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Dr. Sean Coleman, PT, DPT, CSCS, DN Cert.

@colemanpt_performance

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Co-owner @coast2coast_pt
💪I help athletes stay active!
Bridging the gap between fitness & rehab
PHL 👉SD👉NJ
⛳️ TPI level 2 certified

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SI Joint

The sacro-iliac joint is a large joint connecting your spine to your pelvis.

Its primary job is stability and force distribution from forces going from foot to trunk.

Despite this job, it needs to have some “give”. How much movement occurs at the SI joint is often debated. Some studies have shown movement of up to 2-4 millimeters.

In our industry the debate rages on 🤷🏼‍♂️
One I do not partake in. Really hard to prove.

It is still classified as a diarthrosis joint. I don’t get caught up on the metrics how much it needs to move. But it needs to move. And move comfortably.

🌉🏙️To my patients, I often draw comparisons to structures like skyscrapers or bridges…

These are sound, solid, stable structures built to last. Built to absorb forces in multiple directions. Built to be reactive but also consistent.

They sway and move with the forces in order to maintain dynamic stability over time.

That’s what I need from your SI joint - dynamic stability.

🔑 the key is control

🎥 that is the rationale for this series of movements. Sure there are other “stretches”

But these 3️⃣ movements don’t provide any excessive stretching or overpressure. They are easily regressed based on each individuals movement sensitivity.

I often start at the 1️⃣st exercise and progress as symptoms and other interventions are becoming more tolerable.

⏭️ the next steps are based on the individual. But the end game must involve high level control of shearing forces at the SI joint.

👨‍⚕️👩‍⚕️Everyone’s path to that may look a little different, so consult a pro 🤙

💻 SAVE THIS POST and pull it up for a stretch
❤️ LIKE THIS POST and share it with a friend!

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𝙀𝘼𝙍𝙉 𝙔𝙊𝙐𝙍 𝙋𝙍𝙊𝙂𝙍𝙀𝙎𝙎𝙄𝙊𝙉𝙎. taken in New York by @colemanpt_performance

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9 months ago

🦶The foot is the foundation

And when it comes to recovery, taking load and strain off the foot is vital for every athlete I work with.

That’s why I recommend OOFOS! @oofos

The same recovery footwear trusted by elite athletes like Kristaps Porziņģis, Dansby Swanson, Charlotte North, and Justin Thomas—now available to you.

OOFOS combine comfort and support using their OOfoam™ technology to help reduce stress and strain on the feet after training. Less impact. Better recovery.

And I’m not just recommending them, I’m a customer.

🏃🏋️‍♀️I use the OOahh Slide after runs and between workouts and the OOcoozie after long workdays around the house.

If you’re serious about performance, recovery matters.

Take your foot health to the next level

#oofos #oofospartner taken in Long Beach, New York by @colemanpt_performance

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9 months ago

🚨 BIG ANNOUNCEMENT

‼️ We are joining forces ‼️

Meet your new go-to team at
𝐂𝐨𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐂𝐨𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐏𝐡𝐲𝐬𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐩𝐲
@coast2coast_pt

Two East Coasters, driven by the same California dream, are coming together to merge their passions for sports physical therapy—bringing top-tier care to the San Diego community 🌊

Dr. Sean Coleman (@colemanpt_performance) and Dr. Teresa Berg (@doct_dpt) are highly skilled and dedicated professionals, passionate about bridging the gap between fitness and wellness.

They have over 15 years of combined experience, specializing in treating everyone from elite athletes to fitness enthusiasts, helping all levels reach their peak performance and recovery. Their expertise empowers athletes to stay active, perform at their best, and maintain long-term health.

At Coast To Coast, our mission is to support you through every stage of your recovery — from start to finish. We’re committed to not only helping you heal but also ensuring you stay strong and empowered for the long haul.

Our goal is to equip you with the tools and knowledge to continue thriving long after you’ve achieved your recovery.

Welcome to the Coast to Coast Physical Therapy family!

𝙒𝙚’𝙧𝙚 𝙗𝙪𝙞𝙡𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖 𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙤𝙣𝙜 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙢𝙪𝙣𝙞𝙩𝙮 𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙞𝙣 𝙎𝙖𝙣 𝘿𝙞𝙚𝙜𝙤, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙬𝙚’𝙙 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙝𝙚𝙡𝙥 𝙞𝙣 𝙨𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙙 – 𝙨𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙛𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙝𝙚𝙡𝙥 𝙪𝙨 𝙜𝙧𝙤𝙬!

💻 Follow us, schedule your appointment, and let’s get you back on track!

#physicaltherapy #CoastToCoastPT #sportsrehab #sportsrehabilitation #sportspt #california #sandiego #sandiegosports #sandiegosportsrehab #injury
#sandiegophysicaltherapy #sandiegoPT #painfreeliving
#injuryrecovery #injuryprevention #injuryrehab #injuryrehabilitation taken in Outlier Crossfit by @colemanpt_performance

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2 years ago

We’re spilling the beans ☕️☕️…

Baby Coleman is arriving in February!!!

We can’t wait to meet you, little guy!!

🩵🫶🩵🫶🩵 by @colemanpt_performance

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a day ago

Knee pain 💥

Isometrics are an excellent entry point into graded tendon loading. They give athletes a scalable way to begin stressing the tendon safely, helping restore load tolerance without immediately provoking symptoms.

And let’s be clear: rest isn’t the answer.

While reducing aggravating activities can help calm an irritable tendon in the short term, complete rest does nothing to improve the tendon’s ability to handle force. Tendons adapt to the loads placed upon them. Without progressive loading, the tendon remains deconditioned, weaker, and less prepared for the demands of sport. Pain may improve, but capacity doesn’t.

That’s where isometrics shine.

✅ Yielding isometrics (holding against an external load) introduce an element of positional control and challenge the nervous system in a unique way.

✅ Overcoming isometrics (pushing or pulling against an immovable object) allow athletes to regulate effort and progressively increase force output with a high degree of confidence.

And no, isometric does not mean easy.

Sure, kicking a physioball into a wall is often a great place to start...

But then what?

The goal is progressive overload.

Heavier loads. More force production. More demanding positions. Greater tolerance to sport-specific stress.

That’s why I’m often incorporating progressive isometric variations throughout the entire rehab process, not just in the early stages. Depending on the athlete’s symptoms, goals, and access to equipment, isometrics can challenge the knee in very different ways while continuing to build tendon capacity.

The question isn’t:

“Should I do isometrics?”

It’s:

“How am I progressing them?”

👇 What are your thoughts?

Have you struggled with patellar tendinitis/tendinopathy, or are you currently dealing with it?

Drop a comment and let’s talk about how I use progressive isometric loading with my athletes taken in Summit, New Jersey by @colemanpt_performance

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8 days ago

Why the band??

Before reading the explanation in the caption, challenge your knowledge and drop a comment.

There could be LOTS of right answers. But here’s my “why” 👇

The band is pulling me laterally.

At the lower leg it’s trying to pull my shin laterally forcing me on to the outside of my ankle.

It’s recreating a similar rolling sensation you’d see in a lateral ankle sprain or an “inversion sprain”

🧠 🦶 my feel is to always have my base of my big toe engaged on the ground. If that band starts to win, my ankle will invert. So the muscles working hard to keep me flat are the everters of my ankle or my peroneal muscles.

Some pathologies I might use this for:

⭐️ inversion sprain - this is great exposure for the mid to late phases of rehab

📝 the best predictor of an ankle sprain? Is a previous ankle sprain. So rehab and prevention should look similar in those late phases. Exposing the ankle to the inversion force and giving it experience to be more reactive can be key

Other issues could be a high, rigid arch - training active pronation and eversion

Adductor strains - this is excellent mid line work. My ankle and hip are working hard to keep that flat and the co-contraction proximally needs to respond to my foot

💻Comment below with any questions

🏷️ tag a friend who might like the post! by @colemanpt_performance

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10 days ago

Round 2

Update - we’re out here

“You did it once before, you can do it again!”

Those were common words of encouragement when I announced I was going to open my cash PT practice here in NJ.

It’s true, I know what it takes. But there are some significant differences this time around

In San Diego I was offered a space first. The CrossFit gym I joined had an office they were looking to rent and gave me first dibs… I had the office now I just needed the customers

Last time my full time job offered flexibility. I worked 4-10’s and finished my days at 530pm. I grinded but I had plenty of windows of opportunities to market and build my book of clients until I HAD to quit my in network job

I worked in network, saw clients in the gym, made house calls. Slowly migrating into my full time work space when I made sure all my ducks were in a row. I didn’t miss a beat financially and the rest is history.

This time not so much.

My full time job was a temporary travel contract that had me working 45-50 hours a week 45 mins from home. Not a lot of time to network and build.

I had to turn down the full time work in order to free my time to get my face out of the clinic and in front of customers. But i still have bills. I’m still picking up some hours in the clinic until I get busier

It’s been hard to find my space. Luckily my friend @courtney_roselle had some space for me at @irongracestudio to see clients 1x/week which has been crucial 🙏🙏

I’m still making house calls, treating out of my own apartment, and seeing clients virtually in the meantime

This time around there is way less security. I don’t have the long leash I had in California

Because of that, I did a lot better mentally in round 1. It was a ton of fear, unknown… but I knew I could do it. Preparation breeds confidence, so I slow played it. I just had to do it scared.

But now the circumstances are even scarier. I can’t see the finish line. I can barely even see the next step. But im stepping anyway.

I hope this message also finds you fearful and doubtful.

If last time taught me one thing, it’s that great things rarely happen on the other side of certainty. taken in Summit, New Jersey by @colemanpt_performance

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10 days ago

Pronation

😱 Gasp!

Isn’t pronation bad!? No. Pronation is an extremely necessary movement for the foot.

I treat just as many people with high, rigid arches as I do with flat, weak arches…

The idea is creating a dynamic arch. One that conforms to pronate AND creates a rigid lever to drive off during supination. It needs to do BOTH!

🎥 Recently I prescribed this exact program for a friend asking to help with an foot that was immobile and maintained an elevated arch.

This can reduce ankle dorsiflexion. It can also be an inefficient absorber of force , relaying force up the kinetic chain into the knees, hips and spine.

⁉️ are you experiencing foot and ankle pain?
⁉️ shin splints?
⁉️ pain with running??

Drop a comment below 👇
🏷️ TAG a friend who would like this post!!

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𝙀𝘼𝙍𝙉 𝙔𝙊𝙐𝙍 𝙋𝙍𝙊𝙂𝙍𝙀𝙎𝙎𝙄𝙊𝙉𝙎 taken in Hoboken, New Jersey by @colemanpt_performance

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14 days ago

Hip Mobility

Nurturing hip mobility is vital in maintaining healthy hips for squatting, rotating, lunging and staying athletic

The mobility your hips feel with everyday life (sitting, walking, stair climbing, forward bending) just simply isn’t enough to cater to the dynamic needs of the hips.

Loss of hip internal rotation (the direction im working this this video 🎥👍) is correlated to higher incidence of low back pain.

As a physical therapist, I cater to your needs, your schedule, and your accessibility to equipment.

We can get you moving whether you’re in a fancy gym or only have a small space with a yoga mat

🫵 But it starts with you
👇 drop a comment below with any issues or questions!

🙏 Shoot me a DM if you’d prefer to chat privately taken in Summit, New Jersey by @colemanpt_performance

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17 days ago

Back pain

First of all, it’s not the leg raises fault.

Leg raises don’t cause back pain because the exercise is “bad.”

They CAN cause problems when your core can’t overcome the physics.

As your legs lower, they create a longer lever arm, increasing the extension torque pulling your pelvis forward and your low back into an arch (lumbar lordosis).

Your abs and deep core must generate enough counterforce to keep the pelvis and spine neutral.

When they can’t, the hip flexors take over, the low back extends, and stress on the lumbar spine increases.

So your cue to “keep your back flat” is fine… but it may not be enough to create this equal and opposite force.

A good leg raise is more about control than how far down your legs can go down.

🎥 instead of avoiding it altogether, I’m showing modifications that help in a few ways

Adding weight over your chest or pulling overhead creates tension in the muscles that connect to your ribs, spine. Effectively making an anchor ⚓️

The stronger anchor allows a higher counter torque to resist the legs and hip flexors pulling on the spine

⭐️ These are just some of the many ways I keep my clients moving in the gym even in the presence of pain

⁉️is pain limiting your progress in the gym?

Let’s chat! Drop a comment or shoot me a DM!

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𝙀𝘼𝙍𝙉 𝙔𝙊𝙐𝙍 𝙋𝙍𝙊𝙂𝙍𝙀𝙎𝙎𝙄𝙊𝙉𝙎. taken in Summit, New Jersey by @colemanpt_performance

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18 days ago

Bent over rows 🫡

Another go to. Works SO many different groups of muscles, very functional.

But unfortunately, a common exercise that reproduces low back pain.

🤓 here’s why

The prolonged hinge requires high endurance capacity of the posterior chain particularly the lumbar paraspinals, glutes and hamstrings.

Add weight to that long lever and the demand goes ⬆️
Add motion and the need to control descent of the weights and the demand goes ⬆️

😱 The immediate regressions are to ⬇️ the weight. This is fine, but now we’re underdosing the exercise to meet the low threshold the low back can handle

More tolerable yes… but now our mid back muscles aren’t getting what they know they can handle.

Another great modification is to perform the kneeling bent over row. Or support the chest on an incline bench. Love it. Isolates those mid back muscles, takes away the limiting factor

But we love the functionality and complexity of the bent over row! We don’t want to cheat ourselves!

🎥 so another great motivation is to remain in the hinge. But support the head on a bench!

💪 same weight
🧘‍♂️ same position

But the head contact reduces the low back demand by adding another external point of support!

We want to provide the MOST similar stresses to your painful movement. Depending on your injury or entry point, it may look VERY different or BERY similar

That’s where working with a professional comes in to play 🙏🤙

COMMENT 👇 below with any questions!

DM me if you’d like to chat about your issue 👍

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𝙀𝘼𝙍𝙉 𝙔𝙊𝙐𝙍 𝙋𝙍𝙊𝙂𝙍𝙀𝙎𝙎𝙄𝙊𝙉𝙎.

#backday #bentoverrow #backpain #lowbackpain #backrehab taken in Summit, New Jersey by @colemanpt_performance

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22 days ago

Knee pain

⁉️ are you having pain
Running
Squatting
Lunging
Climbing stairs
Walking hills

🎥 this isometric lunge could be your “go to”

⚠️ there are many sources of knee pain. It starts with the proper diagnosis. Consult with a professional before attempting exercises and plans to care for your knee🙏

Isometrics are an excellent place to start. In a previous post you saw how I initiate the process with a knee extension isometric.

Life happens on our feet. So your rehab plan needs progressions towards these stresses.

This is a simple exercise which is easily progressed to increase load and stress to build resilience in this “knee over toe position.

Holding onto the rig allows you to balance

The toe position matters:
Closer = easier
Farther = harder

The greater the depth the harder it gets

The more you load the front leg and offload the back the harder it gets, all the way to floating the back leg.

These variables allow you to access and comfortably find your pain point and live in that phase until the pain begins to ease, sometimes almost immediately

⭐️ important not to exceed 3/10. That’s our 🟢 light. Anything higher is a 🛑

1 person my start toe against rig, slight bend in the knee, both feet on the ground, 8 sec holds x 10.

Another may have to lunge deep with the toe 1-2” from the right, 10% body weight through the back leg, holding 10 sec x 10.

The same exercise offers a multitude of variance which makes it accessible to many athletes in many phases.

⁉️ what do you think?? 👇 COMMENT below!!

⁉️ having knee pain?? I offer FREE phone consultations to chat about your problem, let’s chat!! Just comment below or shoot me a DM 🤙

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𝙀𝘼𝙍𝙉 𝙔𝙊𝙐𝙍 𝙋𝙍𝙊𝙂𝙍𝙀𝙎𝙎𝙄𝙊𝙉𝙎.

#kneepain #kneerehab #kneepainrelief #sportsphysicaltherapy #sportsrehab taken in Summit, New Jersey by @colemanpt_performance

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23 days ago