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About ten years ago, Pieter de Smidt was looking to add to his array of manual therapy skills for soft tissue treatment.  de Smidt, PT, DPT, Cert. MDT, MTC, owner of Reset-Wellness Physical Therapy in Houston, TX, was well-versed in instrument-assisted soft tissue mobilization (IASTM), which still proved painful for some patients. But after seeing the benefits … Continue reading "Functional Cupping"Read More »

More Dynamic Cupping: TDM TDM is “Tissue Distraction with Movement”, so we are distraction the tissues as we are gliding the cups over the area that is treated. This is typically very comfortable and very different from patients have felt before. This is one of the reason I like to use it when I hit … Continue reading "Different Types of Cupping-part 3"Read More »

Dynamic Cupping Cupping does not have to be static, you can add movement!We can move the cups, or we can have the patient move while the cup are statically in place. We start with clocking: move the cups in all directions of the clock: from 12 o’clock to 6 o’clock, from 3 o’clock to 9 … Continue reading "Different Types of Cupping-part 2"Read More »

Cupping has been around for thousands of years and has been used in different cultures to resolve a variety of conditions.Cupping has some local effects by stretching the skin, fascia and muscle tissues. You also get some localized improved blood flow and metabolic changes.Most benefit however is coming from the neuro-physiologic effects. Cupping can be … Continue reading "Different Types of Cupping-part 1"Read More »

Cupping has been around for thousand of years, but slowly is making its way into the Western style of treatment for Musculoskeletal (MSK) disorders. Cupping has a mechanical and neurophysiological effect and can help reduce pain, improve tissue extensibility and even aid in recovery. It needs to be part of a comprehensive treatment approach that … Continue reading "Cupping Therapy"Read More »

I came across this blog post on the APTA website. Couple of paragraphs should out to me: “As physical therapists, we want to maintain our position as evidence-based experts in the restoration, maintenance, and promotion of optimal physical function. To do so we must continue to uphold the value of well-established and rigorously investigated interventions … Continue reading "Cupping: Why We’re All Seeing Spots"Read More »

Blood-flow restriction training has almost as many applications and names as it has uses.  From: https://www.elitecme.com/resource-center/rehabilitation-therapy/blood-flow-restriction-training-does-it-work/ Some call it occlusion training; others, hypoxic training. Bands, cuffs, and even ACE bandages have been used in attempting to utilize the benefits of the training for a number of desired outcomes. Yet just about everyone agrees on one … Continue reading "Does blood-flow restriction training work, and who can it help?"Read More »

Many of my female patients are reluctant when I start talking about strength training as part of their physical therapy rehab. I typically share this article with them: https://www.girlsgonestrong.com/blog/articles/every-woman-should-know-about-strength-training/Read More »

Lots of people ask me about different crossfit style exercises. Sometimes they feel intinmidated to go to a crossfit box, other times they want to learn on their own. I’m not a crossfit coach, but I help patients that have pain with lifting weights, or have pain and want to return to lifting weights. The … Continue reading "Crossfit Movements-Clean"Read More »

One of the most common issues I see is patients that report tension in their upper traps. From heavy lifting, or from sitting behind a computer all day: many people develop upper back pain and stiffness. I love using Acumobility balls for this. Check out this video: https://player.vimeo.com/video/443912561Read More »