Anatomy Bites for PT Students and Beyond

Follow Anatomy Bites for PT Students and Beyond
Share on
Copy link to clipboard

Mixing muscle origins, insertions, innervations and actions with grad school advice for physical therapy students, med school students, or undergrads in pursuit of a career in allied health.

Nikki-Rae Alkema


    • Apr 29, 2025 LATEST EPISODE
    • monthly NEW EPISODES
    • 22m AVG DURATION
    • 33 EPISODES


    Search for episodes from Anatomy Bites for PT Students and Beyond with a specific topic:

    Latest episodes from Anatomy Bites for PT Students and Beyond

    Show Me Your Ab...duction! (Shoulder Abduction, That Is)

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 29, 2025 12:58


    What did you think we were gonna say? SMH. Today's episode is all about the mighty shoulder abductors! It's a David vs. Goliath showdown between the deltoids and...you guessed it (or did you?!)... supraspinatus! Come on down to AB town for this next episode chock full of a double trouble episode for those O's, I's, and A's!

    The Quad Pod

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 30, 2025 16:56


    AB's back...back again!Y'all, we are excited to return with an all-new episode of Anatomy Bites. Today's episode features an exciting foursome: the quadriceps! Dive in deep or stay for just a bite of Os, Is, and As... your good old favorite origins, insertions, innervations, and actions of the rectus femoris, vastus medalis, vastus intermedius, and vastus lateralis. Stick around at the end to learn why Nik has a special place in her heart for cycling, soccer, and Apollo Anton Ohno. Sigh.

    Trap Queens

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 3, 2022 26:56


    The trapezius is one of the most talked about muscles and, yet, is so often misunderstood. Tune in to learn more about scapulohumeral rhythm, force couples, and the OIAs (origins/insertions/innervations/actions) of this muscle. Nik also gives her hot takes on training the upper traps, and on burritos and friends. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/anatomybitespod/support

    Do You Know What Your Transversus Abdominis Is Up To?

    Play Episode Listen Later May 30, 2022 38:46


    In this episode, Nik discusses graduation and life after physical therapy school followed by a deep dive into the deep core. Learn about how the transverse abs go way beyond being one of the body's primary stabilizers. The Soda Can Model and a touch of respiration mechanics 101 kick off the inaugural episode of Anatomy Bites' fourth season. And of course, what would the AB be without a healthy dose of the OIAs of the TA? N/A says Dr. A. Hey hey hey! Want some more? Come right this way.

    NPTE Study Strategies for You, My Dear Listeners

    Play Episode Listen Later May 18, 2022 56:18


    In this episode, Nik returns on graduation eve to deliver tried and true tips for how she passed the National Physical Therapy Exam on the first try. Don't freak out, we're here for you! You got this, bb. From exam prep materials to structuring time to controlling test day jitters, Nik's here to help you put your best foot forward in the quest to be ONE and DONE.

    The Great Groin Caper or How I Learned About the Adductors

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 17, 2022 17:53


    What's in a name? Well, a lot apparently. Learn about the sisters of the adductor group, the Adductor Longus and Brevis, and their cousin Pectineus, and why communication about this area has to be crystal clear to avoid a whole lot of awkward conversation. Origins, insertions, innervations, and actions included — of course!

    New Year's Madness and Adductor Magnus

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 2, 2022 22:44


    Welcome back to the Bites! Nik takes us on our inaugural journey of 2022 with Big Baddie Addy. Find out why this muscle is the rockstar of the adductor group, why soccer players need strength here, and how AdMag doesn't need help doing the heavy lifting of three muscles. Origins, insertions, innervations and actions are just the beginning.

    Why I Don't Take Notes Anymore

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 10, 2021 27:30


    In this episode, Nik reveals a candid struggle with finding the right learning technique as a grad student. She discusses visual vs. kinesthetic. vs. auditory learners and how she finally found the optimal study tool for her during COVID. Zoom-School was finally good for something! Womp Womp. Listen and learn how she figured out how to learn… right at the end of her graduate school career (Doh!) … in this funny and earnest self-reflection.

    Peroneals, Peronei, Lend Me Your Ear

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 3, 2021 38:00


    The Bites are back, bishes, and we're coming in strong with fibularis longus and brevis. Nik talks origins, insertions, innervations, and actions of these lateral leg muscles. She discusses why crural is a ridiculous word along with how the peroneus longus works with tibialis posterior in a very functional way! Gait and pronation go hand in hand (err.. foot?) with this discussion as well as a movement analysis and biomechanical debate on knee valgus. Bonus content: Nik talks a very fun adaptive sporting event called Life Rolls On and recaps why and how to stay connected to your “WHY!” Tune in and join the fun, nerds! It's anatomy time! --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

    bites nik lend gait life rolls on
    Two Weeks, Two Lessons

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 8, 2021 24:38


    Join Nik as she reports back from the trenches of her first two weeks in the clinic! As a 3rd year DPT student, she already has some clinical pearls or life lessons to impart from her first full-time clinical experience. Her top two pieces of advice are condensed in a bite-sized chunk, and one of them may surprise you! We'll be back with more anatomy in the next episode! This episode is recommended for physical therapy, medical, nursing, or other health or pre-health students. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

    Physical Therapy is for Data Junkies?

    Play Episode Listen Later May 20, 2021 28:36


    Love crunching numbers? Maybe physical therapy should be on your list of career choices... Join Nik as she explains how physical therapy is as much a science as it is an art. Learn how PT is more than cool exercises... it’s fun for data nerds as well. The scientific method is alive and well when you consider how each patient is a living experiment. Learn about how research and outcome measures are vital to the physical therapist in how interventions are determined and progress is measured. Today, we peek inside the industry to explain what makes PTs different from personal trainers, coaches, and massage therapists. Connect with Nik on social media @nikkidashrae. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

    The Three Amigos: Tibialis Posterior, Flexor Digitorum Longus, and Flexor Hallicus Longus

    Play Episode Listen Later May 17, 2021 38:24


    On the inaugural episode of Nik’s 3rd year of PT school, she shares the OIAs of 3 muscles that (after all the cadaver labs in year 1) continue to elude her. The deep posterior leg muscles (Tom, Dick, and Harry, or is it Dick, Tom, Harry?!) seem to somehow end up in a game of Twister in her mind. If Post Tib, FHL, and FDL trip you up too, you’re not alone. She also discusses how first year students can deal with perfectionism and why it matters early in your medical and allied health graduate school career. Muscle origins, insertions, innervations, and actions are always part of the journey! Good (and bad) study techniques for newbies are also discussed. So come along and dive deep... into the crural waters behind the tibia and fibula with Nik and her two snoring dogs Vida and Zoe. Nik is a 3rd year Doctor of Physical Therapy Student in sunny Southern California, USA. Find her on social media at @nikkidashrae. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

    Rectus Femoris and the L-Spine Blues, (Plus the Anatomy Nerd’s Take on the Silhouette Challenge)

    Play Episode Listen Later May 4, 2021 32:22


    Baby pack much back? Or is it just that tiiiight anterior pelvic tilt? Find out why your big butt might just be a short 1/4 of the quadriceps. Hate to break it to you that your quads may be behind the sway in your lumbar lordosis. Get Nik’s take on the red screen Silhouette Challenge on TikTok and how we’re all going to end up with low back pain if we keep using spinal curves to compensate for a tiny tush. End result, learn how to deadlift. Also, a bit of review on passive insufficiency and the hamstring connection for your ACL injury prevention for the soccer and basketball players out there. It all goes back to origins, insertions, Innervations, and actions. Obviously. Find me on the socials @nikkidashrae. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

    Sternocleidomastoid and the Plight of Text Neck

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 20, 2021 26:52


    Sternocleido-who? SCM is a pain in the neck. Problems with this muscle affects everyone from the teeniest of babies to your Grandma who plays too much Candy Crush on her iPhone. Join Nik as she discusses origins, insertions, innervations, and actions of the two-headed beast in the front of your neck that hangs out with forward head posture, torticollis, and vigorous inspiration in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease. This episode includes practice of your surface anatomy as well, so come along with us for another anatomy bite. Find Nik on social media @nikkidashrae. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

    The Hamstrings, Eccentric Muscle Contractions, and Passive Insufficiency In Your Downward Facing Dog

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 2, 2021 45:16


    Join Nik for a meaty episode about the hamstring muscle group (Biceps femoris, Semitendinosus, and Semimembranosus). Here she gives real world examples from her days of teaching yoga on how "tight" hamstrings are making it hard to touch your toes in Forward Fold and why you don't need straight knees in Down Dog. Lastly, Nik gives another biomechanics lesson on muscle contractions (concentric, isometric, and eccentric), bringing in more examples from the gait cycle. Learn what happens when your posture leaves perfect alignment and how walking is basically nothing but a controlled fall...oh yeah, and why your hamstrings keep you from doing backflips every time you take a step. Origins, insertions, innervations, and actions are ALWAYS included. Chow down. This one takes a bit to digest. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

    Good Ol' Gastrocnemius, Soleus, and A Biomechanics Lesson on Calf Cramps

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 20, 2021 29:49


    Today, Nik dives in DEEP... errr, and superficial on the posterior tibia to talk about all things gastrosoleus. She reviews dorsiflexion vs. plantarflexion, touches on the talocrural joint, and enters the wild world of passive insufficiency vs. active insufficiency with a live demo that you can follow along to feel it in your own body. Join the fun, and try not to give yourself a cramp in the calves. Origins, insertions, innervations, and actions, of course are included. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

    The Talocrural Joint or How Sports Made Me Fall in Love With Feet

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 23, 2021 28:05


    In a totally appropriate, clinically-relevant way (obvi)! Join Nik as she talks ankles! The mortise joint ... also known as the joint that we all have upset at some time or another in our lives. Learn about the attachments and stabilizing structures of the TC joint as well as ways to make studying the ankle-foot complex less daunting. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

    Shoulder joint capsule and more COVID updates

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 4, 2020 22:33


    Nik's baaaaack and talking about joint capsules, as promised! Specifically, the GH aka glenohumeral joint capsule is making its debut on the show. Learn how the capsule does and doesn't protect this joint and what happens when it fails. A little tissue mechanics, a little anatomy, and a whole lot of rotator cuff stuff included in today's episode. And let's not forget ligaments galore. Nik also discusses the latest impacts of COVID on her DPT program. PT school is hard without a pandemic, see what she says about the latest developments at her large So Cal campus. DM Nik at @nikkidashrae on IG or Twitter. FB... meh. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

    Good enough

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 3, 2020 15:31


    Nik shares thoughts on being ok with being "good enough," battling perfectionism, and being a PT student during COVID. She provides advice on checking in with your study habits and offers an interesting twist to being a better student in the virtual learning "Zoom school" era. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

    Tensor Fascia Lata and Why Memorization Sucks for Learning Anatomy

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 29, 2020 11:03


    TFL (aka tensor fasciae latae) isn’t your next order at Starbucks (although that's a pretty great meme if you've ever seen it).  It’s an important muscle of the hip.  But what does it do?  To find out tune in…discover where it starts, where it goes, and what it does in today’s anatomy bite.  Also, Nik shares an embarrassing story about TFL that you may not want to miss, involving a real life example of how straight up memorization of anatomy sucks/doesn't develop your clinical judgment. Contact me on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter:  @nikkidashrae Links to some of resources that may enhance the material in this episode: 5’6” Skeleton Model:  https://amzn.to/2JYTyXt Atlas of Surface Palpation:  https://amzn.to/2yVLV1O Muscles Testing and Function with Posture and Pain, 5th Ed. (Kendall, et al.):  https://amzn.to/2V3135U Atlas of Human Anatomy, 7th Ed. (Frank H. Netter, MD):  https://amzn.to/2K0yFey As an Amazon Associate, your purchase of texts through clicking these links helps to fund this podcast.  Thanks for your support!  :-) --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

    Psoas major and Iliacus (aka Iliopsoas) + Psoas Minor

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 22, 2020 15:35


    Today, we discuss the origins, insertions, innervations, and actions (OIAs) of the Psoas major and Iliacus (aka Iliopsoas), as well as their little buddy, Psoas minor.  These muscles span a big range, from the lumbar spine to the pelvis and femur.  Which ones act on the spine, which ones act on the hip?  To find out tune in…discover where they start, where they go, and what they do in today’s anatomy bite. Contact me on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter:  @nikkidashrae Links to some of resources that may enhance the material in this episode: 5’6” Skeleton Model:  https://amzn.to/2JYTyXt Atlas of Surface Palpation:  https://amzn.to/2yVLV1O Muscles Testing and Function with Posture and Pain, 5th Ed. (Kendall, et al.):  https://amzn.to/2V3135U Atlas of Human Anatomy, 7th Ed. (Frank H. Netter, MD):  https://amzn.to/2K0yFey As an Amazon Associate, your purchase of texts through clicking these links helps to fund this podcast.  Thanks for your support!  :-) --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

    Gemellus superior, Gemellus inferior, and Quadratus femoris

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 21, 2020 9:18


    Today, we discuss the origins, insertions, innervations, and actions (OIAs) of the Gemelli TWINS and their cousin QF (Gemellus superior, Gemellus inferior, and Quadratus femoris).  These muscle are primarily hip rotators.  Find out what else they do in today’s anatomy bite. Contact me on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter:  @nikkidashrae Links to some of resources that may enhance the material in this episode: 5’6” Skeleton Model:  https://amzn.to/2JYTyXt Atlas of Surface Palpation:  https://amzn.to/2yVLV1O Muscles Testing and Function with Posture and Pain, 5th Ed. (Kendall, et al.):  https://amzn.to/2V3135U Atlas of Human Anatomy, 7th Ed. (Frank H. Netter, MD):  https://amzn.to/2K0yFey As an Amazon Associate, your purchase of texts through clicking these links helps to fund this podcast.  Thanks for your support!  :-) --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

    Obturator internus

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 19, 2020 7:50


    Today, we discuss the origins, insertions, innervations, and actions (OIAs) of obturator internus.  This muscle is a rotator of the hip and makes up part of the pelvic floor.  Find out what else it does in today’s anatomy bite. Contact me on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter:  @nikkidashrae Links to some of resources that may enhance the material in this episode: 5’6” Skeleton Model:  https://amzn.to/2JYTyXt Atlas of Surface Palpation:  https://amzn.to/2yVLV1O Muscles Testing and Function with Posture and Pain, 5th Ed. (Kendall, et al.):  https://amzn.to/2V3135U Atlas of Human Anatomy, 7th Ed. (Frank H. Netter, MD):  https://amzn.to/2K0yFey As an Amazon Associate, your purchase of texts through clicking these links helps to fund this podcast.  Thanks for your support!  :-) --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

    Piriformis

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 16, 2020 11:17


    Ahh, piriformis. You little stinker. Yoga teachers, fitness instructors, and trainers love to blame for this guy for so much… piriformis syndrome, for starters.  Today, we discuss the origins, insertions, innervations, and actions (OIAs) of this pyramid-shaped muscle.  Is pigeon pose going to cure all your piriformis ailments?  Let’s take a looksy. Contact me on Instagram/Twitter/Facebook:  @nikkidashrae Links to some of resources that may enhance the material in this episode: 5’6” Skeleton Model:  https://amzn.to/2JYTyXt Atlas of Surface Palpation:  https://amzn.to/2yVLV1O Muscles Testing and Function with Posture and Pain, 5th Ed. (Kendall, et al.):  https://amzn.to/2V3135U Atlas of Human Anatomy, 7th Ed. (Frank H. Netter, MD:  https://amzn.to/2K0yFey As an Amazon Associate, your purchase of texts through clicking these links helps to fund this podcast.  Thanks for your support!  :-) --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

    Gluteus minimus

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 15, 2020 5:52


    The littlest of the glutes still deserves its day to shine.  Gluteus minimus gets the spotlight today.  Learn about the deepest of the glute muscles, including origins, insertions, innervations, and actions (the OIAs).  Play this recording to supplement your learning in your anatomy class or to simply nerd out on the wee glute. Contact me on Instagram/Twitter/Facebook:  @nikkidashrae Links to some of resources that may enhance the material in this episode: 5’6” Skeleton Model:  https://amzn.to/2JYTyXt Atlas of Surface Palpation:  https://amzn.to/2yVLV1O Muscles Testing and Function with Posture and Pain, 5th Ed. (Kendall, et al.):  https://amzn.to/2V3135U Atlas of Human Anatomy, 7th Ed. (Frank H. Netter, MD:  https://amzn.to/2K0yFey As an Amazon Associate, your purchase of texts through clicking these links helps to fund this podcast.  Thanks for your support!  :-) --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

    Distance Learning: Tips for Studying Anatomy Online During COVID

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 12, 2020 28:35


    In the times of COVID-19 quarantine, studying anatomy has changed. Nik provides tips on her favorite study techniques make the best of online learning at home, including some ways to engage a variety of learning styles. Whether you’re an audio, visual, or kinesthetic learner, Nik offers suggestions to make anatomy come to life in a time when Coronavirus has challenged us to do our best to study outside of the cadaver lab. This episode covers ways to study osteology as well as muscle OIIA’s in a way that provides new meaning, in addition to nervous system and cardiovascular structures. What are some ways that you have studied anatomy in a distance learning format? Drop Nik a line on IG @nikkidashrae. Thanks for listening! Contact me on Instagram: @nikkidashrae Links to some of the resources mentioned in this episode include: Atlas of Surface Palpation: https://amzn.to/2yVLV1O 5’6” Skeleton Model: https://amzn.to/2y8OXPW Wendy Riggs YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/wendogg1/featured Crash Course Anatomy: https://www.youtube.com/user/crashcourse As an Amazon Associate, your purchase of resources through clicking these links helps to fund this podcast. Thanks for your support! :-) --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

    Tips for Studying Cranial Nerves

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 2, 2020 17:31


    Ohhh, the headache of Cranial Nerves (pun somewhat intended)... Today, Nik discusses helpful tips for studying the Cranial Nerves including how to organize and categorize the relevant info on these nerves. She begins with a brief discussion on what Cranial Nerves are and why we need to know them. Links to texts mentioned in this episode include: Netter's Atlas of Human Anatomy: https://amzn.to/2UB9sNY Anatomy: A Photographic Atlas: https://amzn.to/2R6tFsN As an Amazon Associate, your purchase of texts through clicking these links helps to fund this podcast. Thanks for your support! :-) --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

    Education in the midst of COVID-19

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 18, 2020 13:35


    Checking in on the status of PT school with online instruction during the Coronavirus quarantine. Nik shares some work-from-home tips from a past career and shares what life is like in Southern California during the recent pandemic. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

    Gluteus medius

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 31, 2020 13:49


    OIIA’s (origins/insertions/innervations/actions) for glute med as well as some tidbits of what makes this muscle and important part of our daily lives. Special thanks for cheesy 90’s workout videos for making us appreciate GMed in a new light. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

    Anatomy Lab: Dissection Reflections

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 10, 2020 31:20


    If you’re a student in healthcare, chances are that you’ll have to do something most people never have to do: dissect a human cadaver. Here are some of my own reflections on the PT school dissection experience. Warning: this episode contains details of anatomy dissection lab, and may not be appropriate for all listeners. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

    3 Quick Tips for Organized Test Taking

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 27, 2019 11:37


    Ever wonder how to be a better test taker? Here’s three simple things you can do today to change the way you look at your exams... from my experience taking the Law School Admissions Test... 800 years ago. And I still use these today. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

    Gluteus Maximus

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 20, 2019 11:39


    Go big or go home!! Perhaps the most adored muscle in this day and age... we start our anatomy journey with glute max and Nik offers some tips on how to study for anatomy in PT school. Follow Nik online @nikkidashrae on IG and on the Twitter. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

    Anatomy Bites Podcast (Trailer)

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 20, 2019 0:58


    Claim Anatomy Bites for PT Students and Beyond

    In order to claim this podcast we'll send an email to with a verification link. Simply click the link and you will be able to edit tags, request a refresh, and other features to take control of your podcast page!

    Claim Cancel