by Carol Montgomery | May 4, 2022 | Mind Body Spirit, Physical Therapy, Somatics
While short-term pain is an effective indicator of injury or illness, your brain continuously adjusts your body when pain is present for long periods. Hence, chronic pain (characterized as pain that lasts for three months or longer) can be challenging for your...
by Carol Montgomery | Mar 28, 2022 | Somatics
Do you suffer from foot pain that spans your heel to the front of your foot? Midfoot arthritis may be the culprit behind your pain. If you are an active person, midfoot pain and swelling can be particularly debilitating. As the foundation of your body, your feet need...
by Carol Montgomery | Feb 24, 2022 | Osteoarthritis
Many individuals view ankle unsteadiness as simply another aspect of aging or a symptom of arthritis. While instability and arthritis are related and often coexist, they are not one and the same. If you question why your ankle gives out with pain, this post examines...
by Carol Montgomery | Feb 10, 2022 | Physical Therapy
Your feet and ankles are the foundation of your body, allowing you to engage in fulfilling hobbies, stay active, and enjoy life. However, when the integrity of these complex structures degrades, your ability to walk, maintain your balance, and participate in...
by Carol Montgomery | Dec 20, 2021 | Holistic Wellness
The toll of overwork and burnout is an essential conversation for your physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health. Your state of mind is intricately linked to how your body experiences pain and strain and how your thoughts impact your emotions, potentially...
by Carol Montgomery | Nov 15, 2021 | Physical Therapy
Your feet take on the brunt of moving you around from day to day, taking on the wear and tear that comes with standing, walking, running, and exercising. But when they start to cause you pain, they can often limit you in your daily activities. One of the most common...
by Carol Montgomery | Oct 18, 2021 | Physical Therapy
Fibromyalgia and sciatica pain often occur together. While one condition doesn’t necessarily cause the other, they require different treatment plans and options that may at first seem to conflict with one another. Those with Fibromyalgia may find it beneficial to...
by Carol Montgomery | Sep 23, 2021 | Physical Therapy
Do you suffer from chronic pain due to a condition such as fibromyalgia? In such situations, the inflammation affects the connective tissue that protects your entire body. This tissue is known as the fascia. Fascial Counterstrain can heal the inflammation you are...
by Carol Montgomery | Aug 30, 2021 | Bones For Life
Bones for Life is a movement-based program that addresses the health of the skeletal system. These four concepts are essential to the program, and anyone can benefit from them. Picture this. You are going about your day, completing task after task. Perhaps you are...
by Carol Montgomery | Jul 28, 2021 | Integral Human Gait
Integral Human Gait theory employs multiple fields of study to understand gait and its impact on our daily lives, including our physical, emotional, and spiritual development. This article explains what it is and how it can help you find complete balance. Your...
by Carol Montgomery | Jun 29, 2021 | Holistic Wellness
Do you have foot and ankle pain when walking? I recently spoke at the 2021 Feldenkrais Awareness Summit about how treatment should not only relieve pain but also lead to foot health. If you have foot and ankle pain when walking, whether from an injury, trauma, or age,...
by Carol Montgomery | May 24, 2021 | Physical Therapy
Many can benefit from the Total Motion Release technique. In this article, I discuss how this therapy works to increase balance and strength and who might want to try it. Read on to learn more. Imbalances often create weak and strong sides of the body. For instance,...
by Carol Montgomery | Apr 15, 2021 | General
April is Stress Awareness Month. In this article, I offer some advice to help you learn how to identify stress in your life. Stress is a natural part of life, but processing, dealing with, and healing from stress in a healthy way takes a little bit of practice. If you...
by Carol Montgomery | Mar 22, 2021 | Somatics
Approximately 50 million people in the U.S. experience chronic pain, which sometimes presents as muscle pain. Carol Montgomery discusses what chronic muscle pain is and how Somatics can help those who are affected. As a physical therapist and Somatics educator,...
by Carol Montgomery | Feb 18, 2021 | General, Somatics
Your movement patterns could be holding you back. This article offers four reasons that indicate you might want to re-evaluate your habits. No matter your age or physical abilities, retraining your movement patterns can lead to several benefits for your physical and...
by Carol Montgomery | Jan 15, 2021 | General
If you have started to notice that you are feeling stiff and sore, or that it takes more effort to get out of that recliner, off that toilet seat, or up those stairs—more so than usual, even—you are not alone. Thanks to the pandemic, we are not moving as much as we...
by Carol Montgomery | Dec 16, 2020 | Holistic Wellness
As if 2020 wasn’t stressful enough, we now have the holidays approaching fast. From holiday gifts and food shopping (more staring into a computer screen) to deciding whether or not we will be able to gather as family and friends (because of the pandemic), the...
by Carol Montgomery | Nov 20, 2020 | General, Physical Therapy
You have both involuntary and voluntary nervous systems. You do not control your autonomous nervous system, which works of its accord. This system includes all the inner working parts of your body that help regulate your digestion, heart rate, and breathing rate,...
by Carol Montgomery | Oct 15, 2020 | Holistic Wellness, Somatics
When it comes to chronic foot pain, a common assumption is that only your feet muscles are the problem. Many physicians and patients treat the ailing foot as both the cause and effect. We might feel the pain only in our foot, but every part of our body is connected to...
by Carol Montgomery | Sep 15, 2020 | General
I’ve previously written on some causes of chronic neck pain. Since your body works synergistically, an imbalance in the neck can cause and reinforce back pain. A sedentary lifestyle can lead to poor body alignment, reducing your range of motion and causing a stiff...
by Carol Montgomery | Aug 15, 2020 | General
As a physical therapist, I want my patients to know about all the tools they have at their disposal to reduce pain and find balance. Total Motion Release physical therapy is an innovative, comprehensive approach to pain relief and motion that I offer. For many...
by Carol Montgomery | Jul 15, 2020 | General, Holistic Wellness, Somatics
In last month’s blog, I wrote about what causes pain when we sit too much, a common problem for all of the people working from home these days. When we sit for long periods, if our bodies are not functioning with ease and balance, we can pinch the nerves around the...
by Carol Montgomery | Jun 15, 2020 | General
If you feel pain when sitting for an extended period, your body is signaling to you that something is wrong. Here are some tips to help you find relief. At Montgomery Somatics, I want to provide more than just information. I want to help others learn something that...
by Carol Montgomery | May 29, 2020 | Integral Human Gait, Mind Body Spirit, Physical Therapy, Somatics
How many of your clients want to keep up with their grandchildren but can’t because of mobility issues? The pain that these clients feel is not only physical but also emotional and spiritual. Part of the joy of grandparenting is playing with the little ones, and when...
by Carol Montgomery | Apr 20, 2020 | General, Somatics
With everything that has been going on, it’s time for some good news. At the beginning of May, I will be participating once again in the Feldenkrais summit, which features 35 experts in movement and wellbeing on various topics. This year’s conference is titled “Move...
by Carol Montgomery | Mar 24, 2020 | General
Try these three Feldenkrais exercises to improve your balance. The older you get, the more likely you are to fall and hurt yourself. Statistically speaking, it’s just a fact. And falling while turning is much more likely to lead to a hip fracture than falling when...
by Carol Montgomery | Feb 15, 2020 | General, Holistic Wellness, Mind Body Spirit, Research
Madeleine L’Engle, author of acclaimed children’s book A Wrinkle in Time, once wrote, “When we were children, we used to think that when we were grown-up, we would no longer be vulnerable. But to grow up is to accept vulnerability… To be alive is to be...
by Carol Montgomery | Jan 17, 2020 | Holistic Wellness, Mind Body Spirit
Awareness is a state of being that requires practice every day. True awareness takes in everything—the most insignificant interaction with someone you don’t know and the most important choice that you have to make in a given day are equally understood when you...
by Carol Montgomery | Dec 13, 2019 | General, Mind Body Spirit, Somatics
Do you have the stress relief techniques you need to reduce and recover from the impact of busyness and stress? Moshe Feldenkrais once said, “Know what you are doing so that you can do what you want.” When it comes to stress, that means knowing what your body is doing...
by Carol Montgomery | Nov 11, 2019 | General, Holistic Wellness, Mind Body Spirit, Research
What is body language, and why does it matter? Body language, or non-verbal communication, is essentially how we carry ourselves, how we move, our facial expressions, our gestures. It is an essential part of how we interact with one another. It affects how we perceive...
