** usual opening caveat: it is well beyond the scope of this short piece to address myriad pretexts and contexts and as such this represents one opinion aimed at ‘most people, most of the time’. Today is a little introduction to some of the lovely sounding words which the training and rehabilitation industry has enjoyed using, and over-using, for the last ten or fifteen years. This is not with a view to being critical of the concepts. Neither is it to disparage their use. It is only to hopefully add a little clarity and simplicity to some terms and ideas which have, in some cases, been used to complicate and pizzazzify* things unnecessarily. *the irony of making up such a word in the opening paragraph I love all the topics I’ve listed but let’s keep things simple. Physiology and Biomechanics Shorter version: I mention these together as they come as a great pair. In this context, physiology and biomechanics are, simply put, the study of human structure and movement. They are not secret witchcraft and neither are they necessarily ‘advanced’. I remember once being confidently informed by a lovely lad that his approach was “biomechanics-based”. That’s a little like describing a kick as “leg-based”. Every single motion of the human body can be described using physiology and biomechanics. They are not branches of advanced movement; they are every movement. Longer version: Physiology; the study of the functions of every structure of the body. Whilst we (we speak for ourselves here) are most concerned about the function of bone, ligament, tendon and muscle, the study of physiology pertains to the function of every single cell in the body and includes every function of those cells. Biomechanics; the study of the mechanical element of all body systems although we (speaking for ourselves again) are primarily interested in how the mechanical function of bones, muscles, tendons and ligaments interact to produce force and movement and how we can manipulate that function in order to improve health, wellbeing and performance. In simple terms, if we understand anatomy, physiology and biomechanics we become better equipped to manipulate the development, transference and control of the forces which the body can produce and as such move more efficiently whether getting up from a chair or running a marathon. Fascia We’ve been told to train it, release it, mobilise it and had it impressed upon us that it holds the key to our dreams and our demise but what on earth is this mystical web of ‘funkshunul’ goodness and is it true that one of the Kardashians has got two? Shorter version: essentially, fascia is a web, or a net, of tissue which surrounds all the muscles and bones of the body. There are deep layers of this net around muscle fibres and bundles of muscle fibres, a mid-layer around individual muscles and a more superficial layer around groups of muscles. If you were to imagine a very dense spider web, this is how your fascia would look if you could remove all your bones, and muscles and organs. A web of sheets and strings of tissue. Longer version: Fascia is made by, and surrounds, all our cells and runs from our heads to our toes in one continuous system. Far removed from the notion that one muscle with distinct attachments directly affects one or two joints, a knowledge of fascia has helped us view the body and our capacity for movement in a more holistic manner (‘Holistic’ should have a paragraph of it’s own). Even the layers described above are not truly distinct layers, they are all part of one connected system of tissue which transmits information about where we are in space, how much tension there is in any given part of our body and transmits and responds to forces and motion to facilitate movement by modulating the amount of tension around the body and holding everything together. Fascia transmits information around the body and is a means of communication between different body segments with over 5 times as many nerve endings in fascia than in your muscles. Similar to muscles however, it can add elasticity to movement and can remodel itself according to the demands placed upon it. Kinetic chain Short version: This is another term which has developed an association with “advanced” movement and exercises and in spite of being born around the 1950s is often viewed as new (and sparkly). In it’s most fundamental form, the kinetic chain describes the fact that the body is a stack of segments each with it’s own attributes and potential contributions to movement. As such a strong consideration for whether each segment is behaving as per it’s capacity and contributing to movement proportionally is key to efficient motion. A good starting point for this consideration is whether the stable segments are stable and the mobile segments are mobile; both statically and, crucially, dynamically.  For the slightly longer version you can read a little more about that here There are of course many more examples of over-egging the pudding but these have definitely grown to be the ones I hear the most. In an industry where there is more than ample opportunity to come across confusing, ill-interpreted, “beefed up” information, it’s more important than ever that professionals avoid bulking out explanations with unhelpful sparkle and pizzaz. Just to reiterate, I love all the things listed above but I firmly believe knowledge is best shared narrow and deep not wide and shallow. We need to brush off the glitter and impart better understanding. Causing a state of bewildered admiration might massage the ego but it does nothing for clients, patients and students. Let’s keep it simple. I hope that helps.

** usual opening caveat: it is well beyond the scope of this short piece to address myriad pretexts and contexts and as such this represents one opinion aimed at ‘most people, most of the time’. What is plantar fasciitis (PF) and what is the plantar fascia? PF is a painful inflammatory foot condition affecting the sole of the foot resulting from repeated wear and tear of the plantar fascia; a thick sheet of tissue similar in nature to ligaments which spans the sole of the foot with attachment points at the heel and the balls of the feet/base of the toes. It’s role is to provide support to the medial longitudinal arch (MLA) of the foot. The foot actually has four arches but the MLA is the one we typically refer to as the arch of the foot as it is this arch which provides most of the characteristic arch shape we see on the sole of the foot. What causes PF? Whilst the factors associated with PF are numerous and complex, the majority of people experiencing this condition demonstrate some kind of biomechanical dysfunction which ultimately overloads the plantar fascia, eventually causing problematic wear and tear. This commonly includes dysfunctional patterns of gait, high arches, flat feet and tight muscles in the feet and lower leg. As stated though, these factors can occur for a multitude of underlying reasons. Given this complexity and the fact that feet rarely, if ever, get a day off and PF can often be very difficult to treat without considerable effort and dedication to the cause. Add to these dysfunctions, a hard sport or lots of recreational running and it might be enough to tip your plantar fascia over the edge. On the plus side, conservative interventions to improve movement control and function brings relief to almost 80% of PF cases. Have I got PF? PF typically presents as a gradually increasing pain at the front underside of the heel toward the inside edge of the foot. It will likely be tender when applying pressure to this area and pain may increase when the toes are dorsiflexed (pulled back) causing the fascia to stretch; such as when standing on the tip toes. Pain is often worse immediately upon moving after a period of inactivity – such as first thing in the morning - and eases off after a short while of moderate activity but returning later in the day after prolonged walking or more intense activity. The ankle and calves may feel tight and the arches of the feet could appear to drop or remain unusually high when weight bearing.  If this sounds familiar it will be worth finding a suitable professional to help with an accurate diagnosis in order to differentiate between PF and other common foot related issues including stress fractures, damage to your fat pad, bursitis and tendonitis in the achilles or big toe. Treatment and exercises are solely – pun intended – dependant on the underlying cause and as such won’t be included here but watch out for some general advice on flat arches, bare feet and similar coming soon….. I hope that helps. Remember: pain doesn't always mean STOP but it's a good idea to PAUSE until you find out what it does mean, just in case.