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3 Gentle Back Extension Exercises back extension back pain end back pain lower back posture exercises relieve back pain thepainfreeathlete Apr 13, 2022

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 class...

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How You Think Affects Your Pain cbt cognitive behavior therapy distorted thinking mind traps pain free pain management thepainfreeathlete Mar 09, 2022

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, have you felt...

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Clamshells and Balancing the Gluteus Medius chronicpain coaching functionaltraining glutepain healchronicpain healyourself hippain posturealignmenttherapy thepainfreeathlete Feb 08, 2022

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...

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New Research on Chronic Back Pain boulder back pain study healing chronic pain neruoplastic pain nociplastic pain pain reprocessing therapy the pain free athlete Jan 13, 2022

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...

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How to Fix Plantar Fasciitis foot pain gait gait mechanics heel pain plantar fasciitis the pain free athlete Dec 14, 2021

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...

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What to do When You Have a Pain Flare-up alan gordon fear of pain fear-avoidance model pain-fear cycle the pain free athlete the way out Nov 17, 2021

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...

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Tap Into Your Subconscious Mind to Heal affirmations limiting beliefs the pain free athlete unconscious unconscious mind Oct 14, 2021

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...

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Membership Website Launching in October free trial membership online online courses pain free athlete pain free body posture fitness class the pain free athlete Sep 14, 2021

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...

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Athletic Toughness at the Tokyo Olympics 2020 olympics athletic injury simone biles the pain free athlete twisties yips Aug 10, 2021

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...

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Osteoarthritis: The Latest Research bioplacticity bioplastic cartilage cartilage damage chronic pain joint replacement knee osteoarthritis lorimer moseley research tasha stanton the pain free athlete Jul 28, 2021

“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...

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Is Peer Pressure Prolonging Your Injury? athletic injury peer pressure re-injury sports-injury the pain free athlete Jun 01, 2021

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...

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A New Relationship with "Rehab Exercises" corrective exercises healing and injury posture therapy the pain free athlete therapy exercises May 25, 2021

I have a confession to make: I frequently struggle to do my “rehab exercises”! There you have it. I am a posture coach that can lack motivation to do the work she asks of her clients. So, do you think less of me now? Or, maybe you respect my honesty? Well, regardless of your view of...

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