Hi Dr. Tom! I just joined the membership and am trying to figure out which plan I should do if I have SI joint dysfunction (fyi, I have a small orthotic insert in one shoe that I got from PT couple years ago). Essentially trying to reduce occasional pain and strengthen area around it. THANKS!! Erin ;)
Hi everyone! A new video on exercises to help improve knee stability is available here in the app. Here is a link for the video.
👉Soft tissue mobilization works by stimulating mechanoreceptors in muscle and fascia, which can decrease nociceptive signaling and reduce protective muscle guarding.
🔎This neurophysiological response, combined with improved local blood flow and tissue elasticity, often helps lower pain sensitivity and restore freer, more efficient movement.
🧠Soft-tissue mobilization of the lumbar extensor muscles (erector spinae group), which run along your lower spine can be a helpful strategy for reducing low back pain. In this video, I show a technique using a peanut massager tool, which works well for targeting the lumbar extensor muscles.
✅More techniques like this and other mobility and strengthening exercises can be found in the low back pain program here in the app.
👉Scapulothoracic mobilizations are a valuable manual therapy technique for improving movement of the shoulder blade and relieving pain around the shoulder and mid back.
🔎In this technique, the patient lies on their side while the clinician reaches their fingers beneath the medial border of the scapula to gently lift it away from the rib cage. This helps mobilize the scapulothoracic joint — the interface between the scapula and the thoracic wall — which often becomes stiff in people with shoulder or upper back pain.
🧠Restoring mobility at this region allows the scapula to move more freely during overhead and reaching motions, reducing compensatory stress on the glenohumeral joint, rotator cuff, and surrounding soft tissues. By improving scapular motion and control, this mobilization can help decrease pain, enhance posture, and restore proper mechanics for functional movements like reaching, lifting, and pressing.
✅If you experience pain around the shoulder blade or upper back, restricted scapular movement may be a contributing factor. Manual mobilization, combined with targeted exercises for scapular control and thoracic mobility, can be an effective approach to restoring comfort and function.
📚The interphalangeal (IP) joint is the only joint between the two bones of the thumb: the proximal and distal phalanges. It functions as a simple hinge joint, allowing the thumb to bend (flexion) and straighten (extension).
🧠Although it has a relatively small range of motion compared to the other thumb joints, the IP joint plays an important role in precision grip. Every time you button a shirt, write with a pen, text on your phone, or pick up a small object, the IP joint helps position the thumb with accuracy.
🔎The primary muscle responsible for bending the joint is the flexor pollicis longus (FPL), while straightening is produced mainly by the extensor pollicis longus (EPL). Together, these muscles provide the fine motor control needed for everyday tasks.
✅Pain, stiffness, or arthritis at the thumb IP joint can make even simple activities surprisingly difficult. Maintaining mobility and strength throughout the thumb can help preserve hand function as we age.
A new video on movement tests to help identify frozen shoulder is available here in the app. Here is a link for the video.
Hi everyone,
Here is a replay from today's office hours session. We discussed several issues, including cervical disc injuries, patellofemoral joint pain, IT band syndrome and nerve referral from the low back.
Hi everyone,
Our next office hours session will be this Friday at 10am PT. Please visit the link below to RSVP. This is your opportunity to ask me your specific rehab questions. I hope to see you there!
Hi everyone! A new video on Flexor Hallucis Longus (FHL) tendinopathy rehab is now available here in the app. If you have pain underneath your big toe, in the arch of your foot or on the inside of your ankle, these exercises are good to implement. Here is a link for the video.
👉Shoulder instability describes a condition of increased joint mobility that affects the static stabilizers of the shoulder joint (labrum, capsule and ligaments).
🔎When looking to improve shoulder stability, it’s important to perform exercises that target the four rotator cuff muscles and the other muscles that move and control the scapula (trapezius, serratus anterior, etc).
🧠Besides adding these types of exercises, it’s also important to consciously focus on activating the muscles that surround the shoulder joint when lifting the arm overhead or away from your body.
✅A more comprehensive program for shoulder instability can be found here in the app. Here is a link for the program.
https://membership.rehabscience.com/programs/shoulder-instability?category_id=259882