Sarah Heathwood Robinson
2058 Blossom Drive K1H6G8 Ottawa, ON, Canada

Shoulder Robustness . Tag a friend in the comments who’d benefit and put a topic you’d like me to cover in the coming week! . These are some simple exercis...es that work the shoulder into different angles of abduction and raising. Also added in one for external rotation! We can work the posterior portion of the shoulder and upper back through these. . Start without weight and then gradually bring in some loading! . Try them out and tag me! . Want to learn more about this stuff? - Subscribe to my newsletter and youtube channel - I’ve got some new stuff coming soon! - Follow @CitizenAthletics1 for training content and learn how to maximize your fitness! - Follow @E3Rehab for more evidence based rehab content! #TSTshoulder See more

Did you know that November/December is our busiest time of year? My weekends are almost completely booked for the rest of 2019, so if you’re looking for an appointment before the end of the year, book soon!Did you know that November/December is our busiest time of year? My weekends are almost completely booked for the rest of 2019, so if you’re looking for an appointment before the end of the year, book soon!

SI JOINT Pain in your low back or hips can sometimes point to your SI joint (sacroiliac joint) . Try this osteopathic technique against the wall or sitting down... 1 press one leg into the wall (or floor) - make sure you have a surface that is resisting against your force 2 press your other knee into your hand - and your hand into your knee create a resistance so that the knee is actually not moving (isometric) 3 Simultaneously hold both contractions (step 1 and 2) for 5 seconds 4 Switch sides and repeat for a total of 4x NOTE: this technique is low-force isometric contraction in a pain-free position 2 key words low-force pain-free This can be repeated daily - safe enough to repeat several times a day Pair this with glute mashing, pigeon pose and a psoas stretch and voila! (Sounds like French cuisine paired with the bestwine) . If you’re still struggling with your SI joint despite your attempts, visit a trusted therapist Take pride in HOW you move Mob-Junkies . Coach Livia . . . . #sijointdysfunction #sijointpain #sijointrehab #lowbackpain #hippain #hippainrelief #lowbackpainrelief #mobility #mobilityjunkie #rmt #protip #ottawarmt #rmtottawa #muscleenergytechniques

Neck Rehab . Do you have a history of neck issues? What’s have you done for recovery? Let’s hear in the comments . The neck is a common area of pain and ...discomfort that many individuals will experience in the course of a year. The neck represents the cervical spine region which consists of 7 vertebrae, each with a disc between, nerves running between and around, plus a ton of muscles, tendons, and ligaments. . In general, traditional neck treatment consists of massage, e-stim, and stretching. While someone undergoes this treatment, the person may have their symptoms improve but there are better options. Using exercises that challenge the person to improve the strength and load tolerance of the region will help to be to tolerate greater stress in the future and be less likely to experience future discomfort. . While strengthening the specific region of the neck is helpful, the neck can benefit from addressing the thoracic spine which influences cervical regions viability of movement. As well, strengthening the shoulders and scapular region has been found to help reduce discomfort and increase function in the neck. Utilizing the full spectrum of these options will help to target each potential deficit. #TSTneck See more

Piriformis Pain Rehab . Pain in the butt? The piriformis is a muscle that runs across from the sacrum to the greater trochanter of the femur. Due to its loc...ation, it gets pointed to as the reason for various pain presentations with discomfort in this region. Some say it’s because of the sciatic nerve running through the region, which is possible and with the wide anatomical variations that occur in humans, it could be a contributing factor for some people. . Regardless of what we try to point to in the area and blame, the real goal is finding ways to improve symptoms and function. Based on the region where the pain is, we can look to strengthen it through hip extension, hip abduction, and hip rotation movements to fully address all the tissue in the region, not just the piriformis. . Depending upon sensitivity, we may need to reduce the level of stretch that occurs to the tissues - indicating a reduced range of motion into flexion, adduction, and commonly internal rotation. Finding a tolerable range, reps, and effort is an excellent starting point, and then progress every few days either through more range, more reps, or more effort. . It can be challenging to stay the course in the early portion of the rehab when it’s more irritable, harder to handle and potentially slower results, but focus on staying positive and trusting the process. #TSThips See more

Give Mobility Junkie a follow!

Happy Canada Day!!! Be safe!

*TEMPOROMANDIBULAR JOINT* . #repost from @dissurvivor . What are they?... The #tmj are a pair of bilaterally mirrored synovial (encapsulated) diarthroidal (highly mobile) joints. They act as articulations between the temporal bone of the skull and the mandible (jaw) bone of the face. . How do they work? In this case we'll just talk about opening and closing the mouth. . Fun fact: to fully open your mouth you're basically unhinging your jaw! Upon initiation of opening, the condyle of the mandible posteriorly rotates in the fossa of the temporal bone. If we were limited to this movement alone, we likely wouldn't be able to fit 2 knuckles between our teeth. From there, the disc is pulled forward by the lateral pterygoid muscle extending the articulating surface beyond the mandibular fossa. The mandibular condyle can now leave the fossa and glide forward on the disc. This 2-stage mechanism allows for full range of motion while disarticulating our teeth. . If you think that's complex, you should see how some fish jaws work! . Why does this matter? The TMJ is the only bilateral joint in the body that ALWAYS acts mirrored (outside of some pathologies). #tmjdisorders are very common, and respond well to both manual and exercise based therapy. #tmjd often occurs secondary to other issues such as #whiplash or changes in life stressors; they can be related to shoulder, neck/swallowing, back or facial dysfunctions, or they can present spontaneously. Treating them effectively requires solid assessment skills, and patient revision as progress is made. . . Experiencing jaw pain or clicking? Come in and let's take a look! Have a friend with jaw pain? Tag them! . #jawpain #headaches #tmjdisorder #mastication #temporomandibular #tensionheadache #massagetherapy #massageassessment #exercisebasedrehab #rocabado #temporomandibularjoint #jawdislocation See more

Get to the gym.

I’m off to the TMJ Mastery course in London! I’ll be back next Thursday if you’d like to book an appointment.

FLOOR ANGEL There’s nothing angelic about this easy looking (but hard AF) exercise! . .... Why do this? . . helps with your forward head (iHunch) . . pulls shoulder blades back . . helps with shoulder blade and arm control and stabilization . . activates middle and lower traps - helps reduce tension in upper traps . . As with everything I preach, it’s more important to go for quality than reps. Two beautifully executed floor angel beats ten messy ones any day! . . A few key elements: keep a neutral spine (low back is not flattened on the mat) do not let your rib cage flare (keep ribs on mat - even if that means your arms lift off the mat) . . If you struggle with this and want a fun solution, join us in the FREE 7-day Overhead Mobility Challenge - starts June 3rd - SAVE YOUR SPOT! . . . Always take pride in HOW you move . . Lívia See more

Hey guys, for anyone looking to book a massage at Elgin Massage Therapy this weekend, remember to give yourself extra time to get there! It’s Ottawa Race Weekend and there are several major road closures. https://www.cbc.ca//ottawa-race-weekend-road-closed-1.5144

Using orthotics long term is like using a crutch for your entire life Instead of covering up the problem, restore optimal mobility, strength, and control at y...our feet and hips and earn the right to walk away from your orthotics for good . It takes work and a commitment to take ownership over the function of your body but it’s well worth the investment . For more info about orthotics and why you should care about transitioning away from them check out episode 4 of the TFC Audio Project podcast (available on our website thefootcollective.com) #thefootcollective #health #movement #strongfeet #barefoot #education #physicaltherapy #podcast #orthotics #simple #painfree #ottawa #beinformed #feet #strongfeet See more

It’s all connected!!!

Knee Pain with Lunges . Real talk time - there is no perfect form when it comes to pain, injuries and exercise. For lunges, we see a continuum of responses... to the standard form that is prescribed and by trying to have people fit into one form, we get people who perceive the exercise as being bad, painful, or not feasible for them. . Instead, there are many ways to perform lunges that can be accommodating to a varied range of responses. Here are 5 modifications that you can experiment with to find a version of lunges that feels good for you. . Step length - from experience, people often take short steps for lunges and end up on their toes. Not wrong, but this puts more challenge to the anterior structures of the knee and for those who have symptoms, it’s an easy change. Reverse lunge - the traditional lunge is more of a deceleration type movement, whereas the reverse is more of an acceleration type movement. Step onto a box - this reduces the impact force that is felt. Shin angle - a more forward shin angle is a great way to work the quads, but some people just aren’t able to handle it yet and need to work their way to it. Torso angle - a more vertical torso will have more emphasis on the knees, whereas a more bent torso will have more emphasis on the hip. . Tag someone who you think could use this! . These are not secret drills or techniques, just some options to help inspire people to move more and live a higher quality life. . Want to learn more about this stuff? - Check out my blog for longer format discussions - Subscribe to my newsletter for updates on content and projects - Head over to @citizenathletics1 for training content and learn how you can make the best fitness improvements possible This is not medical advice #TSTknee See more

Elgin Massage is closed for Good Friday, so I’ll be working from 2058 Blossom. Please text (613)898-6898 to book an appointment.Elgin Massage is closed for Good Friday, so I’ll be working from 2058 Blossom. Please text (613)898-6898 to book an appointment.

NORDIC HAMSTRING CURLS AND HAMSTRING STRAINS - AN INTERESTING CASE STUDY Everyone knows the Nordic hamstring curl is the best exercise for hamstring injury pre...vention. I mean, there's a TONNE of research on them right? So if someone can control Nordics all the way down to the floor they've got no chance of a hamstring strain yeh? Well, enter the story of one of my high school athletes - a winger in the college's best rugby team. Best at Nordics in the school by far, barely had to use his hands to get back up! Anyway, one game he's a bit behind the play so has to maximally accelerate to catch up, and just as he nears top speed he gets thrown a pass at his knees and hinges forward to catch it. BOOM... hammie tear. But how did that happen?! He CRUSHES Nordics!! Here's why: While Nordics are certainly effective in reducing hamstring injury rates (as per the research), there are three important factors to consider: 1. Pretty much all the research on Nordics to date has compared their effectiveness against NO OTHER EXERCISE (i.e. the control group did nothing on top of usual training, and the experimental group did Nordics). So who's to say a different hamstring exercise won't be just as if not MORE effective? 2. Nordics (being a knee dominant hamstring exercise) primarily stress the DISTAL hamstring region, and not the proximal region as much. 3. Because Nordics are performed in a knee flexed and relatively hip extended position they don't stress the hamstrings at long muscle lengths, which is often when hamstring strains occur (during the swing phase of sprinting). And this was certainly the case for my rugby player. Perhaps Romanian deadlifts which being a hip dominant hamstring exercise stress the proximal hamstrings more, and also stress the hamstrings at long muscle lengths, would have better prepared my athlete for this type of hamstring stress. How about a combination of Nordics and Romanians in the same program to bullet proof both regions of the hamstrings? Maybe 2 sets of each? Or what about a mesocycle of each of them? This is where the art of programming comes in. It’s hard to know which way to periodise it is best, and the answer may vary depending on many factors such as the individual strengths and weaknesses of the athlete, injury history, time of season, what's in the rest of the strength program, etc. But here's the takeaway: The stresses placed on the body in sport are highly variable. Prepare the body to handle as many of these stresses as you can, and NO ONE EXERCISE CAN DO THIS ON ITS OWN!! Credit - Tim Rowland Athletic Performance

Get those shoulders moving!

Take pride in HOW you move. . . In order for you to stretch your quads and hip flexors effectively, make sure your hip flexors are actually long (opposite of wh...en you’re sitting). . . Don’t waste your time doing a crappy version of a good stretch. . . #couchstretch #hipflexors #sittingisthenewsmoking #weekendwarrior #mobilitymotivation #crossfit #fitness See more

Let's get those hips moving . Today we look at a few of our "go to" hip mobility drills. Instead of discussing proper form and technique in our post today we ...want to discuss "play". Movement and mobility is patient specific. Where one personal feels "limited" is not necessarily where someone else would feel "limited". Playing around with mobility drills are a great way to discover and explore your body's ability to move through different ranges of motion. We don't always need to be so focused on the movement itself - PLAY, MOVE, FEEL and LISTEN to what your body is telling you. Take that information and then focus your exercise/rehab on those discoveries. #mobility #hipflow #barefoot #yoga #move #wod #thursdaythoughts #hippain #chiropractic #physiotherapy #personaltraining #stretch #play #exerciseoftheday