My!

A recent NY Times Well Blog discussed the dangers of high heels based on an Australian study that compared the differences in foot muscle and tendon activation patterns in frequent vs infrequent high heel wearers while walking barefoot. The study found that frequent high heel wearers (40+ hours/week) retained a barefoot walking pattern that mimicked how […]

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Running while pregnant

To Kegel or Not to Kegel? Is that the Right Question?

Kegels have been getting the run around lately, with folks in both camps-the Kegel-ers and No Kegel-ers staunchly pulling for their views. I am in a different camp….the “let’s-see-the-Kegel-for-what-it-is-(an early rehab tool, if done correctly)-and-then-let’s-take-the-next-step” camp. Kumbaya! In short, a Kegel strengthens the pelvic floor by performing an isolated, isometric hold of the pelvic floor. […]

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The Family Feud: TA Isolation vs Bracing

  The rehab and fitness communities are in the midst of a little family fight over the work of two of our field’s visionaries; Paul Hodges, the grandfather of TA isolation and Stuart McGill, the um…step-dad of bracing. Despite our lack of conclusions or resolution internally, our private fight has leaked to the public in […]

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The Junkless Trunk: And Not in A Good Way

I get my sweat on twice a week with a park workout that I love – brisk walking, plyometrics and strengthening. Just me, the dog, a resistance tube, birds chirping, flowers blooming, sun shining and (cue nails scratching a chalkboard) the local stroller fitness class.

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Head and Shoulders, Knees and Toes…and Pelvic Floor (Re-post)

My Father-in-law’s favorite joke is to lift his arm only to shoulder level and say “Hey doc! I can only lift my arm this high.” Then as he raises his arm to straight overhead, he says “But I used to be able to lift it this high.”After ruling out the need for a psyche consult, […]

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Core Conversations: The Anticipatory vs Reactive Core

Our current definition of the Core is well…ill-defined. I know I have beaten this drum before, but in magazine articles, blogs, internet resources, even research articles, different muscles are included in the “Core” depending on who you read. I even hesitate to use the word because it means something different to each rehab practitioner, and fitness professional (or client) I talk with. Each of us thinks we are doing “Core” work with our patients and clients, but how can we be sure if our starting definitions are so vastly different.

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