Podcast Category: Strength

Matt Hall discusses his perspective through rehabilitation and away from surgery. With a quick run down of his previous symptoms through his baseball career, Matt explains his journey with different therapists and his hip restrictions. Then, he unveils his symptoms and the effect his beliefs had on his pain experience. With the use of epidurals, he provides insight on how his pain affected his daily life and his focuses with disc herniation rehabilitation.

DocJen & Dr. Dom explore the squat realm, redefining the “perfect” squat form. Providing insight on the functional benefits of squats and how the squat serves a purpose through daily life. They dive into high bar and low bar back squats, front squats, and safety bar squats, describing which squats are more quadricep or glute dominant, how the squats may challenge the body differently, and who each squat may be most beneficial for. Then, they debunk common misconceptions and provide explanations for the use of weightlifting belts and shoes!

DocJen & Dr. Dom discuss tests and ways to determine if you are hypermobile, speaking into the spectrum of hypermobility that ranges from localized to Elhers-Danlos Syndrome. Explaining the neurophysiology of tightness briefly, they dive into how you can reduce the sensation of tightness through strength, using examples to relieve tightness in the hamstrings, inner thighs, chest, quadriceps, and hip flexor tightness. They provide a few tips for passive stretching, yoga, and hypermobility, and discuss how mindful breathing can support tightness relief. 

Andrew walks the path of his EDS diagnosis, and how his chronic pain and many injuries took up the majority of his experience in sport from a young age. We take a peek through Andrew’s perspectives on pain, whether or not it makes him want to stop moving, and his experience with his Herniated Disc. Andrew dives into some heavy-hitter recommendations to approaching movement with EDS and the importance of gaining control over extreme ranges of motion. Finally, he touches base with mindfulness as a main component to navigating pain.

Dr. Emily walks the path of bunions, plantar fasciitis, and other foot conditions through the lens of functional podiatry, She begins by explaining the importance of educating individuals about orthotics and the general foot types. Then, she explains how foot structure is not necessarily related to symptoms and whether or not your foot condition is genetic. By discussing the importance of spending more time barefoot and exposing the feet to different structures to optimize neurological feedback, she dives into how the nervous system manifests in the feet, how training function is beneficial, and the role emotions play in feet health. Let’s get your feet functional!

Welcome to Episode 181 of The Optimal Body Podcast  Pelvic Organ Prolapse Surgery & Recovery with Katie Goss Going through pelvic organ prolapse? Considering surgery? Thinking about pregnancy? Katie Goss takes us through her story

Dealing with soreness? Concerned about your soreness? DocJen & Dr. Dom dive answer frequently asked questions about the science behind soreness. Diving into what delayed onset muscle awareness is, where you might feel it, and why soreness occurs, DocJen & Dr. Dom describe the types of exercises that might elicit a greater soreness response and what other factors could be contributing to the degree of soreness felt. As an adaptation mechanism, they provide insight into whether or not soreness is bad and how you can distinguish between pain and soreness. Finally, they provide their best tips for managing soreness and discuss soreness in relation to heat, ice, foam rolling, massage guns, and massages! Let’s dive in!

At times, warm-ups and cool-downs feel unimportant or a waste of time, however, DocJen & Dr. Dom break the confusion in this episode. With a high emphasis on specificity, they explain the importance of strategically warming up the body to prepare for the upcoming movement and cool down to truly downregulate the system and facilitate recovery.

We have Dr. Kelly Starrett back on the podcast to provide you an insightful rundown on his journey with his knee replacement journey, and how you can optimally navigate online education to optimize your health. With an overemphasis on the ways in which function drives purpose, Dr. Kelly speaks into the importance of education, honing in on finding independence within your own health. Then, Dr. Kelly walks the path of his knee journey, having pushed off knee replacement surgery for 7 years, and why he decided to eventually get surgery after years of training for function. Honing in on educating for function after surgery, Dr. Kelly debunks myths around icing and rest and provides the truth surrounding optimal rehabilitation.

DocJen & Dr. Dom explain the medical diagnosis – shoulder crepitus- for noises in the shoulder. Explaining the anatomy of the shoulder, they break down the types of noises that could be associated with pathologies around the shoulder. Furthermore, Docjen & Dr. Dom dive into how rounded shoulders could be related to different noises occurring in the shoulder, and the importance of getting it checked out and assessed by a physical therapist in person.  Then, they describe their best tips to improving shoulder function, speaking into mobility and strength, and what to consider if there is no pain associated with the noises from your shoulder. Tune in!