Many therapists believe that having a “normal” spinal curve is associated with less or no back pain. Thus, people with too much or too little lordosis are at a higher risk of getting low back pain. However, much of the research in the past 20-plus years do not support such

Athletes — especially those who perform high-intensity and long-duration activities like marathons and Tour de France — produce a huge amount of lactate compared to most non-athletes. However, since cancer cells thrive on lactate as their primary source of fuel, wouldn’t that process increase ultramarathoners’ and similar endurance athletes’ risk

Meta-analysis in JAMA “favors” spinal manipulation, but the data itself indicates “not really.” A recent NPR article touted that spinal manipulation therapy (SMT) “can alleviate back pain” in its title based on a recent systematic review and meta-analysis that was published in JAMA recently. (1,2) The story stated that “patients reported greater ease and comfort engaging

Three massage therapists walk into a bar and saw that the bartender is grimacing in pain with one hand on his right lower back. Massage therapist A asks, “Hi Carlos, what’s bothering you?” Carlos replies, “My lower back has been hurting for more than a week, and it seems to

Despite the advances in our understanding of pain in the last sixty years in research, many manual therapists and fitness professionals are still being taught and adopting outdated ideas about pain. However, there is a small and emerging population of therapists and trainers who are gradually learning (and unlearning) about

What is muscle energy technique? Muscle energy technique is “a system of manual therapy for the treatment of movement impairments the combines the effectiveness, safety, and specificity of reeducation therapies and therapeutic exercise. The therapist localizes and controls the procedures, while the patient provides the corrective forces and energies for