Toe Spreaders
If a client of mine wants to know whether or not to wear toe spreaders, we take a look at their foot position. If they have a flat foot, and toes are more spread apart, their need for toe spreaders is most likely low. The person with a higher arch and toes close together, or more likely a candidate for toe spreaders with a better outcome.
The Thoracic Spine and Shoulder Mechanics
The shape of the thoracic spine has a huge influence on the movement of the shoulder. Certain shapes allow for particular motions, and altering the shape as needed is what we might consider adaptability. The greater your ability to adapt, the more capable you are.
Spinal Flexion
Flexing your spine under heavy load is most likely not ideal, and can certainly have consequences, however it is not a hard and fast rule.
Anti-Pronation
Pronating is a normal movement pattern for any foot, in fact, pronation must occur somewhere as we move.
Seeing Through Straws
Question everything you know, remove all self-imposed constraints and reconstruct the world around you. Notice where you focus next.
Transformer
In real-life terms, we need tissues to bend and stretch like rubber bands to then release and propel us forward.
Rotational Athletes
The foundation by which we move seems to be rotation and turning. Each activity we perform, whether on the field or in the gym, demands we spin.
Beginner’s Eyes
We must suspend our disbelief and remove the constraints of our current understanding. That understanding has become a shackle in some ways, obscuring our view and limiting our curiosity.
Posterior Chain
A large proportion of our muscles are located on the posterior, or back side, of our bodies. They assist in producing large movements and are capable of creating massive degrees of compression.
Quad Dominance
Let’s suspend our disbelief for just another minute and consider the idea that maybe some of us are walking around with a preference for using our posterior musculature (glutes/lats/traps).
Balance
Balance has a large sensory component, it requires your ears, eyes and tissues. They provide raw information about the local environment. Using that information to move your body via the hydraulic lift that sits at the deepest interior provides the efficient strategies we need to operate within the world.
The Solution Within the Problem
The capability to move the way you want is an elegant dance with a number of moving parts that must all synchronize to achieve the desired outcome.
Neutral Spine
A neutral position in this circumstance describes a quasi-static position. One that does not move and maintains its shape throughout an exercise. The body might be better off adapting its strategy and position throughout an exercise or movement pattern, distributing forces.
Deep Foundations
Whether it be my abilities as a provider or my patients quality movement patterns, the deeper the understanding the higher we rise.
A Tuning Principle
It might be that muscles behave like tuners. Their activity, or lack thereof, can effectively tune the connect tissue to act in a particular way.
The Demand for Effort
Recovery requires energy, it requires output without a doubt. Those acts are preceded by rest and energy storage.

