This is part 4 of a series on groin pain. If you missed the beginning, go back to Part 1, Iliopsoas is the next most significant cause of groin pain both from localized pain in the muscle and from Trigger Point referrals deep in the inner thigh where it attaches and across the front of […]
This is part 3 of a series on groin pain. If you missed the beginning go back to Part 1 . Here is a simplified arrangement of the muscles to help you better understand your groin pain. Three adductors bring the thighs together: Adductor brevis and longus (means short and long) are right at the […]
Treatment of posterior neck pain in my Boston area Neuromuscular Therapy center always begins with the suboccipitals. For anatomical drawings of the muscles in the following treatment protocol, refer to Neck pain: Understanding the posterior muscles. To treat the suboccipitals, pressure is held for 8-12 seconds under the skull with fingertips or thumbs to soften […]
Understanding the muscles of the neck, where they are, what they do, where pain refers from each is key to figuring out what’s causing your pain. As a Neuromuscular Therapist in the Boston area, these are the five muscle groups that I find are most often in trouble when you feel pain in the back […]
The feet are the base support of our posture and gait. When they are off, the joints and structures above them can suffer as well as the feet themselves. Plantar fasciitis pain is the most common foot complaint I treat in my Boston area Neuromuscular Therapy center. It helps to simplify this complex base of […]
When knee pain is of muscular origin, the quadriceps, hamstrings, popliteus and gastroc muscles are the most common causes. If treatment of those muscles doesn’t relieve pain, therapists might think about these tips for solving the pain puzzle: Pes anserinus, short adductors, ITB/TFL, a Baker’s cyst, or chondromalacia. Remember this odd name from your therapy […]
That’s right. The calf muscles can cause pain behind your knee! It’s mostly from the two-headed gastrocnemius you see bulging when athletes go up on their toes, but the soleus muscle makes a contribution. If you have calf cramps at night, then the “gastroc” could be the cause of your knee pain. This one is […]
Pain behind the knee when crouching or going downstairs could be from the little popliteus or plantaris muscles. More likely the pop. I had a personal experience with this muscle backpacking in New Hampshire. My son and I hiked down the mountain after being in the sky for a few days and when reaching flat […]
Knowledge is power. The better you understand the muscles of your knee the more empowered you will be to keep them out of pain. The last post discussed the quadriceps in the front of the thigh. The “hamstrings” are in the back of the thigh. Guys refer to them affectionately as “hammies” at the gym. […]
As a Neuromuscular Therapist practicing in the Boston area for nineteen years, how do I think about the causes of pain in the shoulder and arm when patients lift their arms or reach for something? With everyone on computers now, it is a common problem to have a work station that is too high and […]