"Clear your hips" is a common golf cue. But if you don't have adequate hip rotation, forcing your hips to clear may cause your body to find that rotation somewhere else - including your low back. Before we ask for more movement, we need to establish stability and control. Try these 3 exercises: 90/90 Breathing 2 x 5 breaths Breathe into your abdomen and lower ribs, creating 360 degree expansion. Goal: Establish trunk stability through breathing and IAP. 90/90 Hip Switches 2 x

A patient recently came to see me with right-sided low back pain that had been bothering her for about six months. She noticed it most when she first started squatting down and first thing in the morning. Naturally, the focus seemed like it should be the low back. But when I assessed her, something interesting happened: I couldn't reproduce her pain with the typical low-back orthopedic testing. So instead of continuing to chase the painful area, we looked at the rest of the s

"My low back is always tight." I hear this all the time. And while that tightness is real, the place you feel discomfort isn't always the only place worth looking. Sometimes, your hips may not be moving or contributing as well as they could - and your low back may be picking up some of the slack. Think of you like a group project. If one person isn't doing their share, someone else has to pick up the slack. Your body can work the same way. 3 Signs Your Hips Might Be Involved

When he first came in, he was dealing with low back pain and right knee pain. His knee was especially frustrating. Getting up and down off the ground was difficult, and he couldn't comfortably use his right knee to do it. But the biggest issue wasn't just the pain. It was what the pain was keeping him from doing. He has grandkids. Getting on the ground with them. Getting back up. Playing with them. Being able to do the things he wanted to do without constantly thinking ab

If your low back has been bothering you for months or even years, you've probably heard some version of: “Your core is weak.” "Your hips are tight." "Your hamstrings are tight." "You need to stop lifting." But here's the problem: Low back pain isn't always about finding the one muscle that's "tight" or "weak." A better question is: What is your back having trouble tolerating? For one person, bending forward may be the problem. For another, it's extending backward. For someon

Most people think of a scar as something purely cosmetic — a mark left behind after healing. But after abdominal surgery, scars can sometimes affect the way your body moves, stabilizes, breathes, and transfers force. In some cases, that can contribute to ongoing low back pain. This doesn’t mean every scar causes problems. But if you’ve had a C-section, appendectomy, hernia repair, hysterectomy, gallbladder removal, or any abdominal surgery and have lingering back discomfort,

Every person’s body moves differently. Whether you want to improve your fitness, recover from an injury, or simply feel better in daily life, understanding how your body moves is key. A movement screen helps reveal how your body functions, highlighting strengths and weaknesses that affect your progress. This simple yet powerful tool plays a crucial role in injury prevention and improving performance, no matter what your health goals are. Front squat assessment What Is a Movem

A lot of people assume that if something feels tight, it just needs to be stretched. But in many cases, “tightness” is actually your body trying to create stability. Understanding the difference can completely change how you approach pain, mobility, and performance. What Is Tightness? Tightness is often a sensation — not necessarily a true lack of flexibility. It can happen when: muscles are overworked joints feel irritated the nervous system senses threat the body is compens