Welcome to Performance Care, the blog site for Advanced Chiropractic & Rehab. We'll regularly post exercise and stretching videos. Also, please feel free to post questions/comments. We'll get back to you as soon as we can. If you'd like to be added to our newsletter letting you know when new exercises are posted, visit our website listed below. *To post a comment, click on "comments" link at the bottom of the post.

Our clinic specializes in successfully treating athletic injuries, pregnancy related pain, peripheral nerve entrapments (numbness in the extremities), jaw joint problems (TMJ), and headaches. These are also great topics for questions, in additon to those on general injuries, athletic performance enhancement, and nutritional advice.

To learn more about our clinic, please visit http://www.advancedchiropractickc.com/ .

Disclaimer: one should always consult a health professional before beginning or modifying an exercise routine. The replies posted by Dr. Iodice are meant to help readers figure out a course of action and as general advice, but it is impossible to diagnose a physical problem without a proper examination.

Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Clams and Gluteus Maximus Bridge Exercises

The clam strengthens your gluteus medius and helps with hip stability.

1. Lie on your side, with your legs slightly bent at the knees with ankles, hips, and shoulders in a line. The head should rest on the down arm.
2. Your top hand is placed on your hip with thumb over the glute med.
3. Lift your knee up as if someone has tied a string to your knee and is gently pulling it straight up.
4. Lift for a 1 count and returns for a 3 count.
5. If done correctly, you should feel contraction under the thumb and nothing in the lateral leg.
6. Repeat for 30 reps/side total.

If you feel more in the lateral leg, then the knees are bent too much. It does not matter how high the leg is lifted, as long as the contraction is felt under the thumb. Things to avoid include: rocking of the pelvis backwards, the ankles coming apart, or the ankles, hips and shoulders not being in line.

The gluteus maximus bridge strengthen your gluteus muscles and core.


1. Begin by lying on your back, knees bent to 90o and arms at your side
2. Squeeze your glute muscles together. Imagine you are squeezing a coin between your checks.
3. Then lift your pelvis and back off the ground trying to solely use the glute muscles. The thighs and legs should be in a straight line.
4. Lifts for a 1 second count. This position is held for 5-10 secs. The patient then returns to the ground slowly. 5. Once the glutes touch the ground, the patient lifts again.
6. The patient should be “squeezing the coin” the entire way up, but not on the way down.
7. Repeat for 30 reps.
Things to avoid include: Extending of the low back, contraction of the hamstrings and back muscles, relaxation of the glutes while holding for 5-10 count.

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

The hip flexors are a group of muscles that move the hip forward when running and walking. The hip flexor muscles are located in the front of your leg, above the thigh muscles, and they act to bring your leg up towards your trunk. The hip flexors are relatively small muscles yet are extremely important because of what can happen when they aren’t functioning normally.

Check out the following stretch for the psoas muscle.