Mary treats people with:
- Acute or chronic injuries, whether past trauma or surgery.
-
Chronic musculoskeletal problems that have not responded to other
approaches. - An interest in an integrative approach to healing.
- A desire for a deeper understanding of their own bodies.
-
A desire to learn and grow in knowledge and awareness of how to make
long-lasting healthy changes while helping to promote optimal function and
prevent future injuries.
Lower Back Pain
Chronic or Acute Lower Back Pain (LBP) can keep you from enjoying the activities that you love, be it hiking or playing with your grandkids. You go out and buy a great ergonomic chair, a lumbar cushion for the car, go to the gym, and perhaps even go to a Pilates or yoga class. Yet your body still hurts because there are underlying patterns and body dynamics that need to be shifted.
If you are in a pattern that is holding the hips and pelvis in mal-alignment, chronic LBP can ensue. Also, if the rib cage is rotated or restricted due to poor breathing patterns, this as well can be a contributing factor. Usually, there is a combination of restriction in certain muscles and under-use of other muscles. These causes cannot be fully addressed by traditional core strengthening exercises, which do not bias the weak areas while keeping you from over-strengthening the areas that are already strong or restricted. This can further contribute to exacerbating a pattern of asymmetry rather than correcting it.
See more here.
Sacroiliac Dysfunction
– SI Pain
Sacroiliac pain or better known as SI Pain can be a major issue for many women. This can be debilitating and make it hard to increase your exercise program. This is really common after childbirth and is common in female runners, yoginis, and high-level athletes. Sacroiliac pain is also common in women who tend to sit for their job and increase their hiking or other activities on the weekends. One aspect of recovering from SI pain that seems to get missed has to do with the Left Posterior Hip Capsule being restricted. If this area is tight the whole structure of the pelvis goes out of whack. People often benefit from a more in-depth home exercise program to address their SI issue.
See more here.
Sciatica
Sciatica can be a painful malady, and It can really affect your lifestyle. It can have many contributing factors, and figuring out what structures are causing the symptoms becomes an important challenge. Is the condition a result of compression in your spine? Or from malalignment in your hip? Or both? Or something else entirely? In my experience, if I see someone in my practice that has a diagnosis of sciatica and it has not gotten better, they usually have a pelvic/hip malalignment issue that needs to be addressed.
See more here.
Scoliosis
Scoliosis like most things lives on a spectrum of mild, which is very common, to more severe structural changes and curvature in the spine. I see lots of folks with mild scoliosis and they manage well with the right therapeutic exercise program to address their asymmetries in their posture. Wherever you are on the spectrum, understanding your body and its tendencies is paramount.
Foot and Ankle Pain
Common ailments such as plantar fasciitis, Achilles, tendonitis, and ankle sprain are common issues for people. In my experience, many foot and ankle issues are commonly related to mal-alignments that begin in the hips and pelvis which cause dysfunction further down the chain. Whether you have an acute injury or a chronic problem in your foot or ankle we have ways of getting you back to your daily activities efficiently.
Hip Pain
Pain is just a message your body is sending. The trick is learning to read what the messages say. Thanks to observations and techniques from the Postural Restoration Institute as well as myofascial hands-on work, many people at The Movement Studio have been able to get to the cause of their hip pain.
Knee Pain
Aching and pain in the knees can be a complex issue. A lot can go on in the knees from arthritis, ligamentous stress, meniscal injuries, patellofemoral issues…the list goes on.
Neck Pain
Neck pain is the most common complaint I hear from people. There are so many postural influences that affect this area. If your spine, ribs, vertebra, breathing pattern, jaw, or scapulae are not in optimal alignment, neck pain can ensue. There are really too many possible contributing factors to name but don’t lose heart! Myofascial release and postural exercise can go a long way to bringing things back into balance. I spend a lot of time helping people fill their “tool kit” with ways to decrease nervous system tension, muscle spasms, and restrictions and strengthen key postural muscles to aid in supporting this area.
Shoulder Pain
Shoulder pain can be challenging if all the factors that are contributing to your issues are not addressed. Not only do you need to assess the health of the rotator cuff muscles, but you also need to address the scapular alignment and shape of the rib cage. Most chronic shoulder pain has its origins in rib cage mechanics, breathing patterns and asymmetrical strength patterns through these areas. Specific soft tissue techniques as well as exercise prescription to address these upper body imbalances go a long way to correcting shoulder issues.
Migraines
Migraines and stress headaches can be caused by postural issues. Then, if you add every day stress to the situation, you have yourself a perfect storm that can create chronic neck and head pain. Cranial torsion patterns are usually reflected throughout the body and are clues to how to address this issue. Relieving neck tension, jaw tension and improving postural alignment can be highly effective in diminishing chronic pain and improving your lifestyle.
Fibromyalgia
Most physical therapy treatment for Fibromyalgia includes postural exercise, gentle massage and stretching. These methods are great but can be limited if the underlying cause is not addressed. The main issue I have heard from clients over the years is that they are unable to exercise… its just too painful and sometimes even gentle massage is too much and causes irritation and increased pain and tenderness. In my experience, if the nervous system is not addressed, treatment is just not that effective. Once the nervous system is more relaxed it becomes much easier to move, exercise, and perform our daily activities with greater ease and less fatigue. Then implementing a posturely corrective exercise program becomes more feasible.
Free 30 Minute Consultation
Call for a phone consultation or to schedule an in-person consultation. Let’s
see if we are a good fit!