Hi Jesse,
I wanted to get your opinion about rolling out the IT band with a firm roller. My understanding is that you can certainly massage and gently stretch the IT band, but it is supposed to be taut because it helps to support the lateral leg muscles. People feel a difference between the IT band and the quad muscles. They assume they need to loosen this up. So maybe there...
Questions I get from regular people...
Hi there Jesse!
First off, thank you for the great resources that you have provided in your blog. It is almost exactly what I've been looking for. I have been wearing vibram five fingers as my daily shoe now for about 3 years. I prefer to wear nothing else really, but sometimes I’ll wear a regular shoe if I don't have any clean Injinjis.
About a year...
Pain sucks. Like a leech. It literally sucks your energy. It will drain you. What were once simple and enjoyable tasks, become tedious and hard. Pain will leave you unfulfilled with life.
Pain is a wrecking ball. It wreaks havoc and leaves destruction in its wake. Pain will quickly, almost without fail, make itself the number one priority of your life, drowning out everything else. You lose your ability to focus...
I want to return to the discussion of minimalist or barefoot walking and running to stress a point about transitioning to minimalist or barefoot shoes and the process of changing one’s walking and running form.
There are many runners who transition way too quickly. They quickly pick up their mileage so as not to lose any of their shod running conditioning. But this prevents them from adequately addressing the necessary changes...
This post is a response to an email I received this past week.
Hi Jesse,
I found you on Facebook's Barefoot Running group discussion about stress fractures and would like to seek your advice.
I am waiting for my appointment with a Sports Medical Doctor. In the mean time, my initial X-ray, taken 2 weeks ago, shows no signs of a stress fracture. The location is at the fourth metatarsal. I had...
Some of the best inspiration that I get comes directly from my clients. Since I started writing this blog six months ago, the amount of back and forth with my readers - you - has grown. This communication has been incredibly useful and has helped me grow as a practitioner. So to my readers, those who’ve been with me from the start and those recently joining the conversation, I say...
Last week I posted a six week program to help you slowly transition towards minimalist/barefoot walking and, ultimately, running. This weeks post is a 12 week program to slowly transition you into minimalist/barefoot running in a way that minimizes pain and injury, not just in the short term, but for the rest of your life.
If you are new to minimalist/barefoot walking or running or have not run in over six months,...
I got a phone call from a friend last week asking me about minimalist running. This is what she said:
“I want to run. I feel great when I run. But every time I try to start back up with running, after a few weeks, my calves are killing me. I take a break that ends up lasting a month or longer, then I try again with the same results. What...
This week's post is from a very special client of mine. Maria epitomizes everything I love about the work I do. Over the past six months, I have witnessed her move forward through severe, debilitating pain. Each step of the way she felt better and moved better. Now when she comes into my office, she absolutely sparkles, radiates and glows. I have learned so much from her courage and determination. Each...
This is one of my favorite seasons of the year. I love it so much. Between the gratitude of Thanksgiving, the giving spirit of Christmas, and the final days of a year that was chock full of amazing personal growth, I find this to be the perfect time for rich reflection. This season provides an incredible opportunity to take a good look at my past and acknowledge the...
It's when times are the toughest that everything seems to fly out the door - your priorities, your health, your wellness, and your waistline. Well, the Holiday Season is now in full swing. Between the shopping, parties, family, travel, and food, Food, FOOD!, the holidays are probably the most difficult and stressful time of the year. That said, it is also the most difficult season to remain focused on improving...
Another Thanksgiving holiday has come and gone and what was once a beautifully roasted turkey has become the base for this week’s sandwiches. And yes, Christmas shopping season has officially begun.
If you’re anything like me, the availability of ridiculous amounts of sugary treats has been the reason to let your belt out a couple more notches and you feel the need to burn off more than a few extra calories...
It is time to change my story. It is not easy for me to admit this, but I have weaknesses. Quite a few of them. Maybe you haven’t noticed, since I do a pretty good job upholding an image of “Strength.” But it is only a facade. I keep it in place to protect myself from deeper feelings of fear and insecurity. Feelings that make me feel weak and vulnerable....
Over the past few years I have been living a story. It’s one that I tell myself daily. It is a simple story, filled with the excuses of why “I can’t.” In this story I continually place my family and work responsibilities at the top of the priority list while my health, fitness and emotional well-being fall to the bottom. I know this story very well because it is not...
This week, I wrote a guest blog for ToeSalad.com, a website dedicated towards minimalist running.
Extreme pain and debilitating injury
Every single week I have several new clients come in to see me because they are in a great deal of pain. A handful have been dealing with it for a matter of a few weeks and have tried a couple different home remedies with unsatisfying results. But by far most of my...
This week is a video blog with how to instructions for temporary relief from common running/walking pains.
For the best results with this quick do it yourself-massage therapy, spend 3-5 minutes massaging the areas described.
It is important to follow up with full body foam rolling techniques as outlined in my blog.
...
The Human Body is a mechanical work of art. By design it is capable of a ridiculous amount of movement patterns, all at different degrees of intensity, from slow and steady to explosive and short. The ability to crawl, walk, run, jump, and climb each require an amazingly sophisticated movement system. This system sets us apart from all other species on the planet. But there is one catch... If you...
When I started this blog, my goal was to share knowledge and self-care tips on the treatment of chronic pain and injury. Until now I have focused my discussions on deep tissue massage therapy, self-massage using foam roller therapy, corrective exercises and barefoot walking and running. Now I would like to introduce myself and tell a bit of the story about why I do what I do.
You live how you...
This is the final installment of my series on Posture. A few weeks ago, I described posture as the absolute need for stability.
“It is from stability that all healthy movement is derived.”
I keyed in on the feet as the foundation and the hips as the ballast of the body. Today I will discuss the body’s most mobile joint: the shoulder, and more specifically: the scapula - otherwise called the...
Last week I demonstrated that the foot is the foundation of your posture (see: Injury Prevention Begins at your Foot). In the article I discussed the role of the feet in providing stability and mobility for the body and gave examples of corrective exercises to build strength, stabilization, and mobility in the foot. Today I will talk about the hips.
If the foot is the foundation of your posture, the...
Over the past couple of weeks, I talked about What is Posture - the fundamental need for stabilization to provide healthy movement; and You Cannot Control Your Posture - postural control does not come from conscious thought. This brings up an obvious question. How do you train postural control? The answer is by integrating a full body, holistic approach to health and fitness. The program I use with my clients...
Last week I defined posture, not as an ideal position, but as the necessary stabilty from which all healthy movement is derived. Today I am talking about the first step in re-engaging postural control.
How did we get here?
The human body is awe-inspiring. It is capable of moving with speed, power, agility, stamina, and grace -- in an amazingly wide range of motions. It is also capable of adapting to the...
When I think about posture, the first thing that comes to mind are the words I’ve heard, and still hear, in childhood and adulthood: “stand up straight and pull your shoulders back.” Or I get an image of the skeletal and muscular anatomy posters in a doctor’s office with a plumb line that goes directly through the center of the head, shoulder, hip, knees, and through arches of the feet....
"The heel cushions and arch supports within modern shoes have made our feet weaker, the foot has so much support in these shoes that the muscles don't need to work as much as they would otherwise and have grown weaker ... If you transition to barefoot running slowly and run correctly, so...
As a deep tissue massage therapist, fitness coach, and barefoot running coach, I have treated a number of very common running injuries, such as plantar fasciitis, shin splints, and IT band pain. Over the years, I have noticed that the majority of clients suffering from these injuries were not runners. They were walkers.
This brought up a question: if the combination of running in shoes with a heel strike leads to...
As a deep tissue massage therapist and movement coach, I do not solely treat the local area of a client’s complaint; I address the structure of the whole body. I look for dysfunctional fascial tissue and assess the underlying postural movement patterns that cause them. By addressing the underlying problem, proper movement patterns can be developed, preventing pain and injury over a lifetime. Over the years I have noticed very...
View original post here.
In these difficult financial times, when stress levels are high and every dollar counts, massage is more necessary than ever. I am frequently asked if I can bill insurance for the services I provide. Many people don’t understand why it is not covered in most instances, considering other treatments like acupuncture and chiropractic often are. My best answer is to suggest they look into flexible spending accounts,...
Q: In the transition to minimalist footwear, am I going to get hurt? And how long does this transition take?
Jay Dicharry responds:
There has been a lot of interest lately in the transition to minimal footwear. Am I going to get hurt? How long does this transition take? Is this really better for me? Will my old shoes take it personally? Last year at this time, there were 6 minimalists shoes...
Feet are the foundation of posture. A strong foot creates the base support structure for a strong healthy body. A weak foot creates an unstable foundation affecting the posture from head to toe. You cannot build a strong stable structure over an unstable foundation. It would be like attempting to build a house on top of sand. Sooner than later the entire structure will collapse.
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As...
Do Your Shoulders Burn With Pain After Working at the Computer All Day?
Do you think about your posture while working on the computer? The chances are that you don’t and if I was to take a picture of you at the end of the day would your neck be hidden behind those shoulders that you wear for earrings?
This is a common issue with individuals working on a computer. Over a...
The Emotional Effects Of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Can Be More Harmful!
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is a condition caused by compression of a key nerve in the wrist. It is an especially painful condition that affects approximately three percent of all adults in the United States.
People who work with their hands are the most at risk of developing Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. This includes artists, musicians, some construction workers, and those who use...
With all his books, coaching experience, training methods, racing achievements, and Ironman-like durability with just over a half-century of miles on his legs, Jeff Galloway is a respected fixture in the running community. And along with many other runners, I’m a subscriber to his email newsletter.
But his take on minimalist running shoes in his most recent newsletter is not one that I share. Here’s what he wrote:
“Many runners who own one...
Plantar Fasciitis By Dr. Mark Cucuzzella www.trtreads.org Plantar Fasciitis is the common term for what should be more accurately termed Plantar Fasciosis. itits is an acute inflammation caused by a trauma or infection. osis is chronic degenerative condition.
No evidence exists for an ideal treatment of this condition without identifying and treating the causes, which can be many. Since we have no literature to guide us, this advice comes from seeing hundreds of...
Over the past week, I have seen a “mini-epidemic” — two new clients and email correspondence with a third — of a common but painful foot injury, plantal fasciitis. Living in Austin, with such an active outdoors culture, plantar fasciitis is one of the more common issues I treat. It is also one of the most common foot injuries in the United States. As reported by Pubmed, two million Americans...
http://www.davidtensen.com/is-barefoot-best-for-kids/
Me and my 6 year old and 3 year old kids. On a Barefoot Walk
Is barefoot best for kids? 6 months ago I would have said No. Now I encourage my family to go barefoot as much as possible.
5 months ago I happened across a series of books and studies on barefoot running and living. I made the switch, ditched my arch supports and decided to go barefoot as...
“Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional.”
Pain is part of the evaluation process when you are presented with it in your daily life and activities. Your movements will be complicated, dysfunctional and any sustainable activity that requires strength, endurance or flexibility will not be possible. Pain changes motor control function, it does this by increasing or decreasing muscle activation.
Because of these changes in muscle activation, we alter movement patterns as a...
Did you wake up this morning with a stiff back? If so, the “Fuzz” could be the reason why.
Fascia a.k.a. “The Fuzz” is a tough connective tissue that spreads throughout the entire body in a three-dimensional web from head to foot without interruption. The fascia surrounds every muscle, bone, nerve, blood vessel and organ in the body, all the way down to the cellular level.
Therefore, malfunction of the fascial system...
It is estimated that over 116 million Americans suffer from debilitating chronic pain each year, of which low back pain is the most common. According to The American Academy of Pain Medicine, “Back pain is the leading cause of disability in Americans under 45 years old. More than 26 million Americans between the ages of 20-64 experience frequent back pain.” There is a proven and effective way to treat most...
As a licensed massage therapist, I specialize in chronic pain and injury management using deep tissue massage therapy. Most of my clients come in with a common complaint: pain in the low back, hips (primarily on one side), and/or shooting pain or numbness down the back of the leg.
More than two million Americans suffer either from back pain or a form of sciatica that is often misdiagnosed and improperly treated....
According to a new report by the Institute of Medicine, “Chronic pain affects an estimated 116 million American adults—more than the total affected by heart disease, cancer, and diabetes combined.” Chronic pain is defined as “severe pain that lasts 30 to 60 days or more and taxes one’s professional and private life.” (Time) What is the cause of so much pain and suffering? There is a good chance that myofascial...
Deep tissue massage therapy modalities, such as myofascial release, improve flexibility, function, and performance; speed up the recovery process; and reduce chronic pain and injury risk. Regular deep tissue massage breaks down adhesions and scar tissue that form in the fascia. With the use of a few simple, inexpensive tools (foam roller and a soft ball), you can perform daily self-myofascial release (SMR) and receive much of the same benefits...
There are usually multiple factors that lead to pain:
• how much you move
• the way you move
• how you manage stress
• what kind of shoes you wear
• your history of injuries
Each of these things play a role in how you feel.
What is causing your pain?
This is a question I attempt to answer many times each week. My most common answer is:
duration x repetition = pain
When movement hurts, it can...
Are you suffering from chronic pain in your back, neck, shoulders, or knees? Deep tissue massage therapy can help. Deep tissue massage utilizes a variety of techniques designed to alleviate symptoms of chronic pain, increase functional range of motion, and improve posture.
The goal of deep tissue massage therapy is to break down adhesions in the fascial tissue. Adhesions are fibrous bands of scar tissue that bind together normally separate tissues. ...
Pain is not a bad thing. It is not a good thing either. Pain is a form of communication our bodies have with us to tell us something is going on. Sometimes it is from pushing ourselves to the extreme, the burn in our lungs and legs with a hard run or the two-day soreness from an intense strength training workout. At other times, pain is telling us something is...
What is Fascia?
Fascia is a continuous web of connective tissue that exists throughout your body. Your muscles, tendons, ligaments, bones, and organs are connected through this web, binding these structures together and creating a three-dimensional matrix that connects you from the top of your head to the tips of your toes. It consists of several layers: a superficial fascia, a deep fascia, and a subserous fascia. For the purpose of...
