Shoulder impingement, also known as subacromial impingement or swimmer’s shoulder, is caused when the tendons of the rotator cuff become trapped as they pass through the narrow bony channel known as the subacromial space. This little tunnel that sits just under the bony prominence at the very top of your shoulder normally allows those tendons to slide back and forth with no restriction as you move your arm. However, repetitive use of the shoulder, more specifically repetitive

The shoulder joint (glenohumeral joint) is a ball and socket joint . It is one of the most mobile joints in the human body, at the cost of joint stability as the shoulders have a wide range of motions, able to easily flow in and out of all planes of movement which makes them much more prone to injury. Whether it’s for your job, home upkeep, hobby, or sport repetitive movements of the shoulder can greatly increase your chances of hurting it. Which is why Shoulder injuries a

Do you remember as I child being told to “stand up straight, keep your shoulders back?” We often assume there is a right way to sit and stand. But what if I told you that everything you’ve heard about having good posture isn’t necessarily true? What is “good posture”, anyway? Most people would describe this as having your back straight with your spine in perfect alignment, and the shoulders, back, and head neutral. There are even postural analysis charts and testing to deter

The body is designed to move, not only with tiny subtle movements but also can endure extreme sports and harsh environments. It is made up of nerves, muscles, connective tissues, and so much more which regulate and adapt to what you throw at it. But with these complex structures comes vulnerability, so it’s no surprise that humans experience pain and injury from time to time. What you may not realise though, is that sometimes the pain you feel isn’t the result of an injury o

When seeking answers for low back, hip, and leg pain, you may have heard the term Sciatica. This condition occurs when the sciatic nerve (the largest nerve in the body) is irritated or inflamed, causing pain, tingling, and/or numbness felt along part or all the nerve path; most often starting in the low back or the buttock and traveling down the outer leg, even all the way down to the foot in some cases. This irritation of the Sciatic nerve is quite common, and is often attr

You’ve probably heard the terms bulging disc or herniated disc at some point, whether it involved you or someone you know. While those words can strike fear in a lot of people, it’s important to understand what they really mean, and remove the scary presumptions we have about them. Within the spine you have numerous structures, but the two I am focusing on are the vertebrae (the individual bones of the spine), and the discs (the cartilage ‘cushion’ in between each of those ve

Runners are injured when they exceed muscles, which can be up to 8 x your body their tissue capacity (be it muscle, weight. Strength training helps to improve tendon, bone or cartilage) and your tolerance to load. You may have tolerance. Elite runners have short contact thought doing some light weights with high time with the ground, high hip/knee drive, high cadence and a stiff running pattern. However, most runners, even competitive non-professionals don’t have the form of

The use of Ice (Cryotherapy) is useful for calming down inflammation swelling and recent injuries. Swelling caused by inflammation is a completely healthy process but it can be painful and stubborn to control. Ice is a good, drugless way of decreasing pain and reducing swelling , for example, a freshly pulled muscle. The use of Heat (Thermotherapy) is for muscle pain and takes the edge off symptoms like aches and stiffness . Chronic pain, particularly back pain involves t

The heart is said to be the hardest working muscle. The average adult heart beats 72 times a minute; 100,000 times a day; 3,600,000 times a year; and 2.5 billion times during a 70-year span. This is a great example of dynamic strength as well as strength endurance. The masseter is the strongest muscle. It is located in the jaw and is one of the muscles used for chewing. The bite strength of an average man is between 117 to 265 pounds. This ability to exert a force on an exte

Sprains and Strains A joint sprain is the overstretching or tearing of ligaments. Ligaments are the bands of tissue that connect two bones together in a joint. The most common location for a sprain is the ankle joint. A joint strain is the overstretching or tearing of muscles or tendons. Tendons are the dense fibrous cords of tissue that connect bones to muscles. The most common locations for a muscle strain are the hamstring muscle and the lower back. The symptoms of a sprai