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A Brain Spill on Mechanical vs Neurological Effects in Physical Therapy (Part 1)

Background  I think one of the most controversial / debated topics in the current Physical Therapy scene is whether mechanical vs neurological mechanisms drive effects seen for both manual therapy and exercise (spoiler alert it's probably…
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Healthcare Quick Tip – Unique Eccentric Exercise for Proximal Hamstring Tendinopathy in Gymnasts/Dancers

I have worked with quite a few cases of proximal hamstring tendinopathy and/or ischial apophysitis in the last year. The cases I work with tend not be the "Type 1" running/sprinting based mechanisms commonly seen and discussed in literature,…
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5 Leg Exercises to Build Explosive Power for Gymnastics

Explosive lower body power and the ability to dissipate high force are both crucial factors for gymnastics success.  On the women's side, 3 of the events are primarily leg driven with substantial benefit given to those athletes that express and…
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Why Lacking Shoulder Rotation Mobility Makes You Miss Lifts (Olympic Lifting Paradox Part 2)

Those involved in training barbell movements know that there are many reasons behind why someone misses a lift. From mobility, to technical faults, to strength or fatigue factors, the list goes on. From my point of view as a medical provider…
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Comparing Weight Bearing Wrist Mobility to Ankle Mobility

It's become widely known that weight bearing ankle mobility is part of developing a full ranged, properly executed squat. Many people understand the common compensations that can develop such as limited depth, the knees rolling in, or lower…
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Treating Gymnasts with “Chronic Hip Flexor Strains” – From Clinic To Practice #6b

Last week in Part 1 of this article, I went over the background and current research concepts for a lot of gymnasts I have been treating with micro instability based hip injuries. This week I wanted to talk about one more contributive factor, and…
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From Clinic To Practice 6: Chronic “Hip Flexor Strains” in Gymnasts

One of the areas I have spent the most time researching, treating, and brainstorming on is hip pain in gymnastics. When first starting to treat many gymnasts, I couldn't quite seem to wrap my head around why so many athletes suffered from chronic,…
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5 Non Traditional Core Exercises Every Gymnast Should Use

Every gymnast, gymnastics coach, strength coach, and medical provider knows that appropriate core development is essential for success and reduced injury in gymnastics. There are hundreds of gymnastics specific core strength exercises to pick…
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Video Quick Tip! The Multiple Benefits of Dumbbell Push Presses for Gymnasts

As I've talked about many times, the fears and misunderstandings about using external loading in gymnastics continues to be an uphill battle. The reality of the situation is that when the correct choice of exercises are properly taught, implemented,…
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The Shoulder Mobility Paradox in Olympic Weightlifting (Part 1)

Over the last 4 years I've been really fortunate to learn from a lot of great Olympic Lifting coaches, and also treat a huge number of people training Olympic Lifting movements. Unlike gymnastics, Olympic Lifting was something I was not as familiar…