As a child, I was frustrated by magic shows. I like to understand how things work and knew there must be some secret behind the magic. Being wowed wasn’t good enough for me; I wanted knowledge. But, magicians weren’t supposed to share their secrets.
Fast forward to physical therapy school. There I discovered "PT magic." In my orthopedic class, we were captivated by our professors who did amazing things right before our eyes. They could take someone who couldn’t do something, have them do a few exercises, and then all of a sudden, that person could do it! Magic.
This time though, they were there to teach us their secrets! So, I studied and did everything I could do to be able to practice my own "PT magic."
Let me show you an example:
In this example, the woman in the “before” picture could not touch her toes. Often, people will assume they have tight hamstrings, but no amount of stretching seems to change their ability to touch their toes.
I tested a few things and then was able to do my own PT magic - in minutes! I can see the time I took the pictures from the camera. The first was at 10:06 AM. We did some testing, two exercises (that did not involve hamstring stretching) and 10:19 AM is the second picture. Thirteen minutes to take someone who couldn’t touch her toes to being able to.
Is it magic?
Maybe. But better described as:
Now, the technical part of this magic trick:
I tested (I did not guess) to see if this would work for this woman. There are certain areas that have to move in order to be able to touch your toes. If you think about it, you likely can figure it out.
Your back has to bend
Your hips have to bend
And yes, your hamstrings do have to lengthen/stretch.
But, did you also know that your core has to be able to signal to your brain that you are safe enough to allow the movement to occur? If your brain doesn’t trust you to do the movement safely, then likely you might experience “tight hamstrings” even though technically they have enough mobility to complete the movement. That is what happened in this case.
If someone has all the necessary mobility components, then often you can do a simple core exercise and regain the toe touch pattern. This is what we did. I had this woman do some specific rolling that engages her core, re-tested and you can see from the picture her toe touch resolved.
I like many aspects of my job, but showing someone that their mobility can change so quickly when they have often tried (and failed) for years might top the chart. It feels like magic to the person, but all that I am doing is testing and giving the person what their body needs.
This is what great physical therapy looks and feels like - experiencing movement changes and allowing your body to feel safe enough to move well.
**This web site is provided for educational and informational purposes only and does not constitute providing medical advice or professional services. The information provided should not be used for diagnosing or treating a health problem or disease, and those seeking personal medical advice should consult with a licensed medical provider. Please feel free to email me if you have further questions!
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