Erin Tang is one of our many valued clients at Lift clinic, and works very hard to address her strength and movement limitations. She is an inspiration, and her strong mind set and good routines can be lesson for all of us in building a healthy, active lifestyle. We have always been impressed with her ability to balance a busy life. Among other things, she actively engages in CrossFit several times a week, writes novels, and is a hard working mother of four. Erin initially came to Lift to treat her shoulder pain. Two or three sessions targeting her neck and shoulders would often produce an immediate, significant improvement in her pain and ROM. Erin would then disappear for a while, and later return for treatment with similar aggravated symptoms. One day, Erin walked into the clinic with a new goal in mind: she wanted everything in her body to move properly. She decided she was no longer satisfied with her temporary symptomatic relief, and wanted to get to the root of the problem. During her initial head to toe assessment, limitations in her trunk rotation were identified, but never truly addressed. In her previous sessions, the priority was her shoulder pain. However, with a longer term goal in mind, Erin was ready to take on the challenge and overcome her trunk rotation imbalance. Her left thoracic rotation was 65 degrees, but her right thoracic rotation was only 35 degrees. She also experienced discomfort in her back and stiffness in her abdominal muscles with trunk extension in a press up position. ROM limitations throughout the body are often addressed with different priority. It can be extremely challenging as a clinician to treat underlying causes of injury when a client only comes in for a few short sessions. For example, trunk rotation limitations are often not addressed with a sense of urgency, as people can often carry on as if there is no limitation. In Erin’s case, her initial treatment required significant and rapid attention to her limitation in shoulder ROM. However, the source of Erin’s shoulder pain was caused by her trunk imbalance, affecting the ability of her shoulder blade to interact properly with her body. The drastic improvement in Erin’s functional movement has been amazing to witness. Her abilities have grown in both strength and ROM. Initially, Erin was unable to lie arched overtop over a foam roller; her hips were on the ground, but her head was about 7 inches off the floor. Today, her trunk extension has been restored to full range, and she is able to lie over the foam roller with her head and hips on the ground. She also has greater and more symmetrical strength in all three planes. These improvements reflects in her daily quality of life. Completing basic tasks, like cutting vegetables, are quicker and easier. She no longer has low back pain, allowing her to physically engage with her kids without fear of pain. We are so proud of all the progress Erin has made. She has overcome significant chronic mobility limitations, recurring shoulder pain, and is increasingly functional and resilient in the gym and at home. What makes Erin unique is her ability to focus on her goals. She has reinvented her physicality, and is capable of anything. For more information on Erin’s story, her inspiring blog post titled Weak can be found on her gym’s website, Cross Fit Empower. Erin’s story about her her struggles, commitment and resulting success regarding her year of movement at Lift can be found in Part 2: Mechanics, Mobility and Mindset.