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KIN WITH TROY

Your local physiotherapist with an affinity for movement

Nice to meet you!

My goal is to restore your mobility, decrease your pain, keep you moving and ensure your rehabilitation is effective, efficient and educational for maximum long term pain relief. Since I started practicing in Richmond in 2018, I have offered the highest standards of treatment and patient care and am committed to my clients health and long-term wellness. I am currently a student of Physiotherapy at UBC.

Start your recovery with me today!

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FIND ME AT

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I know I have been quiet last little while and there’s a number of reasons. Life has been busy with a lot of things and one of them is me applying to do my masters of physical therapy. I am so grateful to those who have been supportive of me and helped me get to where I am. Thank you to all my friends, family and patients for the support and love.

I know I have been quiet last little while and there’s a number of reasons. Life has been busy with a lot of things and one of them is me applying to do my masters of physical therapy. I am so grateful to those who have been supportive of me and helped me get to where I am. Thank you to all my friends, family and patients for the support and love.

Shoulder pain when benching?

Theres a number of factors that can affect the shoulders when pressing, however let’s approach this a little different.

Tension and dysfunction along this chain can have effects all the way up to the shoulder and even the neck

Work through it and see how it feels after. These are not the only factors but something to try if you continue to have issues

Happy benching :)

#activerehab #painfreeliving #kinesiology #active #fitness #strength #shoulders #shoulderpain #shoulderhealth #2024 #mobility

Shoulder pain when benching?

Theres a number of factors that can affect the shoulders when pressing, however let’s approach this a little different.

Tension and dysfunction along this chain can have effects all the way up to the shoulder and even the neck

Work through it and see how it feels after. These are not the only factors but something to try if you continue to have issues

Happy benching :)

#activerehab #painfreeliving #kinesiology #active #fitness #strength #shoulders #shoulderpain #shoulderhealth #2024 #mobility

Clicking shoulders?

There’s a lot of reasons joints can click, often times tense muscles and stagnant joint positoning can play a role… so lets work on it!

-Stretching the pecs can allow a nicer movement for the shoulder,
-Strengthening the rotator cuff increases stability,
-And engagement of the serratus (with the rock backs) can pattern scapular rhythm.

Every shoulder is different so listen to your body. These are very general tips

Happy pressing :)

#mobility #painfreeliving #2024 #activerehab #kinesiology #active #fitness #strength #shoulders #shoulderpain #shoulderhealth

Clicking shoulders?

There’s a lot of reasons joints can click, often times tense muscles and stagnant joint positoning can play a role… so lets work on it!

-Stretching the pecs can allow a nicer movement for the shoulder,
-Strengthening the rotator cuff increases stability,
-And engagement of the serratus (with the rock backs) can pattern scapular rhythm.

Every shoulder is different so listen to your body. These are very general tips

Happy pressing :)

#mobility #painfreeliving #2024 #activerehab #kinesiology #active #fitness #strength #shoulders #shoulderpain #shoulderhealth

Mid back tension

Sometimes tension is really just lack of tension (or muscle contraction). All this is to say, taking the muscle through its range of motion can help get rid of the feeling of a tight back.

Stay groovy :)

Mid back tension

Sometimes tension is really just lack of tension (or muscle contraction). All this is to say, taking the muscle through its range of motion can help get rid of the feeling of a tight back.

Stay groovy :)

Intentional warmups

Make sure you get comfy where you’re not comfy, strong where youre not strong and practice that movement.

You got this :)

Intentional warmups

Make sure you get comfy where you’re not comfy, strong where youre not strong and practice that movement.

You got this :)

Neck stiffness got you down?
Give this a shot next time you have some neck tension (for the WFH crowd)
This exercise can help improve thoracic extension which can reduce strain in neck musculature.

Neck stiffness got you down?
Give this a shot next time you have some neck tension (for the WFH crowd)
This exercise can help improve thoracic extension which can reduce strain in neck musculature.

Ever been curious what FST is and can do for you?
Here is a peak in to a session.
FST is great for many things but is a great gentle approach for reducing pain.
Booking link in my bio.

Ever been curious what FST is and can do for you?
Here is a peak in to a session.
FST is great for many things but is a great gentle approach for reducing pain.
Booking link in my bio.

If youre feeling stiff or stuck, give pelvic and ribcage tilts a try. Often times when we feel stiff or stuck, its because we lack the capacity to move.

If youre feeling stiff or stuck, give pelvic and ribcage tilts a try. Often times when we feel stiff or stuck, its because we lack the capacity to move.

Spinal mobility
A lack of it can cause feelings of tightness and aching, especially in the mid back and shoulder blades. Give these movements a try when you’re feeling tight instead of stretching

Spinal mobility
A lack of it can cause feelings of tightness and aching, especially in the mid back and shoulder blades. Give these movements a try when you’re feeling tight instead of stretching

Let’s start 2024 off strong

Let’s start 2024 off strong

WHAT IS RNT?

Reactive neuromuscular training (RNT) is a technique that is and can be utilized to help pattern movement and improve stability by improving kinaesthetic response to an external stimulus.
RNT can be very useful as the body responds automatically and often without thought. This allows patients to see and feel benefits very quickly. That being said it is not a permanent fix but can be a useful tool to practice and correct movement.
Here we have @jillycue performing a typical lunge. Her knees tend to collapsing inward and show notable instability.
In the video, she is utilizing an external stimulus and her knee tracking shows improvement as does her reported stability and overall “connection” with her muscles.

Music: Discover
Musician: @iksonmusic

WHAT IS RNT?

Reactive neuromuscular training (RNT) is a technique that is and can be utilized to help pattern movement and improve stability by improving kinaesthetic response to an external stimulus.
RNT can be very useful as the body responds automatically and often without thought. This allows patients to see and feel benefits very quickly. That being said it is not a permanent fix but can be a useful tool to practice and correct movement.
Here we have @jillycue performing a typical lunge. Her knees tend to collapsing inward and show notable instability.
In the video, she is utilizing an external stimulus and her knee tracking shows improvement as does her reported stability and overall “connection” with her muscles.

Music: Discover
Musician: @iksonmusic

TIGHT HIP FLEXORS PT.2

Similar to the last psoas (hip flexor) stretch I posted, this one is just an alteration that might be beneficial for those who tend to feel their hip flexors stretch in a half kneeling position.

In a half kneeling position, your femur is locked in to a vertical position which lets you focus on creating posterior tilt in your pelvis. This in turn will create more tension and stretch in your hip flexor. This also helps alleviate pressure on the lower back by stopping hyperlordosis (extra rounding of the low back) while still getting the same multi-planar stretch as before.

Music: Views
Musician: @iksonmusic

TIGHT HIP FLEXORS PT.2

Similar to the last psoas (hip flexor) stretch I posted, this one is just an alteration that might be beneficial for those who tend to feel their hip flexors stretch in a half kneeling position.

In a half kneeling position, your femur is locked in to a vertical position which lets you focus on creating posterior tilt in your pelvis. This in turn will create more tension and stretch in your hip flexor. This also helps alleviate pressure on the lower back by stopping hyperlordosis (extra rounding of the low back) while still getting the same multi-planar stretch as before.

Music: Views
Musician: @iksonmusic

TIGHT HIP FLEXORS?

Tight hip flexors are very common (especially given that a lot of people are working from home and sitting long hours of the day 🧎‍♂️).
Being in a position that keeps your hip chronically flexed(short) will shorten the muscle leading to it tightening up, which can affect how your pelvis sits.
A big hip flexor muscle like the Psoas Major (part of the illiopsoas) crosses the hip joint in 3 different cardinal planes.
This means fully realizing a stretch in this muscle will require looking at its shape and fibre direction.

What I am showing here is a patient of mine, @mo_metwaly1 , doing a 3-dimensional hip flexor stretch (or multi-planer, whichever sounds cooler 😎 ). In the classic hip flexor stretch position, you get stretch through the Sagittal plane, adding an overhead reach includes frontal plane (as the Psoas curves like an “S” and then finally adding a twist includes the transverse or horizontal plane (as it crosses the hip joint). This allows us to effectively stretch the muscle in every direction. Keep in mind to keep your tailbone tucked (posterior tilting the pelvis) throughout the movement.

This is a great way to have the stretch 1, be more inclusive of the entire muscle and 2 be more dynamic than just statically holding.

Music: See You
Musician: @iksonmusic

TIGHT HIP FLEXORS?

Tight hip flexors are very common (especially given that a lot of people are working from home and sitting long hours of the day 🧎‍♂️).
Being in a position that keeps your hip chronically flexed(short) will shorten the muscle leading to it tightening up, which can affect how your pelvis sits.
A big hip flexor muscle like the Psoas Major (part of the illiopsoas) crosses the hip joint in 3 different cardinal planes.
This means fully realizing a stretch in this muscle will require looking at its shape and fibre direction.

What I am showing here is a patient of mine, @mo_metwaly1 , doing a 3-dimensional hip flexor stretch (or multi-planer, whichever sounds cooler 😎 ). In the classic hip flexor stretch position, you get stretch through the Sagittal plane, adding an overhead reach includes frontal plane (as the Psoas curves like an “S” and then finally adding a twist includes the transverse or horizontal plane (as it crosses the hip joint). This allows us to effectively stretch the muscle in every direction. Keep in mind to keep your tailbone tucked (posterior tilting the pelvis) throughout the movement.

This is a great way to have the stretch 1, be more inclusive of the entire muscle and 2 be more dynamic than just statically holding.

Music: See You
Musician: @iksonmusic

PRACTICE WHAT YOU PREACH

As practitioners, it’s so easy to get caught up in correcting others that you don’t follow your own advice. I fell in to this mistake for a long time and I’m sure some of my injuries were due to it.
If I am prescribing movements for patients to do, I better damn well know what I am getting them to do. In this case, focusing on a bit of eccentric and concentric unilateral control. My aim is always to feel the muscle I’m targeting and to re-assess and work through new movements if I don’t. Think outside the box and make movement your friend ✌️

PRACTICE WHAT YOU PREACH

As practitioners, it’s so easy to get caught up in correcting others that you don’t follow your own advice. I fell in to this mistake for a long time and I’m sure some of my injuries were due to it.
If I am prescribing movements for patients to do, I better damn well know what I am getting them to do. In this case, focusing on a bit of eccentric and concentric unilateral control. My aim is always to feel the muscle I’m targeting and to re-assess and work through new movements if I don’t. Think outside the box and make movement your friend ✌️

Building 🦵 & 🍑

Bilateral movements are great, until you injure yourself on one side and wonder how it happened. Unilateral (single sided) movements are great for building strength, balance & stability and fixing imbalances which aid in creating symmetry. Now this isn’t to say bilateral movements are bad but if you feel like one side isn’t contracted as much as the other or one side is developing more, this might be a sign of imbalance.
Lateral step ups as shown, increase the demand on your leg structures to create balance (through adjustments in all major parts of your leg such as your ankle, knee and hip). Throw in a slower movement and minimal to no kick off at the bottom and you have a great drill to improve those 🦵 & 🍑

Music: That Day
Musician: Jeff Kaale

Building 🦵 & 🍑

Bilateral movements are great, until you injure yourself on one side and wonder how it happened. Unilateral (single sided) movements are great for building strength, balance & stability and fixing imbalances which aid in creating symmetry. Now this isn’t to say bilateral movements are bad but if you feel like one side isn’t contracted as much as the other or one side is developing more, this might be a sign of imbalance.
Lateral step ups as shown, increase the demand on your leg structures to create balance (through adjustments in all major parts of your leg such as your ankle, knee and hip). Throw in a slower movement and minimal to no kick off at the bottom and you have a great drill to improve those 🦵 & 🍑

Music: That Day
Musician: Jeff Kaale

What are Kirk Shrugs?

I saw a post about this movement on facebook and decided it would be a fun one to dissect. Why would this movement be a good movement for building upper traps vs normal shrugs?

The answer is full ROM. Normal shrugs get you scapular elevation (shoulders move up) but your trapezius attaches to your shoulder blade too which means adding upward rotation to a shrug allows you to engage the muscle further and get a stronger contraction.

There are however, many disclaimers with movements like this. If you have issues with extension or flexion of the cervical spine (your neck) or shoulder impingement, this movement is more than likely not going to be comfortable and likely painful.

I do think it is a good exercise and with good form, is a great way to use your body’s anatomy to its fullest potential. That being said there are modifications that can be done if there is discomfort:

-using an incline bench and letting the arm hang (abduction) will mimic the arm placement and let’s you work unilaterally
-using a cable machine and setting it one up from the bottom will force you to pull “up and in” as opposed to just up
-both allow you to use a neutral grip with is generally more shoulder friendly

Always take social media fitness posts with a grain of salt and if you’re feeling pain, most likely, that movement is not the best for you.

Music: Pixel Swing
Musician: Moscillate
Site: https://icons8.com/music/

What are Kirk Shrugs?

I saw a post about this movement on facebook and decided it would be a fun one to dissect. Why would this movement be a good movement for building upper traps vs normal shrugs?

The answer is full ROM. Normal shrugs get you scapular elevation (shoulders move up) but your trapezius attaches to your shoulder blade too which means adding upward rotation to a shrug allows you to engage the muscle further and get a stronger contraction.

There are however, many disclaimers with movements like this. If you have issues with extension or flexion of the cervical spine (your neck) or shoulder impingement, this movement is more than likely not going to be comfortable and likely painful.

I do think it is a good exercise and with good form, is a great way to use your body’s anatomy to its fullest potential. That being said there are modifications that can be done if there is discomfort:

-using an incline bench and letting the arm hang (abduction) will mimic the arm placement and let’s you work unilaterally
-using a cable machine and setting it one up from the bottom will force you to pull “up and in” as opposed to just up
-both allow you to use a neutral grip with is generally more shoulder friendly

Always take social media fitness posts with a grain of salt and if you’re feeling pain, most likely, that movement is not the best for you.

Music: Pixel Swing
Musician: Moscillate
Site: https://icons8.com/music/

ENGAGING WITH PATIENTS

Often you’ll see practitioners who set you up and leave to work on someone or something else and that’s the extent of your treatment.

This was a case where being an attentive practitioner benefits the patient. @earvinjubay was having issues eccentrically loading his tricep due to instability in his shoulder. I noticed this and applied pressure directly to his shoulder in order to add stability so his body could focus on loading his tricep. This had an immediately noticeable effect which aided in cleaning up other shoulder girdle movements.

Make sure to find practitioners who attend to you and are engaged in your treatment as that’s how you get the most out of your sessions!

ENGAGING WITH PATIENTS

Often you’ll see practitioners who set you up and leave to work on someone or something else and that’s the extent of your treatment.

This was a case where being an attentive practitioner benefits the patient. @earvinjubay was having issues eccentrically loading his tricep due to instability in his shoulder. I noticed this and applied pressure directly to his shoulder in order to add stability so his body could focus on loading his tricep. This had an immediately noticeable effect which aided in cleaning up other shoulder girdle movements.

Make sure to find practitioners who attend to you and are engaged in your treatment as that’s how you get the most out of your sessions!

What does “core” mean?

Your “core” is made up of multiple muscles that function to keep you stable, support your spine, create inter-abdominal pressure among countless other things. These muscles are:

External Oblique (EO)
Internal Oblique (IO)
Rectus Abdominis (RA)
Transverse Abdominis (TVA or TA).

When you hear someone say “deep core muscles” more than likely they are referring to the TVA as 1, it’s the deepest core muscle and 2, it’s often weak and undertrained/underused. That is not to say that should not train the others, but they all function to do different things. So remember to work on all aspects of your core to create a fully functional core!

What does “core” mean?

Your “core” is made up of multiple muscles that function to keep you stable, support your spine, create inter-abdominal pressure among countless other things. These muscles are:

External Oblique (EO)
Internal Oblique (IO)
Rectus Abdominis (RA)
Transverse Abdominis (TVA or TA).

When you hear someone say “deep core muscles” more than likely they are referring to the TVA as 1, it’s the deepest core muscle and 2, it’s often weak and undertrained/underused. That is not to say that should not train the others, but they all function to do different things. So remember to work on all aspects of your core to create a fully functional core!

Having nagging issues with overhead pressing (OHP)?

The shoulder is a complex joint with lots of connective tissue and nerve fibres crossing that can often lead to discomfort and even pain.

As shown in the video, there are many bony structures on the posterior side which can limit and even cause issues with OHP (primarily the acromioclavicular joint). There is a lot of open space on the anterior side of the shoulder which can alleviate some of that pain or discomfort if you are trying to actively rehab an injured shoulder.

All this means is even shifting your press a few degrees anteriorly or to the front can allow your shoulder to move in a much more open space. An alternative to traditional OHP is a landmine attachment press (shown in the last video).
If opening up your shoulder does not alleviate discomfort, seek guidance from your GP and/or your physiotherapist.

Having nagging issues with overhead pressing (OHP)?

The shoulder is a complex joint with lots of connective tissue and nerve fibres crossing that can often lead to discomfort and even pain.

As shown in the video, there are many bony structures on the posterior side which can limit and even cause issues with OHP (primarily the acromioclavicular joint). There is a lot of open space on the anterior side of the shoulder which can alleviate some of that pain or discomfort if you are trying to actively rehab an injured shoulder.

All this means is even shifting your press a few degrees anteriorly or to the front can allow your shoulder to move in a much more open space. An alternative to traditional OHP is a landmine attachment press (shown in the last video).
If opening up your shoulder does not alleviate discomfort, seek guidance from your GP and/or your physiotherapist.

Incline Y-raises

An often misunderstood muscle, the trapezius (trap muscle) is often thought to only be the upper fibres, which primarily function to elevate the shoulder girdle (or “shrug”). The traps actually extend much lower down and vary in angle. The lower portion of the traps function to stabilize the shoulder, especially in an overhead position but also in day to day life. They have origin points on the spine of the shoulder blade, so when your arms are overhead, they contract to aid in stabilizing the shoulder blade as well facilitating upward rotation. Here I have Adrien doing incline Y-raises on a bench but can be done in a bent over position and many other places, especially at home.
Give them a try!

Incline Y-raises

An often misunderstood muscle, the trapezius (trap muscle) is often thought to only be the upper fibres, which primarily function to elevate the shoulder girdle (or “shrug”). The traps actually extend much lower down and vary in angle. The lower portion of the traps function to stabilize the shoulder, especially in an overhead position but also in day to day life. They have origin points on the spine of the shoulder blade, so when your arms are overhead, they contract to aid in stabilizing the shoulder blade as well facilitating upward rotation. Here I have Adrien doing incline Y-raises on a bench but can be done in a bent over position and many other places, especially at home.
Give them a try!

TL;DR Deadbugs

Deadbug exercises are a great way to engage an often forgotten abdominal muscle: the TransVerse Abdominis (TVA for short). This muscle, unlike the rectus abdominis (your visible abs) runs horizontal and has many functions but most importantly for us, it helps to stabilize your torso (think thoracic spine and pelvis)
Eugene here is demonstrating a variation with an overhead band pull. There are endless variants for both beginners and experts which can also be done at home!

TL;DR Deadbugs

Deadbug exercises are a great way to engage an often forgotten abdominal muscle: the TransVerse Abdominis (TVA for short). This muscle, unlike the rectus abdominis (your visible abs) runs horizontal and has many functions but most importantly for us, it helps to stabilize your torso (think thoracic spine and pelvis)
Eugene here is demonstrating a variation with an overhead band pull. There are endless variants for both beginners and experts which can also be done at home!

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Monday - Saturday

(~8am - 8pm, varying times)

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