“Change happens through movement and Movement Heals”

Joseph Pilates and the Pilates Method

What is Pilates?

Pilates method was originally created in the early 1900s as a series of exercises based on connecting the body, mind and spirit. Joseph Pilates designed this comprehensive program with focus on elongating and strengthening the body, using specific movements and resistive equipment.

Why is Pilates right for you?

1. Build lean muscle and improve strength.

Pilates focuses on quality movements performed with control and precision. The exercises balance strength with flexibility, to build lean muscle while developing foundational strength for your spine and limbs.

2. Restore balance and efficiency of your muscles.

Believe it or not, you have certain muscles that you use more than others. Over time this imbalance leads to back/neck pain and injury. Pilates helps to balance your muscles so that you use them all together instead of one muscle doing the job of 3 or 4. Now, doesn’t that just sound more efficient?

3. Competitive edge.

There are some beastly young NFL guys out there doing Pilates. Why? Because it helps to improve flexibility, balance and strength. Supplementing your normal strength-based gym routine or sport with Pilates as cross training helps stretch, strengthen and lengthen key muscles that give you the extra power for your desired sport.

4. Better posture

We are fight the same battle: Us vs. Gravity. Our jobs have us hunched over our computers, our kids have us hunched over to pick them up. The best way to win the battle against gravity is a Pilates routine, to strengthen the muscles that naturally help to elongate and stabilize your spine. Human 1, Gravity 0…

5. Positive Mindset

Pilates improves circulation, oxygenating the blood and replenishing cells throughout your body. This increase blood flow to the brain, helps you focus and improves your mental outlook.

6. Working through Injury

Whether you have some crunchy shoulder pain or a recent surgery, Pilates is a safe, low-impact alternative to heavy weight lifting or high impact activities. With a solid balance of stretching and strengthening, Pilates is a great way to restore your body during injury while still receiving a fantastic workout!

Pilates is just like any other commitment. It takes an investment of time and energy. But, if you commit to a few times a week for a few weeks, you’ll notice the results for your mind, and body. Pilates isn’t just for a select few athletes, celebrities and dancers. Everyone can benefit from Pilates!

“You will feel better in ten sessions, look better in twenty sessions, and have a completely new body in thirty sessions.” Joseph Pilates

PILATES: NOT JUST FOR WOMEN!

One of the Pilates principles is flow – performing movements with precision without a lot of energy expended. The core stabilizers of your spine are just the starting place for a Pilates session. Once the spine is strong and the core muscle are turned on, the Pilates client is challenged with dynamic movements of the arms and legs while at the same time maintaining a stable core. This makes Pilates not only good for mothers and women, but for athletes to older adults. It helps tune up all those smaller muscles that help stabilize your legs and arms during sport, work and everyday activities to prevent injury.

Are there different types of Pilates?

There are different apparatuses and accessories that can be used to challenge the client during a Pilates session. Most people are familiar with mat Pilates, which is done entirely on a mat, utilizing gravity and the weight of your own limbs to challenge stability and build strength.

The reformer is Pilates machine that utilizes a moveable carriage attached to a series of springs that can be modified to increase or decrease the challenge of the exercise. The reformer is one of the best places to start for a client who has never tried Pilates, or for the rehabilitation patient who is getting back into physical exercise and building strength. The reformer allows the client to be challenged through increasing resistance while maintaining a safe, supportive environment for their spine.

Is Pilates the same as yoga?

While Pilates and yoga have some similarities, Yoga typically focuses on flexibility, balance, and prolonged holds of certain positions; the focus of Pilates is on control, precision, mindfulness, breathing and alignment to build stability in the spine and strength in the extremities. Pilates focuses on decreasing the tension in tight muscles, and intentionally strengthening the weak muscles. Each movement is focused on a deliberate execution with precise movement. Mindfulness and functional breathing helps the client execute each movement with control. Pilates movements should never be sloppy and should always be challenging. The core control utilized during Pilates should be focused on using as much energy as necessary, but as little as possible.

Beginner’s Pilates exercises:

Wherever you are reading this, notice how you’re standing. Chances are that the lower part of your ribcage is flaring out this very moment. Just a simple adjustment in your ribcage position can build your core strength. Here’s a step by step:

1. Lie on your back with your hands resting on your ribcage
2. Draw your ribcage down so that your stomach is flat.
3. Draw in your belly button to hold the new position.
4. Now, breathe in deeply without allowing your ribcage to change position

Most people don’t know how to move their spine independently. For most people it just moves like a brick, and this can subject your body and spine to injury

1. Lie on your back.
2. Beginning at your pelvis, press it down against the floor.
3. Begin to peel your spine up off the floor as you lift your sit bones off of the floor.
4. One vertebrae at a time, try to feel each vertebra as it separates and peels off the floor
5. At the top of the movement, reverse direction of the spine as you lower back down to the floor. You should be able to feel each vertebra individually as your spine returns to the floor.

Many people don’t know how to activate their core muscles. This is a good exercise to start with if you’re having trouble.

1. Begin by lying on your back with your feet flat.
2. Put your arms straight out in front of you, with your fingers pointed toward the ceiling. Take the resistance band in your both hands as shown in (picture).
3. Gently pull on the band to create a small amount of resistance, but maintain straight arms and straight wrists.
4. Hold this position for 10 seconds.
5. You should begin to feel your core muscles turn on!

 

Coming Soon…

Foam Rolling… Does it work? By: Jordan Levine, PT, DPT

Foam rolling and other Self-Myofascial release tools (hand held rollers) have gained popularity in the fitness and wellness world for decreasing pain, improving range of motion, decreasing muscle soreness and enhancing recovery. The physiological effects of these tools are mostly theoretical and are still being researched. There has been a variety of claims of these tool benefits but there is no consensus on optimal application for best results.

WHAT IT DOES

•  Foam rolling improves ROM – when performed for as little as 30sec and for up to 5 mins it has shown to have short term benefits (less than  10 mins) for increasing joint ROM in hip, knee and ankle joints.
• Stretch after Foam rolling – ROM improvement from foam rolling has better effects when static or dynamic stretching is performed immediately following the foam rolling.
• Decreased effects of post exercises muscle soreness – Foam rolling after high intensity exercise helps to decrease delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS).

WHAT IT DOES NOT

• No effect on performance – Foam rolling does not negatively or positively affect performance when performed prior to activity.
• More is not better to improve ROM – Performing for longer than 5 mins on one area has not shown to have more benefit than shorter duration.
• Breaks up scar tissue or breaks up myofascial adhesions. There is no current research that supports these claims.

WHAT IS THE POSSIBLE CAUSE OF THESE BENEFITS

• Altered Viscoelastic and thixotropic properties of fascia. Foam rolling helps fascia to return to more a gel like state causing the increased ROM of joints.
• Increased Blood flow to tissues – Foam rolling brings increases intramuscular temperature and blood flow causing the increased ROM of joints and decreased DOMS. Decreased DOMS likely due to the effect of blood lactate removal, edema reduction and oxygen delivery to muscle.
• Stimulation to joint muscle receptors – alters muscle spine length and/or stretch perceptions to allow increased ROM of joints.

TIPS 1. Foam Roll targeted area for 30sec – 2mins prior to exercises. 2. Start at one end of the muscle and slowly move to the other end by visualizing rolling down 2 inches and back up 1 inch for the entirety of the muscle. 3. Stretch immediately after foam rolling. Performing either static stretching of targets muscle for 20-45 sec holds, or performing dynamic stretching / Active ROM of joint for 10-15 reps to maximize effectiveness of foam rolling. 4. Do not exceed 20-30 mins of rolling total when rolling entire leg and hip muscles when performing to avoid post exercise soreness.

References Cheatum SW, et al. The Effects of Self-Myofascial Release Using A Foam Roll Or Roller Massager On Joint Range Of Motion, Muscle Recovery And Performance” A Systematic Review. IJSPT. 2015; 10(6):827-838.

alf raises with heels off step allowing heels lower down past toes etc.[/caption]

References Cheatum SW, et al. The Effects of Self-Myofascial Release Using A Foam Roll Or Roller Massager On Joint Range Of Motion, Muscle Recovery And Performance” A Systematic Review. IJSPT. 2015; 10(6):827-838.

Where were you in 1997? J.K. Rowling released the first Harry Potter book, Titanic won eleven Oscars, the Pathfinder landed on Mars and Madeleine Albright became the first female Secretary of State in US history. North County Water and Sports Therapy Center opened its doors in October of that same year. Twenty years has brought many changes in healthcare but not, how WE treat patients.

 

When asked, “Why did you start your practice?” the short answer is, “to continue to do what I love, my way!” The late 90’s shift in healthcare included reducing reimbursement for physical therapy services. Which required treating more patients in less time to make a profit. I became frustrated at the reduced contact time with my patients, and began researching going back to school to become an architect, if this was the way healthcare was going. Instead of returning to college again, I seized the opportunity to start North County Water and Sports Therapy Center.

 

In the words of Marilyn Monroe, “Ever notice that “what the hell” is always the right decision? “ I did not do everything right, I made a lot of business mistakes along the way. The frustrations from insurance reimbursement while trying to stay in business has not eased over the years. Yet every time we face challenges as a small independent practice, I remind myself of why I started in the first place: the patient. We are now using electronic medical records and online/video home exercise programs, but we still treat patients the old- fashioned way, one on one, getting to know the person, not just the injury.

 

First, I would like to say how happy I am I built this practice. I would have made a lousy architect. Secondly, I did not make it twenty years without the love and support of my family, the understanding, patience and skill of our team, and of course, all the patients and physicians who have placed their trust in us over the last twenty years. I enjoy a keen sense of gratitude.

 

Hard work, and long hours are still part of my daily practice but so is laughter, joy, and satisfaction in a job well done. I am thankful that I still get to do what I love with an amazing, talented team.   Future predictions for the next twenty years: continue to learn and grow as a therapist; integrate the advancing technology which will deliver more tools to assist in providing care and weather inevitable changing healthcare polices.   The one thing that won’t change is our philosophy; providing patient first, hands on therapy, and education and exercise to help our patients achieve their greatest potential. Where will you be in 2037? I plan on continuing to do what I love and love what I do!

With gratitude and hope for the next twenty years,

Beth

 

Do you have shoulder pain with:
Reaching Overhead?
Reaching into the Back Seat?
Reaching Behind Your Back?
While you Sleep?
Combing/ brushing your hair?

You are not alone…..

According to the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons, 7.5 Million Americans see their doctor for shoulder pain and problems each year. Some of these injuries could be prevented. Here are a few basic rules to help prevent shoulder injuries and costly doctor visits.

1. Proper conditioning: The shoulder complex is inherently designed for movement. This leaves the muscles as the primary source of stability for the area. Equalizing strength and flexibility of these muscles is the key to proper shoulder mechanics. This means, basic strengthening in conjunction with physical activity or sport is essential in preventing a breakdown of the shoulder mechanism and injury. Call 858-675-1133 and we will send you our healthy shoulder exercise routine.
2. Warm-up: It is important to prepare the tissues before pushing them to the maximum. 10 minutes of cardiovascular exercise to increase blood flow and 10 minutes of stretching to prevent tears is recommended prior to high intensity upper body activity.
3. Proper Posture: Good alignment is needed for the shoulder to work efficiently. When you slouch the joint becomes compressed, increasing the risk of impingement of soft tissues and pain.
4. Correct Technique: Whether you are a tennis player, golfer, swimmer, throwing athlete or just weight training for health, correct form and mechanics are essential to peak performance and minimizing stress to the shoulder.

The shoulder is often referred to as a “ball and socket” joint. In reality, the “socket” portion of the joint is very shallow, relying on muscles and a ring of cartilage, called the labrum, to provide much of the joint’s stability. This design allows for a large amount of movement but when the movement becomes impaired injuries and pain occur. Because our bodies do not move in isolation, the neck and upper back also influence how we move our shoulder and arm. Many components come together to allow us the freedom to reach, lift, carry and play sports without injury. It is no wonder so many Americans have shoulder pain complaints.

The most common causes of shoulder pain are:

Rotator cuff
(4 muscles in your shoulder attaching your upper arm to the shoulder blade)
These muscles play a large role in stabilizing your shoulder joint (referred to by medical professionals as the glenohumeral joint). In addition to helping you rotate your arm these muscles are essential in keeping the ball in the socket with overhead motions.

Shoulder blade
17 different muscles attach to your shoulder blade affecting movement and positioning. When these muscles are out of balance the “ball and socket” fails to move in a coordinated pattern, leading to narrowing of the space at the top of the shoulder and causing pain and limited use of the arm often referred to as impingement.

Neck and Upper Back
With arm movement, our ribcage and upper back (also called the thoracic spine) must also move. With age, poor posture, long times at the computer or sitting, these areas can become stiff. When given a choice, the body will follow the path of least resistance and the shoulder will pay the price for the stiffness in surrounding areas.

What does successful physical therapy treatment for shoulder pain look like?
First a through physical therapy examination to determine the cause of your shoulder pain. Once determined the best outcomes are from hands on physical therapy combined with the right stretching and strengthening exercises specific to the cause of your shoulder pain.

Goals of therapy treatment is to:
Give relief by correcting the cause of your pain.
Improve your strength and movement.
Speed up the healing process.
Prevent your shoulder from getting worse.

It is important to remember we have three options when dealing with shoulder pain.

1. Ignore it = live with the pain and hope it goes away (this is the number one mistake shoulder pain suffers make)
2. Alter it = take medications, get injections this helps with pain but does not correct the underlying cause of the pain.
3. Handle it = Deal with the cause of your pain, return to pain-free motion.

Physical Therapy can help you handle your shoulder pain by correcting the cause of your pain.

If you have shoulder pain with moving your arm, call us at 858-675-1133 stop ignoring the pain or avoiding activities because of pain, and work on handling the cause of the problem to get back to doing the things you enjoy.

 

The Truth Behind Tech Neck!

We love our smartphones. So much so, according to comScore’s 2017 Cross Platform Future in Focus report, the average American adult, eighteen and older, spends 2 hours, 51 minutes on their smartphone every day. However, over time, we are starting to see that, while smartphones can make our lives easier, they are causing wear and tear to our spines.

Our head weights 10-15 pounds. When we tilt it forward to look down, as we do to look at our phone, gravity gets involved, increasing the stress to our necks. New York back surgeon Kenneth Hansraj, created a computer program to determine just how much stress is put on our spine when looking down.

Hansraj’s findings, published in Surgical Technology International, showed that the farther forward we tilt our head, the more weight we put on our spine. Check out the table below to see just how much.

 

Angle of head tilt	Pounds of pressure experienced
15 degrees	27 pounds
30 degrees	40 pounds
45 degrees	49 pounds
60 degrees *	60 pounds

*the most common posture for looking down at a phone screen

Don’t worry you do not have to banish your phone to save your neck. Improving your posture by holding the phone up at eye level, rather than hunching over, can help. Additionally, because our heads are heavier than we realize, it is important to work on strengthening the neck to better support the head.

Click here for everyday stretch and strengthening exercise to improve posture and reduce the stress on your spine.

neck and posture exercises

 

Reference

Hansraj, K.K. (2014) Assessment of Stresses in the Cervical Spine caused by Posture and Position of the Head. Surgical Technology International, 25, 277-279.