Many people ask us what happens to their tissues when they are stuck and won’t move. Others wonder how important stretching really is. Some just want to know what fascial tissue is. Check out the fascinating “fuzz” speech by Gil Hedley. Hopefully it helps shed some light on your inner workings and encourages you to […]

Hold onto a counter or ledge and bend your knees into a low squat. Allow the weight of the pelvis and the pull of the arms to slowly decompress the low back. Hold for 3 minutes if possible. The longer the hold, the bigger the space you create in your lumbar spine. See video demo. This is part of a low back series developed by Kelly Starrett, author of Becoming a Supple Leopard.

The plank pose is a powerful core strengthener that you can do anywhere. The core muscles include the abdominals, the back, and pelvic muscles.

Although small, the muscles surrounding the jaw are made up of the same dense fibers as all other muscles. Kneading, or gently stripping them from the top of the joint down into the belly of the cheek will relax them, and help encourage painless range of motion.

Place your arms directly out to the sides at shoulder height with your palms down. Imagine someone is pulling on each arm so that you feel a slight distraction from the shoulder joints. Slowly rotate your outstretched arms forward, keeping them at shoulder height.

The suboccipitals are four small muscles at the base of the cranium that attach onto the first and second cervical vertebrae. They are responsible for rocking and tilting the head into extension and stabilizing the head. Shortening of the suboccipitals occurs in a head forward posture which most of us seem to have to some degree.

We are often asked what our favorite “go to” stretches are. Here are two that target the back, hip, and knee and seem to be indicated for patients of all ages and all activity levels.