Network Magazine summer 2015 | Page 39

and extend your thumbs toward the ceiling (like you are creating fake guns with your hands). Balance a dowel rod across the top of your two index fingers and then position your index fingers on the back of your client’s pelvis (i.e. where their pants would sit on their hips). Now look in the mirror and see if the dowel rod is level. If the rod is higher on one side, this indicates that your client’s hips have shifted to that side. It also suggests that the base of their spine (i.e. sacrum and coccyx) has shifted toward that same higher side. If you discover that your client’s hips are not level, you can assume their neck and head are also out of alignment, due to the compensatory movements they develop in order to keep their body balanced (Price, 2011). Corrective exercise strategies Dowel rod on hips assessment Foam roller on side of hip and leg Use the following self-myofascial release, stretching and strengthening corrective exercises to help realign the lumbopelvic-hip girdle so the shoulders, neck and head naturally fall back into better alignment. When performed on a regular basis, these strategies will retrain the structures of the LPHG and help alleviate neck and shoulder pain. Exercise 1: Foam roller on side of hip and leg A sideways shift of the hips and lumbar spine is often caused by restrictions in the opposite hip and muscles that run down the leg (i.e. the hip that appears lower on the dowel rod assessment is usually the PT: Meeting of the Minds An essential 1-day event for Personal Trainers THURSDAY 28 APRIL / MELBOURNE CONVENTION CENTRE For the first time ever in Australia, Network is proud to present Meeting of the Minds (MOTM) – formerly PT Summit – a collaboration of the world’s leading fitness thinkers and innovators. Building on a platform of global success, MOTM is your exclusive opportunity to listen to, learn from, share and engage with a team of expert presenters and your industry peers. From programming and emotional connections to behaviour change and movement evolution, these are the topics that this meeting of thought leaders believe to be critical to the future of personal training. NO idea is off limits. PAUL TAYLOR TONY BOUTAGY DR EMILY SPLICHAL DOUGLAS HEEL IAN O’DWYER MIKE FITCH LISA CHAMPION MICHOL DALCOURT BOBBY CAPPUCCIO Includes Networking Lunch and refreshment breaks Network Member $449 / Non-member $549 (or included in FILEX Gold Pass) POWERED BY SPONSORED BY Secure your spot now at FILEX.com.au NETWORK SUMMER 2015 | 39