"Move Better" Series: Floor Mobility Exercises

As we age, getting onto and off of the floor can become a more difficult task.  A loss of lower extremity strength, upper extremity strength, and core strength may negatively affect our ability to move around on the floor and return to standing from the floor.  Floor mobility is important for activities of daily living, including playing with your grandchildren, cleaning tasks, or reaching an item that fell under the bed.  Moving from the floor to standing is also an important skill to work on if you have impaired balance and are at a greater risk of falling.

The video below presents some exercises that can be performed to improve your floor mobility:

The video above includes some of the following exercises:

PLANKS: Forward and side planks with movement are good ways to strengthen your core and shoulders.  Core and shoulder strength is important for helping to roll and push your body onto your knees or feet when trying to stand from the floor. 

SIT-TO-STANDS & LUNGES: These exercises can improve your ability to squat and lunge, stand from various surfaces, including the floor, and perform stairs.  

If you are interested in other tips and exercises to improve your balance and decrease your risk of falling, see our previous blog posts here: 

EXERCISES TO IMPROVE BALANCE & TRANSFERS

STEPS TO TAKE TO AVOID FALLS

If you find that you have extreme difficulty returning from standing from the floor, a visit to a physical therapist may be appropriate to work on other lower level strengthening exercises and floor mobility techniques.  

Questions? Contact Sean Tyler, DPT at sean@salmonbaypt.com.

Do Your Part: Trail Etiquette

A great aspect of living in the Pacific Northwest is the sheer amount of easily accessible hiking trails. You could try, but it might take you two lifetimes to hike every trail in Washington. With summer on the horizon and our stay-at-home orders are easing, many of us will start emerging from our homes in order to hit the trails. If this includes you, please remember to follow proper trail etiquette to help us still maintain appropriate social distancing with increasing trail usage. 

YIELDING THE RIGHT OF WAY: Horses are huge, so yield to horses, period. Step off the downhill side of the trail, stop, and speak calmly. When approaching another hiker, uphill traffic should generally be given the right of way. If a convenient spot is available, pull over and allow the uphill hiker, runner, or cyclist to pass. Do not continue to move forward once off the trail, as this leads to the creation of multiple trails and increases the impact on the land.

ANNOUNCE YOURSELF: Say “hello” to fellow trail users. Be courteous, respectful, and announce your presence if approaching someone from behind. And please don’t yell “BOO!” It generally doesn’t go well and frightens people.

SLOW DOWN: When bikers and hikers share the same trail, patience is key. The most important tip for the survival of a trail is traveling at a safe and appropriate speed. Both foot and bicycle users must travel at a speed conducive to the trail design. Washboard trails and extra wide or multiple parallel trails are caused by poor speed control. Negative encounters with fellow trail users can be reduced by knowing your safe speed and being aware of your surroundings.

LEAVE NO TRACE: Pack out what you pack in. If you see trash on a trail, pick it up. Make your parents proud.

RESPECT TRAIL CLOSURES: Trail closures apply to everyone and are mandated for a reason. Most of the trails with group size restrictions are narrow, steep, and inherently dangerous for high volume use.

STAY ON THE TRAIL: If the trail is snowy or icy, wear traction devices. If your shoes or mountain bike tires sink deeply into the mud, you should not ride that particular trail until it dries out. Do not create a new trail by avoiding mud, puddles, or other trail users. 

SUPPORT OUR TRAILS: Give back to our local trail network. The Washington Trail Association and Evergreen Mountain Bike Alliance are great local associations that help maintain and fund our trail systems.

Hope to see you out there!

-Tucker Schonberg, PT, OCS

"Move Better" Series: Exercises To Improve Thoracic Rotation

Yesterday’s “Move Better” post on the Thoracic Rotation Test presented a way to assess your thoracic rotation mobility at home.

The thoracic spine is the mid-region of the spine that consists of twelve thoracic vertebrae (T1-T12) that are attached to the ribs posteriorly.  The orientations of the joints in the thoracic spine allow for motion in several planes, including flexion, extension, rotation, and sidebending.  

Sufficient thoracic rotation is important for sporting activities like golf, throwing sports, swimming, tennis, and kayaking/rowing.  A lack of thoracic rotation mobility may impact someone's performance with these activities.  Impaired thoracic mobility may also cause increased stress through the shoulders, hips, and lower back, especially with activities that require repeated rotational movements.  A sedentary lifestyle, including prolonged periods of sitting with poor posture, may increase the risk of losing thoracic mobility.     

Exercises to improve your thoracic rotation are included in the video below:

If you are interested in other ways to improve your thoracic spine mobility, specifically thoracic spine extension, CLICK HERE.

Questions?  Contact sean@salmonbaypt.com.

-Brian Collins, DPT & Sean Tyler, DPT

"Move Better" Series: Exercises To Improve Lower Extremity Mobility And Stability

Yesterday's “Move Better” post presented the Hurdle Step Test, which assesses the mobility and stability of your hips, knees and ankles.  Performing the Hurdle Step Test requires balance, coordination, and mobility through the joints of the moving and standing leg.  If you tried the Hurdle Step Test and had difficulty performing it due to balance or joint mobility deficits, this post will provide exercises that may help address these issues.

EXERCISES TO IMPROVE BALANCE AND STABILITY

Our joints and tendons contain sensory receptors called proprioceptors that respond to the movement and position of the body.  Proprioceptors communicate information to our brain and muscles and help us maintain or change our body position.  A significant part of our static and dynamic balance relies on this proprioceptive system.  Whether we are standing on one leg, walking on a sandy beach, or backpedaling to guard an opponent on the basketball court, these proprioceptors help us control our movement and balance.  Building our proprioception through balance exercises may help us better control positions of our joints during movements, decrease our fall risk, or improve our sports performance.  

The videos below include beginner balance exercises as well as more advanced dynamic balance exercises: 

EXERCISES TO IMPROVE ANKLE MOBILITY 

Dorsiflexion is a motion that occurs at the ankle and involves the movement of the top part of the foot toward the tibia (shin) bone.  When stepping up onto or over an object (like in the Hurdle Step Test) limitations in ankle dorsiflexion may increase your risk of catching your toes or foot on the object or cause you to compensate with increased movement through the hip or trunk.  

 To learn how to improve your ankle dorsiflexion mobility, CLICK HERE.

EXERCISES TO IMPROVE HIP MOBILITY

Stepping over an object (like in the Hurdle Step Test) also requires adequate hip flexion mobility to raise the femur (thigh bone) high enough to help clear the object.  Impairments in hip flexion mobility may also impact other daily activities, like getting down into a squat or lunging.  Hip flexion mobility may be limited by tightness in musculature around the hip joint or restrictions in the hip joint itself. Exercises to improve hip flexion mobility and provided in the video below:

In summary, the Hurdle Step Test is a quick way to assess mobility and stability in parts of the lower extremities.  Check past “Move Better” content for other ways to improve your balance through dynamic strengthening exercises. 

Questions?  Contact sean@salmonbaypt.com.

-Brian Collins, DPT & Sean Tyler, DPT