Fix Your Pain Naturally, Ask Dr. Heather

Thoracic Outlet Syndrome, or TOS, is a term that is tossed around often but can feel difficult to diagnose and treat. Often defined by compression of nerves and vascular structures that originate in the cervical region and the upper extremity, compression of these structures can result in numbness and tingling, general discomfort in the upper extremity and chest, and even result in feelings of fatigue and heaviness in the arm and hand. These nerves and vascular structures typically become compressed in the area just above the first rib and behind the clavicle after they originate from the cervical region.Pillow recommendation

So many runners are told to STOP running when they get diagnosed with Osteoarthritis.  Dr. Heather is going to tell you that you can run again which is why she is going to give you 5 tips to help you get back to your favorite past time.  Pay attention to all of them especially #4 as this is a secret tip which has helped many of her runners succeed when they thought they would never run again.  Want to read the full article Dr. Heather mentions in the video on the Synvisc shot

Why would a majority of influencers like  @athleanx ,  @drkristieennis ,  @BobandBrad ,  @LeeWeiland and  @calimove (probably even more) say to STOP DOING PLANKS?  It got me thinking are they wrong or right about whether planks were indeed a poor exercise to do.  So I decided to sit down, watch their videos, read through their comments, dig deeper into what health professionals are saying about planks in order to really come to conclusion on this topic.  ⭐⭐ Let's get a discussion going on this topic ⭐⭐Grab my FREE Ebook here

Had such a fun time discussing health and wellness with my very good friend Ella Ray.  Ella's podcast and YouTube channel focuses on these topics: mindset, personal branding, marketing, sales, automation, AI, communication, parenting, relationships, finance, leadership, as well as health and fitness.  It was such an honor to be featured on her show as we talked in depth on "understanding why you hurt and how to heal".  I highly encourage everyone to check it out today!We also discussed my new book which will be released in September (pre-sale August) so stay tuned for more details.Check out her new book "Learning Through Pain":https://www.askdoctorheather.com/learning-through-pain-anthologySupport the showSubscribe to Dr. Heather's YouTube Channel for more great videos:https://www.youtube.com/@askdoctorheatherConnect with Dr. Heather on Social Media:

Chiropractic adjustments - getting adjusted helps in preventing injuries because an adjustment is considered a “super” stretch. What happens when an adjustment to the spine, pelvis, or extremity is made, a neurological signal is sent into the belly of the muscle which tells the muscle to relax allowing for more flexibility/mobility to happen at that specific joint area. Want to grab the complete guide?Click here

Graston - involves using curved metal tools to apply pressure and friction across the injured muscle, fascia, or tendon. Graston Technique works by stretching the outer layer of the "onion" and breaking it into several pieces. The Graston instruments use shear force to pull the top fascial layer across the bottom fascial layer. This pulling motion breaks up the scar tissue between the layers. The broken scar tissue triggers healing mechanisms to migrate into the tissue and properly repair the muscles and soft tissues. Now this may seem very tortuous but it is extremely effective at breaking down the tissue. Want to grab the complete guide?Click here

Active Release technique - involves the practitioner using his or her hands to apply pressure to the muscles surrounding the injured area, while flexing and extending the joints they are connected to. Using ART as a part of your regular training regimen can keep you on track with your training schedule! Many successful athletes stay fit by preventing injury and staying injury free. It's not unusual for a runner to not even realize that a problem is developing until there is a symptom. Oftentimes, a runner won't even realize that they are headed toward an overuse injury until it's too late. This is where Active Release Technique can be the most beneficial – warding off potential time lost to injury. Want to grab the complete guide?Click here

Corrective exercises - if you have been following me on social media or seen any of my videos on the YouTube Channel then you would know how much I emphasize the use of corrective exercises to help heal an injured area as well as preventing a new injury from setting in. Understanding your biomechanics and your muscle imbalances (weakness) helps in figuring out which corrective exercises are appropriate for you. Granted a lot of the correctives you would do to help prevent injuries from occurring would be core base strength exercises. Want to grab the complete guide?Click here

TENS unit - you may have heard of a TENS unit. You may have even gone out and bought one. A TENS unit is designed as a pain management device which can help in recovery after a long run as well as with helping in increasing the healing time if you are faced with a current injury. Many of the runners I have worked with, have used their TENS unit to help ensure that an old injury did not flare up again by using it specifically on their recovery days. Want to grab the complete guide? Click here

Hire a coach - this one may seem more obvious but having a professional initially guide you based on your running history, your muscle imbalances, prior injuries and goals can help you avoid an injury without a doubt. This is a more expensive option but it is worth every penny! Want to grab the complete guide? Click here

Hydration - A lot of people forget how important water is when it comes to tissue repair and recovery. Your body needs both water and electrolytes (sodium, potassium, magnesium, calcium, and chloride) to support normal muscle contractions. When we do not have enough fluid in our systems we can experience muscle cramps, joint friction and more cartilage wear especially around the knees. Staying hydrated helps in reducing the inflammation that may arise from micro tears or micro trauma that can occur from rigorous training. Want the complete guide? Click here

Core training - Enhancing core stability through exercise is common to musculoskeletal injury prevention programs. Definitive evidence demonstrating an association between core instability and injury is lacking; however, multifaceted prevention programs including core stabilization exercises appear to be effective at reducing lower extremity injury rates. By strengthening the core a majority of aches, pains and/or stiffness can be relieved as it does reset your muscle firing patterns through a neurological synaptic connection. A majority of the runner's I work with have noticed remarkable improvement in their overall performance by simply adding in some specific core strengthening exercises. Want to grab the complete guide? Click here

Balance training - since a majority of injuries runners face are lower body extremity related, balance training becomes an essential part in preventing injuries from recurring or arising. We have to remember that running is a single leg sport. So doing single leg exercises becomes key in making sure we have good mobility at the foot/ankle. Gaining proprioception and awareness of our body in space is extremely important for injury prevention for runners. These exercises will build both muscular endurance and balance needed for safe running. Want to grab the complete guide? Click here

Understanding prior injuries - When I work with runners the #1 topic we discuss first is their prior injuries. Understanding your injuries and how they may have altered your running gait is really important in figuring out how to keep you injury free. A lot of times it's remembering to go back to some of those initial rehab or corrective exercises to ensure that the correct muscle firing patterns are happening so the injury can be prevented. Want to grab the complete guide? Click here

Nutrition is a whole topic in itself but to summarize, nutrition can help by decreasing the inflammation our bodies generally make when we train hard or if we do feel an initial strain or pull after a run. Using various types of vitamins, supplements and minerals can help our bodies achieve the optimal performance we are striving for examples: Omegas, Turmeric, Biotin, Magnesium, Calcium, Bromlin, Complex B vitamin. Grab the complete guide click here

If you are new to running then you may be wondering why this one has been placed on the list. By reviewing the runs we did last year helps us understand a few things. It allows us to see where we still need more work like on long distance events, hilly courses, changes in altitude or extreme weather changes like humidity or cold. The other part it allows us to look at is whether or not we experienced an injury and how that impacted not just our physical state but our mental state. Want to grab the complete guide? Click here

Heart rate training - This is a style of training that can definitely help in making sure we do not create an overuse injury from overtraining. If you are new to running you may not be aware of the importance of Heart Rate Training. The concept here is that you train your aerobic system without overstressing your skeletal and muscular systems. Heart-rate training uses your heart rate or beats per minute (bpm) as a guide to hitting a certain running intensity. Instead of training at a specific pace, you use a heart-rate monitor to train at a specific effort level for a set amount of time. To grab the complete guide, click here

Understanding the surface you will be training on will help in understanding what potential injuries could arise. Sprains/Tendinitis/Overuse injuries can be the result of increasing mileage too quickly and steep or incline ie. hills. Hills build strength, and this power, when exercised on flat terrain, translates to speed. That same kind of logic applies to doing repeats on grass; the times may be "slower," but you're working harder and building strength. Running on softer, more forgiving surfaces helps reduce impact and thus lowers your chances for injuries in the long term. Trail running is about as diverse as running can get: twists, turns, awkward foot-plants aplenty. You need to be sure your ankles and feet are used to landing in various positions. Click here to book your free gait analysis

If you are someone who does suffer with neck pain, low back pain or hip pain then you'll want to listen in close. The Centers for Disease Control reports that approximately one third of adults in the United States regularly get less than the recommended amount of sleep each night, and CST hopes to contribute to a solution. On this podcast I have Robert Zukowski, CEO of Custom Sleep Technology. At Custom Sleep Technology, they understand that many people prioritize other aspects of their lives over sleep quality and quantity. In order to maximize the impact of their customers' sleep, Custom Sleep Technology has applied over fifteen years of research, development, feedback, and experience into creating the optimal mattresses of our ColorComfortSleepSystem™ line. Each of their mattresses are fully customized to the consumer, carefully taking several bodily measurements into account in order to create the absolute best possible mattress at each price. Like I stated it's rare I endorse products. To check out their products click here:

Interval training - helps new runners take time to adapt to the rigors and impact of running as their muscles and bones adapt to the new activity. An interval is simply a set period of time where you are running at a certain pace and then taking a break for a certain period of time. An example would be 30 seconds for an all-out sprint followed by 30 seconds of rest, or it could be a 10-minute interval at tempo pace followed by a two-minute jog, This is extremely important to help new runners avoid such injuries as shin splints, plantar fasciitis and the potential for a stress fracture. Intervals can be slow, moderately paced, or fast. Grab the complete guide by clicking here

Acupuncture helps release tight muscles so that the body's structure can return to normal. It does so by needling the tight muscle directly and getting it to release and return to a more normal state. When muscles get tight and pull on the bones they attach to it creates pain. An injury like runner's knee is often caused by tight quad muscles because those muscles attach to the knee and more specifically to the patellar tendon that runs into the knee. When the quads are tight they pull on the knee and can move the tracking of the patella out of place which results in pain. Releasing a tight quad muscle will restore the muscle back to it's normal length and help the patella move back into place which will reduce the pain due to the patella being slightly out of place. Acupuncture can also help prevent running injuries by keeping muscles loose and identifying any possible areas of weakness or imbalance. Click here to grab the 27 Tips & Tricks on Injury Prevention for Runners

Proper training plans - Finding a good training plan or run plan or even joining a run club will help in reducing your chances of experiencing an injury. The reason being it keeps you from over training or over doing it too soon or too quickly. Having a plan and sticking with it helps us achieve our goals! Grab the complete guide by clicking here

It's important that we add in strength exercises to help decrease the chances of an overuse injury from setting in. Remember doing one activity like running can put additional stress/strain on our muscles, joints and ligaments so it's important to design a training schedule that is balanced. The other piece of the puzzle is to make sure the strength exercises you choose to include in your training compliments your muscle imbalances/weakness. Click here to read the study

Dry needling utilizes acupuncture needles as treatment tools, but is not acupuncture. Dry needling activates the body's natural healing potential by specifically targeting and balancing the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems to facilitate healing on a cellular level (at the site of the needle insertion or the injured body area). Dry needling treatment utilizing the Integrated Neuromuscular Acupoint System is painless 80% of the time. While some practitioners “manipulate” the needle upon insertion, pain-free insertion of the needle alone begins the self-healing process without unnecessary pain to the patient. This process has proven to be very effective. Click here to grab the complete guide

Dr. Heather tells you how to make an ice cup which can be used to help treat tendonitis symptoms around the elbow, knee, ankle and even shoulder. Materials needed to make an ice cup are - a dixie cup, paper cup like the short cup Dr. Heather picked up at Starbucks or a styrofoam cup. Fill the cup up almost to the top. Freeze it overnight so the ice becomes really solid. Tear away the top part of the cup so the ice is exposed then start massaging the ice on the inflamed area. As the ice melts, tear more of the cup to expose more ice. Make sure to place a towel underneath you so you do not get wet. Remember, if you are someone who reacts to ice please do not use this technique as the ice goes directly on the skin here. You will massage the area for about 5mins and you should notice the different stages of ice being felt. The four stages are: cold, burning, aching and then numb. After you use the ice cup massage over the injured area, you could do a little cross friction massage to the area as well to help promote a quicker recovery time. Connect with Dr. Heather on Social Media:

Did you know that swimming can actually make you faster? There's a secret little known fact that if you include swimming into your training, you will actually become a faster runner. And you might be wondering how? So there are five main key points that we need to address in why swimming will help you become a faster runner. Ankle strength and ankle mobility: So a lot of my runners are really surprised at when I give them a specific kicking program that is designed around really focusing on ankle strength and ankle mobility. And how do you do that? By adding resistance in the water by the use of some flippers, You can allow for the foot and ankle to have greater range of motion and allow for the calves, the Solus and the Tibialis Anterior to become a lot stronger than what does that mean for you?That means that your landing and push off are gonna be a lot better for your run. Core Strength: Now, the second thing is, swimming helps increase your core strength and you might be going okay. Well, how does that really happen? Well, if you think about it, swimming is one of those activities that requires you to have really good strength, surrounded by your core. That's how you're gonna actually make that movement happen a lot faster in the water. So if you understand how to connect the dots between increasing your lower body strength and your upper body strength at the same time, you're gonna notice that the power is gonna be really generated from the core. Now, when we run, we wanna actually have that same thing. We don't want our legs doing all the work. We wanna essentially harness that power from stimulating our core by allowing ourselves to have a better postural stance while running. So that's something that swimming's gonna help you really achieve. Arm Swing: Now, the third thing we wanna look at is the fact that when we run, we wanna have a good arm swing. It all comes down to the fact that we need to really make sure that our subscapularis muscle is working. Huh? Yeah, our subscapularis muscle. That is the muscle that sits underneath our shoulder blade. So when we are bringing that arm in front and we're drawing it through the water. The action really isn't coming from the Glenohumeral joint, but it's actually from our shoulder girdle. Mainly the entire shoulder complex - the glenohumeral joint plus the scapula. That's really allowing for that pull to happen in the water. A lot of that's being done from our subscapularis muscle, which is one of the four rotator cuff muscles. But then again, it's allowing for our lats, they're hugely important for our arm swing as well to focus on. You know, depressing the shoulder blades down and back and allowing for better mobility of the arm. Diaphragmatic Breathing: The other thing is to focus on the fact that swimming requires more of diaphragmatic breathing. Now, if you are somebody who is one of those runners, who's always like, okay, I feel like every time I try to run faster, I'm struggling with my breathing. Swimming will allow for you to kind of go ahead and start practicing diaphragmatic breathing, which also means too, you're gonna notice that your neck isn't gonna tense up as much. You're not gonna feel this intense kind of pressure within the chest. You're gonna feel much more ease when running, because your chest wall is gonna be open a lot more allowing for more oxygen to kind of come in as you start kicking up that pace and allowing for that heart rate to stay nice and low. Cold Water Therapy: Now the very last thing that swimming really does have a great benefit is the fact that it helps with recovery just simply because a lot of times the water that we're swimming in is a lot cooler. So it allows for our muscles to have a greater recovery time. Now, this is really key as well, because we know that the more that we train, the more that we are gonna create some micro tears. And we wanna really keep those injuries down because guess what? We're all about injury prevention while accelerating and achieving our optimal performance.

If you want to grab the complete guide click here

If you want to grab the complete guide click here

Do you know what a TRX is? Maybe you have seen them at the gym. But did you know they can be used to do resistance stretching? I'm Dr. Heather, your virtual sports chiropractor. Over the course of the next 27 weeks you'll be able to catch all 27 tips and tricks right here on the channel. This entire series is brought to you by my signature course, the 3 week sports chiropractic program where I look at getting you pain free in under 3 weeks so you can get back to the activity you love most.

Who here has watched live sports? We all have. Have you seen the trainer on the sidelines stretching out the athlete on the field and wondered what form of stretching that was. I'm Dr. Heather, your virtual sports chiropractor. Over the course of the next 27 weeks you'll be able to catch all 27 tips and tricks right here on the podcast. This entire series is brought to you by my signature course, the 3 week sports chiropractic program where I look at getting you pain free in under 3 weeks so you can get back to the activity you love most. If you want to grab the complete guide click here

Active stretching is something you may see your fellow runners doing at the beginning of a race and wonder, should I do what they are doing? I'm Dr. Heather, your virtual sports chiropractor. Over the course of the next 27 weeks you'll be able to catch all 27 tips and tricks right here on the channel. This entire series is brought to you by my signature course, the 3 week sports chiropractic program where I look at getting you pain free in under 3 weeks so you can get back to the activity you love most. If you want to grab the complete guide click here

Foam rolling and/massage ball - learning how to effectively use a foam roller and a massage ball will be a game changer for most runners. The concept behind foam rolling and using a massage ball on specific areas of the body is to break down the tissue to allow for increased flexibility & mobility to occur. Some runners like doing a little rolling prior to their runs regardless of mileage but the real benefit comes in post runs. Want your own copy of the 27 Injury Prevention Tips & Tricks for Runners, grab it here! Connect with Dr. Heather on Social Media:

Soft tissue work ie. massage therapist (deep massage, sports specific or cupping) - with the Pandemic pretty much over and many restrictions lifted throughout the world, getting a massage by a licensed massage therapist is a strong option to help prevent running injuries. Look for a massage therapist who has experience working with athletes (specifically runners) as they will more than likely know how to do a psoas release since the hip flexors tend to cause the most problems for runners especially when they increase mileage & intensity. Want your own copy of the 27 Injury Prevention Tips & Tricks for Runners, grab it here! Connect with Dr. Heather on Social Media:

I have seen several posts regarding knee pain so I thought maybe you would all appreciate a little free medical advice. The two most common knee pain/discomfort are IT band and patellofemoral tracking issues. IT band pain is very common among runners and the pain is found on the outside of the knee. The iliotibial band is a thick band of fascia on the lateral aspect of the knee, extending from the outside of the pelvis, over the hip and knee, and inserting just below the knee. The band is crucial to stabilizing the knee during running, as it moves from behind the femur to the front of the femur during activity. The continual rubbing of the band over the lateral femoral epicondyle, combined with the repeated flexion and extension of the knee during running may cause the area to become inflamed. Pain is usually felt when the foot strikes the ground. Pain can pain be felt during or can intensify after activity or a few days after. For runners specifically, neuromuscular/gait training may be needed for success in muscular training interventions to ensure that those trained muscles are used properly in the mechanics of running. Strength training alone will not result in decrease in pain due to ITBS, however, gait training, on its own can result in running form modification that reduces the prevalence of risk factors. Patellofemoral tracking aka runners' knees results from problems with the kneecap and femur. Pain may worsen with sitting, excessive use, or climbing and going down the stairs. The most common symptom is diffuse vague pain around the kneecap and localized pain focused behind the kneecap. The pain is usually achy and sometimes sharp. And you could experience the feeling of “giving way of the knee” with this condition as well. When looking at treatment other than rest and ice, we look at strengthening the quad muscle because in many cases it is weak. Specifically the vastus medialis muscles also known as your VMO. There's an imbalance here between the four muscles that make up the quad which is why a majority of time strengthening the VMO will make the most difference. Other muscles that may aid in correcting the problem are - hip abductor, extensor and external rotator muscles. The final piece to assisting individuals who do suffer with this condition is looking at the biomechanics when running. A majority of individuals who have patellofemoral tracking issues are overpronators. This is where getting fitted properly for sneakers is so important and having customized insoles to help maintain proper balance between the foot/ankle & knee. I hope everyone finds this information helpful and educational as that's its purpose. Happy running everyone! Click here to watch the video and don't forget to subscribe to the channel Grab your FREE 7 Day All Access Pass to my Myofascial Release Online Course Connect with Dr. Heather on Social Media:

How many are guilty of running through pain? Like real pain? We have all been there. We start out, maybe we have some initial stiffness, tightness, even mild discomfort but we think “ah, it will die down as my body warms up”. And then, while we are on our run pain sets in. We think “I can tough this out”. Once we get home maybe the pain dies down even more and we think “ok, guess it was nothing”. So this is what I want to address with everyone as we map out our race/event year...do not ignore the pain. Pay attention to it. Why? Because if we don't it will lead to an injury that could wind up setting you back even further than you may realize. Let's look at all the races (virtual of course) that you did last year. Think of how many of those races did you have pain or discomfort somewhere in your body. Are you with me? This is the time to address those imbalances. Those weaknesses that lead to the injuries you sustained last year. I have created 5 tips for runners to help keep everyone injury free so you can continue to do what you love without hesitation or worry. These were also designed for every type of runner - beginner or seasoned and regardless of age. Tip #1 - Myofascial Release (aka. Foam Rolling or Massage Ball) Last week I wrote about the importance of myofascial work because it is actually the key in making sure you stay injury free. Many of you expressed having multiple areas of either tightness, pain and/or discomfort in response to the post. Now if you were to use a foam rolling or a massage ball AFTER (that's very important to know) then you will see a decrease in those problematic areas Tip #2 - Understanding the muscles involved in running Last year I wrote a post where I broke down the muscles involved in running. Everything from the low back/hip all the way down to the foot/ankle. Now you do not have to be an expert on anatomy or the physiology involved. But it is important to understand which muscle or muscle groups should be engaging and why. There is a science behind running. Once you know which muscles are not working correctly you can focus on correcting those muscle imbalances through various strength training exercises. Tip #3 - Rest/Recovery In another post I wrote about the importance of rest and recovery days factored into your training schedule. Now there is a lot of debate over the topic. Recovery days are seen as days where you might choose a different activity like a yoga workout or a hike or it's more a core workout or it's your day to focus more on flexibility/mobility work. An actual rest day is a day of no activity other than daily life activities. If you are new to running you may benefit more from an actual rest day. And if you are a seasoned runner you may benefit more from a recovery day or a combination of the two depending on what type of event you are training for. Tip #4 - Proper shoe fitting and gait analysis. Probably about 6 months ago I wrote about what a gait analysis is and how proper footwear is extremely important to help prevent injuries from setting in. Understanding how our foot and ankle work with each other is extremely helpful when figuring out the proper footwear. For those that are beginner runners this is something I would highly recommend you look into. This will help decrease your chances of shin splints and possibly even tight calves from hindering your running journey. Tip #5 - Nutrition This is another important factor that I addressed last year when a lot of people were actually using running as a way to lose weight thanks to all the gyms, rec centers, other facilities being shut down due to the Pandemic. Now I am not talking about using a specific diet or nutritional plan here. It is important to know how what you eat affects your body in terms of inflammation build up. By eating a clean, healthy diet your body is less likely to have an inflammatory build up inside. If you are experiencing a pain symptom or having discomfort there are certain minerals like Magnesium which can help in reducing the inflammation in the body. As always I hope you found these tips helpful and there are so many more we could address but like I said these would be my top 5. Wishing everyone a wonderful weekend filled with running! Running Through Pain Video Link Connect with Dr. Heather on Social Media:

I think so many of us are scared when we start running again. We suddenly think - that if we increase my mileage too much too soon, will my knees, hips and even my back start to show signs of pain/discomfort especially if we are overweight or older or returning from an injury. As someone who does work with a host of runners, including novice and beginners as well as those returning from an injury here is what I would recommend…. 1) Pace yourself. Start slow and combine your run with a few minutes of walking. Example run the flats, walk the hills and run downs and repeat. This is also great in helping you focus more on your breathing which will help in keeping your heart rate at a nice even pace. 2) Know your limitations. When you first start back check in with yourself like I know knees can act up after the knee so I need to be mindful that once I get home I do a little self care like stretching, foam rolling and maybe an epsom salt bath 3)Don't run everyday. Make sure you are getting in proper recovery days to allow your body a chance to heal 4) Look at your nutrition. Understanding the importance of decreasing foods that naturally increase inflammation in our bodies will also help with muscle recovery along with proper hydration. 5) Include some flexibility and mobility exercises into your weekly routine to help decrease the chance of too much soreness or a potential injury from stepping in. So many of us have a foam roller at home, get to know how to use it properly. A foam roller is great at breaking up the soft tissue to help increase our flexibility and mobility. Then look at following a solid stretching routine. I encourage my runners to incorporate yoga into their weekly routines as well. 6) Make sure to train your muscle imbalances. Now if you have seen some of my posts I do mention this as it is an important training tool. Understanding which of our muscles are over engaging vs the weaker ones helps in making our overall run experience an enjoyable one. Adding swimming into the mix is also another powerful training tool as it helps with making the ankles stronger and allows for the glutes/hamstrings/quads to really fire versus our hip flexors. I am sure I could add a few more to the list but those would be my top 6 for you. If you have any specific questions book a call with me PS... Don't Forget to Grab Your 7 Day All Access Pass to my Myofascial Release Course

In 2020 I helped 45 people become Pain Free In 2021 I helped 150 people become Pain Free This year (2022) I plan to help 300 people become Pain Free You might be asking yourself HOW was I able to help all those people finally become PAIN FREE and get back to the activity they LOVED to do. I will let you in on a little secret What I discovered after serving people in person for over 20 years in private practice was that it wasn't the actual physical adjustment that made people better. It was the soft tissue work, corrective exercise and sports specific strengthening exercises that allowed people to recover in under a 3 week period of time. Let me share with you some amazing stories from real people all who had met me on social media and where hands down skipictial that a program like this could indeed work. Bee met me 7 days prior to an ultra run (100K) and was having extreme hip pain. In 7 days I was able to get her running pain free so she could attend her event that very same weekend and complete 80miles of that race. The best part, her recovery was super fast thanks to everything we had done over those 7 days. Jeanne had bought, I kid you not, over 100 pairs of sneakers and still was suffering with plantar fasciitis. After 5mins on a video chat with me, she knew she could trust me. She was back to running in less than 2 wks and has gone on to complete several ½ & full marathons including Chicago. Sam met me 1 month shy of embarking upon an amazing run journey which was to run 230km across Australia when his knee pain set in. Not knowing what to expect, he was overjoyed when knee pain stopped in under 3 weeks of working together. He has not had a problem since. The list of people I could mention would take up way too much space here. But all of them had a common theme….they wanted to continue to do the activity they loved most but were worried about causing further damage or pain to the injured area. They needed help. And that's how they found me. What I provide them:

I may have talked about tennis elbow before but lately I have seen a few posts expressing pain/discomfort when lifting in the elbow. So I figured I would address it again and give everyone some helpful suggestions on some things you could do to help rid yourself of this pain. What is tennis elbow? Tennis elbow which is known as lateral epicondylitis is a painful condition that occurs when tendons in your elbow are overloaded and inflamed, usually by repetitive motions of the wrist and arm. Tennis elbow is felt mainly outside of the elbow (the lateral epicondyle) where the tendons of the forearm meet. How do I know if I have tennis elbow? Clear sign that you may be experiencing tennis elbow is the location of the pain which will be pinpointed to the outside of the elbow (not the inside) and you are noticing pain when gripping an object like a bar or dumbbell. Some things you can do to help rid yourself of this pain - If it's a acute then yes you need to decrease the inflammation by using ice, rest and if needed take an anti-inflammatory (please make sure to check with your physician as well) If it's beyond the 72 hour mark meaning it's no longer in the acute phase you use this protocol to help you 1) Ice cup massage - take a small dixie cup, fill it with water and let it freeze overnight; then take the frozen cup of ice and rub it directly on your extensors. You could add some pressure as you rub the ice on the area. Do this for about 5mins or until the area gets cold 2) Take biofreeze or icy hot or any topical muscle rub and massage it into the extensors. This might be easier to have a friend or loved one do. Make sure to add some pressure as you do this. Massage out the area for about 5mins Repeat step one Repeat step two 3) Stretch out the forearms - stretch out the extensors by fully extending your arm out in front with palm down then flex the wrist and add a little bit of pressure from the opposite hand. Repeat 5 times and hold for 5 secs Minimize any other actions that may be contributing to the tennis elbow like typing, chopping vegetables, writing with a pencil, texting, ie. Once the inflammation has gone down and the pain has decreased it's time to start strengthening the grip strength. The simplest way to do this is to squeeze a tennis ball repeatedly in your hand for at least 5mins a day. The last thing you could do is strengthen your grip by using a rice bucket - simply fill a 5 gallon container with about 20 pounds of white rice (do not eat the rice afterwards) and do various wrist strengthening exercises with the hand inside the bucket. What happens here is the forearm now hows to work against resistance while strengthening the wrist at the same time I am hoping this helps my fellow female lifters and if you have any additional questions drop some comments below. PS....Don't forget to grab your FREE Pass

If you are like me you've seen this word thrown around in various running groups and may have wondered what it is. VO2Max stands for maximal oxygen uptake and it's a training tool used by a fitness professional to determine an athlete's capacity to sustain exercise. Now you might be thinking but I just started running so why would I want to know this information. Well if you have dreams of running a half or full marathon or maybe even one day doing an ultra run or even a triathlon then knowing your VO2Max will help you when it comes to designing your training program. What we are looking at is your aerobic endurance capacity here. How much oxygen can an individual utilize during intense exercise. In order to find out your VO2Max you would have to do one of these things: You would go to a facility that specifically tests for VO2MAx by connecting you to a computer along with an apparatus that measures the amount of air you exhale. More than likely you will either be on a treadmill where the intensity will be increased until you can not go any further. The computer will measure the volume of carbon dioxide and oxygen of the air you expired during the test. An indirect way to figure out your VO2Max would be to walk as fast as you can for 1 mile. Note the amount of time it takes to complete the mile and then take the heart rate. Next is to use this calculation VO2 = (HR x SV) x a-vO2 …. HR = Heart Rate and SV = Stroke Volume and a-vO2 represents the oxygen in the muscle cells & the the volume of oxygen that is released. As you continue to train/run your VO2Max will naturally increase. You will notice this when you look back and say to yourself “wow I am not out of breath after a mile or two”. The muscles in your body will respond accordingly meaning you won't feel exhausted after the run. These are signs that you are increasing your aerobic capacity which ultimately means your VO2Max has increased as well. If you want some more tips on training/preparing for your next up and coming race drop some comments below PS.... Don't forget you are invited to check out my Myofascial Release Online Course for FREE 7 Day All Access Pass

Now that ski season is in full swing and we are gearing up to hit some of those all time favorite spots. Let's make sure your bodies are truly ready to handle the conditions of the mountain. I have written some posts on ankle strength/mobility, the importance of balance training, understanding the need to have strong hamstrings in addition to your quads and having upper body strength as an important need especially in case you were to encounter a fall. But if we were to put this all together we begin to understand why proprioception work is so important for a skier. What is proprioception? Proprioception, sometimes also called kinesthesia, is the body's ability to sense its location, movements, and actions. It's basically a continuous loop of feedback between sensory receptors throughout your body and your nervous system. Proprioception is the body's ability to receive input through receptors in the skin, muscles and joints, and transfer the information to the brain through the nervous system so that the body can sense itself. Something I should point out as it relates to skiers and snowboarders more here….Kinesthetic awareness is the conscious effort to react to the situation, whereas proprioception is an unconscious or subconscious brain process. Take an example of a skier moving through different types of terrain; the skier's body acts subconsciously to stay upright while their mind processes the upcoming terrain of bumps, trees, and steeps and makes the appropriate adjustments. The light bulb should have gone off in your head because now it would make sense why balance, single leg and plyometric exercises would become an important addition to your pre/post-season training program. When dealing with injuries or injury prevention, we need to focus on the whole chain, the whole kinematic chain. How the foot/ankle move affects the forces at the knee which then affects the rotation patterns at the hip which then affects the relationship between the pelvis, sacrum and lumbar spine. Several studies have shown that athletes with better proprioception are less likely to sustain ankle sprain injuries. Which again is why this is an important style of training that should be added into everyone's training programs. Balance training programs are known to be effective, apparently through enhancing neural processing of sensory signals. Another strategy is to enhance those sensory signals. Athlete's footwear (ie. sneakers or ski boots) substantially impact their performance through sensory feedback. Hence the reason why you might want more Ankle Flex in a ski boot (see my prior post on Ankle Flex). So you might be thinking what are some good exercises to help me train my proprioception better? I have attached a video for everyone which goes through some exercises designed around enhancing your proprioception. Some of the exercises are designed for the beginner while others are more advanced. Please leave a comment below if you are wondering which exercises are appropriate for you. (Disclosure - if you have an injury or recovering from an injury these exercises should not be performed until cleared by your doctor.) Video on Proprioception Exercises ⭐⭐ Leaving a Question or Comment? ⭐⭐ Hit the

By now you may have read one of my weekly posts or multiple of them where I talk, educate or discuss some of the common injuries that beginner or novice runners may experience. Recently I went live 3 days in a row where I discussed one of the most common injuries a majority of people are complaining about or suffering with, Shin Splints. On the second and third day I talked about how working the entire kinematic chain will be your key in helping you resolve this problem. Let me break it down for you. Running is a single leg sport which means each leg needs to be able to work independently throughout the entire gait cycle. The gait cycle starts when one foot makes contact with the ground and ends when that same foot contacts the ground again. Once you understand the term gait cycle then you can begin to have a better understanding of how to resolve the problem. This is something I addressed which is to have a gait analysis done or have a professional like a running coach or physical therapist or sports medicine doctor who works with runners review video of you running from the back and the side. Knowing if you pronate, supinate, have high arches, flat feet, if you hinge forward in your run, how the heel strikes the ground or which part of your foot strikes the ground first will give you answers on how to make the necessary changes to prevent an injury from setting in. This will also provide you with better insight as to which running sneaker will be best for you. Finding your muscle imbalances, compensation patterns or weaknesses before strength training. This is another key component. Reason being if we start strengthening muscle groups before addressing the imbalances then we are going to create more compensation patterns which could lead to more injuries down the road. So this means looking at the muscles that surround our core, our hips, our thighs and our lower leg. The importance of flexibility and mobility work prior to strengthening the muscles. This piece of the puzzle I think gets overlooked. Knowing when to stretch, the type of stretching to do (passive, active or resistance) helps improve our run. Which then can aid with mobility of the entire kinematic chain along with the use of some soft tissue work. This helps with increasing speed, pace, stride length and overall enjoyability of the run itself. If you have any specific questions about how working your entire kinematic chain will benefit your run performance, drop a comment below

Have you ever suffered with shin splints? ✋ Throughout the whole Pandemic and even now, Shin Splints seems to be the #1 problem people are asking about. Their question is “how to fix them”. For some the answer is simple because the initial course of action is to rest, ice, compress and massage out the area. But for others these little muscles come back with vengeance making one believe that their shin splints will never go away. Not sure if you caught what I said above but I did say “muscles”. There are two muscles that can cause shin splints which is why it is important to determine first if it's an anterior shin splint or a posterior shin splint. Even though the initial course of action may be the same regardless of an anterior or posterior shin splint, it's the course of action you take after that initial phase. This will also play apart in your running gait. So what do I mean by that

So this is an interesting question and many of you may be wondering WHY wouldn't I want to stretch my hamstring. Over the past couple of weeks I have seen a couple of posts from people (runners) indicating that they have tight hamstring but all the stretching in the world is not helping. There is a simple answer to this question but requires us to have a little understanding about anatomy. First what I want you to do is look in the mirror and tell me does your butt stick out or does it kind of disappear (tuck under a bit). This will help us figure out if you have an anterior tilt or a posterior tilt to your pelvis. Butt sticks out: This means you have an anterior tilt to your pelvis and your hip flexors are the source of the problem. Your hamstring muscles are being pulled into a lengthened position making them tight. So it won't matter how much you stretch the hamstrings here you need to address the psoas and iliopsoas to help take tension off the hamstrings. Butt tucks under: This means you have a posterior tilt to your pelvis and once you address the hamstrings through stretch or soft tissue massage you should feel the relief of that muscle group relaxing. Why is this important? Once you have figured this part out then you can either stretch your hamstring or address your hip flexors. Then the next part is to strengthen the hamstrings. In this video I show you three simple, basic hamstring exercises you can do from the comfort of your home. Check them out

Hi I'm Dr. Heather and welcome to the Fix Your Naturally Podcast. I am the founder & owner of Ask Doctor Heather which is a digital platform designed around helping you, the athlete & non-athlete achieve your optimal performance by teaching you how to fix your pain naturally. For years I operated a private practice in Connecticut but when the Pandemic hit I saw a need for people like you, who had various questions about their pain symptoms, to finally get the answers they needed. That's when I created the Ask Doctor Heather brand. What I found was an overwhelmingly positive response to my online courses, video content and virtual coaching services. It has now become my mission to help serve over 1,000 people worldwide who finally want to learn how to fix their pain naturally and return to activity without hesitation or worry. Now let's get started ⭐⭐ Leaving a Question or Comment? ⭐⭐ Hit the