This exercise is harder than it looks. It is considered a closed chain exercise because your hand and knees are on the ground. Therefore, it is excellent for pelvic, spine…
By Pat Staszak, PT Last month we reviewed the very basic March exercise: While lying on the floor, we used our deep abdominals to stabilize our pelvis and low back…
Research has well established that in healthy individuals, lumbopelvic stabilizing muscles contract automatically in anticipation of an arm or leg movement (Rydeard, Leger, Smith). This action provides a protective stabilizing…
By Pat Staszak, PT Gomukhasana (Cow Face Pose) Wow, that is a great name. This pose is excellent for opening the shoulders and chest. Anyone with shoulder or neck pain…
By Patricia Staszak, PT Deciding what shoe to wear is an important decision and one that we talk about with patients all the time. Shoes support and balance your body above…
By Patricia A. Staszak, PT Over the last six months, we have reviewed the STOTT Pilates Five Basic Principles of posture. And it was quite a bit of information! Good…
By Patricia A. Staszak, PT The STOTT PILATES five basic principles for posture and alignment are: Breathing Pelvic placement Rib cage placement Scapular position Head and neck position Over the…
By Patricia Staszak, PT The next STOTT PILATES postural principle that we will describe is scapular placement. The scapula is commonly known as the shoulder blade and it connects the…
By Patricia Staszak, PT The rib cage is probably one of the most overlooked pieces in the posture/rehab puzzle. Dysfunction in this area can greatly contribute to pain in the…
By Patricia Staszak, PT The second of the five basic principles of STOTT PILATES describes the optimal position of the pelvis. Or, in physical therapy terms, it describes the position…