Rehab Science

Today's episode is the final installment in the Exploring Pain series. Please make sure to listen to the first two episodes as those episodes lay the foundation for today's episode. In this episode, we explore outdated pain models and false beliefs that are held by many people regarding what causes pain and how pain should be treated. I hope you find the episode to be helpful! As I mentioned in the episode, my book has rehab programs for the most common pain issues and injuries and each body region has its own chapter. The programs have pictures of me doing the exercises and are broken into three phases, so that you can do your own rehab at home. Here is an Amazon link, if you want to learn more about my book.

Today's episode is a follow-up on last week's pain science episode, so make sure to check that one out at the following link before diving into this week's episode. In today's episode, we look at the pain loop and how sensory messages (afferent messages) ascend up the spinal cord to the brain and then create efferent responses (movement, pain stress) that descend back down the spinal cord to relevant regions of the body and muscles that will help the person move away from dangerous stimuli. This episode also addresses the three major types of pain (nociceptive, neuropathic and chronic) and how we think about treating these types of pain. I hope you find this episode to be helpful! As always, my book has comprehensive programs for the 50 most common pain issues and injuries. Each body region has its own chapter and all of the programs have pictures of me doing the exercises. Click the following Amazon link to learn more about my book.

In today's episode, I introduce the science of pain and what current research has taught us about the physiology of pain. Whether you are a practitioner or someone experiencing pain, this episode will help you better manage painful symptoms. When we understand pain at a deeper level, we are able to identify the factors in our own lives that may be contributing to the pain we experience. Factors such as, sleep (quantity and quality), nutrition, stress levels, exercise and our beliefs about pain can greatly impact how we feel and how much pain we experience. Thank you for listening to this episode! I hope you find it to be helpful. If you are suffering from a painful condition, my book could be a great resource for you. It has rehab programs for the 50 most common injuries and pain issues and each body region has its own chapter. Each program has pictures of me doing the exercises and guides you through three phases of rehab. If you want to learn more about my book, click this Amazon link.

Sciatica is a umbrella term that refers to pain and/or altered sensation (numbness, tingling, heaviness) that travels into the sciatic nerve distribution or that of one of the lumbosacral nerve roots that makes up the sciatic nerve (L4-S3). Sciatica is caused by an irritation or inflammation of the sciatic nerve or one of the nerve roots that forms the sciatic nerve. It is often seen with disc bulges and herniations and spinal stenosis. Sciatica can also be caused by spondylolisthesis and, in rare cases, spinal tumors. Sciatica has a lifetime incidence of 10-40%, so many of us will experience this issue at some point in our lifetime. Sciatica is diagnosed via clinical testing such as the straight leg raise and slump tests and a description of symptoms that fits with the sciatic nerve's motor and sensory distributions. Sciatica is typically aggravated with lumbar flexion (bending forward), rotation or twisting of the spine and coughing. Treatment typically involves initially reducing acute symptoms with ice and heat, NSAIDs, avoiding provocative positions and activities (usually lumbar flexion) and muscle relaxants, in some cases. Rehab revolves around behavior modification, short courses of spinal mobilization and/or manipulation, nerve mobilizations and therapeutic exercises that target the hip and trunk with a primary emphasis on reducing neural irritation (centralization). Usually, mobility exercises help most initially and then strengthening exercises are added later. Most cases resolve in 4-6 weeks. If symptoms don't improve after 6-8 weeks or there is a progressive loss of motor function (muscular weakness), then imaging may be helpful to rule out more severe disc bulges or herniations and other potential tissue causes. Clinicians should lookout for red flags such as progressive LE weakness, loss of bowel or bladder function, saddle paresthesia as these can point to acute neurological deficits. Here are links to YouTube videos that can help if you are experiencing sciatica right now. Sciatic Nerve Mobilization Exercises Low Back Disc Herniation Exercises Amazon Link For My Book

In today's episode, I talk with my friend and colleague, Dr. John Rusin. Dr. Rusin is one of the fitness and sports performance industry's leading experts in the pain-free performance training model that blends the world of strength and conditioning with clinical movement based diagnostic medicine to provide the ultimate results based methods, programming and practice for an impressively diverse demographic of elite athletes and general fitness clients. His innovative vision for the future of elite level sports performance physical therapy and injury prevention based training protocols are highlighted by the synergy of high-performance strength and hypertrophy programming with a cutting-edge, pain-free training methodologies, are revolutionizing the way his athletes and clients look, feel, function and perform. With more than a decade of elite-level training experience and advanced degrees in both exercise science and physical therapy, Dr. Rusin has developed performance, regeneration, and aesthetics programs for some of the world's best strength, power, and endurance athletes. Dr. Rusin's present and past client list include MLB All-Stars, NFL All-Pros, Olympic Gold, Bronze and Silver Medalists, World-Record-Holding Powerlifters, Elite Bodybuilders and Figure Competitors, All-World IronMan Triathletes, and top professional athletes from eight of the major American professional sports leagues. Dr. Rusin is an internationally recognized strength coach, speaker, and writer, whose work has been popularized throughout the sports performance and fitness industries in some of the most prestigious media outlets in our industry such as Men's Fitness, Men's Health, Testosterone Nation, Bodybuilding.com, Stack Magazine, and Muscle & Strength, to name a few. His innovative pain-free performance training systems have been taught to thousands of personal trainers, strength coaches and rehabilitation professionals from across the world. I hope you enjoy the episode and find it be be helpful! You can learn more about John's work at the following link.

In today's episode, Kirsten and I discuss manual therapy and how it should fit into the practitioner's approach based on more recent research. Manual therapy describes 'hands-on' techniques (massage, joint mobilization, adjustments/manipulations) that are performed on a patient by a practitioner. While these techniques can provide short-term pain relief in some cases, they should be delivered with the appropriate educational message. Unfortunately, some practitioners convince their patients that manual therapy interventions are needed on a regular basis in order to maintain joint alignment and one's health. This idea is not supported in the research. Here is a link to the research article I mentioned in the episode. Most research related to the treatment of pain and injury supports a combination of short-term manual therapy and therapeutic exercise. My book has therapeutic exercise programs for the most common orthopedic injuries and pain issues. Each body region has its own chapter and there are pictures of me performing the exercises. The programs are like what you would get if you came to the clinic to see me for physical therapy. Here is an Amazon bookstore link where you can learn more about my book.

In today's episode, I talk with my friend and fellow physical therapist entrepreur, Dr. Spencer Lalk, DPT. Dr. Lalk is a physical therapist renowned for his innovative approach to patient care. He has collaborated with leading health systems across the United States to elevate education, incorporate leading technology, and improve patient outcomes. As the founder of MedStory Media, Dr. Lalk empowers qualified health professionals to share their expertise with a global audience. Discover more about his work and insights by following him on Instagram @Lalkhealth.

In today's episode, we cover tennis and golfer's elbow. We talk through common signs and symptoms and how you would go about treating these conditions. Golfers elbow creates pain on the inside of the elbow where the wrist and finger muscles attach on the medial epicondyle. The condition is usually diagnosed as medial epicondylitis or epicondylalgia. Pain in this region is typically associated with activities that require repetitive use of the fingers and wrist (climbing, gripping, golf, etc). Because golfers elbow is due to an irritation of tendons, it responds well to a resistance training program that progressively increases the strength of the tendons. Tennis elbow or lateral epicondylitis is a tendon issue (i.e. tendinopathy) that typically involves pain in the region of the lateral elbow, which is where the tendon for the wrist and finger extensor muscles attaches. Like other tendon issues, strength training appears to be helpful in many cases for both reducing pain and improving the work capacity of the tendon. My book contains comprehensive rehab programs for the 50 most common conditions, including programs for tennis and golfer's elbow. Click the Amazon link below to learn more about the book.

In today's episode of the podcast, we cover common questions that were submitted on my Instagram account. Topics covered include: -How to fix clicking and popping in the shoulder and improve shoulder joint stability -How to reduce knee joint stiffness -Best treatments for a meniscus tear -How to get back into exercise after a long layoff -Best exercises to strengthen gluteus medius and minimus My book includes comprehensive programs for the 50 most common conditions that we treat in physical therapy. Each body region has its own chapter and the programs guide you through three phases of rehab and have pictures of me demonstrating all of the exercises. Conditions such as rotator cuff tears, meniscus injuries, arthritis, plantar fasciitis and sciatica are just a few of the issues covered in the book. In total, there are 30 rehab programs. Click the Amazon link to learn more about my book.

In today' episode, I talk with my friend and former colleague, Dr. Tim Van Haitsma, PhD. Dr. Van Haitsma graduated from Calvin College, earned a master's degree in exercise physiology at Indiana University and a doctorate in exercise physiology at the University of Utah. His expertise includes human physiology, exercise physiology, human performance, and clinical exercise physiology. His research interests focus on exercise-induced fatigue, both immediate and long-term, chronic fatigue syndrome, and how the mind affects human performance. You can learn more about his work by clicking HERE. Here is Dr. Van Haitsma's Instagram account.