Dr. Jen Crane PT, DPT, OCS,ATC

(November 11th, 2024) Like many of you, I spent last week oscillating between shock, grief, rage, and fearful trepidation for the upcoming 4 years. I know that many of us - especially those in marginalized groups who 🤡 has already slapped big ol’ targets on - are scared & are anxiously looking around social media spaces to see where the allies are…to see if those who we had previously marked as “safe” are actually SAFE. As a white, cis, queer physiotherapist who specializes in post-op transgender healthcare, I KNOW how vital it is to make my values as crystal clear as possible. I don’t want ANYONE to have to play detective to figure out if I’m a safe human to follow on social media, to work with, or to generally support. My website’s “Values” tab has a lot more detail, but here’s the TL/DR version: 👉 I will NEVER stop advocating for accessible queer & trans healthcare; and I will ALWAYS offer sliding scale & pro bono top surgery physio sessions. I know how expensive surgery is & I am privileged to have other ways to make a buck…I don’t need to nickel and dime folks who are already struggling. 👉 I will ALWAYS do everything in my power to advocate for and protect my BILAPOC friends in the face of imminent increase in racism and xenophobia. I know how vital it is for white folks to show up and fight, and I promise to keep doing that. 👉 I am horrified at the implications this election has on healthcare access & autonomy for women & disabled folks. I will be doing everything I can to fight for autonomy and equitable access to care. 👉 I am SCARED for Palestinians and the implications of this presidency on the genocides in Gaza, Sudan, and Congo. I will continue contacting my states representatives & amplifying messages that support those impacted. 🫶 And finally; I am lucky AS HELL to have this platform and to have all of you wonderful folks in my parasocial community. I will always do my best to be a safe space for your voice, & to listen deeply to your experiences, stories, & histories. I don’t take you for granted, and I will ALWAYS use my platform thoughtfully & intentionally to amplify messages that support these causes & many more.

In case you wondered, it took THREE years of active procrastination for me to finally create this pinned post 💁🏼‍♀️

I literally have NO WORDS. My algorithm showed me one of these videos last week and I’ve just been STEWING in disgust…the risk from a chiropractic manipulation under anesthesia is absolutely OFF THE CHARTS because ALL of your body’s protective alarm systems are off-line, so you can’t communicate with your provider if something feels wrong…and the post-anesthesia period can obstruct red flag symptoms that could be early indications of stroke or ligamentous damage. And listen— I KNOW there are so many incredible, evidence based chiropractors out there, and I truly don’t want to dog on the entire profession. Have y’all heard of this?? Has anyone had it done, or know anyone who’s had it done?? I’d love to hear your experience in the comments, because there is basically ZERO solid research on it.

Now let’s be clear…this is the QUICK AND DIRTY version of my active/passive gap test; this one only tells you IF there is a gap, it doesn’t QUANTIFY the gap. Tomorrow, in our first April Shoulders class, we’re doing the FULL version: proper positioning cues, angle measurements for both the active and passive portions, and calculating an actual percentage difference so you have a real number to track. Ideally we want this number to be LOW, indicating that our shoulder muscles can control most of our passive range. Most people don’t start there (that’s literally why we train), and closing that gap is the whole point of this series: build overhead flexibility AND make sure your active flex catches up with your passive. If this sounds like it might be up your alley, you can read more details about this virtual series in my bio link. In the meantime…lmk what your test results are…gap or no gap?? #Shouldermobility #latstretch #activeflexibility #aerialistsofig #flexibilitytraining

I love every single stretch pictured here…but I will die on the hill that we MUST be specific with our flexibility programming. If you KNOW your lats are tight, you DEFINITELY want to isolate them first, with active flexibility drills, static holds, and end-range control drills before moving on to a composite stretch (like the archy back ones) that are meant to stretch MULTIPLE regions at once. If you don’t isolate the muscle thats limiting you, your body will default to the path of least resistance…which means you’re leaving SO MANY GAINZ on the table. If you like learning about this stuff and want to learn more about how to GET SPECIFIC with your shoulder flexibility, check out my upcoming 4-week flexibility series, “April Shoulders.” Two live 30 minute classes per week on zoom, PLUS nerdy anatomy Q&A deep dives (like this) after each class…I stay for as long as there are questions. We start on FRIDAY, link in bio for details. #shouldermobility #latstretch #upperbackstretch #thoracicmobility

This drill is GREAT for keeping creatively compensating shoulders HONEST. ✅ child’s pose ensures that the low back can’t cheat for tight shoulders by arching (which is its most COMMON contribution during overhead movement) ✅ band around arms provides a tactile cue for elbows to stay tucked in, ensuring that the shoulder remains slightly externally rotated and the scap is upwardly rotated. This position also keeps the LATS maximally stretched (hello active flex!) ✅ forearms parallel provides a visual cue to keep that same ideal shoulder and scapular alignment. 🤭 “Brutal” and “humbling” are the most frequent descriptors of this drill. SO...leave your questions in the comments & Imk how you love (or hate) it! PS: “April Shoulders” starts THIS FRIDAY. 4 weeks of targeted shoulder flexibility with a HEFTY emphasis on end range strength 💪 We will be MEASURING & TRACKING PROGRESS so you know exactly what worked and what to focus on after the series ends. link in bio for details. #shouldermobility #activeflexibility #flexibilitytraining #handbalancing #aerialistsofig overheadmobility contortiontraining

Today was our final class of the “March middles” series, which means it was MEASUREMENT DAYYYY 🎉 After class, we re-tested our active passive gap for pancake and middle splits to see what improved and where to focus our training moving forward. And y’all…I was FLOORED at this student’s improvement 🤯 They quite literally worked their (side) butt off over the past four weeks of this series, and BOY DID IT PAY OFF. They nearly DOUBLED their active middle splits flexibility, which is 10/10 fantastic. Today’s class today got me SO amped for our “April Shoulders” series, which is starting FRIDAY. We’ll be tracking our active/ passive gap for shoulder flexibility, and taking our baseline measurements after our first class to see where we’re starting! Wanna join us? First link in my bio has all the details. I 👏 AM 👏 SO 👏 PUMPED!!!

Swipe to the end for my favorite “behind the scenes” photo of all time, ft. @laylatripod , the best water thrower ever 😂🫶 ahem…anyways: “March Middles” wraps up tomorrow, which means “April Shoulders” starts FRIDAY 🎉 ☔️ “April Shoulders” is 4 weeks of overhead flexibility training where we actually measure the progress. Your active/passive shoulder gap tells you more about the state of your shoulders than a before/after photo ever could. Link in bio if you want in, I’d love to have you.

Passive shoulder flexibility is a great start, but is NOT the finish line. Here’s a drill that closes the active/passive flexibility gap…give it a go and lmk how you like it! Aaaand an announcement: “APRIL SHOULDERS” starts NEXT FRIDAY, April 3rd. This is my next 4-week live series inside my membership community, and we’re going allllll in on active shoulder flexibility and end-range strength; training the ranges you can get into AND the strength to actually own them. What’s included: Two 30-minute live Zoom classes per week, Tuesdays and Fridays at 10am PT, recordings uploaded within 12 hours, and instant access to my full on-demand library of 100+ classes the moment you join. Membership is $75/month, cancel anytime. Link in bio to join.

My March Middles students have been LOVING these slanted yoga block modifications, so I wanted to share another favorite with you. ❗️BUT FIRST❗️Y’all KNOW there is no replacement for active flexibility and end-range strength drills, so don’t even THINK about trying to skimp on those. …HOWEVER. Soooo many folks get stuck in PANCAKE PURGATORY of the posteriorly tilted pelvis…so if that’s you, try this modification with slanted yoga blocks. The idea is to create a tilted lil “glute slide,” so if the slanted blocks don’t work for you, you can get the same effect using any number of other tools or props: a rolled up yoga mat, a stacked panel mat with the top panel flipped open and angled down, or even couch cushions and pillows. Create the DIY glute slide of your pancake dreams…the sky’s the limit. Just be sure to tag me so I can see your creativity in action 🧑‍🎨🪄 Okay, now go do your active flex drills. #Middlesplits #pancakestretch #splits4claps #flexibilitytraining #hamstringstretch (Bonus points if you know what this audio is from 👀 )

I don’t think I’ve ever posted content like this, but after scanning this guy’s Instagram and finding MULTIPLE instances of him “responding” to “bendy chicks” in pretty degrading ways, I decided that he earned it. This confidently incorrect snippet was part of a longer reel he posted about why some people can’t touch their toes; one reason being the person’s sex. We can absolutely discuss sex-based differences in baseline flexibility (a discussion that is WAY more nuanced than I cared to get into for the purposes of this reel), but claiming that women are more flexible than men SPECIFICALLY BECAUSE estrogen suppresses collagen synthesis is just…wrong. Demonstrably, cite-ably wrong. And because I know that inevitably, I will be asked for citations, here are the PMID’s of referenced articles: 30016401, 20398004, 18762039, 22895361, 18927264, 18420709, 30697162, 27535256. Honestly, I wouldn’t have responded to this reel at ALL if not for the sheer volume of these lazy, response-style videos of men either outright degrading women OR performing this condescending “proud of you, sweetie” energy when a woman says something that is WELL within her own expertise…aaaand that made me want to flip the script. And maybe a few desks. So, let me know if I should turn “confidently incorrect men” into a series. And please, send those reels my way.

This is one of the most common questions I’ve been getting during our March Middles post-class deep dives, and I wanted to share one of my favorite modifications for medial knee pain in this position: ✨ THE SLANTED YOGA BLOCK ✨ My flexibility/mobility tool collection is generally pretty minimal, but these blocks are SUCH a game changer for so many common flexibility issues. I love this mod for middle splits, especially for folks who feel ALL the torque of a belly-down hold in their knees. Plus, if you’re further from the ground, you can easily stack these puppies on top of blocks to adapt to your current middle split level. Now obviously, there are MANY factors that can contribute to medial knee pain in this position, but after ruling out other contributing issues, this can be a game changer. I can’t believe we are officially halfway through March Middles! I’ve gotta say, I’m having SUCH a blast with the students in this series; our post class deep dives/ Q&A sessions have been SO good…I love an excuse to talk hip anatomy and troubleshoot issues exactly like this one. LMK if y’all want more slanted yoga block flexibility modifications, they’re my hyperfixation du jour so I’ve got them in spades 😂 (…no, this is not a sponsored ad, I just really love ‘em).