Dr. Todd Sinett
Recent Posts
Loosen Those Hip Flexors with Easy Exercises
Jan 12, 2021 2:22:15 PM / by Dr. Todd Sinett posted in knee stretches, exercise, hips
The hip flexors are a group of skeletal muscles that act to flex the femur (thigh bone) onto the lumbo-pelvic complex, so that you can preform motions like pulling your knee upward.
How to Avoid Pain in Your QL
Dec 23, 2020 9:55:00 AM / by Dr. Todd Sinett posted in Causes of Back Pain, Assessments, Posture and Flexibility, Exercise and Tips, exercise
The quadratus lumborum muscle, known as the QL, is an important lower back muscle that connects your spine to your pelvis. Pain in the QL can be due to overuse, stress, and strain because muscles cause pain and stiffness when they're weak or too tight. Activities such as sitting for long periods of time can reduce blood flow to an area, especially in the QL and surrounding areas.
Quick Tip, Test Your Stress Levels
Dec 18, 2020 10:45:31 AM / by Dr. Todd Sinett posted in Assessments, Emotional & Stress
GUT HEALTH = BACK HEALTH
Dec 7, 2020 1:57:03 PM / by Dr. Todd Sinett posted in Causes of Back Pain, Exercise and Tips, Digestive & Nutrition, New Book
Everyone has healthy bacteria in their gut, but it can become out of balance, with the "bad" bacteria taking over. Things like stress, illness, and antibiotics can disrupt the levels of good bacteria. The bacterial balance (called your microbiome) in our intestines is a pivotal factor in our wellness. Our guts are responsible for producing most serotonin, a primary feel-good chemical needed for emotional wellbeing. The link between wellness and our intestines is irrefutable for physical and emotional health.
Don't Forget About Your Knees.
Nov 24, 2020 12:13:56 PM / by Dr. Todd Sinett posted in Exercise and Tips, knees, knee stretches, exercise
Knee stretches are essential to your back health but get overlooked time and time again. First, always consult with your doctor to ensure that your pain is not stemming from an injury before undertaking any new stretching routine. Knee stretches are quite simple and comprehensive. Your knee combines and connects your upper and lower leg and is supported by many muscle groups. It is important to stretch out all of these muscle groups. Using the Backbridge can help you alter the stretches' intensity by using different levels of the Backbridge. These stretches are great for all ages as long as you always listen to your body and don’t overstretch. This knee stretch routine can be done in about 2 minutes (30 seconds ) per muscle group. My book, The Ultimate Backbridge Stretch Book, details many stretches while using the Backbridge, for all body parts.
UPPER LEG
Back pain? Think ‘circuit breaker,’ not ‘lightbulb.’
Nov 4, 2020 9:22:34 AM / by Dr. Todd Sinett posted in Causes of Back Pain, Assessments
I often get bewildered looks when a patient complains of lower back pain, and I start to examine their neck, shoulders, and feet. The patient thinks that since they are suffering from lower back pain, the problem lies in their lower back. However, more often than not, this is not the case.
I like to use the analogy of the lights going out. There could be a localized problem within the lightbulb itself, but it’s more likely that you blew a circuit breaker. Think of an electrical problem that overrode the system and caused power outages in multiple areas. Back pain is just like a circuit breaker. Most people aren’t experiencing pain in just one specific area, like a lightbulb, but are likely having pain in multiple areas, like a circuit breaker.
A cause of the “circuit breaker of back pain” could be stress, poor posture, or digestive upset. If you don’t fix the underlying circuit breaker issue, you will constantly be replacing the bulbs. I have three guided resources to help determine what could be causing your back pain. Click here to take my structural assessment, here to take my emotional assessment, and here to take my digestive assessment.
Eastern cultures that created acupuncture views the body as having energy sources. This is an approach that I certainly subscribe to! This shift in approach can really make a difference in understanding your back pain's causes and solutions.
When is Bread, NOT Bread?
Oct 27, 2020 8:00:00 AM / by Dr. Todd Sinett posted in Digestive & Nutrition
In my book The Good Sh*t, I have emphasized the importance of consuming foods made with high-quality ingredients. Simply put, a turkey sandwich made from fresh bread and real turkey can be very different than a turkey sandwich that is filled with preservatives.
What Your Sh*t Tells You
Oct 13, 2020 10:00:00 AM / by Dr. Todd Sinett posted in Digestive & Nutrition, New Book
So many of us think poop is not important. But our poop actually is the greatest indicator of gut health and is the key to discovering which foods help our own unique digestive system operate optimally. Instead of touting bullsh*t fad diets, my new book out this October, The Good Sh*t teachers us what a good sh*t is, what it should look like, and how to have a good one regularly so that we can start looking and feeling better.
Spicy Food & Back Pain
Sep 22, 2020 7:00:00 AM / by Dr. Todd Sinett posted in Causes of Back Pain, Digestive & Nutrition
Are you suffering from back pain? The cause could be your love of spicy foods. There is much debate regarding whether spicy foods are helpful or harmful, and the consensus is that it’s a bit of both. Many of my patients are shocked to hear that their back pain could be from spicy food. As you may know from my previous post, Is Your Diet Causing Your Back Pain, there is a direct link between digestive function and back pain. I even wrote an entire book on the subject called The Back Pain Relief Diet.