Postural Restoration Institute Method

What is the PRI method?

The Postural Restoration Institute (PRI) incorporates a method to help people of all ages and ability levels stay balanced from postural asymmetries that occur in the body. Our bodies often move and function in asymmetry to maintain balance. A primary example is whenever we walk or run, one side of the body is creating a new step and the other is finishing the step you just took. PRI uses repositioning and repatterning techniques to maintain proper balance of those asymmetrical movements and functions to keep the body from over compensation.

When and Why should you use PRI method?

When using PRI, the idea is to identify and correct standard patterns found in our muscles and joints from side to side, from front to back and from top to bottom. These asymmetrical patterns influence the way we stand, sit, walk, breathe and even sleep. Infinity Sports Institute uses PRI method to help individual maintain postural balance for the long-term based on measuring their compensations through a full functional evaluation. Infinity Sports Institute uses PRI as another added tool to tackle abnormal postural patterns, unbalanced movement, and breathing patterns.

The Takeaway

The PRI method has given us a great resource to evaluate and treat proper functions of the body. This holistic approach has been effective and efficient when treating all different types of diagnoses.

In addition to PRI, Infinity Sports uses Fascial Stretching and Rocktape Techniques that can help restore an individual’s posture. To book an appointment or learn more about these services contact us at info@infinitysi.comor call 786-491-7586.

Selective Functional Movement Assessment

What is the SFMA?

The Selective Functional Movement Assessment (SFMA) is a series of movements that help evaluate and locate the cause of pain. The assessment includes 7 different movements designed to assess basic everyday patterns of movement such as bending, reaching, and squatting in those with known muscle and joint pain.

The SFMA is a diagnostic tool which helps find the cause of pain, rather than looking at just the source. When someone has knee pain, they typically try to figure out what’s wrong with the knee when the cause of pain could be coming from elsewhere such as instability of the hip, ankle mobility, and plenty of other underlying reasons. By reasonably evaluating poor movement patterns in a structured, yet simple assessment you can provide more appropriate exercises for an individual.

Why and When would you use the SFMA?

The SFMA is a pre-participation tool specifically for those dealing with musculoskeletal pain. The SFMA is commonly used as an additional tool to assess movement before creating an exercise or training program for a specific individual. When an individual has known musculoskeletal pain, the SFMA is typically used in place of other movement assessments.

A better alternative to the SFMA

For someone moving in pain, the SFMA is a great tool used to develop a plan of treatment and training. At Infinity Sports Institute, we no longer use the SFMA as part of the full evaluation to used to assess any pain through movement. In our Sports Science lab, we have a Dari-Motion System that can replace the traditional SFMA.

The Dari gives us more efficiency when it comes to collecting quantitative data. With the markerless cameras, the system automatically captures a person’s movements and provides accurate data points and reliable analysis. It also saves a lot of time when assessing the same or similar movement patterns. Without the Dari, the SFMA is still a valuable resource for professionals to use.

However, the Dari-Motion System isn’t largely accessible to the general population. It’s why at Infinity Sports Institute, we strive to make the best technology more accessible and the reason our Sports science lab is open to the public. Call to schedule your assessment now!

Your Eyes, Feet, and the Floor Keys to Performance and Pain

If you have ever worked with us you would know how important your eyes, being barefoot, and the floor are.

If you haven’t worked with us in the past or during your initial visit you will probably be wondering: “Why is everyone barefoot, why is everyone always on the floor and why do they care about how my eyes move?”

Before we begin to answer the “Why?” we should start with the “What”; What exactly do we do? We are not in the fitness business or the physical therapy business; We are in the Optimization Business. Whether you have pain, are an athlete trying to stay healthy, you’re trying to outperform your competition, just had surgery, trying to break a record or just trying to hit your fitness goals, we are here to Optimize your human experience by achieving those goals. And guess what, your eyes, the floor, and your barefeet are important ingridients to the formula.

Your Output is only as good as the Input

Barefeet

You have about 200,000 thousand nerve endings in your foot, yes, TWO HUNDRED THOUSAND! Each of those nerve endings are called exteroceptors which provide sensory information to your brain through external stimuli. Guess what? This makes your foot one of the most nerve-rich parts of your body! Your feet are crucial in providing proprioception and communicating to the brain what the body needs to do as you walk, run, jump and play. But unfortunately, we have diminished or delayed the amount of information the brain gets by wearing cushioned shoes. Shoes are great and cool but they eliminate your foot’s ability to feel, to receive the external stimuli they need in order to properly communicate with your brain. Thus, when you come see us for whatever reason, we will address that communication problem by making you go barefoot, and sometimes, that’s all you need!

Eyes

Along with your feet your eyes are crucial in recieving information. The eyes provide a large amount of the Neurosensory input your brain needs for motor control (motor control refers to the process by which the nervous system coordinates the muscle and limbs to achieve a desired movement or set of actions). Have you ever been walking on the beach and come across a patch of shells or rocks? You probably will do two things; either walk the other way or walk as lightly as you can through them. You did that thanks to the information your eyes gave your brain. Your eyes sent the info to your brain and your brain established that there was a threat, thus going into a sympathic state (Fight or Flight. Based on the information and how your brain processed it, you either walked around (flight) or just walked through (fight).

If there is a dysfunction in your eye movement, the input will be faulty and your brain will have a harder time processing the information, affecting motor control. Your eyes are crucial to your performance. Are you the person that always misses what you’re aiming at? You might want to check how your eyes are moving and how well they are sending information to the brain.

The eyes will lead us to the next topic….

The Floor

Whats up with the floor? Above we mentioned how crucial the information your eyes send to the brain is, now Imagine if you have a fear of falling; whether its because of a previous injury or just scared to fall on your ass. If you are scared of the floor, it now becomes a threat. You will respond by going into a sympathetic state (fight or flight), and you will go into flight mode, this will hinder motorol control, which can be a reason for you falling in 1..2..3…

Hopefully you didn’t fall! Have you ever been somewhere up high and someone tells you not to look down? You look down and all of a sudden you lose your balance. Well that’s what happens when the floor is a threat. Now lets add some shoes, your feet have no awareness and can’t provide your brain with the information it needs for motor control. It sounds like you will be having a bad time walking, running, jumping, and you’re probably losing your balance all the time.

Our goal is to establish the floor as a safe place and remove it from being a threat.

Optimizing the Human Experience

The floor is no longer a threat, your feet and your eyes can now provide your brain with the information it needs through better input, we now have the desired motor control to prevent injuries, enhance performance and maybe remove pain. We have now achieved Optimization of your Human Experience.

By: Hector Maradiaga Co-Founder | Performance Specialist

About Infinity Sports Institute

Infinity Sports Institute is dedicated in optimizing the human experience through sports science, sports medicine and technology. We believe Physical, Mental and Social components are pillars to optimizing the human experience.

For all your performance, recovery, rehab and consultant needs, make sure to contact us, or come visit us at Infinity Sports Institute in our Brickell Location (42 SW 6th ST). Click Here to Schedule Your Free RockTape Session!

Contact

infinitysi.com

info@infinitysi.com

305.423.8242

FOLLOW US ON:

Yelp Facebook Instagram

IT Band and Knee Pain? Might be your Butt!

The Gluteus Maximus

IT Band Issues, Low Back Pain, Hamstring Injuries, Knee Pain, Hip and Knee Injuries, Lack of Performance, Loss of Balance, Running Slow, or worse – Seeing NO Gains? Is this you? Read Below.

The Glute. Max.

Is definitely a nice muscle to look at and one of the most powerful muscles we have. Unfortunately many of us suffer from “Glute Amnesia”, the lack of this muscle to actually work. In rehab & performance this is a topic that is touched on quite a bit. If you’ve ever been to a good Therapist, Strength and Conditioning coach, or Performance Specialist, we bet they have checked if those “awesome to look” at muscles are actually working.

You’re probably wondering, “Are my Glutes. Working?”… Well Probably not. We know, we know, you lift like everyday, run and you where a high school all star. But before we try and prove each other wrong lets go over the Gluteus Maximus.

Why is your Butt so important?  

This awesome muscle definitely connects to many things at its origin and insertion – Imagine how it would make you feel if it’s sleeping on the job.

At its Origin the Glute Max inserts into the Fascia of the gluteus medius; the external surface of the ilium behind the posterior gluteal line; the fascia of the erector spinae; the dorsal surface of the sacrum; the lateral margin of the coccyx; the sacrotuberal ligament.

At its Insertion the Glute Max inserts through the Upper fibers, to the posterior part of the iliotibial tract and the fasciae latae muscles; Through the Lower fibers, to the gluteal tuberosity of the proximal femur.

did you read all that 🧐? If you didn’t here’s the quickie:

The Glute Max inserts/connects with the Glute Medius, ilium, your lower back muscles, sacrum, coccyx, a ligament at the lower and back part of the pelvis, IT Band, TFL, and the femur.

That’s a ton of connections and things that can have issues if your Glute Max is not up to par .

Now that you know where it connects – here are its actions (what it does)

It performs extension of the femur from the flexed position in the hip joint; lateral stabilization of the hip and knee joints; external rotation of the femur.

The Glute Max helps you bring back the femur from a flexed hip position such as a deadlift, Romanian Deadlift, Running (extension of the hip). It helps us stabilize the hip and knee joints as well as helping us externally rotate the femur.

We can definitely agree that this awesome muscle needs to be functional during all activities: walking, using the stairs, running, weightlifting, dancing, and making the magic happen

Use it or Lose it!

You ever hear the saying “Use it’s or Lose it” well that is perfect when describing what happens to muscles that don’t get used properly. Your Glute Max is supposed to do many things, but, what happens if you sit on it for 8 hours, or your run looks more like a jog between mile 3 and 12 and you’re not going through a full running gait cycle? Unfortunately that really powerful muscle can become inhibited and atrophy. The under used Glute will recruit less motor units causing it to work less and eventually start shrinking : “You’re going to lose your Gains!”.

In the previous paragraphs you learned where the Glute. Max connects and what it does. Now, if it’s inhibited, it will cause energy leaks causing other muscles to absorb more energy and work harder as well. As the Glute Max atrophies it will cause tension in the areas where it connects.  

If the Glute is sleeping on the job, it can be a reason for the IT Band issues your experiencing, that constant tension and pain in your lower back, that lateral hip pain, or knee pain. A non functional Glute Max can also be a catalyst for an injury such as ligament tear/sprain, lack of balance and loss of performance.

So, is your Glue Max working? Properly? Don’t Know? Come Check us out, send us a message or book directly using the Link on this page!