If you’ve ever felt your shoulders tighten up after hours at a desk or while scrolling on your phone, you’re not alone. Most people carry tension up there without realizing it. One of my go-to moves for this is the thread the needle stretch. It looks simple, but it’s sneaky. It opens the shoulders, stretches…
You know that tight, heavy feeling that sits right at the top of your shoulders or crawls up the back of your neck? Yeah, that’s your trapezius muscle yelling for a break. Most people don’t even realize how much tension they hold there until it starts burning or aching after a long day at the…
I’ve worked with clients who complain about tight backs, uneven hips, and poor posture and more often than not, the real problem isn’t where they feel pain. It’s deeper. The quadratus lumborum. That small but mighty muscle tucked on each side of your lower back. Most people don’t even know it exists until it starts…
If you run long enough, your body talks back. Sometimes loud. For me, it was inside ankle pain that wouldn’t shut up. Not the sharp, sudden kind, more of a nagging pull that shows up halfway through a run and makes you rethink every step. You ice it, stretch a little, maybe switch shoes. It…
I hear this question all the time: “Why are my hamstrings so tight?” And yes, I get it. You stretch, you foam roll, maybe even do yoga, but those strings at the back of your thighs still feel like guitar wires. Back when I was a physical therapist beginner, I would have said that tight…
Short answer: yes. If you’re asking “is athlete’s foot contagious,” the answer is a loud, unglamorous yes. It’s tinea pedis. A classic foot fungus. And it spreads like gossip in a locker room. As someone who’s coached athletes and dealt with grimy gym floors for over a decade, I’ve seen this thing jump teams, households,…
As a coach and clinician who’s spent 12+ years watching people squat and then limp, here’s the blunt truth: most knee pain when squatting comes from a few usual suspects, anterior knee pain, patellofemoral pain, cranky tendonitis, a grumpy meniscus, stiff hips, poor ankle dorsiflexion, and that lovely inward knee cave we call valgus collapse….
As a clinician and coach who’s spent 12+ years poking at cranky hips and calming down nervous systems, here’s the fast truth: a pinched nerve in hip pain-land usually means nerve compression from your back, hip, or tight tissue. It can feel like burning, tingling, numbness, or a zinger down the leg. Think sciatica, meralgia…
As a sports injury analyst and coach for 12+ years, here’s my fast take: if you mean what sport has the most injuries in total ER visits, it’s usually basketball for team sports, with cycling topping all activities. If you mean injury rate per play, football and rugby are the beasts. And for scary stuff…
I get asked “how to start working out again after knee injury” a lot. Short answer: slowly, but not lazily. In my experience, the real game is knee rehab basics, mobility, strength training, low-impact cardio, and patience. If you want the long answer—with jokes, some tough love, and a plan—pull up a chair. Real talk…
