Form or Function? Do Movement Patterns Matter? As a pediatric physical therapist, I see a lot of debate and discussion around how to get our children to do more functional activities. We know they will navigate the world perfectly, but how imperfectly do we let them move? Is it worth the time to develop the […]
Physical Therapy
Do you Trust Your Body?
Feeling versus Thinking When I place my hands on a client or patient, I don’t necessarily know what their body needs. I can come up with plenty of hypotheses. I can do special tests, and postural analysis, and think critically about their symptoms. But when I place my hands on a client’s body, I listen […]
Barefoot
Do you barefoot? Have you seen people running or at the gym in those silly looking shoes and wondered what why they wore them? Or maybe you’ve noticed the occasional fitness expert walking outside barefoot. Maybe you even heard your holistic friend talking about the benefits of grounding. If you wonder what everyone is […]
Breathe
The Best Way to Breathe Recently, I have heard several theories about the “right way to breathe.” Every expert has a great idea on how to breathe and how not to breathe. Often, they suggest their way of breathing is THE BEST. Studying this, I discovered what a surprisingly controversial subject breathing could become. It always […]
Pull Your Shoulders Back
Should You Really Be Pulling Your Shoulder’s Back? One of the most common pieces of feedback given by almost everyone in the physical therapy/yoga/fitness industry is: “Pull your shoulder’s back and down.” It certainly seems reasonable. We see so many people with rounded shoulders, why wouldn’t you bring your shoulders back? Rounded Shoulders While almost […]
Move . . . Just Move
As a physical therapist, I constantly give advice on how to move. If you’ve taken a GravityFit class from me, you definitely got some specific advice on how to move your body. This advice has a lot of merit. When I see coaches/therapists tell their clients to move a specific way, sometimes these clients become […]
Posture: How to Stand
Benefits of posture in a sitting world Good posture has many health benefits. When using correct posture you can prevent injuries, increase energy levels, improve mood, and enhance overall well-being. Physical therapists, personal trainers, coaches, and yoga instructors have probably told you in the past to keep your shoulders back or squeeze your glutes to […]
Let Your Children Fall
The Many Benefits of Children Falling Children Fall off the Beam During some of my first years working as a pediatric physical therapist, sometimes a student or observer would come watch me work. One of these students saw me working with kids on a balance beam. As they walked across the balance beam, often times, […]
Electrical Postural Devices: A Physical Therapist’s Perspective
A New Market Businesses have started selling many new and innovative electrical postural devices. These developers used good concepts and theories behind the product’s development. However, as someone who has studied posture and movement extensively, I have concerns. Before I get started, I want to say that there is no to little research on these […]
Play is a Child’s Work: The Importance of Play in Developing Gross Motor Skills A variety of therapists have used play therapy for quite some time. While researchers initially doubted it due to lack of research, practitioners reported success with the technique. It turns out now the research supports it too. So what are the […]