Health blog Category: Physical Therapy
What our walking says about our muscles and joints
When an expert assesses your walking they are looking at what referred to as your gait. This term “gait” takes into account what all of the joints in your legs and also your trunk are doing when you move one leg and stand on the other for support. Any change in your walking pattern can cause a problem in any part of your body, even if that problem seems to be isolated to just one body part.
Read full blogFlat Feet: How Physical Therapy Can Help The Pain
Flat feet is caused by many things, genetics, age, weight, etc., and can create painful body issues. A physical therapist can treat and suggest simple lifestyle changes like exercises to lengthen and strengthen muscles, shoes and insoles that will lift the arch and posture builders to engage and strengthen the core. But those with flat feet should understand what happens to the body when there is no arch in their feet.
What Does The Arch Do?
The arches add elasticity and flexibility causing the middle of the foot to spread and close.
Read full blogGrab Arthritis by the Horns and take Control of Life
Are you tired of your joints being stiff and joint pain dictating the activities you are able to do? Although there is no cure for arthritis, as it is a degenerative disease, there are ways you can manage the pain and also increase your activity level.
Osteoarthritis involves the degeneration of the joints, more specifically the cartilage that lines a joint. When this smooth material is worn down, the joint no longer will move like it’s supposed to.
Ankle Sprain Symptoms
An ankle sprain is one of the most common musculoskeletal injuries and can have long-lasting effects on daily living and recreational activities. Initially, ankle sprains will present with pain, swelling, bruising (bleeding under the skin), and loss of function, which can mean time off from work, without being able to stand, walk and possibly no driving depending upon the ankle that is injured.
Once taut ligaments are stretched out beyond their normal limits, they may become loose, or lax, leading to instability. Often times, after an initial ankle sprain, the ankle will continue to feel loose or unstable for months or even years so it is very important to address an ankle sprain or strain as soon as possible. Waiting could cause further loss of mobility and keep your from running in that 5K you have been training for the past few months.
Computers and Phones causing your Neck Issues?
Is your computer and phone causing your neck issues? One of the biggest contributors to neck pain and stiffness is our poor posture. A lot of us sit at a desk for work or school for several hours throughout the day. We’re often not aware of our posture. We might not have a workstation that is set up ergonomically; our computer screens are too high or too low; we’re on our phones or our tablets and looking down.
Read full blogProtect Your Shoulder when Swimming and Gardening
More and more of us are planning to spend an increased amount of time outdoors. This also means that we need to be more cognizant of our bodies when participating in outside activities such as gardening and swimming. It is important to protect your shoulder when enjoying outdoor activities such as swimming and gardening this summer.
Some common injuries that are associated with the shoulder is due to overuse or improper lifting techniques. A great example is when working outside in the yard or swimming for competition or everyday exercise during the summer months. Whether it’s picking up heavy bags of mulch or planting flowers, or preparing for the upcoming swimmers meet, it is important to be mindful of your body mechanics as well as repetitive movements.
Our Hands are Required for Nearly Every Movement
Think about how many times a day you use your hands. Our hands are required for nearly every movement. Our upper extremities impact our ability to type on our computer keyboard, hold our morning cup of coffee, grip the steering wheel while driving and our phone while talking to a family member as well as other fine motor tasks.
Some of the most common issues of the elbow, wrist and hand are:
- Tennis elbow
- Carpal tunnel Syndrome (inflammation that results in the compression on the nerve that runs through the center of the forearm to the palm of the hand).
Tennis or Golf…
Many people have heard of and will use terms like ‘tennis elbow’ and ‘golfer’s elbow.’ But what exactly are these conditions?
Tennis elbow and golfer’s elbow are both overuse injuries that are caused by any activity that requires repetitive motion of the arm and wrist. The difference between the two conditions lies in where the elbow is inflamed. Both of these conditions are forms of epicondylitis, which is a medical term for inflammation of a tendon that attaches to the bone (epicondyle) of the elbow joint.
Summer is Here: Time to Get Moving
The summer weather is here and it’s time to get moving. It’s no secret that regular exercise is important to your overall health. It’s still not too late to keep that New Year’s resolution you might have set for yourself to be more physically active. So how much do you really know about exercise and why it is so important?
Exercise has many proven health benefits. It can help:
- Control weight to keep your BMI (body mass index) in a healthy range.
How to Protect Our Hips from IT Band Problems
What is the IT band and how do problems start here and how can you protect your hips? There are a number of muscles on the outside of your hip that attach to the IT band. The job of all of these muscles is to keep the hip joint structures open, help support the joint and then create the movement of the joint. Most commonly what happens when you are experiencing some level of IT band problems, is that the muscles on the outside of the hip that are working to hold the hip together while we move the leg are overworking.
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