Welcome to the
SPC Blog
We share actionable advice about pain management, injury, strength training, exercise, rehab, and how to make healthcare work for you.
Why physical therapy exercises are not enough to get you better?
What is a Trigger? We use the term trigger as a catch-all term for the activities and movements during the day that makes symptoms worse. Trigger investigation is critical because they are the bane of feeling better. The term, trigger, is an event that causes something else to happen. You trigger the headache when you look over your shoulder. You trigger back pain when you move from sitting to standing. You trigger the shoulder pain when you reach for the shelf. Sounds simple? Unfortunately, determining all of the triggers to your symptoms is as difficult as it is important. Why do we obsess on trigger management instead of building a huge list of physical therapy exercises? Imagine this scenario. I am
Imaging & Pain
In the clinic, we get a lot of questions about pain because it is the main reason people walk through the door. Today I am going to go through a brief review of pain and imaging. Imaging refers to radiographs (x-rays), MRIs, and CT scans. These are typically used to help a medical provider determine what is causing the pain and the best intervention to resolve the problem. What do we know? Numerous imaging studies ranging from the knee to the low back show that the level of pathology cannot predict a person’s pain experience. We cannot predict pain, the level of disability, or long-term activity based on an image. Individuals with chronic low back pain have been compared to those with no back
Why Do Athletes Cramp?
Cramping is at the top of the list of common problems that we think are misdiagnosed and mismanaged. Watch the following video to learn more!
How & When to Use a SERF Strap
What is the SERF Strap? The SERF Strap is the first patellofemoral brace designed to treat PFP due to poor hip control. Basically, the strap is a really long elastic band that you anchor at the knee (my term is foundation 1), tension over the outside of the thigh, and anchor around the pelvis (foundation 2). When you create these anchor points, the strapped leg will now have support for external rotation at the hip joint. This reduces pelvic drop and knee valgus. You can take someone whose knees hit together and immediately correct this dysfunction. While the marketing material and websites talk just about patellofemoral pain, I use this tool for symptoms in the leg (sometimes the back) during the stance phase of running
Setting the Core
The basics of the plank that we use in our strength training methodology
Tuck Jump Assessment for Physical Therapy
A review of our publications and the impact on physical therapy, injury screening, and protocol In the last few months, some of our research efforts in physical therapy, strength training, and injury screening have been published by the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research and the International Journal of Sports Physical Therapy along with a commentary in the Journal of Sports Science and Medicine. The publications were focused on jumping test performance and the underlying methods. These tests are useful in a full rehabilitation program to determine readiness for activity, however, even the best tests have limitations that need to be understood. There is no such thing as a perfect test but we can use a variety of tests to gain a more complete perspective.
Why physical therapy exercises are not enough to get you better?
What is a Trigger? We use the term trigger as a catch-all term for the activities and movements during the day that makes symptoms worse. Trigger investigation is critical because they are the bane of feeling better. The term, trigger, is an event that causes something else to happen. You trigger the headache when you look over your shoulder. You trigger back pain when you move from sitting to standing. You trigger the shoulder pain when you reach for the shelf. Sounds simple? Unfortunately, determining all of the triggers to your symptoms is as difficult as it is important. Why do we obsess on trigger management instead of building a huge list of physical therapy exercises? Imagine this scenario. I am
Imaging & Pain
In the clinic, we get a lot of questions about pain because it is the main reason people walk through the door. Today I am going to go through a brief review of pain and imaging. Imaging refers to radiographs (x-rays), MRIs, and CT scans. These are typically used to help a medical provider determine what is causing the pain and the best intervention to resolve the problem. What do we know? Numerous imaging studies ranging from the knee to the low back show that the level of pathology cannot predict a person’s pain experience. We cannot predict pain, the level of disability, or long-term activity based on an image. Individuals with chronic low back pain have been compared to those with no back
Why Do Athletes Cramp?
Cramping is at the top of the list of common problems that we think are misdiagnosed and mismanaged. Watch the following video to learn more!
How & When to Use a SERF Strap
What is the SERF Strap? The SERF Strap is the first patellofemoral brace designed to treat PFP due to poor hip control. Basically, the strap is a really long elastic band that you anchor at the knee (my term is foundation 1), tension over the outside of the thigh, and anchor around the pelvis (foundation 2). When you create these anchor points, the strapped leg will now have support for external rotation at the hip joint. This reduces pelvic drop and knee valgus. You can take someone whose knees hit together and immediately correct this dysfunction. While the marketing material and websites talk just about patellofemoral pain, I use this tool for symptoms in the leg (sometimes the back) during the stance phase of running
Setting the Core
The basics of the plank that we use in our strength training methodology
Tuck Jump Assessment for Physical Therapy
A review of our publications and the impact on physical therapy, injury screening, and protocol In the last few months, some of our research efforts in physical therapy, strength training, and injury screening have been published by the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research and the International Journal of Sports Physical Therapy along with a commentary in the Journal of Sports Science and Medicine. The publications were focused on jumping test performance and the underlying methods. These tests are useful in a full rehabilitation program to determine readiness for activity, however, even the best tests have limitations that need to be understood. There is no such thing as a perfect test but we can use a variety of tests to gain a more complete perspective.
