The idea that posture causes pain has intuitive appeal, and is advocated by numerous experts. But is it supported by evidence? And should you spend time trying to analyze your own posture and correct deviations from what is considered optimal?
Read MoreDo you experience tension, discomfort, and a pervasive feeling of overall yuckiness while sitting in your chair staring at the computer hour after hour? Let's face it. You probably do.
Read MoreI have a favor to ask my readers.* I am working on a new set of posts that I think will really drive some traffic to the site. Market research shows people just love to read about certain subjects, and I have put together some great new blog post titles addressing those subjects. But I am having some real problems filling out the content.
Read MoreThis blog is focused on the central nervous system - how it affects the way we move and feel, and what we can do to change its function in that regard. But that doesn't imply that the structure of the body is unimportant, or that good movement is “all in your head.” The structure and health of the musculoskeletal system are essential for quality movement, just as a mechanically sound car is required for safe driving.
Read MoreI just listened to an excellent interview of physical therapist and back pain researcher Kieran O'Sullivan at the PhysioEdge blog. Kieran is part of the group at Pain.Ed, which also includes Peter O'Sullivan, who is, by the way, featured in a very cool video I discussed here.
Read MoreI am very, very, VERY excited to announce that my book is now done and available for purchase! It's called A Guide to Better Movement: The Science and Practice of Moving with More Skill and Less Pain.
Read MoreFor today's post I am very pleased to offer a guest submission from Jamie Hale, M.S. Jamie is an experimental researcher specializing in behavioral nutrition and cognitive science.
Read MoreA few months ago I came across a very informative video by Dom Mazetti, a distinguished professor of bro-science. In the video, Dom uses a flow chart and well-established principles of bro-logic to determine whether someone "even lifts." If you haven't already watched it, I highly recommend it.
Read MoreI just did an interview with Cinema, a physical therapist who writes a great blog at Cinema Says. I was honored to be asked to do the interview and the questions were great. We talked about my background as an attorney, what I think about evidence-based versus science-based practice, my upcoming book, how I practice, my favorite books, and lots of other subjects I don''t often talk about on this blog. It think it came out pretty well.
Read MoreGraded exposure is a key concept in understanding how to reduce pain caused by movement. It's a very common sense idea, and one that most people kind of know at some level, because there is profound truth to it. But it's also an idea that most people will probably fail to put into practice in a systematic way. Here’s a brief discussion of what it is, why it works and how to do it.
Read MoreThere is a lot of much needed skepticism on the internets these days in regard to the idea that we can diagnose movement “dysfunction” and prescribe movement “correction.” A lot of this debate centers on the FMS and other systemic approaches to improving quality of movement. I think a lot of this discussion is useful and productive. I also think that the level of skepticism sometimes goes too far, veering into what I call “movement relativism” - the idea that one movement will work just as well as another for a given purpose, or that we don’t have the slightest idea how to tell whether one way of moving is better than another.
Read More2014 should be an exciting year for Better Movement! Here are some upcoming events.
Read MoreI have seen a lot of interesting research and discussion lately on the issue of movement variability. The ability to make small adjustments to a basic repetitive pattern like heart rate, brain waves, energy use and movement seems to be a good indicator of health and function.
Read MoreThanks for reading the blog this year everyone! Here is a brief look back at some highlights. 1. Writing a book
Read MoreI recently had the privilege of attending a continuing education class at Athletes Performance in Arizona, which is one of the top athletic training facilities in the country, run by Mark Verstegen. It's a beautiful facility, with a nice grass field, an amazing workout room, and lots of elite athletes walking around and training. It was a very fun atmosphere and I was all geeked out. There are many things that I would like to write about from this experience (including the excellent DNSclasses that I was attending while there), but for now I just wanted to make a few brief observations about the way the athletes spent their time.
Read MoreIn the previous two posts, I discussed two basic ideas. First, that the developmental movement patterns learned in infancy are building blocks for the more complex movements that we use in our daily lives as adults. These simple patterns are combined to form complex movements, just as words and letters are combined to make sentences. If someone is limited in performing a basic movement like squatting or rotating, there are a very wide range of everyday movements that will be compromised. Therefore, if we are going to spend any time working to improve our movement, it is these fundamental patterns that should get most of our attention.
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