When you are in physical danger, like let's say getting into a street fight, you react with what many people refer to as the "flight or fight response" or "sympathetic response". (The above image describes two opposing systems in your body.  The "parasympathetic nervous system" or "rest and digest" and the "sympathetic nervous system" or… Continue reading How does emotional stress affect your chronic pain? →

When it comes to most of your body, it's true...if you don't use it, you lose it in at least some sense.  And if you do use it, it gets bigger, thicker and stronger.  (Unfortunately, there are exceptions to the rule though  😞)  Your body is efficient and strengthens what it uses most and doesn't waste resources on… Continue reading Is it true that if you don’t use it, you lose it? →

In gym class growing up, we always did a "warm up" by holding a stretch on our muscles and then going to play volleyball or basketball or whatever we were doing.  But that's not really the best way to warm up.  Mostly because it doesn't actually "warm up" your muscles and it can possibly INCREASE… Continue reading Here’s why stretching sucks as a warm up and what you should do instead →

A lot of clinicians compare peoples bodies to cars when they are explaining why their patient is in pain.  But that's an awful comparison and can lead to you reacting the wrong way to your pain and overprotecting it.  Your body is not like a car...at all. If your transmission fails, if you get a… Continue reading Your body is not like a car and why you should care →

So last year, I went to a destination wedding in Mexico.  At the beach, there was a soccer field type set up with goal posts in the middle of the sand.  We decided to throw around a frisbee and one of my piece of shit "best friends" lead me directly into the goal post with… Continue reading Should you use anti-inflammatories, heat, ice, elevation, or rest after an injury? →

A lot of my patients tell me their pain is worse because of the "weather today".  Even if it's the most beautiful day of the year, they'll say "I can feel it's going to rain soon", and then when it eventually rains in the next day, week or month, they'll be happy because they predicted… Continue reading Can the weather make your pain worse? →

I’ll answer some of the questions I posed in my own personal low back "injury" story. Are these the exercises everyone should be doing when they have back pain? Are these the only exercises that would help? No and No. Everyone can react differently depending on how sensitive their system is. I can’t say there… Continue reading How does a PT who understands pain react to an “injury” while working out? Part 9 →

I’ll answer some of the questions I posed in my own personal low back "injury" story. How did you know which exercises were ok to do and which weren’t? Thats the great thing...I didn’t. I didn’t know what my new system would be able to tolerate and what it wouldn’t be able to tolerate. But… Continue reading How does a PT who understands pain react to an “injury” while working out? Part 8 →

I’ll answer some of the questions I posed in my own personal low back pain "injury" story. Why would you tell someone to stop when they are starting to get more and more soreness/pain while deadlifting? If you’re doing an activity and you’re feeling more and more pain, with an increased intensity, while doing that… Continue reading How does a PT who understands pain react to an “injury” while working out? Part 7 →

I'll answer some of the questions I posed in my own personal low back "injury" story. What caused your low back pain in the first place? Pain is the result of your brain deciding you’re in danger (What is pain? French Bread!) It is an interpretation of what’s going on. It’s a best guess. If… Continue reading How does a PT who understands pain react to an “injury” while working out? Part 6 →