Corrective Exercise – Solid To The Core

August 28, 2024August 28, 2024

The Importance of Flexibility in Aging & Quality of Life

Movement is essential to good health. It improves cardiovascular health, and lowers the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, and it can also boost mental health.

While research shows that cardiovascular and strengthening exercises can increase one’s lifespan, flexibility was largely left unaddressed. This led researchers in the current study to analyze whether flexibility plays a role in longevity.

Flexibility refers to, “the range of motion of muscle and connective tissues at a joint or group of joints.”It is important to maintain good flexibility in different areas of the body to avoid or reduce pain in areas such as the neck and lower back. When flexibility decreases, this can cause areas of the body not to work properly.

For example, if someone experiences lower flexibility in their hamstrings, this can lead to tight hamstrings. When this happens, it can cause pain in the thighs that can work its way up to the lower back and reduce mobility.

People can avoid losing flexibility with a daily stretching routine that targets specific areas of the body or by participating in yoga.

Checking Flexibilty across 20 Areas of the Body

The study utilized data collected from the CLINIMEX Exercise open cohort in Brazil. The researchers analyzed data from 3,139 middle-aged people (66% of the group were men) aged 46-65 years when they underwent their first exam.

At the participants’ first exams, the clinicians collected data on their BMI, vitals, and any health issues.

The clinicians also administered a flexibility test called the “Flexitest” that checked how flexible the participants were in 20 body joint movements:

ankle (two)
shoulder (five)
knee (two)
trunk (three)
wrist (two)
hip (four)
elbow (two)

They assigned a “Flexindex” score from 0 to 80 based on the flexibility of the participants. Each body movement could get a score from 0 to 4 on the 20 areas measured, and lower scores indicated lower flexibility.The clinicians assessed flexibility in several ways, including checking to see how far the participants could extend their elbows, checking their trunk flexion, and assessing how well their shoulders rotated.

The study lasted from March 1994 to February 2023, and the participants’ average follow-up period was approximately 13 years.After analyzing the data, the researchers found that people with better flexibility levels had better survival rates for deaths related to natural or non-COVID causes.

When comparing Flexindex scores between men and women, they found that women had generally higher scores compared to men. Women had a 35% higher Flexindex score on average.

Overall, the scientists saw a connection between higher Flexindex scores and improved mortality rates in both men and women.

When comparing the women with lower Flexindex scores to those with higher scores, the researchers saw that women with lower flexibility scores had a 4.78 times higher chance of dying. The men with lower Flexindex scores had a 1.87 times higher chance of dying compared to those with higher scores.

The study emphasizes the importance of physical fitness, especially in terms of focusing on flexibility and long-term health. It establishes that people—particularly middle-aged people—need to incorporate a daily routine that targets stretching and shows that doctors may need to focus on flexibility at annual physicals.

“An assessment of body flexibility using the Flexitest may serve as a useful complement to routine evaluation protocols for providing exercise recommendations and prescriptions to healthy and unhealthy middle-aged individuals,” write the authors.

From Medical News Today Excerpted from an article written by Erika Watts on August 26, 2024.

The findings appear in the Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports

January 7, 2022January 19, 2022

Post-op 8 weeks after my TKA (Total Knee Arthroscopy)

Part 1

Post-op 8 weeks after my TKA (Total Knee Arthroscopy), and I am on the Spin Bike at Method Strength and Fitness, Seminole, FL. The swelling and pain are down, and I can work on increasing my knee flexion to a max of 130 °. At least that is the goal. Currently worked it to 122° Important in this rehab is the following:

1.) Positive Thoughts and Emotions Generate Positive Outcomes ( The most important!)

From day 1, even though the pain was + 8, thinking and visualizing myself back on the bike was and is crucial in maintaining my drive to move the joint when doing so was a big “Ouch.” One has to keep his or her “Eye on the Prize.”

2.) Elevating the Joint and Keeping it in a 0° to no more than 10 ° position for the 1^st four weeks while at rest in the supine (on your back) position. This is the only way to reduce the edema (swelling in the leg); it is challenging to work the new joint with the increased soft tissue water pressure in and around the knee. It is of utmost importance to be mobile each day to prevent collagen formation (scar tissue). Physical therapy can prevent help this and keep one on track with the proper exercises.

3.) Performing lengthening exercises for the Quadriceps, Adductors, Hamstrings, and Calf Muscle Complexes. At week 4, I started performing SMR (Self Myofascial Release) and warm water Massage Therapy 2-3 times per day in conjunction with lengthening exercises (stretching the muscle complexes.) The optimal length-tension relationships of the muscles need to be readjusted to their newly established ratios from the surgery. It takes time and patience. It is a challenge, and (.1) above is the number 1 factor in achieving success. (As it is in life)

SMR (Self Myofascial Release) of the Quads

4.) Increasing Knee Flexion

At week 6, I started on the Octane xR6000 Recumbent Elliptical at Method Strength & Fitness. It enables me to measure the knee flexion at the top of the pedal stroke using a goniometer. I am increasing this by 2-3 degrees per week. I have also moved to the Stationary Spin Bike, now working on my stamina, keeping the pedal force tension very low. Easy does it for now. The Spin Bike’s maximum knee flexion is 120° which is the same as my road bike. I use it as a conditioning exercise machine. Next week, I will incorporate more strength exercises and continue to increase flexion using the Recumbent Elliptical machine.

Remember, every day is a gift. Make it count

March 12, 2020January 19, 2022

Reducing Hip Flexor Pain and improving Hip Function and Range of Motion

If you sit at a desk for hours at a time at your workplace you’re definitely going to feel the tightness and pain over time. This is where “CAR” stretches are highly effective at improving flexibility in the two joints. CAR stands for “Controlled Articular Rotation” They are incorporated into a training program to combat the effects of lifestyles where hours are spent in a seated position. Hip flexion range of motion (ROM) will be severely restricted and Hip CARs can aid in improving ROM in the joint.

These stretches are more dynamic than the usual “static” stretches used to lengthen muscle tissues like a “supine bridge plank”. Cars add mobility (movement ) to the stretch.

These stretches are also employed after a client has been released to exercise after undergoing a hip replacement and subsequent physical therapy.

As a cyclist and an individual who also does a lot of writing (which means I am sitting for a couple of hours at a stretch) I perform these dynamic stretches at home 3 times per week. Also in training programs, I incorporate these with specific resistance (weight) exercises to strengthen the corresponding weak muscle sets to bring the joint into a more balanced tension relationship.

October 21, 2019October 28, 2019

Corrective Exercise Part 2

Corrective Exercise is a term used to describe a systematic process wherein we identify muscular dysfunctions either around a joint or affecting a joint through what we call ” malalignments”. This is the result of specific muscle imbalances that are identified through assessments like the “Overhead Squat” described in an earlier blog.

The Corrective Exercise Continuum

This process requires the knowledge and then the application of an integrated assessment process.

1.) Identify the Problem(Integrated Assessment)
2.) Solve the Problem (Program Design)
3.) Implement the Solution (Exercise Technique)

The Process involves 4 steps.

Muscle Inhibitory Techniques
Lengthening Techniques
Activation Techniques
Integration Techniques

Before implementing the Corrective Exercise Continuum, an integrated assessment procedure needs to be done to determine dysfunctions and then the design of the CE (Corrective Exercise) program. This integrated assessment will help in determining which tissues need to be activated and strengthened through the use of the CE process.

This integrated approach allows me to develop safe programs that consider the functional capacity and unique situations for every person. Contact me

October 19, 2019October 28, 2019

CORRECTIVE EXERCISE Part 1

So many of us work at a desk for 5-7 hours per day during the workweek. This creates over time Postural Imbalances or Distortions that can lead to muscle pain and tightness. Over 60% of us deal with low back pain on a daily basis due to these types of positions. This prolonged postural position can also lead to knee pain, particularly in the front of the knee joint.

Your gluteals are in a stretched position.(weakness)Your Hamstrings and calve muscles are in a tightened (shortened) position (overactive)

This is where corrective exercise can lead to improving postural control and increased core strength. The corrective exercises involve stretching the tight muscle groups and strengthening the lengthened muscle groups. A program will be designed based on Postural Assessments which are both static (no motion) as well as dynamic (using motion) like a modified squat. This is all about strengthening core musculature and is the initial phase of an overall strengthening program.