#okotoks

How To Quickly Eliminate Back Pain Without Being Held Hostage By A Herniated Disc

Sep 4, 2020
5 min

How To Quickly Eliminate Back Pain Without Being Held Hostage By A Herniated Disc

Evolution Over the process of millions of years we have become a bipedal species which means our spinal structure and supporting soft tissues had to also evolve to maintain an erect posture and efficient gait. The challenge that we are facing modern day, and the picture above speaks for itself, is that we invest many hours each day accumulating significant postural debt. It wouldn't be so harmful upon our spine, if we did get up from our chairs and moved quadrupedally, as our

48 views0 comments

Massage Advice Every Plantar Fasciitis Hater Will LOVE!

Jason Barlow, RMT

Aug 27, 2020
4 min

Massage Advice Every Plantar Fasciitis Hater Will LOVE!

Pain along the base of the foot that prevents you from walking and doing the activities you love to pursue, just sucks! I suffered with plantar fasciitis on two separate occasions, both of which were caused by poor fitting footwear. Once I changed out my footwear, the problem went away. Often, though a lot of people aren't this lucky and they suffer for weeks, months and years. Let's take a look this week at the anatomy of the plantar fascia and a simple, at-home, self-massag

76 views0 comments

My dirty little secret back surgeons don’t want you to know

Jason Barlow, RMT

Aug 19, 2020
5 min

My dirty little secret back surgeons don’t want you to know

Do you struggle with chronic back pain? Are you finding that no matter how much deadlifting you are doing, your back still feels weak and unstable? If you answered yes to either, or both, of these questions - you are not alone. Today I want to explore some key reasons why your back may be hurting and how to strengthen your deep spinal stabilizers which will ultimately make the difference in back strength, stability, coordination and postural control. Anatomy of the Spine The

29 views0 comments

My secret sauce to less pain and better posture

Jason Barlow, RMT

Aug 13, 2020
4 min

My secret sauce to less pain and better posture

I had just turned 24 and I remember a Pilates instructor teaching me how to breathe properly! How had I reversed my breathing mechanics unknowingly? As a young man there I was, tongue sticking out, having to really concentrate to retrain my brain and muscles so I could learn how to breathe properly again. Did you know that around your adolescent years, you have typically reversed how you were born to breathe? If you watch any baby or young child breathe whilst at rest, you

69 views0 comments

Jason Barlow, RMT

Aug 6, 2020
3 min

Nerve Hack to Relieve Sciatica

Sciatica can be debilitating when it takes hold. Searing, burning pain that can bring you to your knees - regardless of your age, health and athletic background! When used as a lay term it refers to pain in the back of the leg; it does not necessarily identify the origin of the pain. True sciatica is triggered by a compression or inflammation of the sciatic nerve. This could arise due to several reasons which can include disc herniation, piriformis syndrome, vertebral osteoph

82 views0 comments

If You've Had "Shin Splints" Pain, You Need This Trick

Jason Barlow, RMT

Jul 30, 2020
3 min

If You've Had "Shin Splints" Pain, You Need This Trick

Years ago when I was consistently running 10-K races, I recall going through some battles with shin splints. It can be wickedly painful and performance rendering. Today I want to share one of my easy-to-use tricks to help prevent and treat shin splint pain. Periostitis Don't worry it's not contagious! This is the medical term that refers to the inflammation of the periosteum (a membrane that envelopes all bones). It should be taken seriously and treated ASAP. Chronic periosti

78 views0 comments

What You Don't Know About Pelvic Pain Could Hurt You

Jason Barlow, RMT

Jul 23, 2020
4 min

What You Don't Know About Pelvic Pain Could Hurt You

Manchester United Football Team Manchester - my home city and my favorite football team (much better than the Arsenal (my wife's team!)). I remember many years ago one of the most prevalent injuries in soccer at the time was hamstring strains. That was until they hired a kinesiology expert, who assessed and discovered that regular stretching of the hamstrings was not solving the problem. What they discovered is that by strengthening the hamstrings instead was actually reducin

63 views0 comments

3 Common Forearm Pain Problems - Which Ones Do You Want To Overcome?

Jason Barlow, RMT

Jul 15, 2020
5 min

3 Common Forearm Pain Problems - Which Ones Do You Want To Overcome?

WANTED - The Notorious Three - Golfer's Elbow, Tennis Elbow & Carpal Tunnel Syndrome! When I moved to Canada, I was shocked by the average career lifespan of a massage therapist - 7-years! I've been doing this for almost 18-years and thankfully through my own sound advice that I share with you each week, I've been able to keep these three notorious injuries under control. These notorious three are not just a massage therapist's career-limiting injury. Today's article is dedic

68 views0 comments

How to Survive Neck Stress, Tension And Pain (and Other Neck Relief Tips)

Jason Barlow, RMT

Jul 9, 2020
5 min

How to Survive Neck Stress, Tension And Pain (and Other Neck Relief Tips)

Your body believes every word you say! Have you ever caught yourself saying 'he/she is a pain in my neck?'. It's a common and easy statement to declare but the ramifications can be significant to your body! What Would You Do If You Had Trillions of Employees? Imagine that. You don't have to pay them. You just have to feed them and ensure they get some activity and rest, and in exchange they'll help you fulfill your life with health, happiness and vitality. Your body is compri

120 views0 comments

WARNING: Here's What Every Runner Needs To Know About Self-Massage

Jason Barlow, RMT

Jul 1, 2020
5 min

WARNING: Here's What Every Runner Needs To Know About Self-Massage

It's quick. It's easy. Put on your running shoes and away you go. It's the next level up from walking and has a greater effect on your cardio-vascular health, muscular endurance and your outlook on life. Enter running! The Dangers of Running Other than running alone through the Canadian Rockies where you may encounter a bear, cougar or moose, there are some key dangers to consider in your running program. 1. The Dose Makes the Poison This is my fundamental rule in life that I

47 views0 comments

My secret weapon to avoid pain and arm numbness

Jason Barlow, RMT

Jun 25, 2020
4 min

My secret weapon to avoid pain and arm numbness

Typically everything you are doing each day is dependent upon your eyes determining where your body is going to follow. As such, you are commonly moving forward (not backward), looking down (toward your devices) and it's rare that you add lateral or rotational movements unless you are working out or playing sports. As a result, your physical posture then naturally follows the same patterns - tending toward the classic fetal position. The more your head travels forward off the

77 views0 comments

Excessive Sitting Leads to 'Terrible, Terrible' things

Jason Barlow, RMT

Jun 18, 2020
4 min

Excessive Sitting Leads to 'Terrible, Terrible' things

My golden rule for when it comes to posture is to always remember - it's the dose that makes the poison! This image above captivated me several years ago. It's poignant with modern day postures that I see every day in the clinic. Here is an interesting point though. None of these postures are inherently faulty. What makes them faulty is the frequency and duration of doing each of them. That's right, the sit/stand desk can be a good investment, with the caveat that even too mu

32 views0 comments

Got Knee Stiffness, You Need This Trick!

Jason Barlow, RMT

Jun 11, 2020
5 min

Got Knee Stiffness, You Need This Trick!

Aged 15, I ran hard and did a lot of plyometrics because my dream was to be the next Michael Jordan! That was, until one day I felt throbbing pain in my knee. I had succumbed to my first non-traumatic injury. I had rolled my ankle multiple times up to that point (the most common basketball injury) but this experience was different. The pain would be there one moment, and disappear the next. It would flare up and prevent me from running but didn't show up when I played basketb

14 views0 comments

Jason Barlow, RMT

May 28, 2020
4 min

To Move Pain Free Faster, Get Stronger This Way

In the thousands of patients I have tested, they always come out poorly with this #1 back exercise. Why? It's a weakness we develop as soon as we start to sit in chairs, wear comfy shoes, walk on concrete sidewalks and live in homes with comfortable flooring. In many regards, these are beneficial inventions. However, if you've been following my blog, there is one point I continually make. Always remember: it is the dose that makes the poison. We use these moderns technologies

19 views0 comments

Jason Barlow, RMT

May 22, 2020
4 min

Got Neck Pain? Do this #1 Stretch!

The short-tight muscle I teach you to stretch this week is the sternocleidomastoid or SCM. It's the #1 MOST WANTED MUSCLE for causing: - Headaches - Jaw & Dental Pain - Ear Pain - Forward Head Posture - Faulty Breathing Patterns - Limited Neck Range of Motion - Thoracic Kyphosis - Dowagers Hump Patients often ask me what is the most common area of the body that I treat. It's a tie between the lower back and the neck. This week I'm focusing on the neck. Let's take a look why i

20 views0 comments