Foam rolling is a popular method of self myofascial relief, or self massaging. It’s perfect for improving flexibility, reducing muscle soreness and releasing muscle knots (aka trigger points). Below I’ve got 3 foam rolling tips that will help improve your technique as well as help you prevent injuries. 3 Foam Rolling Tips for Maximum Benefits Foam Rolling Tip #1 – Body Posture & Alignment Whichever muscle you’re foam rolling, pay attention to your whole body posture. Try to keep a neutral spinal position. This means aligning your head, shoulders, and hips in as straight a line as you can ..read more

There are a variety of causes for back pain and two common ones we see are people who are either hypomobile or hypermobile. People who are hypomobile have restricted mobility. They have tighter joints and less range of motion. – These folks need more mobility/movement work. Hypermobile people, on the other hand, have extreme flexibility or can push their bodies and their joints through extreme ranges of motion. – These folks need more stability and strengthening. In this article we are going to focus on Hypermobile individuals. Quick note about how Hypermobility can develop Growing up, most li ..read more

Tired of waking up with back pain? You are not alone. Studies report that 80% of people will have low back pain sometime during their lifetime.[1][2][5] Back pain in the morning is very common and is often felt right upon getting up from bed. There are many reasons for it, but one of the main ones is that in the morning there is not enough blood flow to your joints and muscles – which results in stiffness. Eventually the pain and stiffness subside as you start moving around and blood flow improves throughout the body. Below we also have specific things that will help you to decrease morning ba ..read more

Hip hinging is one of the most foundational movements one needs to master. The reason being is that it’s a movement you should be using in everyday life in order to spare your back from injuries. Before we get to the hip hinge exercises let’s discuss why and how you should do it. The following everyday activities require hip hinging: Loading dishes Picking up your kids Sitting down into a chair Picking things up off the floor Gardening And more Why Hip Hinge anyways? The main purpose of hip hinging is to ensure that you are bending down from your “hips”, rather than from your spine. The goal ..read more

In this video, Leon shares 5 tips for gardening without throwing out your back. Gardening is a wonderful hobby, but it can put a lot of strain on your back if you don’t protect it. You might be asking “what’s so bad about gardening?”  While it’s a great physical activity for people of all ages, the problem is that many people bend over in poor form, which puts a lot of stress on their spines – Especially on the discs and muscles in the low back and neck area. Spending a lot of time in a poor position can lead to bulging discs, herniated discs and Sciatica. Here are some tips to help you ..read more

Scapular winging is where the scapula (Shoulder blade) juts out and appears to “wing” out of the back. This winging can cause limited range of motion, pain, and unattractive appearance.[1][3][5] There are several types of scapular winging and in this article we’re going to focus on Medial scapular winging which is the most common,[1][2] pictured below: Winged scapula usually occurs when there is damage or impaired innervation to the serratus anterior muscle from the long thoracic nerve – resulting in weakness of the Serratus anterior muscle, as well as other muscles around the shoulder blade ..read more

Spondylolisthesis is forward slipping or displacement of a vertebrae (back bone) on the one below it.[1][2] There are 5 types of Spondylolisthesis including: dysplastic, isthmic, degenerative, traumatic and pathologic.[1] Degenerative Spondylolisthesis is the most common type and that’s the one we will focus on for the remainder of this article. Simply stated, in degenerative spondylolisthesis, the forward slipping of the vertebrae is caused by degenerative changes in the spine that occur with normal aging.[4] Note: With degenerative spondylolisthesis you will not see a fracture of the pars in ..read more

There are many types of headaches, but Tension Headaches are the most common[1] accounting for 78% of all headaches.[2][3][7] Typically, Tension-Type Headaches peak around 30-39 years old.[2] What are Tension Headaches? There are different types of tension headaches ranging from episodic to chronic. Infrequent-episodic headaches may occur 1 day per month or less. Frequent-episodic headaches may occur 1-15 days per month. However, If you have a headache lasting for more than 15 days per month, you would fall under the chronic category.[5] Both episodic and chronic headaches can have an eff ..read more

I had the pleasure of interviewing Dr. Stuart McGill. We talked about posture, low back pain, core, mental health role on pain, and more. Check it out below: Pain triggers explained Threw Out My Back Forward head posture exercises Sitting Posture Tips The post Interview with Dr. Stuart McGill (Posture, Low Back Pain, Core…) appeared first on Back Intelligence ..read more

Thoracic Outlet Syndrome (TOS) is a diagnosis of omission meaning physicians rule out all other conditions first. It happens when nerves that run from the base of the neck down the arm get compressed. The nerves that get compressed are a bundle of nerves called the brachial plexus. The thoracic outlet is located above the first rib and underneath the clavicle (collarbone).[1] It contains three spaces that house important nerves called the brachial plexus and blood vessels including the subclavian nerve and artery. Compression of these structures is what causes the symptoms related to TOS.[2] T ..read more