Walking, often thought of as a means to get from point A to point B, is actually a necessary part of how our body maintains a healthy circulatory system. With every step we take, the combination of ankle movements with calf muscle contractions, pump the blood from our feet back up to our heart. If we…
Proprioceptive vs. Mechanoceptive Training for Ankle Rehab
Ankle sprains are the most common lower extremity injury in athletic populations, representing up to 30% of all sports-related injuries. These injuries can result in long term disability, high economic costs due to persistent symptoms and repeated ankle sprains; and can potentially end an athlete’s career. Rehabilitation typically includes proprioceptive training of the foot and ankle with…
Combatting Foot Pain & Numbness in Cyclists
We often think of foot pain with impact-related activities such as running or jumping, however one non-impact activity that is often associated with foot symptoms is cycling. Numbness or pain in the feet is a problem many cyclists have to deal with, especially when on longer rides. Often associated with nerve compression and swelling of feet,…
Addressing Tissue Injury in Chronic Plantar Fasciitis
Typically, when symptoms last for 6 months or longer, patients are considered to have chronic plantar fasciitis. The longer symptoms persist, the more likely there is an associated change in the tissue composition. Many conservative treatment recommendations often fail to provide relief to those suffering from chronic plantar fasciitis. This unpredictability has led many physicians…
Improving Body Schema through Tactile Remapping
“Body schema” is a spatial representation of the body in its environment. This neurological representation of our body in space is what allows us to navigate the external world. An example which I often give to explain body schema is to imagine you are walking in a crowded restaurant, walking between the chairs and tables to…
5 Mobilization Techniques to Reduce Foot Pain
Whether we are standing, walking or working out – our feet carry the burden of our body weight and stress during our daily movements. Often taken for granted, our feet need just as much of a recovery as the rest of our muscle groups. If recovery is neglected for too long, fatigue, tissue stress…
Sensory Stacking | The integration of tactile, visual and auditory input
The seemingly simple task of balancing on one leg or walking across the room is actually a complex, integrated, multisensory experience with stimulation coming from the eyes, ears, joints and plantar foot. For this integration to occur, the various sensory inputs must ultimately converge on the same neurons. At the cortical level, it has been…
Balance & the Basal Ganglia | The Power of Eye Movement Exercises
Fall reduction, balance training and body awareness training are all key concepts for the baby boomer and the client living with a chronic neurological condition such as MS, Parkinson’s or neuropathy. Being able to balance on one leg is not only a skill but a necessity when it comes to walking. In fact, it was the…
Somatosensory Development in Children
The somatosensory system is the part of the sensory system concerned with the conscious perception of touch, pressure, pain, temperature, position, movement, and vibration, all of which arise from the muscles, joints, skin, and fascia. In children, this complex system is crucial to the development of posture, movement, perception of self, emotion and social interactions. By understanding the way our…
Anchoring | The Mental Side of Performance
Mindset is everything. Period. As a former athlete, now CEO, I have come to greatly appreciate the power of the mind. If the mind isn’t in the game, neither are you. When it comes to performance, both athletic and in business, there is a technique that I’ve been using for years as a way to help…
Barefoot Strong Blog 