Millions of Americans suffer from chronic back pain (CBP). However, the majority of those with CBP—85%, in fact—have not been diagnosed with a definitive structural cause for their pain. Instead, changes in the central nervous system, including the brain, are causing the pain. This...

Plantar Fasciitis is an inflammation and tearing of the connective tissue on the bottom of the foot. There is a central and a lateral plantar fascia, as you can see in the image to the right. This fascia connects the toes to the heel. The main symptom of plantar fasciitis is heel pain, which is...

Pain flare-ups are no fun! How do I know? Because I’ve had plenty myself. Sometimes, flare-ups are understandable, such as when we increase an activity too quickly. For example, perhaps you pushed it a bit too far on your run, hiked a longer and steeper trail than usual, added too many...

Your subconscious mind directs the actions and behaviors that create the results you experience in your life. Interestingly, your subconscious is more powerful than your conscious mind. It comprises the majority of your mind capacity. As you can see in the iceberg image to the right, the...

I am excited to announce the pre-launch of The Pain Free Athlete membership website. The site officially launches on October 1, 2021. The creation of this website is one of the benefits of Covid-19. A year and a half ago, I moved all of my in-person classes to Zoom. Then, I transitioned to...

American artistic gymnast Simone Biles displayed athletic toughness last week at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic games. Biles, a four-time Olympic gold medalist at Rio de Janeiro in 2016, chose not to compete in multiple events during the games due to mental concerns.

Ok. I get it. When you read this, you...

“Osteoarthritis is not a ‘wear and tear’ disease of the joint.”

Thus says Tasha Stanton, associate professor and lead osteoarthritis researcher at the University of South Australia, Adelaide. I had the opportunity to listen to her presentation, “Re-thinking...

Peer pressure, the influence a group or individual has on your behavior, can be positive or negative. When we view it in relation to activity and sport, peer pressure can drive us to do more than we might on our own. This is great if we are lacking motivation and need that extra push to get...

I have a confession to make: I frequently struggle to do my “rehab exercises”! There you have it. I am a posture coach that can lack motivation to do the work she asks of her clients. So, do you think less of me now? Or, maybe you respect my honesty? Well, regardless of your view of...

If you Google the topic, the idea of being careful regarding pain and activity is obviously widespread....

 Pain is: 

“An unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with, or resembling that associated with, actual or potential tissue damage.”

This updated definition of pain was provided by The International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP) last summer (July...

 I hate being cold! And I get anxious when holding my breath. So, naturally, I chose to take up a daily practice that includes both of these things, right? But of course . . . I embrace challenges. I don't like that I have fear and apprehension about the cold and breath holding. When I...