Movie Monday: A Clinical Pearl For Assessing Great Toe Mobility

Another Monday means another movie to be shared with all of you. This week's video is a clinical pearl to keep in mind when assessing great toe dorsiflexion/extension (whatever nomenclature you like for sagittal plane motion at the great toe). This is especially important when dealing with runners and running injuries due to the influence of the great toe  during gait. Specifically, the ability to extend the hip, achieve terminal stance and proper toe-off. This is another pearl that I learned from Jay Dicharry and his book, Anatomy for Runners/The Healthy Running course.

The major point of this video is that the position of the ankle can have an effect on motion at the toe. This is important to consider because at terminal stance/toe off the ankle is placed in dorsiflexion and the toe must also dorsiflex as well to allow for a proper "ankle rocker" mechanism to occur. Failing to check toe mobility in both positions could lead to an improper assessment. The big toe really can be a lynch-pin when it comes to movement so we want to ensure it can do what it is supposed to do. Have a great day!

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There's No Such Thing as a "Bad" Posture

Many of us have been scolded since childhood to "sit up straight", to stop slouching, to keep our chins up and other various cues in attempt to hammer home "perfect posture" habits. However, the more I think about it and think about human movement I start to think more about how there isn't really such a thing as bad posture. When I say this...I mean that there is nothing wrong with putting your cranium into a forward head position, nothing wrong with arching your low back, rounding your shoulders, and for you PRI people out there...favoring a Left AIC pattern.

There are some clinicians, coaches, and parents that hammer home the importance of "proper posture" and even go to such lengths as bracing, taping, or even strapping down body parts to limit people into their ideal of perfect positioning. Remember the fcliche scenario with the girl in boarding school that must learn to walk and sit with a book balanced upon her head? There are also some clinicians and researchers that scoff at the idea of trying to place blame on posture for pain and injury because of some of the existing literature.

The real problem or dysfunction I feel is often times the target of these "postural correction interventions" and that is limitations. I believe the only true "bad" posture is one that a person can not get out of very easily or very often. Prolonged limitations in movement or habitual overuse of a certain movement is where the problem is really located. My neck is supposed to go forward, my shoulders meant to round, my thoracic spine to slouch but they were never meant to stay in those positions. I want to be able to both protract and retract my shoulders, utilize the left AIC and then get out of AIC. We don't want to get stuck but most of us spend 90% of our life either laying in bed, sitting in a chair, or standing. There is very little variance for many people.

We need routine, habitual movement through entire ranges of physiologic motion. I'm not saying we need to train or load our bodies at every range or in traditional "bad" positions. I am also not arguing that certain biomechanical alignments are better able to produce force, perform better, and be more efficient at reducing risk of injury.

It might be flavor of the moment to talk about "play" but think about how children or even animals in the wild move about for instance. Their movements are often random, varied, and the interactions between each other and the environment is very dynamic. I think about movements like parkour, MovNat, the teachings of Pavel and Ido Portal as a step in the right direction but they are still the minority. I would love to play on an "adult" playground but unfortunately as I write that it sounds more like something that is advertised on billboards near truck stops or in spam emails. Take a second and think about it though...Can you touch your toes? When was the last time you got into a full squat, sat cross legged on the ground, hung from a tree branch, or did a bear crawl? These were all once routine and daily movements for many of us humans.

We really do need to change our "culture" and ways of thinking when it comes to movement. It is entirely true when it comes to the human body and human movement that if you don't use it...you will lose it. Perhaps a better slogan would be, "Move It, or Lose It." We shouldn't be taping people's shoulders in place for 8 hours straight at work as much as we should be getting the person to move not just their shoulders or head but their entire body more frequently. We also shouldn't be blaming benign structural positions or postures necessarily. We need to go deeper and further back in time...If that makes any sense to you. You do not need perfect alignment or positioning at all times to be pain free, you are not doomed if you have rounded shoulders, and its okay to go ahead and slouch sometimes. There is a time and place for everything.

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Movie Monday: Tibial Internal Rotation Self-Mobilization

Good Morning Readers! As you may have noticed last week was a busy week for me with the holidays and I only ended up getting one post done for all of you. My fiance and I actually drove across the country to see family and then had to drive back. I don't really want to sit in a car anymore in the foreseeable future. I don't understand how people can sit at a desk for 8-12 hours a day...It was killing me and made my body feel terrible.

Today's video will feature an easy way to have somebody work on tibial internal rotation on their own. Perhaps they don't respond very well to and/or they have pain when performing this tibial internal rotation mobilization with movement variant...then this may be something to try instead. Additionally, it is pretty simple and most people can do this with very minimal instruction. Nevertheless, it should be pain free and you should Test-Intervene-Retest to see if this technique makes a difference. You don't want to repeatedly try and mobilize a segment like the tibia if the reason it is limited is due to bony abnormality.

Give it a try and let me know what you think. I forgot where I learned this one but I think I remember some story associated with this technique about how a power or Olympic lifter used it to help his tibial IR before setting a world and or/personal record. Credit goes to whomever that was, sorry for not remembering.

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Movie Monday: An Easy Way To Assess for Glute Inhibition

Howdy Folks. Today's video is a simple test that I use when assessing gluteus maximus function of my patients.  I learned this test from Jay Dicharry, MPT, SCS, the author of Anatomy For Runners and he also taught it as part of his Healthy Running seminar.

It is a simple bridge test that looks at the ability to activate the glute max as the primary hip extensor, with a minor contribution from the hamstrings, and a neutral lumbar spine. We don't want to see lumbar extension when trying to extend the hip. A proper activation strategy with this test is not a "good thing" to see but instead should be viewed as a necessity for athletes and perhaps the non-athletic population as well. 

A person could have "strong glutes" and still fail this test if they don't know how to use them. Additionally, if a person failed this test and had weak glutes with manual muscle testing then it may be a waste to prescribe glute strengthening exercises when in reality they need to work on activation first.

Lets Recap:

What We Do Want To See/Feel:

• Neutral Lumbar Spine
• Stable Lumbopelvic control
• Patient to "feel" the effort come from their butt/glutes and hamstrings, Jay taught us 70% - 30% contribution, respectively.
• An ability to hold steady for 20-30 seconds with easy. It may be beneficial to do this for reps as well.

What We Don't Want to See/Feel:

• Hamstring "Cramping"
• Lumbar Extension
• Patient to "feel" the effort come from their low back
• Tilting/dipping/rotation of the pelvis when transitioning from double leg to single leg.
• Excessive Effort and/or Labored Breathing
• An inability to maintain the bridge position or excessive shaking while doing so

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My 4 Favorite Areas to Treat With the EDGE Mobility Ball.

"C'mon baby make it hurt so good."...except I don't make it hurt.

Howdy Readers! Today's post will be short and sweet and it really isn't all that informative. I just wanted to take a moment and share with you all the four areas that I have found to be most effected by me using the EDGE mobility ball.

I have been playing with this thing since I got the Mobility/Stability Combo Pack and I have really taken a liking to it. I'm not saying these are the four places where other people should use it, they are just my favorite for my body! There is a lot of other areas that can be treated with the ball.

Fibular Head/Lateral Gastrocnemius (Calf)

The lateral calf/fibular head area is often a must treat area when I assess my patient's when doing IASTM or working on restricted ankle dorsiflexion. It is no surprise that this is an area in need of treatment for myself either considering my history of terrible ankle mobility. 

Suprapatellar Pouch/Quadriceps Tendon

I don't have tight hip flexors but man do I have a mobility issue in my quads. I actually had a slight calcification of my distal quadriceps tendon when I had an x-ray done this past summer. If I don't work at this very often on my left side I actually get issues when trying to achieve full knee extension like in a plank position.

Posterior Shoulder - Teres Major & Minor/Infraspinatus/Lats

I have pretty poor shoulder mobility in many different directions. However, after spending 5 or 10 minutes on a few areas around the posterior shoulder and my lats while doing large arcs or shoulder circles I was able to rapidly improve my shoulder motion. I'm talking about going from a -1 FMS score to a modest 2. Instantly.

Intrinsic Foot Musculature/Plantar Fascia/Abductor Hallucis/Flexor Hallucis Brevis

Need a free pedicure? Roll this ball along the plantar aspect of the foot for a few minutes and you will be bound to hit a few "spots". This is definitely something I need to try and do more of considering how terrible my great toe extension/dorsiflexion is. This is something you can do sitting at a computer desk or watching TV...No reason not to spend a couple of minutes getting better.

In fact, using something like this mobility ball, a foam roller, or a stability/corrective exercise only take a few minutes out of your day to complete them. You can do a large majority of them while doing other mundane tasks like brushing your teeth, watching TV, checking emails, reading blogs, or surfing Reddit. There isn't really a good excuse to not being on top of this if you have issues. As Gray Cook would say, " it took a habit to get you into that pattern, and not it's going to take a habit to break that pattern. "

That's it for today, don't forget to sign up for my giveaway!

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EDGEility Tool Free Giveaway!

Howdy Readers! To go along with my Ultimate EDGE Mobility/Stability Combo Pack Review that I posted yesterday...I am giving away one of the pieces of the pack. I am going to be giving away one EDGEility tool courtesy of Dr. E himself, the man behind the entire EDGE Mobility System. Want to know what this tool is and haven't seen my review video yet? Well check it out and see if you want one...for free!

You can enter below by liking my Facebook Page or following me on Twitter. The entry period will go until next Tuesday Night at Midnight! Good Luck! 

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Movie Monday: The Ultimate Mobility/Stability Combo Pack Review

Howdy Readers! Today is Monday so that means it is time for another movie! This week I have a video product review for you. In this video I will be looking at the Ultimate Mobility/Stability Combo pack from The EDGE Mobility System. I am no stranger to the EDGE Mobility System but recently they started to sell their products as combo packs instead of just singular items. However, you can still buy each item individually as well!

What Does The Ultimate Mobility & Stability Combo Pack Contain?

• 1 EDGE Mobility Ball
• 1 EDGEility Instrument Assisted Soft Tissue Mobilization (IASTM) Tool for Self-Treatment
• 2 pairs of EDGE Mobility Bands
• 2 pairs of TowEDGE Toe Spacers 
• 1 EDGE Mobility System Carrying Pouch

What Did I Think of The Combo Pack?

I had a lot to say about these products and I had to edit this video a ton to get it even close to watchable in length so I apologize for it being around ten minutes in length! I will leave most of my comments for the video but I must say that I am a fan. I think that these "combo packs" would make a great Holiday gift for grapplers, brazilian jiu jitsu players, judokas, crossfit athletes, gym rats, runners, triathletes, I could really make this list go on and on. Additionally, this would be a great gift for athletic trainers, physio/physical therapists, chiropractors, and students of all these professions.

So What Do I Do With This Stuff?

If this is one of your first thoughts after getting interested in these products from my review video then don't have any fear. I have several videos and articles on how I've used the individual pieces of the EDGE Mobility System. There are many more to be found on the creator's website, The Manual Therapist. It may be worth checking the new but cheap E-Book, An Introduction to Instrument Assisted Soft Tissue Mobilization, by Ove Indergaard and I believe you can also find it on the Kindle Store.

My Previous Articles Related to EDGE Mobility System Products:

• Tibial Internal Rotation Mobilization w/ The EDGE Mobility Band

• The EDGE Mobility Band Review

• Can EDGE Mobility Bands Really Improve Mobility? Let Us Investigate.

• Case of The Week: Bilateral Plantar Fasciosis

• Bilateral Femoral Acetabular Impingement In a Collegiate Soccer Player

• Case of The Week: Persistant Postural Headache

• HEP for the HIP: Self Hip IR mobilization!

• Quick Video Update: Ankle Dorsiflexion Mobilization with Movement Variation.

• Quick Vid - An Ankle Sprain And a Loss of Mobility

• Concussion, Cervical, TMJ/TMD or a Combination Thereof?

Previous Videos Using EDGE Mobility System Products

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Video Request: How To Tape Turf Toe

Howdy Readers! After posting my latest Movie Monday video I was asked by an individual to post a video on how to tape the great toe when suffering from turf toe. First of all, turf toe is a forced hyperextension of the great toe or first metatarsophalangeal (MTP) joint which results in damage to the plantar aspect of the 1st MTP joint.

Often times this can result in damage to a structure known as the volar plate. Due to the nature of this structure, this injury can be very debilitating for athletic activity and can even cause suffering with simple things like pushing off  with the foot while walking. This taping technique is commonly used by certified athletic trainers to allow athletes to return-to-play after minor or moderate injury and it can be used to protect, rest, and allow proper healing of the joint after initial injury.

However, this should only be used as an acute intervention and other rehabilitative exercises and manual therapies may be warranted. While limiting great toe extension may allow a person to remain physically active with such an injury or lower pain levels with activities of daily living...it is a necessary and crucial motion for the great toe joint to have. Therefore, it is imperative that pull pain free range of motion be restored after suffering a great toe injury such as turf toe.

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Movie Monday: How To Tape a Sprained Thumb

Good morning readers! Another Monday and so I bring you another movie! This week's video is another how-to for taping but this time it is for your thumb. In this video I show two variations on how to tape an injured thumb with two different levels of support/restriction. There is one more modification that could be done with this tape job to take it to the ultimate level of restriction and that is called "The Hood". However, I thought the video was long enough as is and I reserve that for football lineman normally. Here it is! 

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October Blog Traffic & Income Report

Howdy Readers! I wanted to start a new tradition for the blog and it is something that I have long contemplated. As I have continued to blog over the last year or so I have gotten more interested in the  art, science, community/culture, and "theories" of blogging.

I have learned a lot from other bloggers by reading their content, seeing them lead by example, and I have also learned a lot from their advice/content directed at blogging specifically. My blog was started as a way for me to network with others, share ideas, practice my writing, and to hopefully help others.

I never started a blog with the intention of making any money and I didn't even know it was possible to monetize a blog in the beginning. I have watched others make life changing decisions as a result of their blogs and I have seen some people make substantial amounts of blogging. I do not make any substantial amount but none of us would make any money if it wasn't for the readers/traffic that we generate.

Therefore, I wanted to become more transparent with my blog and any income that it may generate. I want to focus on several key areas with this and these posts.

• How I have done with traffic generation and revenue.
• What has generated changes in the aforementioned
• What I have learned from the changes.

I have seen others such as Lindsay & Bjork from Pinch of Yum and I think that it is an honest, open, and educational dialogue to have with you readers, the blogging community, and potential new bloggers. I am still learning a ton but I hope that I can share ideas or lessons learned along the way with others that may be curious. While I do not make much money from this endeavor (like I said this is not the goal) I think it is only right to stay transparent. Therefore, I will be sharing my monthly traffic and ad revenue reports with you in these posts.

So let's begin then...because this is my first post and there is nothing to compare it to - I will post the statistics from my previous 3 months.

Traffic

This sort of traffic is laughable by many in the blogging community. Some people average this many page views by the second  or minute. However, we must all start somewhere and it is a big increase from when I started blogging where I was happy to see 400 page views a month. Some additional traffic stats that I have to share are:

I am encouraged by my relatively low bounce rate. The bounce rate is the % of people that leave my blog after visiting only one page. This is associated closely with the pages per session stat which is how many pages people view on average while looking at my blog in one viewing session.

So how much did I make? Well for one...I forgot to mention that these statistics are for my blog only and do not include my YouTube video stats. I will however include my earnings from my YouTube video ads. I have three sources of revenue that I use to monetize my content. Google Adsense for ads on my blog, YouTube (technically Google Adsense) for my videos, and Sovrn (formerly Lijit) for my website ads as well.

So what is the breakdown you may be wondering? Well here it is by source:

A couple of things stick out at me from the past few months when I look at this table:

1. I had an error with my Sovrn Ads and I obviously wasn't very observant of this and it went quite awhile without me fixing it. Once I fixed it there obviously was a big increase. I am excited to see where this goes over the next year if traffic continues to increase.
2. Secondly, I see a definite and consistent increase in YouTube ad revenue as I start to create more YouTube videos and increase the amount of subscribers to my YouTube Channel. I hope to create more YouTube videos that are of better quality with better content over the next several months so I am curious if this trend will continue in a linear fashion.

Well...There you have it folks. I will do this at the end of every month. I am definitely not bragging about these stats nor do I see my blog ever making me rich. Some people have made it rich from their blogs and that is impressive. Those scenarios took the right mixture of hard work, great content, dedication and the right niche of readers. I see quite a few flaws with how I run my blog to ever reach it big but fixing some of those flaws also creates a better overall experience for my readers and creates a better looking blog overall. So who knows...

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