pain | Garrett McLaughlin, MS, ATC, CSCS, ART

4 Things I Learned from the Active Release Techniques (ART) Spine Course

July 29, 2015 · by Garrett McLaughlin

| Article written on July 29th, 2015 at 9:35am | Follow Garrett on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram |

Just last weekend, I had the opportunity to take my third Active Release Techniques (ART) course which focused specifically on the spine. As an Athletic Trainer, the spine has always been an area that I would recognize as a weak point. AT’s are typically very good at evaluating and treating injuries in the extremities, because this is what we see most within the younger (high school and collegiate), athletic population. With that being said, the spine is often overlooked while treating injuries at the extremity because issues can be traced not to where the pain is, but to the actual source of the dysfunction. The ART spine course allowed me to re-visit such an important inner working of anatomy and biomechanics that are easy to overlook in human function. But, to also recognize the connectedness and relationship of one structure to another.

Here are 4 things I learned from the ART spine course:

The superficial back line (SBL) can become problematic and often overlooked at the sacrotuberous and long dorsal sacral ligaments. Often we see poor posture and increased kyphosis at the thoracic spine, as well as increased tension and tightness in the hamstring musculature. Well, the sacrotuberous and long dorsal sacral ligaments are the soft-tissue structures that connect both of these problematic areas. Maybe they need more attention to improve their resiliency and function that can help improve issues commonly seen at the thoracic spine and hamstring.
Do you suffer from relenting headaches? Headaches can often be combated and resolved with soft-tissue intervention to several surrounding head and neck muscles. There are so many vital muscles that surround the head and cervical spine. When these tissues become tight and fibrotic from poor posture, staring at a computer screen, and constant abuse, headaches are often the result. Several muscles, including: temporalis, occipitalis, rectus capitus posterior major/minor, superior oblique, trapezius, splenius capitus, and semispinalis capitus need to be evaluated from a soft-tissue standpoint to determine their quality. More often than not, we quickly prescribed medication to treat persistent headache without investigating the possible root cause in the surrounding musculature.
Is spinal alignment off? Manipulation is a key component to restoring proper alignment and function within the musculoskeletal system. But, manipulation without addressing the restricted soft-tissue structures will ensure you need multiple visits to regain pain-free function. When we look at spinal alignment, we have deep soft-tissue structures that control vertebral position, such as: rotatores, multifidus, intertransversarii, quadratus lumborum, iliolumbar ligament, and more. Many of these structures need to be treated in conjunction with manipulation for full resolution. There is no one technique or solution to resolve pain or dysfunction, but a multi-faceted approach will provide the best results.
Referred pain patterns into the thigh, lower leg, and genitals are possible from nerve entrapment within the hip flexor area. We have several nerves including: femoral n., genitofemoral n., and lateral femoral cutaneous n., that can become entrapped at the psoas, iliacus, and anterior aspect of the quadratus lumborum. When this happens we can feel burning, tingling, aching, or shooting pain further down it’s distribution pattern. Don’t always be fooled when something hurts that the specific location is the problem. With referred patterns, like when dealing with nerves, we must investigate the entire pathway of that nerve to determine if there are any issues further up.

I hope you enjoyed this post. If you are suffering from any type of soft-tissue injury or interested in improving overall function of the body, contact me to learn more about ART. In conjunction with a structured exercise regime, ART can allow you to stay injury-free, recover from injury, or feel the best you have in years.

By; Garrett McLaughlin, MS, ATC, CSCS, ART

The Right Way to Resolve Upper Back Tightness

June 27, 2015 · by Garrett McLaughlin

| Article written on June 27th, 2015 at 9:30am | Follow Garrett on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram |

The region between the shoulder blades is often an area where we feel tons of tension and nagging pain. In the majority of situations, this area is held in a constantly lengthened and tensioned state. From poor posture and the heavy use of technology, we create postural changes within our upper body that increases kyphosis at the thoracic spine, shifts the shoulder blades laterally, and tightens the anterior chest/shoulder musculature. To resolve this issue we tend to look towards soft-tissue work and foam rolling at the area between the shoulder blades, which will temporarily reduce symptoms. But, what we actually need to do is loosen up the anterior chest and shoulders, while strengthening and shortening the muscles in the upper back. This will provide the long-term fix needed to resolve the issue.

Here is a demonstration on these everyday, negative postural changes, and what we need to do to resolve them:

By: Garrett McLaughlin, MS, ATC, CSCS, ART

Function Before Fitness: Why Does It Matter?

March 30, 2014 · by Garrett McLaughlin

Function before fitness is a topic that I am very passionate about. I really shy away from giving people exercises just to exercise. To me, that is unethical and missing the most important part. Proper bodily function should precede every fitness program. This means each person should complete a movement screen first to detect any underlying imbalances, asymmetries, faulty movement patterns, or pain. If you test acceptable on the movement screen, then by all means do whatever exercises you like. But, if there are red flags, it is essential to investigate and correct these issues before compounding the problem

One ex Squat - delaware ercise I often see people doing wrong is the squat. By far one of the best exercises and a fundamental movement pattern that everyone should be able to do. But, if you can’t squat properly with the chest up, knees out wide, and weight back on the heels, then you really shouldn’t be adding weight to it. Something here is wrong and continuing to add weight to a dysfunctional movement pattern will compound the problem a lot quicker then correcting and then building up from scratch.

Have you ever suffered from an injury? Did you properly rehabilitate to regain natural function? And, I’m not just talking about until the pain subsided. Following each injury and any stimulus of pain, it is common for our movement patterns to be altered. This matters because so often people endure injuries where they limp, compensate, or favor the affected side and changes occur which will increase the likelihood of future injury. This should be taken into consideration for any exercise goer who had/has pain and continues to exercise without properly addressing the issue.

So, what am I trying to get at? Function far outweighs fitness when comes to proper movement. If you haven’t had a chance to be assessed, it is well worth the money. And, if you are returning from an injury or currently have pain, make sure you go through a full rehabilitation program aimed not only at decreasing your pain and symptoms, but fixing the underlying cause and addressing any compensation which resulted. All of this is just like building a house. You’d obviously want a solid foundation laid down before adding all the extras. Contact myself if you are interested in completing a movement screen or would like to be directed to the appropriate professional in your area.

Garrett McLaughlin is an athletic trainer, personal trainer, and certified active release techniques provider. He is passionate about creating safe, and effective fitness and rehabilitation programs for the general population and athletes. ‘Like‘ Garrett’s Facebook page to stay up-to-date on related health, fitness, and nutrition information.

What is Active Release Techniques?

January 6, 2014 · by Garrett McLaughlin

Active release techniques is a patented soft-tissue system that treats muscles, tendons, ligaments, fascia, and nerves. It is common through repetitive daily tasks and athletic events that we develop restrictions within our soft-tissue structures which limit blood flow/circulation, cause pain, limit range of motion, and cause compensatory motion. ART is a specific system that allows the provider to use his hands to identify restriction and adhesions within the tissues and treat using specific protocols. These protocols consist of identifying the structure involved, placing that structure in a shortened position, apply a specific contact tension along the tissue, and then actively or passively lengthening the tissue. By doing so, the dysfunctional tissue slides under the contact of the provider causing any restriction or adhesions within the tissue to be broken up resulting in the restoration of normal functional tissue.

Several factors are taken in consideration when it comes to ART and they are: tissue tension, tissue texture, tissue movement, and tissue function. When a tissue doesn’t function properly, pain is often the result within that specific tissue or others, as a compensatory mechanism. Why do some of those factors change within tissue you may wonder? It is usually a result of the everyday stressors we expose our bodies to. For example: An office worker who types for 7 hours a day and reaches in the same direction to pick up the phone. This may not seem like much, but imagine how the body adapts to the same small movements day in and day out for years. It is also common for the athletic population to have some type of soft-tissue dysfunction from the normal wear and tear of the activity.

This past weekend, I had the chance to become a certified ART provider for the upper extremity. This 4-day certification educational program is only offered to healthcare providers such as doctors, chiropractors, physical/occupational therapists, massage therapists, and athletic trainers. It was an amazing educational experience which provided me an additional set of skills in evaluating and treating soft-tissue injuries. It is common for many soft-tissue injuries to be labeled as tendonitis when it is nothing more then adhesions within the tissue that need to be appropriately treated using ART. It can also be used for many postural issues such as forward rounded shoulders and the loss of normal joint range of motion from tissue tightness. I feel ART can have a great impact on not only someone who is injured, but the regular gym-goer or athlete who wants to prevent injury and maintain healthy bodily function.

For more information on ART and if it can help you, contact Garrett or check out the ART website.

Garrett McLaughlin is an Athletic Trainer and Personal Trainer in Nashville, TN. He creates personal training and injury rehabilitation programs for the general population and athletes. Garrett is passionate about not only working one-on-one with clients, but educating them on health & wellness so they can continue making positive choices throughout their lives. Contact Garrett with questions or to schedule a session.