[re+think]

Tight hip flexors are everywhere.  But, especially for older adults and people with neurologic disorders, tightness in the hip flexors can really influence movement.  I have had clients who improve their gait speed after a good hip flexor stretch! Most people comment that they can move much more smoothly and with longer strides.  Or, even better, without back pain.   Below are 3 different ways to stretch the hip flexors and between the three of these, you should find one that is doable and feels like a good deep stretch.  Try them out just before you get moving and notice how your movement improves!   Standing hip flexor stretch- -a good one to do on the go, before a walk or other standing exercise. Kneeling hip flexor stretch.  This is my personal favorite because it isolates the muscle so well--less room for cheating. Lying down hip flexor stretch.  This version is great if it is difficult to get in the other po...

Not all physical therapists are the same.  I don’t just mean in personality, either.  I am talking about in their specialty skills.  Just like you would not go to a cardiologist for an ankle sprain, you would not go to an orthopedic physical therapist after surviving a stroke or being diagnosed with Parkinson’s or Multiple Sclerosis. Perhaps this is not wide-spread knowledge yet, but there are physical therapists that specialize in treating people with neurologic deficits.   Neurologic specialist physical therapists help clients recover from anything from peripheral nerve injuries to severe damage to the brain and/or spinal cord.   Examples of common diagnoses that would be included are stroke, brain injury, spinal cord injury, Guillain-Barre Syndrome, peripheral neuropathy, amputation, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s Disease, brain and/or spinal cord tumors, and dystonia. So how do you find the right PT??   A certified neurologic physical therapi...

With the spring semester in full swing at USC, I wanted to take some time to reflect on the juggling act that we often find ourselves in when we, as clinicians, take on multiple roles: clinician, faculty member, clinical instructor, researcher, etc. What are the benefits? What are the struggles? Is it possible to be proficient at all of them (especially at the same time)? Teaching in the classroom allows me to challenge myself not only by making sure I know what the best practice is for my patients, but also by holding me accountable to be able to teach it to other soon-to-be physical therapists. I end up asking myself many questions…Is this the best technique? Is that assessment considered best practice? Are there other ways for us to reach the same outcome? What’s the most important piece of information here and was it conveyed to the students? These teaching moments are great opportunities to demonstrate, improve and share my knowledge. However, appreciating and knowing the...

Today I am going to write about mindfulness and why it should be a part of all of our lives.   This is a special post because it is the first blog post we’ve had in about 11 months!  (Whoa)  It is time to get re+think rolling again, and why not start the year off with something that will help us really experience each moment of the year that we are lucky enough to have? :) Lately, there is a lot of buzz around “mindfulness” and how we should all incorporate this into our daily lives.   Mindfulness is not a new concept.   It has been around for thousands of years, but our culture has only recently begun to accept and embrace it.   Researchers have been increasing their focus on mindfulness to determine how it may impact our lives and performance in work, school, and relationships.   We live in a world that expects us to be connected 24 hours per day and makes us feel that if we are not keeping up we will be left behind.   I'm going to get per...