The Hanger Reflex

The “Hanger Reflex” is the latest thing on Tik Tok. Just search for it, and you will find this “mysterious” reflex. Take the challenge: get a wire coat hanger and stretches it to fit onto your head. You will find that your head will involuntarily rotate to one side. This is reminiscing of some craniosacral

Tension-type headache and low back pain reconsidered

Scientists at the Department of Neurology, University of Copenhagen in Denmark recently suggested to place the cause of tension-type headache and non-specific low back pain within the central nervous system and not in the spine or spinal musculature. The researchers wrote in Frontiers in Medicine that these two conditions appear to share several specific clinical

Gluteus Maximus Activation during Common Strength Exercises

Various exercises have been performed by strength and conditioning practitioners aiming to increase Gluteus Max (GMax) strength and size. Researchers from Brazil in 2020 oublished a systematic review to describe the GMax activation levels during strength exercises that incorporate hip extension and use of external load. The authors found sixteen articles that met the inclusion

Why do Humans Have Big Butts?

Just in and Jonathan from the Human Institute provides a fun and useful fact on our Gluteus Maximus. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4bGNm5jqwLg&t=480s They made learning anatomy fun and showed using a dissection on cadaver tissues that make up our big butts. Dr. Joe Muscolino says that the gluteus maximus might be one of the most appreciated and under-appreciated

Running-related musculoskeletal injuries

Running is one of the most popular sport activities with many health benefits. However running-related musculoskeletal injuries  are common among runners. The injuries are due to overuse or due to the repetitive cycles of small loads. A literature review was conducted by researchers from Loughborough University to determine the incidence and prevalence of injuries in

Night-time pain in patients with rotator cuff related shoulder pain

Individuals with rotator cuff related shoulder pain (RCRSP) commonly complain about night-time (nocturnal) pain. And current research has not evaluated the relationship between nocturnal pain severity and other evaluation parameters in RCRSP. A study investigated the relationship between the severity of night-time pain and demographic and clinical data. The study recruited 61 patients (half of

People with low back pain walk differently

People suffering from acute or persistent low back pain commonly have altered biomechanics. Many studies have compared walking or running gait biomechanics in individuals with and without low back pain. Despite substantial research, the research studies present inconsistent results. Researchers from Chapman University in California conducted a new systematic review to answer the question whether

Massage as an effective intervention in the management of post-operative scarring

Scarring is a normal part of the wound healing process, but aberrant wound healing can result in hypertrophic scarring. Hypertrophic scarring, commonly characterized by an excess of collagen formation and could reduce movement, often occurs following surgery with a rate between 40% and 94%. Treatment for scarring itself became a significant economic burden. Over 180,000

Myofascial treatment increased trapezius muscle oxygenation in individuals with nonspecific neck pain

Nonspecific neck pain (NNP) is a common idiopathic disorder in the general population that affects the trapezius muscle and blood supply, thereby compromising the fascial system. A physical therapy technique called Myofascial reorganization was hypothesized to influence the dynamics of local fluids reducing excessive muscle tension and capillary constriction and increasing local blood flow. Thus