Did you know that the only joint attaching your upper extremity to your body is one that, on average, is only about 1.5 cm wide? And nope, it’s not the shoulder joint… It’s actually the joint between your sternum (breast bone) and your clavicle (collar bone) called the sterno-clavicular joint, that little bump that juts […]
So…speaking of pre-programmed body movements (seriously, I actually was in this last post on Engrams), there is one engram worthy of its own blog post. More accurately, it’s a component of a larger engram–of most engrams really. That alone is a large part of why it is so important. What I’m referring to is the […]
Ever stop to wonder what your knee cap (patella) is there for? It’s somewhat of strange thing to think about–and there’s generally not much reason to until something goes wrong with it, like dislocation or fracture. But despite being a bit of an oddity, its presence is certainly not incidental. Given the remarkable design of […]
Functional Health is about using your body’s design to your advantage, and stretching should be no exception. There’s nothing wrong with the tried and true method of holding a muscle in a stretched position for a sustained period of time (generally 30 seconds). But one way to get a more effective stretch is by doing […]
Have you ever strained or even torn your calf muscle? And then, just when you thought you were all healed…it happened again? While there are several possible reasons for such a recurrence, one lesser known factor has to do with the anatomy of the calf. As you may know, the “calf muscle” is really a […]
You’ve probably been told to ‘get the negative,’ but how about ‘get the diagonal’? Yep, the diagonal. As in rotation…as in not just straight up and down or backward/forward. As in UNLIKE most traditional exercise (think stationary bicycle, bicep curl, sit-ups….you get the idea). The fact is, your body is actually designed to move on the […]
Seated leg extensions, standing squats, and/or leg presses can all be used to strengthen your quadriceps muscles on the front of your thigh. But is one better than the others? Yes!…and no. In other words, generally squats are more beneficial, but there are a few special exceptions (e.g. rehab of certain knee surgeries where seated […]
We’re all used to thinking about right-handed vs left-handed, but did you know we have a difference in foot preference too? You’re right-footed if you tend to use your right foot to do tasks (e.g. dribble a soccer ball) while standing on your left leg, and vice-versa. A study by Anthony Schneiders et al last […]
Your body’s design is just incredible. (Trust me when I tell you that you’re going to get sick of me saying that…but it’s so true!) There’s so much more to it than most people will ever realize. One of its many interesting quirks is that putting pressure on your heel causes your glutes to contract. […]