Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation

The goal of physical therapy is to restore proper functioning of the body following an accident, a serious illness, surgeries including knee, hip, or shoulder replacements, stroke, or brain injury. We want to regain the ability to move easily and in comfort, to reduce or eliminate pain, and to improve our overall well-being.

Traditional physical therapy approaches rehabilitation through specific exercises, hands-on manipulation, and movement re-training. However, at Highpoint Mind & Movement, we approach rehabilitation very differently. We focus on the substrate of muscle movement – the neural communication network that originates in the brain and activates the muscles through electrical signals. When these electrical impulses connect with the muscles at the neuromuscular junction a chemical “messenger” is released that causes the muscle fibers to contract or relax, causing the muscles to move. By going to the source of muscle movement -- the neural networks -- we can change how the muscles function quite quickly. By realigning neural pathways, we can modify how the brain communicates with the body as a whole, how the two sides of the body communicate in order to coordinate movement side-to-side; how the upper and lower bodies function together to maintain balance while in motion, and how the back of the body can be a source of easy forward movement vs. holding back in tension.

The Upper and Lower Body
The pelvic bowl, formed by the Ilium (hip bones), Pubis (pubic bone), and Ischium (sitz bones) is the connecting point between the upper and lower body, transferring weight from upper to lower and between the two legs through the pubic disk in the front of the pelvic bowl.(19)

Also known as the pelvic girdle, this area supports the spine and anchors the major muscles in the upper legs. The pelvic floor (the Levator Ani) is at the bottom of this bowl and plays a significant role in the proper functioning of the pelvis, the spine, and the legs. This muscle, along with its fascia and connective tissue is anchored at the pubic bone in front, the coccyx at the base of the spine in back, and the two “sitz bones,” the ischial tuberosities, on each side of the pelvis. This forms a “sling” of muscle that supports the bladder, the intestines, and the reproductive organs; and it provides an anchor for those muscles attached to it, such as the hamstring which connects to the pelvis at the ischial tuberosities.

The Iliopsoas muscle, commonly referred to simply as the Psoas, is another important muscle group located in the pelvic bowl. One of it’s important features is that it is the only muscle that connects to the upper body (at the spine) and the lower body (at the top of the femur), thus providing stability while in motion or at rest. Although we use the shortened form “Psoas” to refer to this muscle, it is actually comprised of three distinct parts: Psoas Major, Psoas Minor, and the Iliacus. This muscle group plays a major role in how we move, how we maintain balance, our breathing, and, interestingly enough, our emotional state - because of its many subtle connections to the sympathetic nervous system, our fight/flight response.

The pelvic bowl is the foundation for both stability and mobility. We cannot have good mobility without a stable counter point. It transfers weight, neural signals, and the energy of kinetic chains vertically between the upper and lower bodies as well as horizontally from one leg to the other through the pubic bone. A kinetic chain is a force transmitted from one point to adjacent parts of the body through joints, muscles, and nerves. Therefore, misalignment, muscle tension, or restricted movement can be present anywhere in the body, not just locally at the source of the imbalance.