Health blog Category: Physical Therapy
Engaging Our Core Muscles
Have you heard anyone tell you that you need a stronger core? This is because the core is the body’s support system, it helps to stabilize and transfer forces from the upper body to the lower body. This does not mean you need six pack abs, but the deeper muscles that support your spine need to get stronger.
What makes up the core?
- transverse abdominis
- obliques
- rectus abdominis
- erector spinae
- diaphragm
- multifidus
- hip musculature
- pelvic floor
When your core is not strong you are more prone to injury.
Read full blogPersistent Knee Discomfort and the Road to Relief
Don’t let persistent KNEE PAIN hold you back…
Knee pain is something that everyone will experience at some point in their lifetime. Having knee pain can be the result of many factors and affects all ages. We as physical therapy clinicians work with patients to educate them about their problem in addition to how it can be corrected. So don’t sweat it! We are here to help!
About the Knee
The knee is a large hinge joint that gives you the ability to bend and straighten your knee which is necessary for day to day functional tasks like getting up from a chair or going up and down stairs.
Read full blogThese Musculoskeletal Injuries
Ankle sprains are some of the most common musculoskeletal injuries, with approximately 25,000 people spraining their ankle every day (1). An ankle sprain occurs usually when the ankle is forced into an extremely inverted or everted position, meaning rolling in or out respectively; rolling your ankle inwards being the most common type of sprain.
How do I know if I sprained my ankle?
Some common symptoms of an ankle sprain are:
- Pain or soreness when moving your ankle into the position in which you sprained it,
- Pain with walking
- Ankle stiffness
- Mild localized swelling and bruising along the outside of your foot/ankle.
Everyday Tasks and Why They are Causing Discomfort
Golfer’s elbow is also known as medial epicondylitis which involves an injury on the inside of the elbow caused by excessive and repeated stress placed on the tendon. The muscles that bend your wrist travel up and attach to the inside of the elbow with a tendon. A tendon attaches muscles to bone and are easily aggravated by overuse of the muscles over several days.
Who experiences golfer’s elbow?
You don’t have to be a golfer to feel the effects of this issue. It is common with anyone who performs repetitive movements such as:
- Lifting
- Throwing
- Jobs (Examples: construction or plumbing)
- Racket sports and of course golf
What are some of the symptoms that you may have if you have Golfer’s Elbow?
Read full blogEveryday Tasks and Why They are Causing Discomfort
Golfer’s elbow is also known as medial epicondylitis which involves an injury on the inside of the elbow caused by excessive and repeated stress placed on the tendon. The muscles that bend your wrist travel up and attach to the inside of the elbow with a tendon. A tendon attaches muscles to bone and are easily aggravated by overuse of the muscles over several days.
Who experiences golfer’s elbow?
You don’t have to be a golfer to feel the effects of this issue. It is common with anyone who performs repetitive movements such as:
- Lifting
- Throwing
- Jobs (Examples: construction or plumbing)
- Racket sports and of course golf
What are some of the symptoms that you may have if you have Golfer’s Elbow?
Read full blogLow Back Pain can be Draining
So you have been experiencing pain in the low back that could be due to facet dysfunction.
What is a facet?
Facet joints are located in the spine at the posterolateral aspect of the vertebra. These are joints that allow motion of the spine and also restrict hyper mobility.
How does the problem present?
- Pain, stiffness, or soreness over facet joint, across low back, into the hip groin, or buttock
- Pain with extension (bending backward)
- Pain with prolonged positions such as sitting or standing
- Worst in the morning and gets better throughout the day with movement
Causes:
- Trauma – car accidents, sports, etc
- Abnormal postures that put strain on the joint
- Constant repetitive motions resulting in wear and tear of the joints
- Degenerative changes that increase the load on the joints (May have increased pain due to disc injuries, decreased height at the disc may put more stress on the facets causing increased inflammation and pain)
How Physical Therapy Can Help!
Read full blogAchilles Tears and Their Severity
What is the Achilles Tendon?
The Achilles tendon is the strongest and largest tendon in our bodies. It connects the calf muscle to your heel (at the back of your ankle and foot). It needs to be extremely strong and springy in order to help propel your body up and forward as well as absorb the shock from landing while running, jumping and even walking.
Achilles Tear vs. a Rupture
An Achilles tear means that the tendon is only damaged and still attached.
Read full blogWrist and Forearm Pain
Wrist/Forearm pain is generally caused be some kind of damage to:
- The bones
- Muscles
- Tendons
- Other soft tissues of the forearm and wrist.
This is caused by repetitive movements/overuse, falls landing on an outstretched arm or sports related injuries.
Wrist pain can also be accompanied by stiffness, swelling or redness around the wrist, difficulty making a fist or gripping/grasping objects, numbness or tingling in the hands and clicking sound with wrist movements.
A Pinched Nerve can be Cured
Lumbar Radiculopathy, more commonly known as a pinched nerve or sciatica, is when a nerve is pinched due to inflammation, injury or compression in the spinal column and causes varying symptoms in the low back or down the leg.
The most common symptoms that people feel are:
- pain in the low back or down the leg, occasionally down into the toes
- Weakness
- Numbness and/or tingling
- Impaired range of motion
When symptoms are experienced further down their leg this is called peripheralization, when the symptoms are felt closer to the core of the body this is called centralization. When symptoms begin to centralize or move out of the limbs the symptoms may feel more intense at first.
Read full blogOsteoarthritis in the Knee
Osteoarthritis of the knee results from the breakdown of the cartilage (a protective tissue) that covers the end of the bones in the knee joint (femur and tibia). This breakdown of cartilage results in bone on bone (femur and tibia) contact which is the primary reason for pain associated with osteoarthritis of the knee. Age, mechanical wear and genetics all contribute to this breakdown of cartilage over time. The treatment for osteoarthritis is especially important because without proper education, you can make it worse and rely too much on pain medication or walk yourself into surgery. 
Symptoms of Osteoarthritis
- Pain in the knee joint (especially when you stand or bend the knee)
- Swelling (especially after standing for prolonged periods of time or after exercise)
- Stiffness/restricted range of motion (inability to bend or extend the knee without pain)
- Creaking or crackling sensation in the knee joint
- Weakness in the knee joint or surrounding muscles
Causes
- Overuse- age, excessive load on the knee with weight bearing exercises or repetitive movements
- Muscle imbalances or weaknesses- creating uneven stress on the bones in the knee joint
- Injury- trauma to the knee joint from contact or weight bearing rotation of the knee specifically the meniscus (a cushioning and protective structure that sits on the tibial surfaces both medially and laterally)
- Weight- excess weight or obesity
- Genetics- inherited abnormalities in the shape of the bones in the knee or biochemical factors such as rheumatoid arthritis.
