By Yana Blinova, MS, Inventor of Pelvic Clock® Exercise Device, Former Olympic Coach.
What is Overpronation?
Overpronation occurs when your foot rolls too far inward during walking or running.
By some estimates, overpronation affects at least 75% of people.
The Role of Overpronation in Hip and Lower Back Pain
Overpronation disrupts your body’s mechanics. It starts by flattening the arches of your feet, which then causes a chain reaction, affecting the alignment of your ankles, knees, hips, and even your spine.
Several muscles are inhibited or strained by overpronation. These include…
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By Yana Blinova, MS, Inventor of Pelvic Clock® Exercise Device, Former Olympic Coach.
Deadlift is one of the most effective weightlifting exercises.
A Traditional Deadlift targets the glutes, quads and QL muscles, and starts with bent knees. The barbell is lifted off the ground to an upright standing position. It sounds simple, but when done incorrectly a Deadlift can cause lower back pain.
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By Yana Blinova, MS, Inventor of Pelvic Clock® Exercise Device, Former Olympic Coach.
Lumbar Spinal Stenosis is a chronic condition associated with aging and sitting.
Unfortunately, after turning fifty, frequent pain in the lower back is very common. The good news is that by changing a few habits and learning appropriate exercises, most people can prevent and manage lumbar spinal stenosis.
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By Yana Blinova, MS, Inventor of Pelvic Clock® Exercise Device, Former Olympic Coach
What is a Pelvic Tilt Exercise?
The Pelvic Tilt Exercise is a small, subtle movement of the pelvis in a certain direction.
Variations of Pelvic Tilt Exercises
Depending on the direction, a Pelvic Tilt Exercise activates muscles on the front, back and side of the core.
There are many ways to do these exercises: lying down, standing, sitting, and on hands and knees.
Pelvic Tilt Exercises are used in a vast variety of physical therapy treatments for the lower back, hips, pelvic floor, and abdomen.
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By Yana Blinova, MS, Inventor of Pelvic Clock® Exercise Device, Former Olympic Coach
Corrective exercises became a part of my life when I was diagnosed with galloping scoliosis at age 12.
Over the past four decades, I've learned that scoliosis correction doesn’t have an “end-of-therapy” date. If you stop exercising, most of the symptoms will promptly return.
In addition, there is no alternative to regular corrective exercises…
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By Yana Blinova, MS, Inventor of Pelvic Clock® Exercise Device, Former Olympic Coach
There are two piriformis muscles in the human body: one on the right side, one on the left. Each piriformis muscle extends from the front of the sacrum to the hip - the greater trochanter of the femur, to be more precise.
A disorder of this muscle is called piriformis syndrome. The main symptom is pain radiating from the hip and buttock down into the leg…
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By Lynda Lippin, Master Pilates Teacher, Certified Personal Trainer, and Pelvic Clock® Educator
Sometimes pain in our hips, legs, and lower back is caused by muscle tightness. While that sounds simple, there are actually many small muscles around the hip and sacroiliac joints, and one of them runs right over (and sometimes inside of) the sciatic nerve. This particular muscle, an external rotator that attaches our thigh bones to the pelvis and sacrum, is called the Piriformis.
What causes Piriformis Syndrome? …
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By Lynda Lippin, Master Pilates Teacher, Certified Personal Trainer, and Pelvic Clock® Educator
Scoliosis is a lateral (sideways) curvature of the spine, and often shows as an S shaped curve, with the ribcage or thoracic spine curving one way (say, to the right), with the lumbar spine curving the other way (in this example, left) to help balance things out for function.
Scoliosis can cause pain, as due to the position of the bones, there can be nerve and muscle issues. In severe cases, scoliosis can require bracing and surgery to prevent further slippage and maintain space in the torso for our internal organs…
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By Lynda Lippin, Master Pilates Teacher, Certified Personal Trainer, and Pelvic Clock® Educator
Our hip joints do a lot for us. Seriously, unless you are just lying flat on your back, your hip joints are getting some work. The hip joints are where the femurs (thigh bones) connect to the pelvis. They are ball-in-socket joints, and have quite a bit of range of motion in all directions.
Because the hips get so much work every day, there is a lot of muscle and connective tissue that help move and stabilize the hip joints. And because we don’t simply move, but also do more intense activities and artistic activities that can strain the hips (jumping, dancing, gymnastics, riding horses, etc.), these joints get a lot of wear and tear…
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By Lynda Lippin, Master Pilates Teacher, Certified Personal Trainer, and Pelvic Clock® Educator
As human being live longer, we start to see some more degenerative spine conditions that may have not been as prevalent in the past. One common condition that we see more of in older folks is lumbar spinal stenosis.
While this stenosis can cause pain, it can be easily managed through properly modified home exercises, specifically Pilates exercises performed alone and using the Pelvic Clock® device.
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By Yana Blinova, MS, Inventor of Pelvic Clock® Exercise Device, Former Olympic Coach
The hip joints are a pair of symmetrical, large, weight-bearing joints surrounded by a strong structure of ligaments, tendons, nerves, and muscles.
Theoretically, hip joints should last a lifetime. Whereas hip pain in adults under 50 has never been considered normal, the number of relatively-young people suffering from hip pain is on the rise…
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By Lynda Lippin, Master Pilates Teacher, Certified Personal Trainer, and Pelvic Clock® Educator
Joseph Pilates developed his Contrology exercise system in the early 20th century, and even then he saw a lot of folks with back pain. Pilates believed then, as I believe now, that spine health is central to human wellness, and that there are specific exercises and ways of moving that will help us stay strong and mobile, and free of injury.
Fast forward 90 years, and now 85% of Americans experience chronic lower back pain. Sacroiliac joint, or SI joint instability is one common cause of back pain…
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By Caesar Cantone, PT, LAc
Lumbar spinal stenosis is a common and disabling back ailment found within the aging population, but can also occur less often in younger adults. Stenosis actually refers to the narrowing, or closure, of an opening or space. Spinal nerves from the low back can actually become pinched when the spaces between vertebrae degenerate, or when abnormal bone growth forms. This is called lumbar stenosis, and can make many walking activities very painful. If left untreated, it can lead to tingling in the legs and even permanent weakness.
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By Yana Blinova, MS, Inventor of Pelvic Clock® Exercise Device, Former Olympic Coach
Spondylolisthesis is a spinal condition where one vertebra moves out of place and slips forward. Studies have found that spondylolisthesis is most common in the lumbar spine. It affects approximately 6 to 11 percent of the adult population.
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By Yana Blinova, MS, Inventor of Pelvic Clock® Exercise Device, Former Olympic Coach
Sacroiliac (SI) joints play a crucial role in the body. As they connect the sacrum to the ilium (hip bone), they bear all the weight of the upper body. There are a number of muscles around the SI joints. If even one of these muscles fails to do its fair share of work, the rest of the muscles are strained. In many cases, this causes the ilium to rotate backward and become stuck, which leads to SI joint dysfunction, instability, and discomfort.
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By Yana Blinova, MS, Inventor of Pelvic Clock® Exercise Device, Former Olympic Coach
Poor posture is a widespread epidemic of our time. Sitting in chairs for most of the day combined with a lack of exercise can lead to a variety of postural disorders.
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By Yana Blinova, MS, Inventor of Pelvic Clock® Exercise Device, Former Olympic Coach
If you’ve suffered from back and hip pain, you might have been told that your sacroiliac joint was responsible. So, if you’ve found yourself searching online for SIJ pain relieving exercises or SI joint stretches, then the chances are that you found the common recommendations such as the Child’s Pose or a general stretching of the hamstrings or low back. While these selections are a good start, obtaining the right alignment and creating proper SI joint stabilization require a deeper approach, and the addition of some newer, more updated exercises
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