Every year at this time I wake up early to watch the Chicago marathon. The excitement and energy of all those people pursuing a goal that they have worked hard to complete always makes me smile while also making me a little jealous that I am not out there as well. This year I had […]
How Your Posture Affects Your Voice
Is your voice not strong enough? Do you have difficulty projecting? Voice fatigue? One component could be because your core is weak and your posture inefficient, whether it be sitting or standing. Let me tell you about my patient, Kaitlin. Kaitlin, once a collegiate athlete, now had difficulty speaking as she would lose her voice, […]
Kinesio Taping: Relief for Anything from Ankle Sprains to Back Pain
Have you been to the gym working out on the elliptical, happened to look at the person next you and noticed brightly colored tape wrapped around their shoulder? Or maybe you watched the olympic bobsledding a few years back and noticed black tape on this athlete’s calf? A few years ago, when I had achilles […]
Important Update: No RX Required for Physical Therapy in Illinois
Until recently, Illinois and Texas were the only states that still required a person to obtain a doctor’s prescription for physical therapy. In August 2018, the State of Illinois passed a new law stating that physical therapists now have direct access. You can read the exact law here. What does “direct access’ mean? It […]
Transitions and Achieving Success
If you have children or are a student yourself, August is a time of transition. My husband and I are entering our last transition of “back to school” with our son, Drew. He is entering his senior and final year at the University of Illinois (U of IL), after completing a summer internship at Garmin […]
Are You Fueling Too Much?
This post first appeared on PurpleGreens.life. It’s exciting! You signed up to complete a triathlon, century, marathon, or another ultra event this summer. The training requires time and dedication to get your body ready. You have your training plan figured out and are ready to go. But are you? What’s your fueling strategy? You may […]
My Running story
Over the years, my daughter Jenna would often say, “I don’t have a passion for anything.” And I would say to her, “That’s ok, everyone finds their passion at different times.” Now, at the age of 24, she has discovered a passion for food — the cooking and eating of flavorful dishes with interesting spices. Even […]
Why Videotaping your Running is Important
It’s impossible to see the nuances of running with the naked eye, so it’s important to videotape your running and watch it in slow motion. I use an app you can download on your phone, which makes it easy to grab a running buddy and videotape each other. Over the years, I’ve seen Carney with various […]
Why The ‘Easy Run’?
How many of you go out and run all of your training runs at the same pace? I met a woman last month who recently started running 3-4 times per week in addition to her usual routine of swimming. She said that she is enjoying it much more than she thought she would and was […]
9 Tips to Avoid Shoulder Pain
Betty had constant shoulder pain. Her shoulder hurt doing just about anything — opening doors, sleeping, putting on her seatbelt, and even while sitting in a movie theater. As Betty is 81 years old, she and her doctor did not want her to have surgery for her torn rotator cuff.
Active Summer? Here are Some Tips to Keep you Safe
Summer in Chicago is finally here! Do you have any big plans? As you’re going about your outdoor activities this summer, don’t forget to be mindful of your body to keep it performing at it’s best. Here are a few “common sense” tips that are worth repeating, as it’s easy to get caught up in […]
How to Bend Over Without Pain: Hip Hinging
I went out for a walk the other day and saw my 88 year old neighbor, Erika, taking out some garbage. As I have a tendency to do, I watched how she was using her body – and she was hip hinging! In other words, she was keeping her back straight and bending or hinging at […]
Dealing With Anxiety and Difficult Situations
Recently I invited licensed professional counselor, Holly Katz, to The Manual Touch to present some tips on how to deal with anxiety. Many of us feel anxious in situations such as at work, race day, or in everyday life. I thought her tips were so wonderful and user friendly that I wanted to share them […]
How to Start Practicing Mindfulness and Meditation
Mindfulness and meditation is a very popular concept these days. But do you really know what it is? How to do it? Or how it can benefit you? Let me tell you a little bit about my own experience with mindfulness and meditation. When I began studying IMT (Integrative Manual Therapy) 20 years ago, I […]
Tips for Avoiding Back Pain and Other Injuries at Work
When you went to college, they probably didn’t teach you how to sit all day and not get back pain or carpal tunnel. When you started your career, you probably did not learn how to use your body to avoid injury. During your new employee orientation, they probably didn’t mention injury prevention. In our society, […]
What is at the Core of Many Pain Problems?
Different people might suffer from different kinds of pain, yet the core of their problems is often the same. Take these four people, for example: Kirk had shoulder pain while doing some of his exercises. Gail had had 2 metatarsal fractures in the same foot in a year’s time. Lisa had jaw pain for the […]
Meet Our Acupuncturist, David Derdiger
Acupuncture and other Chinese medicine techniques are a wonderful adjunct to Physical Therapy or as a stand alone treatment to promote healing, improve health and get people back to doing the things they love to do. So, when I received an email from David Derdiger, an Acupuncturist/Chinese medicine practitioner requesting to rent a room, […]
How I lost my Running Mojo
It’s been almost 2 years since my last race. I had prepared to wear shorts for The Illini Half Marathon in Champaign, IL. Rain was in the forecast, which turned out to be a very cold rain, not a refreshing rain. The incessant, cold rain forced me to wear the only pants I brought with […]
The 3 Best Exercises to Eliminate Back Pain
To recover from or prevent back pain, you need to have a strong core. Your core consists of your abdominals, back, and hips. In this video, we’ll walk you through three core stabilization exercises to improve and maintain your core and back strength.
Tips for Tackling Your New Year’s Resolutions
At the beginning of every new year people often make resolutions or goals they plan to achieve in the coming year. Often those goals include starting or resuming an exercise program that went by the wayside for a variety of reasons. Exercising regularly is important for many reasons. It improves musculoskeletal health, joint health, energy […]
