Yoga at bedtime can help you fall asleep faster and sleep better. Trudy, a registered yoga teacher and fellow Physical Therapist, stops by to show me a therapeutic yoga bedtime routine.
Therapeutic yoga focuses on gentle yoga or modification poses with breathing techniques. Trudy is not only a friend and mentor, but she is also from Canada! So if you are a Canadian viewer, make sure to give her a shout-out in the comments. And Canadian or not, make sure you visit Trudy’s website!
When trying to get a good night’s sleep, you want to do stretches and exercises that don’t wake up your spine, so try not to extend your back or open up your chest area before going to sleep.
A piriformis stretch is a great way to help relax the glute area and relax the lower body.
Next, is a double knee to chest stretch. Make sure everything is in alignment, and that you are not getting any pinching in the front of your hips.
Finally, legs up the wall helps with lymphatic drainage. This is a great way to relax the whole body and help with sleep.
The pelvic floor muscles are often overlooked, and people don’t think about strengthening them. Since the pelvic floor muscles are small, it doesn’t take a lot of movement to work them, so it’s best to start with a little and slowly progress.
Groin pain can come from many things, so it’s important to get a proper diagnosis. Groin pain can be from an adductor strain, labral tear, hip impingement, hip arthritis, or a sports hernia. These simple stretches and exercises should help relieve the pain.
Vagus nerve stimulation uses gentle electrical impulses to stimulate the vagus nerve. The vagus nerves control our parasympathetic system (resting and digesting) by sending signals to the brain to release calming neurotransmitters.
This standing exercise routine for seniors can help loosen up and strengthen the muscles in the neck, shoulders, back, hips, knees, and ankles. This routine is performed in real-time, so it’s easy to follow along.
TENS units & EMS units can be very helpful when recovering from an injury or surgery. The two are very different, but often come together in one unit like the iStim EV-805 unit I use in this video.
Bodyweight exercises are great (especially for beginners) because they can be done without any equipment or an expensive gym membership. Many simple and effective exercises can be done with just our bodyweight. The bodyweight exercises in this video are great for helping to improving strength, balance, and overall health.
Living with fibromyalgia and other chronic pain conditions can be challenging. One of the most common symptoms is widespread pain, affecting various parts of the body. Simple seated stretches and exercises can help manage these symptoms
This real-time lower body isometrics routine features easy exercises that can help strengthen the lower body & relieve pain. It can also help decrease tightness and improve overall flexibility.
PTs will often analyze your gait by watching you get up and walk across the room, but most of the time we are analyzing your gait as soon as you walk into the clinic. If you have been diagnosed with gait abnormalities, these stretches and exercises might help.
