Today for Technique Tuesday, we are going to be discussing abdominal bracing.
This is an important and useful exercises and technique to learn whenever you are performing abdominal exercises. If you are doing an ab workout and are feeling it everywhere but your abs, step back and try some of these techniques and you’ll be amazed to see how much more you will feel it in your abdomen.
🏆How to correctly brace
✨Keep the inward curve of your low back. We do not want to round the low back to perform these exercise
✨Breathe normal, never hold your breath during these exercises
✨Gently contract/tense your abdominal wall (the area below your pants)
✨Contract your pelvic floor by lifting up through those muscles. Try to contract this at the same time as those lower abdominal muscles
✨Draw your navel towards your spine, don’t let the middle of your belly be sticking out through this exercise. There should never be an outward bulge, rather a subtle draw in.
In addition, this type of exercise can help decrease low back pain, and prolapse issues. Remember though, if you have more serious conditions or concerns, be sure to call up your Doctor of Physical Therapy to discuss these exercises further.
#Physicaltherapy
#advantagept #abdominalbracing #lowbackpain #prolapse #techniquetuesday #pelvicfloorexercises #pelvicfloor #lowerabs #ChoosePT
Is Quarantine getting you stuck in a rut with your usual routine? Finally want to get control of your day and not just feel like you are spending all your time on your phone or on the TV. Here is a sample schedule of trying to manage your time and your day while staying productive!
🏃This fitness Friday we are going to introduce an injury-prevention service we offer for athletes trying to gain a competitive edge 🏆
The FMS (Functional Movement Screen) is a battery of 7 movement-based tests that “captures fundamental movements, motor control within movement patterns, and competence of basic movements uncomplicated by specific skills.”
(Functional Movement Systems, 2020)
The goal of the FMS is to:
🏀Determine the greatest areas of movement deficiency
⚽Demonstrate limitations or asymmetries
⚾Correlate these with an outcome
Targeting weaknesses and working on improving the FMS score, especially if the final score is under 14, will greatly decrease an athlete’s chance of injury during their sport🏈
Here at Advantage Physical Therapy, we offer FMS testing in conjunction with physical therapy or in one-on-one training sessions with our clinic’s personal trainer, James L. Higgins, CSCS, FCS, FMS-1. For local athletes, James is one of only four individuals certified in the Vienna, Falls Church, and Fairfax area.
Call us for more information if you are interested!
Wellness Wednesday 🏌
Believe it or not, mental health has an enormous contribution to physical recovery! Having a healthier mind can result in a healthier body, especially when it comes to recovery from surgery and/or injury.
In a study led by Children’s Orthopedic MD Melissa A. Christino on the effect of mental health on ACL rehabilitation in young athletes, self-esteem was found to be an enormous factor in the speed and successfulness of recovery. Many other studies track depression and other mental illnesses with recovery after surgery and yielded similar results. This connection means taking care of yourself mentally can also improve your physical health and improve your overall health and wellness.
#Physicaltherapy #mentalhealth #rehab #acl #staysafe #staystrong #wellnesswednesday #mindpower
Wellness Wednesday.
Exercise has many benefits, one of them being before and after a cancer diagnosis. With current COVID-19 pandemic guidelines, a lot of methods to exercise have become more difficult. However, exercising is very important for management and prevention of secondary effects. Join Dr. Steve Morris, PT, PhD, for a fantastic podcast with Move Forward Radio on why it is important to sit less and move more for everyone.
https://www.choosept.com/radio/detail/benefits-of-exercise-before-after-cancer-diagnosis
And of course, if you have any questions, needs, or wish for advice on ways to navigate or enter into an exercise program, give us a call.
#physicaltherapy #covid #cancer #mobility #activity #exercise #advantagePT #prevention #motionisthelotion #stayactive #movement #physicalactivity #ChoosePT #APTA
Technique Tuesday
Stress and anxiety can have a large impact throughout our body across multiple systems. This can lead to heightened awareness of aches and pains due to our bodies’ interconnectivity. Take a moment to calm down your entire nervous system… and breathe. Follow us through an activity called diaphragmatic breathing.
Lay down on your back with your knees bent.
Place one hand on your belly and one on your chest.
Take a couple of normal breaths and pay attention to which hand is moving.
Aim for your belly hand being the only one raising to the ceiling.
Now lets slow down the breaths.
Breath in for 4 seconds.
Hold for 2 seconds.
Breath out for 6 seconds.
Repeat this 10 times.
Being in control of your breath is important to help manage stress and relax our entire system. Try this exercise out whenever you may be feeling anxious, stressful, or increase in pain.