Motion Specific Release

An ankle sprain may improve while pain along the outer foot continues to limit walking, running, or a dancer’s push-off. For the practitioner, that persistence raises a useful question: are we still assessing the ankle, or have we overlooked a relevant problem in the lateral midfoot? Cuboid syndrome is one consideration. The term describes a clinical presentation involving pain around the cuboid and calcaneocuboid region, often associated with an inversion injury or repetitiv

Plantar fasciitis has been a sustained focus of my clinical work and teaching, leading to the publication of Resolving Plantar Fasciitis in 2015. That interest centres on a practical question: which findings should change how we treat the individual in front of us?

“Too much, too soon” describes a common training pattern associated with shin splints: increasing distance, intensity, or frequency faster than your body can adapt. Enthusiasm may drive the change, but returning to familiar distances after a break can create a similar challenge.

Buttock pain that travels into the leg can turn a routine drive, a walk, or a run into a persistent challenge. The piriformis muscle may contribute to these symptoms, but their location alone does not identify the source. For practitioners, the first task is to determine which clinical pattern best explains the problem.

Motion Specific Release (MSR) grew from a commitment to help people move beyond pain and rebuild their capacity to participate in life. Developed through more than three decades of practice, study, and teaching, MSR integrates clinical assessment, manual therapy, exercise, and patient education within a treatment system that adapts to the individual.

Human beings are remarkable endurance runners. Although we are not the fastest animals over short distances, our anatomy and physiology allow us to travel efficiently over long distances by coordinating the movements of the feet, ankles, knees, hips, pelvis, trunk, and upper body.

Tension-type headache (TTH) is one of the most common forms of headache. It is typically experienced as a pressing or tightening sensation on both sides of the head, often described as a band of pressure around the forehead or skull. The pain is usually mild to moderate and, unlike migraine, is not typically made worse by routine physical activity.

The Achilles tendon is the largest and strongest tendon in the human body, yet it is also subjected to extraordinary forces. During running, jumping, and other high-demand activities, the tendon can experience loads several times greater than body weight as it transfers force from the calf muscles to the foot.

The menisci are two crescent-shaped structures within the knee that play an important role in load distribution, joint stability, shock absorption, and movement. Their name comes from the Greek word for “crescent,” reflecting their characteristic shape.

Diagnosing a meniscal injury requires more than identifying pain along the knee joint line or finding a tear on an MRI. The clinical significance of a meniscal lesion depends on the mechanism of injury, symptoms, physical examination, associated injuries, functional limitations, and, when appropriate, imaging findings.

Exercise-based rehabilitation forms the foundation of nonoperative management for most degenerative meniscal lesions and can also be appropriate for selected traumatic tears. Manual therapy may be incorporated as an adjunct when it helps address pain, mobility restrictions, or other factors limiting rehabilitation, but it should support rather than replace progressive exercise and functional loading.

Patellofemoral pain (PFP), commonly referred to as patellofemoral pain syndrome (PFPS) or runner’s knee, is a frequent cause of anterior knee pain in both athletic and general populations. Symptoms are typically experienced around or behind the patella and are aggravated by activities that load the patellofemoral joint, including running, squatting, stair climbing, jumping, and prolonged sitting. Patellofemoral pain is best understood as a multifactorial condition rather than

Iliotibial Band Syndrome (ITBS) is a common load-related condition that produces pain around the outside of the knee, particularly in runners, cyclists, and other individuals exposed to repetitive lower-extremity loading.

Knee ligament injuries can range from a mild sprain to a complete tear and may affect athletes as well as people injured during work, recreation, falls, or everyday activities. Depending on the ligament involved and the severity of the injury, symptoms can include pain, swelling, reduced movement, instability, or difficulty trusting the knee during activity. A careful diagnosis is an important first step. This usually begins with the history of the injury and a thorough clini

Jumper's Knee, more accurately known as patellar tendinopathy, is a common source of anterior knee pain in athletes and active individuals, particularly those involved in sports requiring repeated jumping, landing, acceleration, and rapid changes of direction. Basketball and volleyball are classic examples, but patellar tendinopathy can affect anyone whose activities repeatedly place high demands on the knee extensor mechanism. Patellar tendinopathy is best understood as a lo

Osgood-Schlatter disease (OSD) is a common cause of anterior knee pain in growing children and adolescents, particularly during periods of rapid growth. It affects the tibial tuberosity, the bony prominence just below the kneecap where the patellar tendon attaches.

Frozen shoulder, also known as adhesive capsulitis, is a painful condition characterized by progressive stiffness and a substantial loss of shoulder movement. Pain can be particularly troublesome at night, and everyday activities such as reaching overhead, putting on a jacket, fastening a seat belt, or reaching behind the back can become surprisingly difficult. The condition involves changes within the glenohumeral joint capsule, including inflammation, fibrosis, thickening,

Thoracic Outlet Syndrome (TOS) can be challenging to diagnose because symptoms in the neck, shoulder, arm, and hand can resemble several other musculoskeletal and neurological conditions. Patients may report pain, numbness, tingling, weakness, fatigue, heaviness, or, in vascular cases, changes in circulation.

The rotator cuff plays a central role in shoulder movement, strength, and dynamic control. In Part 3, we examine the four rotator cuff muscles, their anatomy and function, and how rotator cuff-related problems can contribute to shoulder pain and loss of function. We will then move from anatomy into clinical assessment. Shoulder pain can arise from many different structures and mechanisms, and individual examination findings rarely provide the entire answer. An effective asses

In Part 1, we explored the joints and functional articulations that make up the shoulder complex. In Part 2, we turn our attention to the muscles that produce and coordinate movement of the scapula, shoulder, neck, and upper extremity. The scapula provides attachment for 17 muscles, creating an important link between the arm, shoulder, neck, and trunk. These muscles do much more than move the shoulder blade in a single direction. Their coordinated activity continually changes