Move Better

I keep seeing this in Portland: someone comes in, they've been told their knee is bone-on-bone, surgery is the next step, and they've stopped hiking or playing with their grandkids because that's just what happens when you get older, right?

Most of the time, it isn't.

If that's you, or someone you know, come find out whether what you're dealing with is actually as permanent as someone told you it was.

https://movebetter.co/kneepainseminar

Has anyone you know been told surgery was the only option?

The vast majority of patients that come into our clinic with an MRI confirmed disc herniation will make a full recovery with more conservative interventions like movement-based treatment.

What that actually means in practice: focusing less on fixing the structure of the disc herniation, and more so figuring out the behavioral and stabilization and movement patterns that led to the stress that caused the herniation in the first place.

The scan shows the disc. It doesn't show the pattern that loaded it.

https://movebetter.co

Has your doctor's focus been on the structure, or on what caused it?

Most people don't come into the clinic to "build a healthy relationship with exercise." They come in because something hurts.

But if you peel that down, there's almost always something else sitting underneath the pain — a habit, a lifestyle, an adversity or hesitancy toward movement and exercise in general. And usually if you go one more layer, there's an emotional apprehension. A fear of the gym. Worry about not knowing what to do. Concern about the judgment that other people might be placing on them.

And here's what I know from my own life: in my early twenties, I was also fearful and avoidant of going to the gym. I exclusively exercised at home because I personally experienced that fear of judgment, the worry that people were going to think I looked silly.

The path forward is real. It's not reserved for people who were never where you are.

People think knee pain is hard to solve. It's not, and we can prove it. Free seminar August 11th at 6:30pm in our Portland clinic.

https://movebetter.co/kneepainseminar

Have you ever avoided movement because of fear of judgment or not knowing where to start?

I watched four people run across a parking lot yesterday and it told me everything.

One runner was too flicky in the feet — you could see the whole bottom of the foot coming up behind them. Another was too springy, too bouncy, way up in the air. And then there was one who was just... running. Free upper body, not thinking about it, just going. Everyone else was trying to run. She was running.

That's the thing I keep coming back to with people in Portland who want to move better — most of us are too linear. Running becomes about the legs and the rest of the body is just along for the ride. There's no ability to navigate the stress of torque, to be twisted and anti-twist, or to create twist.

The fix isn't a drill. It's just — stop being in the way of your own body. Use all of you to run, not just your legs.

We do these running seminars locally for exactly this reason. Come run, get watched, feel where the pattern actually lives.

If you're a runner in Portland — what's the one thing you've been told to fix about your form? Drop it below.

Hey Portland — if you've been resting your shoulder and wondering why it's not getting better, Dr. Sophie has something to say about that.

"The biggest misconception is that it's actually just a capacity problem of the bicep tendon. We need strength in the biceps tendon — it needs to be strong to stabilize the shoulder itself. Resting or stretching it does nothing to increase the actual capacity of the tendon."

And here's the part that surprises people most: the bicep actually connects onto the shoulder blade. So when the thoracic spine is stiff and the shoulder blade can't retract, that anterior tilt creates compression over the front of the joint — all day long.

Sometimes the answer starts even further away than that. It's not very common, but every once in a while we fix ankle mobility and shoulder pain goes away. People are always pretty surprised when that happens.

https://movebetter.co

People think knee pain is hard to solve. It's not, and we can prove it. Free seminar August 11th at 6:30pm in our Portland clinic — come see why: https://movebetter.co/kneepainseminar

What have you been told about your shoulder pain that didn't quite add up?

We’ve been finalists before — but this year, we’re going for the win. 🏆 This nomination means the world to us because it comes from *you* — real patients who trusted us with something important. Winning Willamette Week’s Best Chiropractor would help us reach even more people in this community who are tired of just managing pain and deserve real answers. If Move Better has made a difference in your life, we’d be so grateful for your vote. Link in bio.

Still Not Right After Your Accident or Injury? Here's What Might Be Missing. | Move Better Lingering headaches, brain fog, or neck stiffness after a concussion or whiplash injury may mean your recovery is incomplete. Learn why these injuries are often underestimated and what a thorough evaluation and active rehabilitation can do for you.