Posts by Team Symmetry PT
Can Exercise cause Happiness?
What do I need to know about the brain? Before we tell you: does exercise cause happiness, Let’s learn a little about the brain. The brain has a bunch of nerves that “talk to each other”. Basically, these nerves communicate by passing notes. Notes, in the brain, are chemicals called neurotransmitters. So, these notes (or neurotransmitters)…
Read MoreWhat is so important about the spine?
What makes up the spine? There are 3 major elements that make up the spine: 1. vertebrae: The vertebrae are the bones that make up the spine. These bone’s primary purpose is to provide a hard protective layer around the spinal cord. They also provide an attachment point for the arms, and legs to the center…
Read MoreShoulder stability, why do we need it?
Shoulder stability is important for developing and maintaining healthy shoulders. Before we get into why it is important, let’s look at some shoulder basics. When people think of the shoulder they think of a ball-and-socket joint made up of the arm bone (humerus) and shoulder blade (scapula). However, the shoulder is so much more complex.…
Read MoreWhat is the Pec Muscle and Why was It Injured During CrossFit Regionals?
WHAT DOES THE PEC MUSCLE DO? The pectoralis major, or pec major, muscle attaches to your sternum and collar bone on your chest and connects to a grove on your upper arm. It is responsible for four primary motions: Horizontal Adduction: bringing your arm across your chest Internal rotation: rotating your shoulder inward toward your…
Read MoreEccentrics for tendinopathy?
What is tendinopathy? “Tendinopathy” is an umbrella term for any painful condition going on within a tendon. And remember, tendons are what connect muscles to their origins and insertions on bones. These types of conditions come about from things like overuse injuries – like “runner’s knee”, which stems from overuse of the patellar tendon from…
Read MoreWhat’s the deal with foam rolling?
Perhaps one of the biggest buzzwords in the fitness and physical therapy communities is foam rolling. Isn’t that what everyone recommends doing these days? Walk into any gym and you’ll see foam rollers of all shapes and sizes. Chances are, you probably even have one tucked away in your closet or the corner of your…
Read MoreCryotherapy: The ‘Cool’ New Way to Recover
The team at Symmetry takes pride in having a strong local community presence. The Symmetry Physical Therapy Team took a trip to CryoXtreme in Brickell to give whole body cryotherapy a shot. First, cryotherapy is actually used to boost recovery and help with a ton of diseases* that we see a lot in the physical therapy…
Read MoreThoracic Mobility
We’re diving into the importance of thoracic mobility. The thoracic spine is a region that commonly becomes less mobile and stiffer. If we take a joint-by-joint approach, we can see that each joint in the body has a primary need based on the way it’s designed and how it functions. Notice that each joint alternates…
Read MoreWhat type of squat works for you?
We’ve discussed briefly high bar vs. low bar squats, so let’s take a deeper look at the biomechanics behind each type and who would be best suited to perform each variation. High Bar Squat You’ll probably see this variation more often in the gym – it’s when the bar is situated right on top of…
Read MoreWeak Glutes & Glute Med
Do you have weak glutes? The glute med is an abductor of the leg – meaning it functions to move your leg away from the midline of your body. In running and walking, it works to stabilize the pelvis on the opposite side. This is why standing on one leg and looking for that opposite…
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