Melanie Faulkner, RMT

03/27/2026

Just because something is tight, doesnt mean it needs to be stretched!

03/23/2026

When there is dysfunction in our bodies, we compensate; often, so well we don't experience any pain. More dysfunction, more compensation. Our first instance of pain is not a time-stamp for when the dysfunction began, but rather for when we lost the ability to compensate effectively.

03/20/2026

Performing activities on pain medication that you wouldn't or couldn't without is a bit like buying functionality on credit. You get it now, pay for it later, and often get hit with interest as the meds allow you to worsen your injury without knowing it.

03/13/2026

03/12/2026

03/11/2026

1 in 4 Women Have Post Surgical Pain following C-Section

This study highlights a few very important points that we share in our classes.

1️⃣ Surgical wounds(all wounds really) need to be addressed/treated immediately after they happen to minimize any long term effects on the body.

2️⃣ NSAID’s and stopping inflammation after surgery is detrimental on healing and contributes to long term and chronic pain.

3️⃣ It is imperative to have good post surgical pain management to mitigate the development of long term pain.

“There appears to be a consensus that acute post-surgical pain is a relevant contributing factor to the development of CPSP in women submitted to Cesarean section.”

💣 In conclusion, the findings of the present study provide important data on CPSP in women submitted to Cesarean section. One in four women report pain related to surgery three months after the operation, with this complaint being affected by anxiety levels, smoking and by the presence of severe pain in the early postoperative period. The risk factors identified here are modifiable, indicating that implementing preventive strategies could be beneficial. These strategies include providing emotional care and discouraging smoking in the period preceding a Cesarean section and offering better pain control following discharge from hospital for women who have undergone this surgical intervention.

Of the 620 women monitored after surgery, all received some type of medication for pain relief while in hospital. As shown in S1 Table, almost all (99.7%) were given simple analgesics and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) (93.3%) during this period. Of the simple analgesics, dipyrone was the most commonly administered medication (99.2%), while, of the NSAIDs, diclofenac sodium was the most common (99.5%). Only five women (0.8%) were given an opioid analgesic during this period.

03/10/2026

A study on sciatica found that 84% of people improved after one year, yet many pain-free people still had disc herniations on MRI while others in pain had “perfect” scans, showing that pain and imaging don’t always match. 🔎

03/09/2026

Price change in effect April 1 2026

03/04/2026

Most people assume a frozen shoulder comes from “tight muscles” or “wear and tear.” That’s only part of the story.

Emerging evidence shows that frozen shoulder often signals metabolic dysfunction, inflammation, insulin resistance, and tissue remodeling that affect the shoulder capsule itself. In other words, the problem isn’t just mechanical; it reflects how your body’s internal systems are functioning. Next is menopause and the tendon changes that occur from the loss of estrogen. Lastly is the thyroid. People who are hypothyroid also develop a frozen shoulder more often than a normal population.

This explains why some people with a frozen shoulder don’t improve with stretching alone. The joint isn’t “lazy” or “weak.” It’s a tissue responding to systemic stress, and ignoring the metabolic side only prolongs stiffness and pain.

Addressing thyroid levels, seeing a menopause specialist, and managing blood sugar, inflammation, and overall metabolic health, alongside movement and rehabilitation, can accelerate recovery and prevent future episodes in other joints.

02/27/2026

Hey…have you heard?

✅The immune system is heavily implicated in pain.
✅And treating the immune system may hold the key to resolving pain.
✅ And it’s not about shutting down inflammation…it’s about helping it resolve.

And yeah…we’ve been talking about it for only 10 years now. 😂😂😂

✅Good to see everyone else is finally catching up. 😂😂😂😂😂

01/22/2026

🚫 NSAIDs + concussion = nope. 🚫

I know ibuprofen/Advil is loved by many… but after a concussion/mild TBI, it’s not the move.

Why? Because inflammation is part of healing -and with the brain, that early neuroinflammation can actually be protective. It’s part of the body’s “repair crew” showing up.

Here’s the science-y way to say it…

“In some cases, treatments that reduce the inflammatory response will also hinder the brain’s intrinsic repair mechanisms.”

And it gets more pointed…

Research in animal models shows that chronic ibuprofen (one of the most common NSAIDs) can worsen cognitive changes after experimental TBI. Other anti-inflammatories have helped in some types of CNS injury… but don’t seem to improve recovery time in mild TBI/concussion.

✅ Bottom line -trying to “shut down” the inflammatory response after a concussion isn’t a good strategy.

01/21/2026

“I stretched. I rolled. Why does it still feel like a knife in my hip?” 🔥🔪

You were told you have “tight hips.”
So you attacked the IT band with a roller like it owes you money.
It burns. You cry. You stand up… and it snaps tight again.

Here’s the plot twist: the IT band is not a stretchy muscle. It’s dense fascia. Most evidence suggests it can’t be lengthened in any meaningful way with stretching or rolling. What changes is usually nervous system tone, not the band itself.

The real mechanism: the Emergency Brace 🛑

In hypermobility, the hip can be subtly unstable. When the joint feels unsafe, the nervous system turns on “backup stabilizers” to keep the leg from collapsing inward.

The usual suspects:
• TFL + glute max feed into the IT band, so when they overwork, the band feels like a tight wire.
• The glute med (side-butt stabilizer) isn’t always “weak,” but research suggests endurance/control can be the issue. It tires, coordination slips, and the system recruits the tension-cable strategy.

Why stretching fails

If the tightness is protective, stretching it is like loosening your seatbelt while the car is skidding.
Your brain senses the instability and tightens right back up.

The pivot

Stop fighting the cable. Fix the control room.

A PT will often prioritize hip stability + endurance + motor control, including isometric holds (bridge holds, hip abduction wall-press holds) and gradual loading so the IT band can “clock out.”

👇 Question that pulls stories:
Does sitting light up your deep glute, but walking feels better?

Disclaimer: I am an educational content creator, not a medical professional. Persistent hip or nerve-like pain should be evaluated by a qualified clinician.

Sources:
Geisler et al. (2021). Current Clinical Concepts… Iliotibial Band Impingement Syndrome (ITB not meaningfully stretchable).
Hutchinson et al. (2022). The Iliotibial Band: A Complex Structure… (TFL/glute max relationship with ITB).
Roosens et al. (2023). Intrinsic risk factors associated with ITBS (glute med endurance/fatigue nuance).
Wei et al. (2025). Effect of Gluteus Medius Strengthening on ITB tension/stiffness (RCT).