A Quick Insight to Self Treatment

I actually drove 6 hours to my buddy's house the day before we both drove to Quebec City for IFOMPT. After sitting for 2-3 hours in the car, despite stops every 1.5 hours (like I tell my patients), my right posterior thigh has a painful pressure and paraesthesia.

Normally I do repeated extension in standing at rest stops, dynamic neurodynamic tensioners, bridges in the car, all of these things give me temporary relief at best. As a huge MDT advocate, I normally have excellent posture. After my first break at a rest stop, my Sx returned within twenty minutes. Here is how I got rid of them for the first time for the rest of the trip.

I took a very large diaphragmatic breath. So large, I felt my entire right lower quarter "stretch." This is normally my problem side, with a more restricted QL, psoas, hip, etc... After a few deep breaths, I tried a pelvic floor contraction and noticed some slight inhibition on my right. A few more deep breaths, and the stretching sensation eased a bit. My right ribs expanded better. I then reached under the bony contours of my right 12th inferior rib, and took several more deep breaths, so much I felt like my abdomen was about to explode. Pinning and stretching my diaphragm immediately released my right hip. The sensation of strong "stretch" was gone. I could feel my pelvic floor turn on as well. A TA contraction felt more even (normally I have to cue it a bit to get the right side to fire appropriately).

My hip Sx were gone, they didn't return for the remainder of the trip for the first time ever. They also never even started on the entire 8.5 hours on the drive to Quebec City.

I have cued diaphragmatic breathing before, but never to the point where using it as a stretch. If any of your patients have trouble with prolonged driving, or prolonged sitting. It's worth a try.

I'll be posting later on David Butler's Manual Therapy in a neuroplastic world from 8:00 am, his neurodynamic breakout, Rocabado's Sleep Apnea breakout on sleep apnea... I didn't even know he was here! And then covering the GMI breakout that lasts the entire afternoon from 1:30-5:00 EST.