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As we move into our 30s and beyond, the way our bodies respond to activity begins to change. Recovery takes longer, mobility starts to decline, and past injuries have a way of resurfacing. But the solution isn’t to slow down — it’s to train smarter.

Getting injured can be frustrating—but getting back to exercise afterward can be even more confusing.

Functional training focuses on movements that mimic everyday life—like squatting, reaching, pushing, pulling, and stabilizing.

In the world of rehabilitation and performance training, physical therapy and functional training are often seen as separate disciplines. While physical therapy focuses on recovery and pain relief, functional training emphasizes movement efficiency and strength. But what if these two approaches were combined? At The Manual Shop in Astoria , we believe that integrating functional training with physical therapy creates a powerful synergy—one that accelerates recovery, improves

Experience expert hands-on physical therapy at The Manual Shop in Astoria, NY. Our personalized approach targets pain, restores mobility,...

Learn, Teach, Love, and Heal. Each session is an opportunity to bring these values to life as we work to address pain...

Recovery isn’t just about getting back to where you were—it’s about building strength and resilience to move forward with confidence. At The Manual Shop in Astoria, NY , the team specializes in helping patients not only recover from injuries and pain but also develop the strength and stability needed to prevent future setbacks. Through personalized care and evidence-based techniques, they empower individuals to achieve long-lasting results. Whether you’re recovering from surg

In a city that never sleeps, the physical demands of daily life can catch up to you. Whether it’s navigating busy streets, sitting at a...

At The Manual Shop, we provide individualized care tailored to your unique needs and recovery goals.

I think almost everyday I hear from a patient of a complaint about their glutes. They can’t feel them contract, they can’t engage them when they work out, they cannot connect with the muscles, if their life depending on it! Well guess what! There is an easy way to get your glutes to fire. It’s all about setting up an environment where the glutes have no chance, but to contract. So first off, think of what the glute muscles do for us. They extend at our hip joint and they are

Everyone hates their flat feet. They also love to blame all of their postural dysfunctions and muscular weaknesses on their “poor little” flat feet. Ironically enough, this is the complete opposite of the truth. It is actually the muscle weakness, mostly in your pelvis and trunk, along with the faulty postural alignment, that have caused the feet to flatten as they have. The muscles that are most responsible for this type of foot presentation are actually your hamstrings an

Are you ready to take your training to the next level? This workshop, led by Dr. Antonio, is designed to transform how you move, train,...

Let’s talk about wrist health and why your wrist extensors (the muscles on the back of your forearm) are often forgotten. Our hands are so critical to our ability to socialize as humans, provide and communicate. Think about how many activities you do that involve gripping, lifting weights, typing, carrying bags, or even scrolling on your phone. These movements mainly rely on the wrist flexors (the muscles on the palm side of your forearm), which can get overworked, leaving th

A little bit of trick question here because some would say there is no perfect posture. I beg to differ. However, I don’t see the perfect posture as a static position. It’s more so the ability to stay stacked in ribcage and pelvis while you are moving through space. So let’s take a bad postural alignment for an example. The classic one is the person that is in a sloppy leaned back “chill” posture. This is many times seen in someone that sits for long periods of time. Why? Bec

Targeting the rib cage and coordinating stabilizers like the obliques creates lasting relief and better shoulder function. It’s not just...

Some of you’ve seen it before. You might even have some “knee valgus” yourself. It’s when the knee(s) looks like it is twisted inward. If it happens on both legs, this is culturally called “knock(ed) knees”. But I want you to understand one crucial fact, knock knees have actually nothing to do with your knees. In fact, they have everything to do with what’s above (pelvis) and what’s below (feet). So when a knee creates this twisted inward presentation, it’s telling us that i

The NYC Marathon was a massive event, showcasing countless hours of dedication, grit, and prep from runners of all levels. Whether you ran or are inspired to hit the pavement, let’s talk about one often-overlooked component of efficient running: hip extension. A strong hip extension allows the glutes to do their job of powering each stride, which not only improves speed and endurance but also prevents that dreaded compensation pattern where the lower back steps in to help. Wh

If you know me, you know I’m a sucker for a good ribcage position. The ribcage is the center point of your mass. If this structure is not properly positioned over the pelvis. It can be bad news for your lower back. Many patients come into my office and believe they must stretch their lower back and work on their “glutes” to cure their low back pain. What is not spoken of often enough is the necessity of ribcage alignment exercises for those with lower back pain. Let’s discuss

Hey there! Have you ever had those mysterious aches and pains that seem to come out of nowhere? Maybe it’s your lower back after a long day at work, or your shoulder acting up after a workout. We’ve all been there. But what if I told you there’s a fun, futuristic way to detect those “hot spots” in your body before they turn into a full-blown issue?! Enter Pulsed Electro Magnetic Frequency! (PEMF) Now, I know it sounds like something straight out of a sci-fi movie, but PEMF is

The evil neck. I would say close to 90% of the patients I see complain of some type of neck pain. Whether it be neck stiffness or uncomfortability. Whether it be an acute episode or chronically feeling tension there. The neck is really the culprit of much muscular and structural tension and the reason has everything to do with the position of our head. Everyone knows they have a forward neck posture. That’s something that has been overly-stated in magazines and health journal