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Category: Mobility

Total Sports TherapyNewsMobility
By Admin 0 Comments Exercises, Glendale Location, Heatlhy Lifestyle, Mobility

3-Way Sciatic Nerve Glide

Have you experienced pain in the low back that travels into the buttock and back of the thigh? If so, you could be dealing with irritation to the sciatic nerve commonly referred to as sciatica. The sciatic nerve is the largest peripheral nerve in the body. Several lumbar and sacral nerve roots exit out each side of the spine and ultimately join together to form the sciatic nerve. With that in mind, there are several areas along its path where the sciatic nerve can become irritated causing this pain that radiates down the back of the thigh.

For recovery and good health, nerves require three main things:

  1. Blood Flow
  2. Space
  3. Movement

A great way to target all three components are nerve glides. The key to these are going to the point of discomfort but not necessarily pushing through it. The goal is for the nerve to gradually desensitize so might notice over time you are able to progress them a bit further before stepping into discomfort. Here we highlight a simple sciatic mobility drill that progresses in intensity throughout. We typically like to prescribe 10 repetitions for each movement, and these can be repeated several times per day. Feel free to give these a try and let us know what you think.

foam roller
By Admin 0 Comments Mobility

Foam Roller : Thoracic Spine Mobility

Why is Thoracic Spine Mobility so Important?

The thoracic spine is the longest segment of the spine running from the neck to the abdomen. It is the only area of the spine that connects to the ribs. ⁣This area of the spine plays a vital role in load transfer between the upper and lower body. It also is a main contributor to rotational movement within the body. Because of this, poor thoracic spine mobility can contribute to issues at the neck, shoulder, low back, and hip. ⁣

⁣
How to improve thoracic extension and rotation:

  • Lumbar Locked Rotation
  • Foam Roller
  • Quadruped Thoracic Rotation
  • Sidelying Windmills
  • T-Spine Rotation with Hip Hinge
  • Overhead Wall Pushes⁣⁣

Check out our YouTube Channel and follow our Glendale Locations Instagram page for more information on improving Thoracic spine mobility.

Foam Roller: Thoracic Extension

The foam roller is a great tool to assist in improving thoracic spine mobility.  Most people rolling their spine tend to just go back and forth for several minutes over their spine. This doesn't create thoracic extension.The main objective of foam rolling is to relax the spine over the roller so we get some mobility in the vertebral joints of the thoracic spine. The key is relaxing your spine over the roller in several different segments along the thoracic spine.  Check out our video below on how to use a foam roller to improve thoracic extension.

 

Lumbar Locked Rotation
By Admin 0 Comments Mobility

Lumbar Locked Rotation : Thoracic Spine Mobility

Why is Thoracic Spine Mobility so Important?

The thoracic spine is the longest segment of the spine running from the neck to the abdomen. It is the only area of the spine that connects to the ribs. ⁣This area of the spine plays a vital role in load transfer between the upper and lower body. It also is a main contributor to rotational movement within the body. Because of this, poor thoracic spine mobility can contribute to issues at the neck, shoulder, low back, and hip. ⁣

⁣
How to improve thoracic extension and rotation:

  • Lumbar Locked Rotation
  • Foam Roller
  • Quadruped Thoracic Rotation
  • Sidelying Windmills
  • T-Spine Rotation with Hip Hinge
  • Overhead Wall Pushes⁣⁣

Check out our YouTube Channel and follow our Glendale Locations Instagram page for more information on improving Thoracic spine mobility.

Lumbar Locked Rotation

The Lumbar Locked Rotation is not only a good test for identifying limitations in Thoracic Spine Mobility, but it is also a good stretch to help improve t-spine mobility.  This is a self-stretch with the low back in a firm position to increase thoracic spine rotation while stabilizing one side. Get into a quadruped position and sit the buttocks on the heels with the elbows and forearms placed firmly in the floor.  Check out our video below on how to perform this exercise.