It’s an odd — and very annoying — feeling to have one hamstring that’s chronically tighter than the other, especially if you don’t know why it’s happening. And if you don’t get to the bottom of the issue, it can plague you (and even worsen) with pain and dysfunction for years to come. Thankfully, by the time you finish reading …
Spanish Squats for Patellar Tendinopathy: How | Why | When (Must Know)
There’s a lot of talk going on these days about Spanish squats being a highly beneficial exercise for treating and preventing patellar tendon-based pain, such as tendinopathy. But does this exercise really live up to the hype? If so, just what is it about this modified squat that makes it such a worthy exercise to perform, and how does one …
Massage Gun vs Shockwave Therapy: A Detailed Comparison
They may seem similar, but massage guns and shockwave therapy are, in fact, two very different beasts. However, many individuals often conflate the two due to their seemingly outwardly similar nature. In actuality, each one has a unique mechanism of action and produces unique therapeutic effects, depending on the condition being treated. Massage guns work primarily through percussion-induced effects (percussion …
Why Your Upper Back Gets Sore From Front Squats (and How to Fix it)
Anyone who thinks that front squats only strengthens your legs has clearly never performed them with heavy weight before (can I get an amen?). And if you happen to find your upper back getting sore from some challenging front squats, fear not, as it’s quite often to be expected. Upper back soreness from front squats is due to the intense …
Knee Pain From Leg Extensions: Why it Happens & How to Fix it
The leg extension machine is an age-old machine found in nearly every gym — and it’s about as popular as it is controversial. Some lifters love it and swear by it, while others insist that people need to avoid it like the plague (you likely don’t, if you’re smart with it). If you have knee pain after using the leg …
Get MAXIMUM Motivation to do Cold Showers with These Strategies
“Constant comfort kills” is one of the quotes I try to remind myself of whenever I find myself lacking the motivation to endure something that I know will be uncomfortable yet very beneficial to go through. Getting ready to hop into a cold shower is perhaps the pinnacle example of such situations for which I recite this quote to myself. …
Improving Your Balance With Your Eyes Closed (Why & How)
Improving your ability to balance your body with your eyes closed can yield some potent benefits when it comes to preventing falls, improving confidence, and enhancing one’s overall quality of life. If you are looking to learn how you can begin to improve your balance without using your vision, this article will walk you through what you need to know! …
Shoulder Pain with Turkish Get Ups: Causes, Solutions & Secrets
Few exercises challenge the entire body in one single repetition the way that the Turkish get-up (TGU) does. However, due to its incredibly technical nature, it’s not uncommon for shoulder pain to arise throughout the movement. There are many reasons why this can happen, and this article will break it all down to help you understand, fix or avoid shoulder …
TENS vs EMS | Differences, Parameters & Best Practices for Each
If you’re wondering what the difference is between TENS (transcutaneous electrical Nerve Stimulation) and EMS (Electrical Muscle Stimulation), you’re not alone. This is a common question that many people have, including my patients within the clinic. But fear not! This article will break down the differences between these two devices and help you understand when each one is best used. …
The BEST Way to Stretch Your Stiff Upper Neck: A Physio Explains
This article will walk you through a highly effective way to reduce tension and improve mobility in your upper neck; there’s a lot of information online for how to do general stretches for your neck, but not much for the upper neck. So, this article will walk you through all you need to know to perform effective stretches to get …