Performance Therapy

Technique Stand upright and place one foot in front of the other. Bend your front leg and keep your back leg straight. Push your heel to the ground and lean forward. Place your hands on the ground in front of you. Make sure the toes of your back leg are facing forward. Letting your toes point to one side will cause this stretch to put uneven tension on the calf muscles. Over an extended period of time, this could lead to a muscle imbalance. Muscles being stretched Primary muscle: Gastrocnemius.Secondary muscles: Tibialis posterior, flexor hallucis longus, flexor digitorum longus, peroneus...

Stuart Hinds demonstrates some first stage assessment tools for identifying peripheral nerve entrapments of the upper body   Peripheral Nerve Entrapments Nerve entrapments of the upper extremity are common in sports related to excessive traction around a joint, as in throwing, which in turn leads to compression, inflammation, and adhesions from repetitive stress.The nerve may also become subluxed due to laxity from repetitive stress or trauma to the region. Athletes that commonly develop peripheral neuropathies include: Baseball pitchers (cubital tunnel); Tennis players (radial tunnel – backhand, pronator teres syndrome – forehand); Golf (pronator teres – overgrip); • Rowing (pronator teres/flexor...

In this video, Stuart Hinds talks about the trigger points that often present with similar symptoms to common peripheral neuropathies.   Elbow and Wrist NAT Trigger Point Course   Trigger Point Therapy Master Course Collection   About the author Stuart Hinds is one of Australia’s leading soft tissue therapists, with over 27 years of experience as a practitioner, working with elite sports athletes, supporting Olympic teams, educating and mentoring others as well as running a highly successful clinic in Geelong. Stuart has a strong following of practitioners across Australia and globally who tap into his expertise as a soft-tissue specialist. He...

Trigger points in the quadriceps muscles are commonly the cause of hip, thigh and knee pain The quadriceps is a large group of muscles, the most massive of the leg, located in the anterior (front) of the thigh. They originate from above the hip joint and extend to below the knee. The primary action of the quadriceps is to extend the knee joint, but in conjunction with a number of other muscles in the front of the hip, they are also associated with hip flexion. Rectus femoris is part of the quadriceps femoris, which also includes the vasti group: vastus...

  Stretching is something that most of us should do daily - now could be a good time to start! It's a simple fact that muscles and joints will become stiffer and tighter, simply as part of the ageing process. In most cases, this process is caused by a combination of physical degeneration and inactivity. Although we cannot help getting older, this should not mean that we give up trying to improve our flexibility. In fact, quite the opposite! Age does not have to be a barrier to an active lifestyle, but certain precautions should be taken as we get older. We generally just need to...