Posts Tagged ‘corrective exercise’

A Passive Hip Flexor Stretch for Lower Back Pain

Tuesday, September 26th, 2023

The Thomas Test is an orthopedic assessment for passive hip flexor length. But the test can become the exercise and can serve as a beneficial hip flexor lengthening exercise. For those with lower back, sacroiliac and even hip pain, this position can often provide safe, therapeutic benefits.

Because this is a passive stretch done while supported on a table or bench, you can completely relax into it without worrying about stabilizing your body. For many people, this exercise not only provides an effective lengthening of the hip flexors, but may also provide symptomatic relief.

In this video, we show you the nuances to getting the most out of this exercise with the set up and modifications.

3 Pieces of Advice for Fitness Professionals and Chronic Pain Clients

Thursday, March 30th, 2023

It’s always an honor to be invited to speak on a podcast, and even more so when that podcast is for IDEA Health and Fitness Association. The interviewer, Sandy Todd Webster (Editor in Chief at IDEA) and I have known each other for years and Sandy was a client of mine at one time. Sandy truly knows the fitness industry inside and out and had some great questions that led to a fun exchange.

This is a short clip of our conversation where she asks me for any word of advice I would offer to fitness pros working with or wanting to work with clients dealing with chronic pain.

Building Your Function First Habits

Monday, January 23rd, 2023

It’s about that time. That time that our initial burst of enthusiasm to starts to wane. What was once a priority starts to compete again with other urgent (or not so urgent) distractions. Perhaps at the place where the world of instant gratification collides with the unavoidable consistency and progressive nature of improving our health and wellbeing.

I was recently listening to a Tim Ferris podcast with James Clear, the author of the best-selling book, Atomic Habits.

I was struck by how his four principles of developing habits mapped so well with what the strategies we encourage our clients to utilize when approaching their daily does of Function First exercises. Clear’s strategies work well for any habit, including developing a consistent fitness routine.

According to Clear, these four characteristics are key to establishing new habits:

1. Make it obvious
2. Make it attractive
3. Make it easy
4. Make it satisfying.

Clear also suggests, to get even better clarity, make each one of the above points a question. If your goal was to do your Function First program every day, but doing so means adding something to your schedule and changing your routine, you could ask the question, “what is an obvious way to make sure I get my Function First exercises in every day?”.

A possible answer might be to keep your exercise sheet and any props you use somewhere you spend a majority of your time at home or where it will be in your line of site multiple times a day. Put those key elements to your exercises somewhere that they feel like they are almost haunting you every day 🙂


Another strategy espoused by comedian Jerry Seinfeld is his “Don’t Break the Chain” approach. Using just a simple calendar, you check off every day that you follow through on the habit or behavior you are looking to create or strengthen. Every consecutive day that your chain grows longer it grows stronger with increased likelihood that it becomes permanent.

What are your strategies to create the behavior change you desire? Share below!

Reverse Floor Block-Anti Keyboard Corrective Exercise

Tuesday, August 23rd, 2022

A client favorite, this exercise has multiple benefits to the upper extremities, thoracic spine and neck region. Utilizing the arm positioning and the cueing of the radial-ulnar and gleno-humeral joints, the motor system can access the peri scapular muscles in a very efficient way.

Lengthening through the chronically shortened muscles of the wrist and forearm and isometrically contracting the middle trapezius and rhomboids produces a noticeable change in the tissue tension and posture of the upper body.

Corrective Exercise-Half Kneeling Hula for Hip Flexors

Wednesday, March 23rd, 2022

Following the PFMS A-D Levels of Designation, the Half Kneeling “Hula” is a Level “C” exercise. Besides the points of contact and relationship to gravity, this corrective exercise requires some kinesthetic awareness and movement coordination and is an excellent progression to the standard, static kneeling hip flexor.

Adding variability not only provides superior outcomes, but it also often exposes restrictions we didn’t know were more prevalent.

Corrective Exercise Creates a Positive Cascade for Change with Chronic Pain

Thursday, October 28th, 2021

The pain itself is almost always the primary focus. But their are multiple inputs that can lead to a downward cascade in the quality of life of those challenged with chronic pain. And equally, the sum of many inputs can also lead to a positive cascade and opportunity for improvement.

This clip taken from a live webinar I did with the American Council on Exercise, sheds some light on how the right exercises, for the right person, at the right time can be a catalyst for positive change.

If we can appreciate and impact through exercise, more of the dynamic systems involved in the pain experience , we provide our clients with a path to positive change.

Corrective Exercise Full Body Functional Considerations

Monday, September 13th, 2021

Looking beyond the primary movement in a corrective exercise offers tremendous opportunities and insight into ways that we can influence our clients’ global movement needs. Here, I use an example of a familiar corrective exercise for the shoulder girdle and apply our Levels A-D strategy to demonstrate the different considerations when selecting a working posture/position.

It is common to focus on a joint or body segment only, when choosing corrective exercises for your client. Disregarding the implications (positive and negative) of the posture or position from where the exercise is initiated, means that we are not recognizing the integrated, functional biomechanics involved.

Corrective Exercise Sitting Leg Extensions for Lumbar Stability

Wednesday, April 14th, 2021

Don’t be fooled. This exercise has nothing to do with strengthening the quads or the provocative slump test for neural tension. Both of those exercise look similar at first glance, but the nuances of this exercise give it a completely different objective.

Sitting Leg Extensions is an incredibly effective exercise to introduce a lumbar stability strategy that does not involved bracing or conventional core work.

The goal is not terminal knee extension. The goal is to generate enough internal tension from above and below the lower back, that the tensegrity forces help to de-rotate and stabilize the lumbo-sacral-region.

This is a self limiting exercise, meaning that the breakdown of the form and execution will be a result of the individual’s own internal force generation.

Give this one a try and let us know what you think.

Lower Back Pain Relief

Friday, March 5th, 2021

This non-technical video is directed toward our clients and readers of The Pain-Free Program or anyone else looking for an accurate way to perform this familiar, lower back exercise exercise. Anthony gives you the nuances with the execution and the “why” behind the value (hint: It is probably not why you think it helps).

Anthony also suggests the best place to add to an existing lower back pain care exercise program.

Corrective Exercise Frontal Plane Samurai Lunge

Thursday, February 11th, 2021

We have one of our Level D correctives from the PFMS library that is part of our educational website. Level D exercises are what I refer to as “top of the foodchain” in the corrective exercise world.

These highly integrated exercises carry extensive value beyond the biomechanical integrations. For some clientele, the Level D is the immediate segue to their more traditional fitness workout. For others, the Level D is an element of a workout itself.

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Functional Purpose:
Improve Frontal/Transverse Plane Spinal Alignment

Biomechanical Outcomes:

• Momentum from desired pelvic list promotes lateral spinal flexion, which is enhanced throughout the vertebral column when torso and righting reflexes resist maintaining a level orientation to the horizon.
• Arm overhead act as an extension of the rib cage, creating a longer lever and greater mass to ensure that all vertebrae contribute to the lateral spinal flexion.
• Maintaining a pure frontal plane motion with thoracic extension counters any rotational tendencies of the torso.
• Slight rotation of the intervertebral joints are coupled with lateral flexion of the spine.
• Lateral trunk musculature on the lengthening side are eccentrically loaded & decelerate mass of the trunk in the side bend, then transition concentrically to return trunk to the vertical.

Neurological | Physiological Outcomes:

• Promotes connective tissue elasticity associated with dynamically loading / stabilizing sagittal, frontal and transverse plane motions of the thorax.
• Increase connective tissue compliance and resiliency through the promotion of tissue extensibility, amplifying the viscoelastic and force closure demand to uphold lumbar spine integrity and stability.
• Extensibility of the lateral hip musculature to allow for and additional hip adduction, flexion and internal rotation.
• Elicit a heightened somatosensory response due to the simultaneous bottom-up (lateral lunge) and top-down (lateral flexion / thoracic rotation) influence.

Psycho | Social Outcomes:

• Establish a multidimensional environment involving the neural-networks associated with managing heightened emotional states (anxiety, hyperviligence, etc) during the execution of a complex, autonomic motor task.

Modifications:
• Begin pre-positioned w/ both hips abducted, greatly reducing ground reaction forces.
• Remove ipsi-lateral glenohumeral abduction.

Contraindications:
• Subacromial impingement syndrome.
• Inability to control multi-segmental deceleration of descending body weight.