Stretch/articulation: cat stretch and threading the needle
The cat and needle serve a similar purpose to the figure of 8, but the movements are more exaggerated. This means that you’ll feel more of a stretch, rather than just working through the joints, but also that it’s much less focused. For this reason I generally don’t give this exercise to people with lower […]
Cervicogenic Headaches (Biondi, 2005)
A cervicogenic headache is one that is caused by structures in the neck, such as muscles, joints, nerves, and blood vessels. It is estimated that up to 2.5% of the general population in the USA are experiencing a cervicogenic headache at any one time. Women are four times as likely to experience this than men. […]
The Sacroiliac Joint (SIJ)
The Sacroiliac joint is a controversial one. Some people maintain that it only moves in childbirth, but success in treating it has led me to believe that it does move a very small amount in the general population. Like any other joint that moves, it can be irritated, but I have yet to see evidence […]
Sciatica
Sciatica specifically refers to symptoms arising from the sciatic nerve. It is an example of a “trapped nerve”. Symptoms The term is a commonly misused. Technically it only refers to pain in the distribution of the sciatic nerve, which typically presents as a clear line of pain down the back of the thigh (fig. B). […]
Degenerative Disc Disease
The discs in the spine are well attached to the vertebrae directly above and below them. They act as a cushion for shock absorbing, and they can be twisted and squashed to allow for movement through the spine. A good analogy for their anatomy is to imagine a jam doughnut, where the outside is tougher […]