Trudy McGillicuddy

06/03/2025

17/01/2023

The L5-S1 segment bears all the weight of the upper body and offers the most flexibility in movement, making this spinal motion segment prone to injury. Learn more about the L5-S1 segment here: https://bit.ly/3d3LbLS

16/01/2023

This week we have a few & appointments available… on Tuesday & Friday. Please call if you’d like a consultation.

26/07/2022

Hi All.

Just letting you know that I’m taking a break until the 8th of August.

Please feel free to leave msgs or txts and I’ll return them when I’m back.

Trudy

20/04/2022

A hot topic of conversation amongst clients his week … “why do I have weak glutes? “

🔈 WHY DO YOU HAVE WEAK GLUTES?

ANATOMY

The three gluteal muscles are located in the buttock region, deep to the surronding adipose tissue. The large, superficial gluteus maximus is the most posterior of the group and has fibers that run diagonally across the buttock. The gluteus medius is located on the laterl side of the hip and is also superficial, except for the posterior portion which is deep to the maximus. Both the glutes maximus and medius are strong extensors and abductors of the hip. With its covergent fibers that pull the femur in multiple directions, the gluteus medius could be thought of as the 'deltoid' muscle of the coxal joit'. The gluteus minimus lies deep to the gluteus medius and is inaccessible, however its dense fibers can be felt beneath the medius. Because it attaches to the anterior surface of the greater trochanter, the gluteus mnimus flexes and medially rotates the hip, thus performing the opposite actions of the gluteus maximus.

WHEN DO YOU USE YOUR GLUTES?

You use glutes when you climb stairs, when you run, go cycling, swimming and skating. You use glutes when you dance – especially latin dancing (there are lots of latera rotation of the hip).

WHY ARE YOUR GLUTES WEAK?

Your glutes may be weak for a number of reasons since it's such a complicated goup of muscles responsible for doing so much. However, I would like to point out a few reasons:

1. ASYMMETRY

Weather though sports of habits, humans have a good and a bad side when it comes to certain muscle groups. If you play soccer and you prefere to kick with your right leg, which means you will be standing on your left leg, you are likely to have your left glute musculature stronger than the right, even if your dominant leg is your right leg. That means that your good side could accutally be the weaker side.

Another way an asymmetry can develop is through habits, including something as simple as standing. Stand long enough, and you will inevitably shift your weight to one side for relief, we usually do this to one side more than the other. Another example would be only crossing one leg over the other when you sit; these both have the potential to create asymmetries which may lead to more severe imbalances.

2. INACTIVITY

Unlike the other muscle groups that get used throughout normal life, for example, the quadriceps when you go from sitting to standing or the abdominals when you sit up in bed, the glutes typically get left behind. The problem is two-fold however because we are also sitting on them for hours on end. So not only are they not being used, but our brains are forgetting how to communicate with them as they atrophy in our office chairs.

3. INJURY

If you have ever suffered a lower-body injury that impacted how you walk or even stand, it most likely caused glute inhibition. Broken toe, torn groin, back injury? All of these will create compensatory movement patterns while the injury heals, but we never spend time undoing those patterns leading to problems down the road.

SYMPTOMS OF WEAK GLUTES

You may feel soreness or tightness in the buttocks, pain in the hips, tight hip flexors, low back pain, tight hamstrings, knee pain, or even pelvic instability. Basically, the glutes can present a number of problems because of their many roles!

We severely take our glutes for granted because of this. From walking and running, going up and down stairs, or anything having to do with rotation, weakness can manifest in many different areas. However, the biggest issue stemming from weak glute muscles is posture.

If your glutes are weak you are more likely to have less control over the positioning of your pelvis. If your hips are too tilted this will cause issues up and downstream, pain at the knee or ankles as well as the back, shoulder, and neck. Fix the glutes, align the pelvis and many problems go away on their own.

Reference: David Schroer, Glute Week, Andrew Biel, Trail Guide to the Body.

15/04/2022

A little information on the powerful vagus nerve & how we can affect it with some simple techniques.

ACTIVATE YOUR VAGUS NERVE

The Vagus Nerve is the brain’s method of controlling the parasympathetic nervous system – the rest and digest system. It is not the only nerve controlling our ability to decrease stressors, but it is by far the single most important nerve due to its far reaching effects. The word “vagus” means wanderer, as this nerve wanders throughout the body to many important organs and imparts signals from the brain regarding their level of function.

This nerve connects the brain to the gut (intestines and stomach), heart, liver, pancreas, gallbladder, kidney, ureter, spleen, lungs, s*x organs (in females), neck (pharynx, larynx and esophagus), ears and the tongue. No other nerve in the body has such a broad and far reaching effect as the Vagus Nerve.

FUNCTIONS:
• In the brain, the vagus helps control anxiety and depression.
• In the gut, it increases stomach acidity, digestive juices, and gut flow.
• In the heart, it controls heart rate variability, heart rate, and blood pressure. Vagus activation will lower the risk for heart disease and stroke.
• In the liver and pancreas, it helps controls glucose store and balance.
• In the gallbladder, it helps release bile, which can help you get rid of toxins and break down fat.

Vagus nerve stimulation has the potential to help those suffering from various health conditions, including but certainly not limited to anxiety disorders, heart disease, some forms of cancer, poor circulation, leaky gut syndrome, alzheimer’s, memory and mood disorders, migraine’s and headaches, fibromyalgia, obesity, tinnitus, addiction, autism and autoimmune conditions.

So how can we stimulate this nerve to ensure that this nerve is functioning optimally? Here are a few ways you can exercise and stimulate your vagus nerve:

COLD SHOWERS
Any acute cold exposure will increase vagus nerve stimulation. Studies have shown that when your body adjusts to cold, your fight or flight (sympathetic) system declines and your rest and digest (parasympathetic) system increases, which is mediated by the vagus nerve.

MASSAGE
You can manually stimulate your vagus nerve by massaging several areas. A foot massage can stimulate vagus nerve activity, as can massaging your neck. A neck massage along the carotid sinus (the right side of your throat near where you check your pulse) can also stimulate the vagus nerve.

YOGA
Yoga increases vagus nerve activity and your parasympathetic system in general.
A 12-week yoga intervention was associated with greater improvements in mood and anxiety than a control group who just did walking exercises. The study found increased thalamic GABA levels, which were associated with improved mood and decreased anxiety.

BREATHING TECHNIQUES
Deep breathing is always relaxing to your body, but you can use other breathing techniques to stimulate your vagus nerve. Alternate nostril breathing or yogic breathing is a great way to stimulate the vagus nerve. Another breathing technique that you may never have tried is inhaling deeply and then closing your airway while pushing your breath against the inside of your chest and bearing down with your abdominal muscles (like you are trying to pass gas). This method of applying internal pressure from the lungs out to the surrounding organs stimulates the vagus nerve as it connects your heart, spleen, lungs, stomach, and small intestines.

02/03/2022

Looking beyond the site of pain for the cause … sound familiar?

🔈 ASSESS THE SYSTEM, NOT JUST THE PART

Everything in the body is connected. Achilles tendinopathy is a great example of this. The Achilles tendon and calves are connected to the plantar fascia on one end and the hamstrings on the other.

Weakness in the hamstrings is a known risk factor for Achilles tendinopathy. This weakness causes movement compensations that lead to extra loading on the Achilles.

If you can't propel yourself forward via hip extension, you may resort to pushing off more at the ankle and foot. This movement compensation increases the stress on the Achilles and can overload the tendon.

So when you want to fix an injury, you have to look beyond the site of pain. Attacking locally is a great place to start but you may need to move up or down the chain for long term resolution. You know what hurts, but you need to figure out why. Find the patterns. Find the compensations. And often you'll find the solution.

23/02/2022

We 💕working on the 10th cranial nerve, the vagus nerve. Here’s why….

7 FACTS ABOUT THE VAGUS NERVE

1. THE VAGUS NERVE PREVENTS INFLAMMATION.

2. THE VAGUS NERVE HELPS YOU MAKE MEMORIES.

3. THE VAGUS NERVE HELPS YOU BREATHE.

4. THE VAGUS NERVE CONTROLS YOUR HEART RATE.

5. THE VAGUS NERVE INITIATES RELAXATION AFTER STRESS.

6. THE VAGUS NERVE LETS YOUR GUT "TALK" TO YOUR BRAIN.

7. ELECTRICAL STIMULATION OF THE VAGUS NERVE REDUCES INFLAMMATION AND MIGHT STOP IT ALTOGETHER.

Read more: https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/65710/9-nervy-facts-about-vagus-nerve

Image: https://www.etsy.com/listing/762027320/vagus-nerve-giclee-print

12/02/2022

New Osteopathic Clinic … same address just around the back 😍