Naomi@RF

TIP11: Pelvis 101-4

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Hopefully, today’s tip will make you start thinking of the reasons why maintaining a good Pelvis health profile is crucial to prevent many common chronic problems people face today.

Start thinking how this durable structure (Pelvis) could become compromised by what we may be doing daily and constantly, adding more pressure to those weak links (SI Joints).

So, we already talked about how the strong structure of the pelvis has the ability to comfortably tolerate our upper body weight.  →read Pelvis 101-3

You can see in this picture how the pelvis of humans are much bigger (stronger looking) compared to that from a four-legged animal, in which the pelvis is NOT responsible for doing much of the weight bearing.

 

 

So far, we’ve talked about how TOUGH our Pelvis is designed (or “evolved” should I say), and how it would never “fail” us.
(*I am excluding, of course, cases when we encounter strong external forces, like in an accident)

Let’s just say, this is true in a sense, but it’s all theoretical.

This is what you learn from textbooks
(that’s why I titled it 101).

 

Now that you have some knowledge what happens in the
ideal world, (theoretically speaking),
let’s start applying it to the REAL world.

What is happening in REAL life

What happens when we take full advantage of things without knowing the consequences?

Yet, what if we don’t even realize we are taking advantage of something until facing the consequences?

“Only one time won’t hurt me”, right??

Because if you knew the consequences (a negative one) in the first place, you would probably try to avoid it, right?

 

What am I referring to?

 

When I say, the pelvis is so tough it won’t fail us?

I mean,

the body will do whatever, everything and anything to maintain that strong pelvic structure.

It is happening “daily” in many forms and you just might not be aware of it.

So let’s make the “unknown”→”known”, so you can predict the outcomes of your actions.

The next pelvis series we move on to 201s.

You will learn “what” affects the health profile of the Pelvis.

Stay tuned.

 

 

 

 

 

TIP10: Pelvis 101-3

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If you haven’t read the previous Pelvis 101 series,
here’s the link: Pelvis 101-1   Pelvis 101-2

We talked about the bones and conjunctions within the pelvis, and today let’s learn about the durability of the pelvis using a metaphor.


Imagine you broke your favorite cup, but you managed
to tape it back together.

 

Then, you put a cat in that cup ♡

 

Soooo cute♡
Okay,  so the cup didn’t break!

Let’s put another one in.

Awwwww♡

 

Didn’t break.  Good.
Then maybe another one♡

 

So adorable!

Now though, you start getting worried the glass may break anytime and tense up a little.

 

 

If that glass would to break again, you probably have and idea “how” or “where” that would happen.

You guessed right.

As we add more weight to the glass by adding more kittens, eventually the sections where you taped would snap.

Even if the tape doesn’t snap, I think you would agree that adding more weight to that glass would definitely add more pressure to the tape.

 

Now back to the Pelvis.

This time, the taped up junctions are our SI Joints at the back of your pelvis, and it looks like this.

The “Ligaments” are a strong fibrous structure that holds the joints together from separating.

 

 

 

In the SI Joints, ligaments also protect the front side of the joint for extra stability! Yay!

 

 

Now, the “weight” added in this case is our upper body weight.

I don’t know how much you weigh, but upper body weight is no joke.    Head, chest, arms, internal organs…  It’s heavy.

The pelvis has been carrying our upper body weight all our lives, but we just don’t give enough credit, do we?

The pelvic bones, as well as the ligaments protecting the SI joints, are so so strong, they will never break on us, or snap open on us.

Having said that,

Tomorrow, I will talk about why it is so prevalent today for people to come in with “SI issues”, or “Hip problems”, or “chronic back issues”, or even “frozen shoulders”.

 

 

 

 

 

TIP9: The Pelvis 101-2

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Today, let’s talk about the structure of the pelvis.

I’m not going into much detail because if you’re interested, you can always ask Mr. google and hit a million websites that will describe it in the depth of your dreams.

Here, we only discuss what “I,” think “YOU” should know.

So, the pelvis.

 

During the early stage of our life (i.e. kids), the different colors parts described in the picture used to be separate bones.

Then, at puberty, the Ilium, Pubis, and Ischium all FUSE together and left with a less complicated structure.

As adults, we are left with a set of Hipbones, a Sacrum, tailbone, and a cartilage (Pubic Symphysis) at the front.

If anything could go wrong in the pelvis, it’s usually related to conjunctions in the front (Pubis Symphysis) or the back (SI Joint).

I’ll tell you why tomorrow.

 

 

TIP8: The Pelvis 101-1

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Have you ever taken the time to think thoroughly about the pelvis being a key feature in the human body??

In fact, it, in my opinion, it might be the most important feature in our body which could potentially affect EVERYTHING happening in our body.

The structural and functional health of the pelvic region needs to receive more attention from absolutely everyone who wishes to be athletic, active or chronic pain-free in general.

This is what the pelvis looks like.

There are many features of the pelvis which I won’t touch on today (keep posted), but at this point, I just want you to notice and recognize the Pelvis is what connects the lower body to the upper body.  (and affects both lower & upper body function)

Every realm of the fitness world have their own opinion where the lower body ends and the upper body start, or what is included in the “CORE”.

To keep it simple, just know your lower body & upper body performance are both dependants on the status of your pelvic region. 

I don’t think anyone will argue with that.

Stay tuned for my Pelvis series.

You will not regret it.

 

TIP7: FOOT 4

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If you haven’t read the first 3 FOOT series, I recommend reading them first.

You can read them here↓↓
FOOT 1
FOOT 2
FOOT 3

Welcome back.
Today, I would like to expand on the “dome” shape concept of the FOOT.
Today’s goal is to be able to imagine the “dome” structure of YOUR FOOT.

The “dome” of your foot should have 3 solid bases.
-the base of your big toe
-the base of your pinky toe
-the heal bone

These Three points are the connective landmarks for the “ARCHES” of the foot

You want all three of these points firmly on the ground when you stand, and when you land.

If you can’t feel any of these three points firmly, your dome can’t and won’t function as an optimal shock absorber.

But think about it, the shock itself doesn’t go away just because your “dome” can’t absorb it.

The good news, our body has so many backup plans, it’s amazing.
The bad news, no other parts of our backups do it better than our feet, and often times the stress accumulates at our favorite backup destination.
What is your favorite destination of stress??

TIP6: The FOOT 3

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For those who never wish to become a chiropractor or a physio, let’s simplify the oh so complicated FOOT structure to 1 crucial feature.
Most of you know that the foot absorbs your weight and the shock from hard surfaces, therefore acts as a cushion.

But how can a small thing like a FOOT do that??
The FOOT is supported by a total of more than 100 muscles, tendons, and ligaments, which all collaborate to form a “dome” shape shock absorbing structure of the FOOT.

It might be easier to imagine a camping tent, which has a structure that won’t collapse as long as you set it up correctly.


This collaboration structure in your FOOT (“dome”) is designed to be so strong that it absorbs more than x6 of our body weight when we land from a jump!!!! How amazing.
If there’s one thing you should retain from this post, is should be this “dome” like structure.

Why should we be so concerned about this “dome”  shape of our FOOT?
Okay, one more thing to note today…
Most problems that occur in the FOOT can be boiled down to this one crucial factor, the deformation of the “dome”, most of the time being a “collapse” of the “dome”(aka, flat feet).
Moreover, most chronic joint or muscle problems that occur throughout the body can be affected by this “dome” problem.

TIP5: Unravel Upper Body Tightness

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Neck, Shoulders, Upper back, Mid back, Lower back

X

Tension, Stiffness, Tightness, and Pain

Do you experience any of these combination on a regular basis???

If so, and you know it’s not from an accident or a direct trauma to that region,

you will most likely benefit from learning how and where your upper body (Trunk, Arms, and Head) should be positioned.

The first step is to know (and believe) that if your upper body is stacked on top of your lower body, you will no longer have to deal with the tightness you have been experiencing.

 

But, why do so many of us have this problem?

It’s because we have the ability to do this. ↓↓

We have the ability to balance (in this case, in a bad way)

Our innate goal as a living human being is to “stand” not to “stand in a good posture”.

But you know, there is a trade-off.
Standing with poor posture forces the body to overuse, and tense many many muscles that should be at rest with good posture!

For now, let’s start by noticing.

Noticing that if your upper body is not positioned (stacked)  on top of your lower body, the result is you are more likely to experience unnecessary upper body tightness.

 

 

TIP4: The FOOT 2

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I think the FOOT deserves more credit for working so hard each and every day since the very first day we learned to stand up!!!

How can a small thing like a FOOT bear our whole body weight all the time when we are ”on our feet”?

Oh, wait. I guess we do that (“on our feet”) waaaaaaaaaay less than us humans used to.

Less “on feet” activity → weaker muscles (including the muscles in the FOOT), but probably remain the same weight, or heavier! → more problems!

Agree? Simple enough??

So, what do we do?

Very simple,  be on your feet more often.

TIP3: JOINTS 101

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JOINTS OVERVIEW

★A “JOINT” is a site where 2 or more bones articulate.

★The “bones” of a joint are “taped” together with ligaments,
★Depending on how much that joint is designed to MOVE, the joint surfaces (where the bones articulate) are usually covered with some degree of cartilage.

★ Muscles that overlap the joints are responsible for moving that joint.   There are at least 2 muscles associated with each joint.

★There are simply too many joints in the body to keep track of all of them.

Most of the joints will remain unrecognized until something goes wrong.
However, the joints we should be taking care of, are those that bear the weight.
Yes, the weight bearing joints.
When we take care of these joints properly, all joints should become happy!

http://www.dragoerhb.dk/english/z177.html
http://www.arthritis-health.com/types/osteoarthritis/ankle-joint-anatomy-and-osteoarthritis
http://www.zo.utexas.edu/faculty/sjasper/bio301L/body.html

TIP2: The FOOT 1

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Why is our FOOT so important?

Maybe because it is the only part of our body designated to interact with this world directly.
It’s an obvious answer, but I’m sure you haven’t given it much of a thought.

The foot itself contains about a quarter of the bones in our whole body.
Over:
-50 bones,
-60 joints
-100 muscles, tendons and ligaments
connect to the FOOT
No wonder so many people face a problem or two in their FOOT region.
No wonder many people and companies obsess about proper FOOTwear.

It’s one of those parts of our body that rarely gets any rest unless it alerts you with pain.

So be kind, give it a loving ♡massage or two once in a while.

 

https://www.anatomywarehouse.com/muscles-of-the-foot-anatomy-chart-a-104225