Author: Dr. Chris

Dr. Chris Stepien, DC, Full-Body ID Certified, ART Certified, CSCS, and CrossFit Level 1 Certified, fixes your annoying and frustrating pains, even when it's been over 6 months and you've seen 3-5 other doctors or therapists without lasting relief Barefoot Rehab in Denville, NJ. And when you're sad, depressed, or not enjoying life, Dr. Chris wants to hug you. He invites you to reach out, no matter what your concern is. Barefoot Rehab is here to serve you.

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09 Apr Know Your Numbers: The Thigh to Chest Test

Posted at 14:45h in Biking, Bursitis, CrossFit, Disc Herniation, Disc Injury, Golf, Hip, Impingement, Knee, Knee Injury, Labral Tear, Lumbar Spine, Pelvis, Running, Sciatica, Testing, Thigh by Dr. Chris 19 Comments

The King Daddy of hip mobility tests is the thigh to chest test. It's the best. ~Barefoot Rehab So ...

14 Mar Reasons For The High CrossFit Injury Rate

Posted at 14:34h in CrossFit, Disc Injury, Shoulder Injury by Dr. Chris 6 Comments

Author's Note: This post is about the theory behind the high CrossFit injury rate. If you're not someone who likes to know why, skip this post. It's right smack dab in the middle of the CrossFit Open, 2016. In the midst of community and competition, CrossFitters are...

07 Mar How To Find A Pain Management Clinic That Treats You Right

Posted at 13:10h in N = 1, Paradigm by Dr. Chris 1 Comment

This post was written by the Barefoot Torchbearer, Loren. She lights the way for our pain management clinic. Her story is one of enormous transformation (losing hundreds of pounds of body weight and regaining her ability to move well). Here, she offers a unique perspective...

29 Feb The Soft Tissue Workout & Full Range of Motion Fitness: Part 2

Posted at 13:38h in Biceps Tendonitis, CrossFit, Fitness, Paradigm by Dr. Chris 4 Comments

Note: This post was inspired by my time discussing the soft tissue workout with News 12's 12 to Your Health segment hosted by Dr. DeSilva in New Jersey. Part 1 can be read here. The term "soft tissue" can confuse people. It means any body parts...

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22 Feb How to Relieve Lower Back Pain

Posted at 17:46h in Disc Injury, Internal Disc Derangement, Lumbar Spine, Metabolic by Dr. Chris 5 Comments

Author's Note: This post was written and intended as an email to a low-back-pain sufferer who contacted our office and lives too far away to come in for a diagnosis for their pain and begin to resolve all of the individual dysfunctions causing their chronic pain. Because...

15 Feb The Chiropractor with the Broken Back: Individualizing Fitness To Teach Respect

Posted at 14:14h in Disc Herniation, Disc Injury, N = 1, Sciatica by Dr. Chris 1 Comment

Writer's Note: This post is the long personal story of my own injury history and it has affected my perspective of pain, movement, and fitness. The hope is to convey natural principles of the human body and movement through that story to describe how vital it is to...

08 Feb Do You Trust Your Doctor & Advanced Pain Management: The Research on Expert Intuition

Posted at 10:40h in Mind, Paradigm by Dr. Chris 2 Comments

Note: This post on advanced pain management was inspired by Daniel Kahneman's Thinking, Fast and Slow, a book about the biases and heuristics that cause humans' thinking to fail. I highly recommend it if you're curious about psychology. The chapter on expert intuition provides guidelines governing whether...

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01 Feb The Truth About Achilles Tendinitis (And Achilles Pain)

Posted at 14:41h in Achilles, Ankle, Ankle / Foot, Foot, Leg, Running, Shin Splints, Triathlons by Dr. Chris 8 Comments

Does your Achilles tendon hurt? You probably don't have achilles tendinitis. If I were a gambling man, I'd bet you have achilles tendinosis. **Note: 97% of achilles tendon tears had a non-symptomatic achilles tendinosis present. If you want to minimize the risk of this severe rupture, read on. Why It’s...

28 Jan Case Study: Frozen Shoulder Success

Posted at 15:47h in Labral Tear, Metabolic, Rotator Cuff, Shoulder, Shoulder Injury, Swimming by Dr. Chris 9 Comments

Disclaimer: The pathologies “adhesion” and “scar tissue” are used interchangeably here in our discussion of frozen shoulder. In medical terms, the only difference between the two is that an “adhesion” implies connective tissue build up without trauma while “scar tissue” implies with trauma. I’ve already...

19 Jan The Truth About Plantar Fasciitis (and Arch Pain)

Posted at 10:01h in Ankle, Ankle / Foot, Foot, Leg, Plantar Fasciitis by Dr. Chris 10 Comments

Does the bottom of your foot hurt or even burn? Then you may have plantar fasciosis. (Notice I didn't say plantar fasciitis.) Like Janice did. Why It’s Not "Plantar Fasciitis" The “-itis” ending for tendonitis or fasciitis implies “inflammation.” Plantar fasciitis is usually diagnosed under two conditions: Location – plantar foot (usually...