We learned everything we needed to know about our skeleton in kindergarten . . . Recall a section of the lyrics from the children’s song Dem Bones:

“The ankle bone's connected to the leg bone,
. . .
The leg bone's connected to the knee bone,
The knee bone's connected to the thigh...

Back extension is a normal human movement! However, doing back extension exercises, particularly of the lumbar spine (low back), is not universally practiced or accepted. In fact, people have strong opinions about this issue. I have had students refuse to do these types of exercises in ...

Listen to the audio version of this blog Here.

Thoughts are inputs into the nervous system that can increase or decrease your sensation of pain.

Have you ever noticed your pain decrease when you are having fun, in a beautiful place, or engaged in a meaningful activity?

Conversely,...

The clamshell is a classic exercise that’s typically given to strengthen the gluteus medius through external hip rotation. Unfortunately, many people often perform the exercise without proper positioning, muscle integration, and breathing. Something I often tell my clients is, We...

Millions of Americans suffer from chronic back pain (CBP). However, the majority of those with CBP—85%, in fact—have not been diagnosed with a definitive structural cause for their pain. Instead, changes in the central nervous system, including the brain, are causing the pain. This...

Plantar Fasciitis is an inflammation and tearing of the connective tissue on the bottom of the foot. There is a central and a lateral plantar fascia, as you can see in the image to the right. This fascia connects the toes to the heel. The main symptom of plantar fasciitis is heel pain, which is...

Pain flare-ups are no fun! How do I know? Because I’ve had plenty myself. Sometimes, flare-ups are understandable, such as when we increase an activity too quickly. For example, perhaps you pushed it a bit too far on your run, hiked a longer and steeper trail than usual, added too many...

Your subconscious mind directs the actions and behaviors that create the results you experience in your life. Interestingly, your subconscious is more powerful than your conscious mind. It comprises the majority of your mind capacity. As you can see in the iceberg image to the right, the...

I am excited to announce the pre-launch of The Pain Free Athlete membership website. The site officially launches on October 1, 2021. The creation of this website is one of the benefits of Covid-19. A year and a half ago, I moved all of my in-person classes to Zoom. Then, I transitioned to...

American artistic gymnast Simone Biles displayed athletic toughness last week at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic games. Biles, a four-time Olympic gold medalist at Rio de Janeiro in 2016, chose not to compete in multiple events during the games due to mental concerns.

Ok. I get it. When you read this, you...

“Osteoarthritis is not a ‘wear and tear’ disease of the joint.”

Thus says Tasha Stanton, associate professor and lead osteoarthritis researcher at the University of South Australia, Adelaide. I had the opportunity to listen to her presentation, “Re-thinking...

Peer pressure, the influence a group or individual has on your behavior, can be positive or negative. When we view it in relation to activity and sport, peer pressure can drive us to do more than we might on our own. This is great if we are lacking motivation and need that extra push to get...