Mobility, Pain & Injury

Piriformis syndrome is a neuromuscular disorder. It occurs when the sciatic nerve is compressed or otherwise irritated by the piriformis muscle causing pain, tingling and numbness in the hip/ buttocks and along the path of the sciatic nerve descending the lower thigh and into the leg. I just wrote that without looking at a textbook.  Impressive, eh? Kidding. That’s from wikipedia.

The longest way round is the shortest way home.

We all start off as great movers in childhood, but lose much of our mobility and flexibility as we age. The brain, sensing no need/given no opportunity, conveniently forgets movement maps. It’s called Sensory motor amnesia.

Fitness is chalk full of hacks: simple things anyone can do to instantly improve their workouts. Today we’re going to hack stretching.

This is the power of Z health. Her back pain went from a 9 to a 2 after tracing the alphabet with her finger. It took :30 seconds. He couldn’t lift his arm past shoulder level for years, then whacked his head with his bicep after doing a vision drill. :20 seconds. He couldn’t move his neck following a medical emergency, but restored full range of motion by holding his breath and doing squats. :60 seconds.

We all walk. A lot. Some people walk over 10,000 steps per day. Learning how to walk well will undoubtedly improve your life.

The average reader of this blog takes 10,000 steps a day. If you’re going to do something over 10,000 times you better do it well.

Everyone has tight hamstrings, hip flexors and rounded shoulders . I’ve had enough. I took 12 weeks to learn how to mobilize these areas (and more).  I thought I knew how to stretch. I was wrong.

A friend texted me last night: “Having some achilles pain.  Thinking I should take a few days off and stretch.’ The moment I read it I thought of the movie ‘Avatar’ when Jake (the hero) faces down a huge predator in the forest. ‘What do I do?  Run?  Shoot, what?’ ‘Don’t shoot you’ll just piss him off.’ That ferocious beast right there, that’s your aching achilles. And you’re shouting, ‘What do I do? Run? Stretch?”  Don’t stretch.  You’ll piss it off.

If one move can get you into pain then one move can get you out. Sounds crazy, I know, but since I learned it in Z Health I’ve seen it over and over. It may take a few tries to find the right move, but give me your belief, some patience, and enough time I can find it. Now I have plantar fasciitis. Time to put my money where my mouth is. Is there one move to cure my plantar fasciitis?