Hip: Retraining mobility & dynamic motor control in Pilates

October 14, 2015 by Sian Smale

Recently I published a blog about current approaches to treating chronic pain and in that blog I discussed the Explain Pain approach to managing pain and used my personal story of chronic hip pain as an example. This blog is a follow up post to outline what current rehab I am completing for my hip. It is not a program for acute hip pain but an outline of long-term rehab goals. It is a fusion of Pilates, Yoga, Functional strengthening and more physio-centric exercises. We all know the initial exercises for restoring function at a joint in the acute phase of injury, however when thinking about managing the regions above and below that joint, I would encourage you to use exercises that link these regions rather than addressing them in isolation. Everything is connected to everything.

Improving Hamstring Flexibility - part 2 Treatment

May 05, 2014 by Sian Smale

Now that we know assessment of hamstring tightness often reveals an impairment in neural tissue mobility, it can be speculated that treatments targeting the nervous system may be more effective. The following research confirms that neurodynamic treatments are more effective that static hamstring stretches in improving perceived hamstring tightness, in the short term.

Improving Hamstring Flexibility - part 1 Assessment.

April 28, 2014 by Sian Smale

'Percieved hamstring tightness' is a common complaint in patients with lower back, buttock and posterior thigh pain. Wether this tightness originates from reduced tissue extensibility to altered neural mobility can be determined with tests such as the passive knee extension, active knee extension, passive straight leg raise and slump tests. Treatments targeting an improving neural tissue mobility and address pathoneuromechanics have been shown to be more effective in reducing hamstring tightness, than the more tradition passive/active static hamstring stretches.