Caleb here is having, he just recently had some pain in his arm and is not sure what's going on?

What we're going to do right now since it's an acute injury is we're going to help with decreasing the inflammation. 

So what I'm going to do first is elevate the limb here so I'm going to put it like this and then just relax your arm here.

Good, now... So first I'm going to put some of this oil, and cream on here just going to do a lighter coat here now. How's this feel? Okay? It's mainly on the inside, like right here, okay... top, right there.

Got it, okay. Okay, so with his arm elevated like this, the muscles will be on slack, which means that it's relaxed. There are a couple different techniques using this cup. So I'm going to squeeze it first and then press it to get the pressure and then I'm just gonna slide back and forth. This is to work on getting that inflammation to calm down.

So what it's doing is putting pressure on the skin and it's getting the fluid as you can see the skin pops up here in the cup. It is helping remove that inflammation in the area. There's another technique where you do some pumps. So I pump on and then I pump off, pump on, and pump off.

So what this is doing is it's using your venous system, which is your veins, which is to get the blood flowing. The venous system takes all the blood and inflammation and starts pumping it back towards your heart. Basically decreasing that pooling of blood which is swelling and inflammation... good... good...

Does it hurt Caleb? A little bit... but it looks good and feels good... So this treatment takes between two and five minutes and there shouldn't be any bruising. You won't have any of those cupping marks that you might have seen during the Olympics like on Michael Phelps or the other swimmers when the session is over.

When the treatment's over you do what's called aftercare. So you do some rubbing to help clear out the blood and the inflammation and get all those histamines out. Now Caleb, go ahead and sit up here for me.

You're going to do just wrist movements here so also getting those muscles to help get those veins pumping all the blood out of the affected area

Go ahead and do 5 - 10 reps...

Call 512-215-4227 to book a cupping therapy session.

Read more about Cupping.

What is Cupping? 

Cupping is the use of these cups that can be made about of different materials. So, there’s rubber, there’s plastic and there’s also glass. And, so what they are utilized for is to help with restrictions in your tissues.

It can work on your fascial which tissues that runs in between structures such as your muscles. It can help lengthen your muscles and it can also help with bringing blood flow to the area. So, things that it’s good for treating.

If you have some places that is inflamed or swollen, or you have what’s called lymphedema. Cupping can be good to help decrease that inflammation, that swelling, that lymphedema in that limb.

What’s it’s also good for is promoting healing process. 

If you have tissues that is slowly healing, you can… It’ll bring blood to the area. Now, having blood come to the area is important because one, it brings oxygen and nutrients but then, it also helps clear out all the debris, all the histamines that kind a caused chronic inflammation.

It can be good for things that are like slow healing. But it’s also… It can also work mechanically in tissues. So that means that it can change the length of the fascia, it can change…

It can help with stiffness in tissues and it can also help with tightness and stiffness and lengthening shorten muscles. So, it can be good for… Let’s say, a lot of people have really tight calves or really tight hamstrings. So, you can use this set-up with lengthening them.

But it also can do a neuro… But it has a neurological component too. So, people that have chronic pain, it can help desensitize your system to that pain.

What it does is you can start putting the cups in an area that’s not painful and really get your body used to feeling different sensations. Because with a lot of people with over high levels of chronic pain, their nervous system are really heightened.

What this does is to kind a helps calm your nervous system down.

But it can also work on… It can also with people that have just kind a chronic low-level pain. Like, a lot of low back pain. So, you can provide a kind a stimulus that’s painful and that will help bring your naturally occurring opioids and enkephalins to the system to help relieved that pain.

So, these are just some of the reasons to use cupping and it can be a good add on treatment to the things that you’re already doing in PT.

Call 512.215.4227 to get started with our physical therapist at CORE Therapy & Pilates in Westlake Hills / Austin, Texas.

Have you tried the GYROTONIC® exercise method for your scoliosis?

What is all the rage about GYROTONIC® and how it can improve your spinal curves? 

Please subscribe to our channel. We provide content on health and wellness, physical therapy, pilates, GYROTONIC®  exercise, and teacher training.

How can GYROTONIC® exercise help my scoliosis and spinal pain? 

By the end of this, you will have a much better understanding of how this new exercise system is sweeping the fitness world…

My name is Cheryl Dunn and I’ve helped hundreds of clients with this scoliosis over the past two decades and can’t wait to help you!

What is GYROTONIC® ?

Spinal strength in all directions, flexion and extension, rotation, side bending, and every combination of them as possible in a safe setting with spinal elevation for decompression of the vertebra and disc…

Watch this video to see a 13-year-old BMX'er and baseball player improve his hamstring flexibility in about 5 minutes with cupping therapy. 

Dr. Andy Tseng, Physical & Occupational Therapist, Pilates & Gyrotonic Instructor, demonstrates a quick pre-test, a quick myofascial cupping therapy session, and a re-test. 

"Oh dang" and "wow" were the comments from the young athlete after his hamstring flexibility improved significantly. 

Are you looking to improve flexibility?

Increase blood flow?

Decrease swelling?

Promote healing?

Call 512.215.4227 to get started with our physical therapist at CORE Therapy & Pilates in Westlake Hills / Austin, Texas.

What is cupping?

And then when would you not use cupping?

Cupping is a soft tissue technique that is intended to lift up the soft tissue, fascia, and muscle underneath the cup in order to create circulation under the cup. It helps to improve circulation but also if the suction is big enough it can lengthen the tissue underneath.

It helps to:

If the blood flow is increased under the area the blood usually contains a lot of healing agents. Cupping will speed up the healing process of the involved tissue.

There are conditions that I would not use cupping with. If the client is:

1. Currently in their first trimester of pregnancy
2. Have cancer going on
3. Back pain that's from a disc herniation
4. Open wound
5. Infection
6. Recent fragile scar

However, if the patient's wound or scar is stabilized over time I might actually use cutting to facilitate some scar mobility but then definitely no the acute phase of the wound.

In general cupping is a very safe procedure because the protocol is very clearly monitored.

A common myth is it will always create a lot of bruises. This is not true because there are very light techniques and then if the proper after care is done to promote the circulation usually it won't create as much of a bruising like we commonly see on TV.

Call 512.215.4227 to learn more about how you can sign up for a cupping session with one of our Doctors of Physical Therapy.

Physical therapy is a specialty that focuses on optimizing movement. 

The first thing when a client comes to see us is we will do a physical therapy evaluation and a huge part of it is we will perform movement analysis to see what specific exercises the client is complaining of pain or difficult to do. 

We will try to identify which part of the movement has deficits and also identify the underlying cause of the specific deficit.

Is it from weakness of a certain muscle? 

From tightness of another muscle or other related anatomic structures like ligaments, a tendon, or the joint.

After identifying the cause or the involved anatomic structure we then develop a very specific plan of care and exercise program or treatment programs to address those issues. The end goal is to optimize movement to help you return to the activities you used to be able to do.

Call us 512.215.4227 now to start your journey to improved health…

Why you should consider pilates if you or someone you know has scoliosis. 

Hello, my name is Andy Tseng. I'm a physical therapist, occupational therapist as well as a Pilates and Gyrotonic instructor here at CORE Therapy and Pilates.

Scoliosis is a very common condition that we've seen with a lot of our clients and usually, they will suffer from lower back pain, neck pain, shoulder problems, hip problems, and even many other conditions as a result of scoliosis because of the compromised awareness of their body movement and the awareness of their body alignment position in the space.

In this video, I'm going to talk about the benefits of Pilates exercises based on the six principles proposed by Joseph Pilates, the founder of this movement.

Now before we move on we would appreciate that if you could give us a thumb up, subscribe to our channel, and turn on the bell so that you get the most up-to-date information about physical therapy, pilates, Gyrotonic as well as any other wellness, health promotion related content that we put out.

We would also be happy to see if you have any comments, thoughts, or questions that you could leave below and we will be happy to answer any questions for you.

What are the six principles proposed by Joseph Pilates?

1. Breathing

You are required to breathe throughout the whole exercise in order to improve your movement efficiency as well as the stability to holding certain positions.

2. Centering

You are required to engage your core throughout the exercises in order to have better proximal stability at your trunk so that you can move your distal limbs more freely.

3. Concentration

You are required to concentrate on the movement throughout the pilates session, all the time.

4. Precision

Pilates choreography usually involves multiple joints throughout the body from proximal to distal to be held at a different position or to be expected to be moved into different angles or degrees at different times.

5. Flow

Pilates choreography can also be adjusted with different rhythms, speeds, or tempos for different purposes, such as endurance strength, or agility.

6. Control

You are required to control all your body parts while maintaining stability by holding to certain positions at a different speed, tempo, and rhythm throughout the whole session and for each exercise.

Pilates Workout for Scoliosis

Clients with scoliosis would benefit significantly from practicing pilates because of the huge focus on breathing which we all know that the curvature that happened in scoliosis, especially to the thoracic spine can really compromise the mobility of the ribcage and then further compromise the lung function and breathing capacity.

Moreover there will be able to get more movement experiences along the midline and maintaining symmetrical alignment of their body because of the huge focus of centering and precision in pilates choreography.

Clients with scoliosis will also be able to develop a better awareness of movement and how their body is in space by practicing pilates with the focus on concentration, control, and flow.

Since scoliosis is a condition not only affects the alignment of the spine but also compromises the client's awareness of movement their body alignment in space but also their capacity to breathe practicing pilates can be very beneficial for them to improve their general overall motor function as well as the quality of life.

Feel free to let us know what you think about this video. If you would like to learn more about pilates or scoliosis I created another video previously talking more about the six principles proposed by Joseph Pilates.

We also have other videos that are already made talking more in-depth about scoliosis and if you are interested in starting pilates today I would encourage you to go to our website www.therapyandpilates.com to look for more information or give us a call at 512-215-4227.

We are doing our best to help people in Austin and West Lake Hills to be active and fit and return to doing things they enjoy doing. 

We would love to help you as well… have a great day and see you next time.

I have scoliosis. Should I do stretches? Watch this video to find out more. Can you do me a favor and subscribe to our channel by clicking the button you see below to get notified when all of our content comes out?

We provide content on health and wellness, physical therapy, pilates, and Gyrotonic exercises. So why should you do stretches for scoliosis? By the end of this video, you will find out the reasons why it's important to do stretches to help with your scoliosis.

My name is Dr. Danny Masters and I'm a Physical Therapist. I can't wait to help you learn why it's important to do stretches with scoliosis.

What is Scoliosis?  

First off, what is scoliosis? Scoliosis is a curvature in your spine that happens in the lower back, the upper back or it can occur in both. So what it means is that there's a curve in the frontal plane. What that means is when you look at someone's back when they're either bending over or you can look at an x-ray, you'll see a curve in either the two locations that I talked about... so the low back, the middle of the back or it could be in both. 

Now along with having a curvature in the spine, there's also a rotational component. So that means that it's turned to one side or the other along with the curve.

Why is this important? 

So it's important because with these changes you're not having the proper alignment not only in your back but also in your pelvis so and that can lead to changes in muscle length and can lead to pain. 

On the side where the curve happens, so on this side or what we call the convex side, so the muscles on that side of the spine become overly lengthened which can lead to decreased strength, and then you can also get your pelvis raised on that side and you can also have your ribs jutted outward like this.

Now on the other side of the curve, so on the inside of the curve or what we call the concave side, the muscles can become shortened which can also lead to decreased strength but you can also have a lowering of the hip and the pelvis and then your ribs are rotated inward.

So these are all important because when all of these muscles when all of these changes happen, like they shorten or lengthen muscles, the changing in strength, the changing in the position of your pelvis and your hips, your spine and your ribs... this can lead to a lot of problems including breathing issues, pain, difficulties with walking because your body has to compensate for these things which can lead to overuse.

Why is it important to do stretching with these? 

So on that concave side that we talked about where the muscles are shortened, it's important to do those stretches. One to help get the muscles in the proper position but from doing those stretches then you can help realign everything.

So that'll help realign your pelvis, it'll help with getting the proper length in both sides of the muscles, getting the rib cage more in the proper position so that you can assist with breathing, with getting your muscles in a better position to be strengthened and helping to decrease your pain.

Now, after doing all of these stretches... so like I said it can help with pain, it can help with your breathing, and it can help with getting your body in a proper position so that when you're doing everyday activities like walking or things that you need to do like putting away groceries and lifting and all of that kind of stuff your muscles and your body are in a proper alignment so that you can do it without causing yourself pain.

So comment below and let me know how this video helped you. 

So you can click on our website to check out other scoliosis blogs  by our other physical therapists and by our trainers. Okay, thank you for watching. I hope this helped you a whole lot. Now, do you live in the Austin area?

Let's get you in for an evaluation, okay! You can go ahead and call 512-215-4227 to learn more...

Why would back pain stop you from playing pickleball? If you play pickleball yourself or know someone who does, watch this video to learn more.

Now before we move on we would appreciate that if you could subscribe to our channel, give us a thumb up, and also turn on the bell so that you can stay up to date on our content related to physical therapy, pilates, Gyrotonic, and wellness-related content. 

As we all know that pickleball is becoming the fastest growing sport of the entire united states. We also see that many people in Austin are starting to play pickleball and at CORE we are seeing clients coming in having injuries, especially back pain from playing pickleball with their friends. And so we are putting this video together to explain the common mechanism of why back pain could develop from playing pickleball. 

My name is Andy Tseng, I'm a Doctor of Physical Therapy, and Occupational Therapist. I also teach Pilates and Gyrotonic at CORE Therapy and Pilates. We're seeing a lot of clients with different injuries throughout their body but they're mostly back pain from playing pickleball. 

A very common scene we see from clients with pickleball injuries especially back pain was related to how they move their spine and pelvis, especially in rotation. 

If you see the following video clip of me using a stick to demonstrate the swinging and hitting the ball involved in a pickleball game, you will notice that the pelvis is always required to rotate properly throughout the whole game, whichever way or pattern or strategy you are using in order to hit the ball.

But for some reason if the pelvis and the spine does not rotate as they should be that could either be from a spine problem, hip problem, muscle tightness to your lower back spine area, pelvis or even to your legs they can all be reasons why your pelvis and your spine are not rotating properly and that would hinder your performance in playing pickleball and worse getting injured. 

Additionally, it also requires the proper amount of muscle strength, endurance, and even power in order to provide the agility, especially during applicable gain, and for some reason, if we are dealing with muscle weakness or muscle imbalance our body can develop unwanted compensation patterns then that can also lead to injuries in the long run.

Sometimes some people may even have alignment issues or muscle imbalances that they are born with or developed because of their lifestyle, habits, the way they move, their posture and if not addressed these alignment issues and muscle imbalances can cause issues in the long run.

With this being said there are multiple factors that can contribute to injuries, especially back pain for anyone playing pickleball. It could either be a muscle strain issue, flexibility issue, or underlying muscle imbalance alignment issues going on.

Multiple factors can be involved but then usually there is a common scene because the movement pattern that's required in playing pickleball is very similar. But in order to identify certain issues that you may have that may affect how you play pickleball, I would definitely suggest that you see a physical therapist for a thorough movement analysis and evaluation so that we can dig deeper into the movement pattern and even identify if there are any deficits in the way you move. 

I would also suggest that you join our Facebook group specifically created for pickable players in the Austin area where we often share tips and content related to anything about pickleball. 

Again my name is Andy Tseng, Physical Therapist, Occupational Therapist as well as a Pilates and Gyrotonic instructor at CORE Therapy and Pilates.

If you find this video beneficial to you leave us a comment and let us know what you learned from this video and even let us know what other content or topics that you would like us to cover and things you would like to learn more about.

So this concludes the video and I hope you guys have a great day. We will see you next time.

I'm having back pain and I want to get back to playing pickleball. What are my treatment options? Watch this video to find out more.

Can you do me a favor and subscribe to our channel by clicking the button below and be notified when all of our new content comes out. We provide information on health and wellness, physical therapy, Pilates and Gyrotonic exercises.

What treatment is available after a pickleball injury?

So, from our previous video done by Dr. Andy, he talked about different ways that your back may be hurting after a pickleball injury. We're gonna explore in this video different treatment options that are available.

My name is Dr. Daniel Masters, I'm a physical therapist and I've helped many patients with low back pain getting back to doing the things that they love to do, including playing pickleball.

What are some treatment options available for treating your low back pain due to pickleball?

There are many different treatment options available, but in your depending on what stage of recovery you're in.

Acute Stage

In that first stage, or what we call the acute stage, that's very early on, you're in a lot of pain, and your back is pretty inflamed. The treatment for that is kind of is relatively resting, so not lying in bed, but doing motions that don't aggravate your back, helping with the inflammation to calm it down. So, using ice and then you can also use medications such as ibuprofen, to help with pain, and then also that inflammation as well.

Sub Acute Stage

Now once that initial stage has calmed down and your pain is starting to reduce, and you're able to move a lot better, this is called the more sub-acute stage.

This is where we try to focus on improving your how your back is moving, and your strengths. So, these can include things like performing camo exercises for mobility, and then different strengthening exercises for your core. Your inner core and then also your hips to help support your back.

Last Stage

Now lastly, after you've built up, your back pain is improved, your back is moving better your strength has improved in this kind of last stage of the recovery. Then you focus more on your mechanics and getting back to your daily activities. Related to pickleball.

A physical therapist will be able to analyze your swing, your different movements, to make sure that you're performing the proper technique, and then also addressing any restrictions that you may have, which may be causing you to overuse your back.

These can include if your hips aren't moving well if your ankles aren't moving well, a PT will be able to design a specific treatment program for you so that you can get back on the court with a lot less pain.

Comment below and let us know how this video helped you. And you can go ahead and check out our blogs on Pickleball at our website: https://therapyandpilates.com/category/pickleball/

Thank you for watching. Do you live in the Austin area? Are you having problems with low back pain or an injury from pickleball? Feel free to come in and visit us. You can call us at 512-215-4227 to learn more and to set up an initial evaluation.