IT’S a DAMN SHAME! I say,… The Cat-Cow is a wonderful exercise that I give many of patients with “stiff” or “stuck” low back pain because of the awesome light they shed on what is really restricted in their movement pattern. It exposes which angles are flaring up their pain sensitivities in the low back with a simple animal themed movement! Watch below…
The question is as old as time itself: Why do my knees crack and pop? Ever since man has first squatted down to make a fire or defecate (see my last blog post to learn more), he has heard these noises and wondered what the heck those snaps and crackles were! Well, there are a few possibilities of what you COULD be hearing in your knees or [insert any joint you have heard] are making sounds and unless you are having a unique amount of excruciating pain and can weight-bear easily with no functional deficits, there is a good chance you are experiencing one of the below phenomenon. Check it out below!
Olivia came in with what she thought was Low Back Pain but actually was glue pain masquerading is something else. The glue can be the origin of a lot of people’s issues, and it goes underdiagnosed because every time someone has some kind of radiating pain down their leg. We like to blame the lower back, but it was more important for her to address very small musculature located in her gluteal region. After a few appointments, Olivia started to really learn how to take care of her issue and became a masterof her pain. After all this, she was feeling 100% better and has continued to show out earning higher level degrees and showing us what she’s capable of!
Carlton quickly learned the advantages of PhysioLogix Style Physical Therapy when after our first few appointments he was sore, not from his auto accident, but from his training in the gym with Dr. Rob. He really turned on the jets with recovery and rehab and saw a great transformation from hobbling to hero! Listen to his story below to learn from his succcesses!
You've probably seen fitness enthusiasts and mobility experts showcasing their impressive back arching and rounding exercises. These exercises, often referred to as thoracic spine flexion and extension, are more than just feats of flexibility; they hold significant value for both improving mobility and assessing spinal alignment.
Ok, now that you watched my super amazing video and gave me a free view, sucker, please read along and observe my logic and rationale as I develop this exercise for back pain patients. Let us start with the…
Benefits of Cat-Cow Poses
For individuals experiencing stiffness or limited mobility, Cat-Cow poses can help to:
Increase flexibility and range of motion in the thoracic spine as you are constantly taking through novel and different ranges of motion it is not used to
Reduce muscle tension and improve posture
Enhance overall spinal mobility and functional movement
For clients with poor ability to find neutral spinal positioning, Cat-Cow poses can:
Enhance their understanding of both extremes of spinal movement
Help them identify and correct any postural deviations
Promote the ability to maintain a neutral spine during daily activities
Exploring these ranges of motion can allow them to understand what neutral is and is not. SELF DISCOVERY (Aweeee)
Assessment Tool for Spinal Impairments
Observing your client perform Cat-Cow poses can provide valuable insights into their spinal mobility and potential impairments. For instance:
Limited thoracic spine flexion may indicate tightness in the posterior spinal muscles.
Limited thoracic spine extension may suggest tightness in the anterior spinal muscles.
Asymmetrical movement patterns may point to muscle imbalances or structural issues.
Incorporating Cat-Cow Poses into Treatment Plans
Based on the assessment findings, Cat-Cow poses can be incorporated into the treatment plan to address specific mobility limitations and postural deviations. For example:
For clients with posterior chain tightness, incorporating Cat-Cow poses can help lengthen and loosen the lumbo-pelvic region, especially when the back is totally rounded (cat).
For clients with asymmetrical movement patterns, targeted exercises can be prescribed to address muscle imbalances and promote symmetrical movement.
SIMPLE + Effective
Cat-Cow poses offer a simple yet effective approach to improving mobility, assessing spinal alignment, and developing targeted treatment plans. If you're looking to enhance your own mobility or achieve better spinal health, consider incorporating these poses into your routine or practice. Remember, a well-aligned and mobile spine is essential for optimal movement, function, and overall well-being.
Sure, everyone loves those side raises with thumbs down to hit the lateral deltoids, but lurking in the shadows is a nasty villain: impingement. Internal rotation from those thumb-down movements puts stress on your rotator cuff, potentially leading to painful pinching in the front of your shoulder. Dealing with subacromial impingement? Not fun. Rehab can be a long, frustrating journey.
Dave came in with intense low back pain that began out of nowhere. Within a few days, he went from going to the hospital for an emergency visit to feeling 100% better. Dave says that he was feeling amazing after our second visit as well. We still keep in contact to this day, and he continues to do the exercises that we reviewed together to keep his pain at bay!
Thoracic outlet syndrome (TOS) can be from a multitude of causes. Sometimes our pecs are tight, sometimes there is a problem with our first rib pressing down on our nerves and other times our scalenes (neck muscles) are entrapping is the descending nerves from the cervical spine. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
In this photo I am beginning a pec minor stretch in which I hold the upper extremity in 120+ degrees of abduction and pin the pec using my opposite hand. This can help relieve symptoms of numbness, tingling and that asleep feeling many get in prolonged postures. ⠀⠀⠀⠀
Say goodbye to chronic pain and limited mobility! PhysioLogix's expert therapists are now serving all of Florida, bringing effective pain management solutions straight to your door. Yes, that is All of Florida, so Miami people that is everything from Coral
IT’S a DAMN SHAME! I say,… The Cat-Cow is a wonderful exercise that I give many of patients with “stiff” or “stuck” low back pain because of the awesome light they shed on what is really restricted in their movement pattern. It exposes which angles are flaring up their pain sensitivities in the low back with a simple animal themed movement! Watch below…
Thoracic outlet syndrome (TOS) can be from a multitude of causes. Sometimes our pecs are tight, sometimes there is a problem with our first rib pressing down on our nerves and other times our scalenes (neck muscles) are entrapping is the descending nerves from the cervical spine. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
In this photo I am beginning a pec minor stretch in which I hold the upper extremity in 120+ degrees of abduction and pin the pec using my opposite hand. This can help relieve symptoms of numbness, tingling and that asleep feeling many get in prolonged postures. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Side note 📝 the hip flexors are not just your iliopsoas and rectus femoris (the ones everyone talks about) but muscles like adductor magnus, adductor longus, gracilus, sartorius also contribute to hip flexion. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Similarly, hip abduction is not just Glute and Glute med work. Several deep hip muscles play a role as well. Moral of the story: no action at the hip joint happens in isolation so targeting a single muscle group is, well... impossible!
In a study by Worrel et al. 2015, it was shown that this was a significant advantage for the hip thrust exercise via EMG testing. This could be possibly due to the hips extended position + being perpendicular with the pull of gravity during the hardest part of the lift making it a novel and targeted 🎯 glute max activator.
