Get the Most from ELDOA

You can get the most from ELDOA if you understand what it is and make sure you execute the postures properly.

ELDOA is the best technique I have ever known for relieving and preventing back pain, improving posture, and making the spine and pelvis more flexible. It also counteracts the compression of the spine that occurs through exercise and even normal, day-to-day activity.

My Number One Tool for Back Pain

ELDOA is simply the number one tool in my therapist’s toolbox for back pain, and I instruct all the athletes I work with in ELDOA techniques that will help them maintain healthy joints throughout their core and recover from the rigors of their sport. When they come to me with severe back pain, hip pain, sciatica or other problems, ELDOA will always be one of the corrective measures I use with them.

ELDOA consists of one-minute posture exercises that work by increasing the space in the joints of the back, pelvis and shoulder. One of the great things about ELDOA is that you can do it on our own anywhere. Once you learn the postures and movements, you don’t need a guide. In effect, ELDOA allows you to be your own therapist.

Four Keys to Get the Most from ELDOA

When you perform ELDOA, you are stretching. In fact, you are often moving parts of your body in opposite directions to create tension along the fascial chains or to push bones away from each other to open up those tiny spaces in the joints just a little bit. Some movements may seem odd or unnatural at first, but that is normal. You will be moving your body in ways that are completely new to you—and to your body. Some of the movements may even seem difficult the first few times, but they get easier every time you do them.

Here are a few things to keep in mind so that you can get the most out of your ELDOA experience.

First, make sure your body is warm. Do your ELDOA program after you work out or after a hot shower or sauna. I will often have my clients go for five or ten minutes or so on a stationary bike before starting. This aids the movement we are trying to accomplish and helps prevent strain or injury

Second, always do ELDOA barefoot. You will need maximum flexibility for your ankles and feet.

Third, relax. Some people tense their entire bodies when they first try to accomplish the movements. This is understandable, but it causes you to work harder than you need to. Try to concentrate on the specific movements of each exercise and the parts of the body that you are working. Don’t tense your entire body, and make sure you breathe normally during each exercise.

Finally, pay attention to your positioning. I give specific physical markers for each ELDOA movement, and if you work with me personally or follow the ELDOA routines I have posted to my online platform, H3TV, you will notice that I spend some time explaining how to do ELDOA. Those physical markers are important because they help you position your body properly so that the each posture can do what it’s supposed to do.

Engage the Fascial Chains

For example, I might tell you to push the crown of your head to the ceiling, to keep your eyes five feet in front of you, to melt your spine into the floor or to feel your sit bones, among other things. Following all those directions and others will put your body in position to get the most out of each posture and can keep you from injuring yourself.

I will also tell you to spread your fingers and bend the wrists back, or to point your big toe toward you. These are very important elements—the finishing touches, really—in creating the tension that is needed to produce a full stretch and engage the fascial chains.

So those are the basics of ELDOA. If you keep all this in mind, you’ll get the most out of it. ELDOA helps you use your muscles to align and decompress your joints. It will help you stand straighter and allow you to recover more quickly from physical activity. And most people say they feel great after doing a 20-minute ELDOA routine.

Do ELDOA with me on H3TV.

I have trained top professional golfers, hockey players, football players and other on ELDOA. I have also trained the training staffs of four MLB teams on ELDOA. I have used ELDOA to help people avoid spine and hip surgery. And I have taught ordinary people of all ages to use ELDOA as part of a way to live a better life. If you aren’t doing ELDOA, take a look at it on H3TV. There are several ELDOA programs, and I do a monthly online coaching call to answer any questions you may have. You’ll be glad you did.