Power In Treating the Whole Body THIS IS WHERE THE MAGIC HAPPENS / By Lisa Baumgart, MPT, FAFS
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A chain reaction of muscles, nerves, and bones all work together in an integrated manner to create a miraculous system of movement for you to complete your most basic tasks.” 1
CHAIN REACTION EXERCISES Engage your whole body in standing positions to prevent and/or correct muscle/joint imbalances if your goal is to perform daily activities without limitation.
Starting position
1) Start with RIGHT foot on a chair or step stool. Bend LEFT elbow at waist with LEFT hand at shoulder level (RIGHT hand is holding onto the wall for support). 2) Next, raise LEFT arm up overhead while pressing hips forward (keep LEFT knee straight and LEFT heel down). 3) Finally, return to the starting position. 4) Repeat 10X, then switch sides (3X/day to create muscle memory).
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Physical therapists are trained to evaluate and treat pain and dysfunction in mostly nonweight-bearing (treatment on the table) and/or nonfunctional positions. While there is certainly value in assessing and treating joints and muscles on the table, it is only a small part of addressing the cause of dysfunction and biomechanical stress. Just as you would expect your car mechanic to look under the hood to find the cause of that rattle in your engine, you should expect the same in your rehabilitation specialist. Watching people move and restoring normal motion of the whole body in upright positions is the most important part of my business. Following is one of many examples I treat, showcasing chain reaction gone wrong. My patient is a 53-year-old woman with shoulder pain and a Fall / Winter 2019 | www.OurBerkshireTimes.com
Hip extension
#1 - SHOULDER FLEXION WITH HIP EXTENSION
our body functions as an entire system, not as individual parts. A chain reaction of muscles, nerves, and bones all work together in an integrated manner to create a miraculous system of movement for you to complete your most basic tasks. As such, you need to engage your whole body in standing positions to prevent and/or correct muscle/joint imbalances if your goal is to perform daily activities without limitation. This type of functional movement and rehabilitation promotes lasting recovery of normal motion and is not commonly implemented. It involves engaging the entire body while addressing specific areas of pain or dysfunction.
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diagnosis of impingement. Upon inspection in the standing position, the mobility in her shoulder blade sliding on its thoracic cage is greatly diminished as she reaches overhead. Since her shoulder blade is unable to move well during this task, her shoulder becomes impinged. Essentially, the ball of the long bone in her arm hits the roof of her shoulder blade. I immediately begin my process of why. 1) “Why is this shoulder blade not moving well?” With further functional testing, it is obvious to me that her midback is unable to extend backward with overhead reaching. If her mid-back is unable to extend, her shoulder blade is not getting the signal to move in a way that prevents shoulder pain and impingement. 2) “Why is her mid-back unable to extend?” Digging deeper, it turns out the front of her hip is unable to lengthen/extend. 3) Finally, I ask my patient why it appears her hip is so restricted and she reveals a ten-year history of intermittent hip pain from an old injury. She also adds “Oh by the way, my low back started hurting me three months ago too.” Does this scenario sound familiar to you? Stories like this are very common in my practice. In this example, it is important to know that my patient’s inability to extend her hip created