Health blog Category: Physical Therapy
What does the body’s core include?
By Alyssa Burke, LPTA
Many people will experience some form of lower back pain in the course of their life. There are many factors that can contribute to lower back pain. Some of the most common sources include:
- Muscle Strains
- Overuse Injuries
- Disc and Skeletal Issues
- Poor Posture
When treating lower back pain, it is important to address body mechanics and more importantly, strengthen your core.
Read full blogThis joint can flex, extend, adduct and abduct
The shoulder is probably the most unstable joint in the entire body. The shoulder complex is the only joint in the human body that can perform true ‘circumduction,’ which is a combination of flexion, extension, adduction and abduction. The shoulder is a true ball and socket joint. The ball refers to the humeral head and the socket is the glenoid fossa.
The shoulder complex is help together by ligaments, tendons and muscles. The shoulders’ stability comes from the ligaments and tendons around it and the range of motions comes from the surrounding muscles.
Why Physical Therapy Should Be Your First Stop
It’s common for us to say, ‘I’ll wait and see if it gets better.’ Often times, people will get an injury or develop a pain and then wait a period of time to see if it will go away on its own—especially if it starts after we were a little more active one day. We assume the pain is normal.
But when that pain doesn’t go away, the next step is often to see a doctor, which may or may not be something you can schedule right away.
Joint Mobility vs. Joint Stability
Are we talking about joint mobility or stability? Many people tend to used the wrong word when speaking about the body. So let’s clear this up, starting with the breakdown of the words. A “joint” refers to any location in the body in which two bones meet together. Now on to “mobility”, with the root word “mobile” referring to some sort of movement. When it pertains to the body, joint mobility refers to the joint being able to move without being restricted by the surrounding tissues.
Read full blogTrying to avoid prescription meds or injections to alleviate discomfort
Knee pain is a very common problem which can result in difficulty with many daily activities. Injections and prescriptions are not needed! People commonly come to physical therapy with different complaints involving the knee.
SYMPTOMS:
The number one complaint is knee pain that is under or around the knee cap that can greatly limit your functional mobility.
Some people also experience stiffness in and around the knee causing difficulty moving the joint and generalized weakness in the affected leg.
Carrying a bag of groceries uncomfortable?
By: Alyssa Burke, PTA
We often don’t realize how much we move our shoulders throughout our day until we feel pain or are unable to move our shoulders. There are many conditions that may cause us to experience pain, loss of range of motion or stiffness in our shoulders. These problems don’t have to happen following a traumatic injury. Often, shoulder problems occur over time from overuse and repetitive motions, especially overhead motions.
Weather Causing Joint Stiffness to Flare Up
By Devin Wurman, DPT
Prior to all the recent torrential downpours we’ve had, our summer was relatively dry. But with the humidity rising and falling and the temperature being up and down with the rain, another impact in addition to a soggy backyard is joint pain. We’ve had many patients coming in and complaining about their joints being stiff and sore. That’s folks being treated for arthritis and patients coming here for something else.
Trouble bending and extending this lower extremity joint?
By Angie Austin, LPTA
Many people associate knee pain with the older population. However, we treat patients of all ages for knee pain. Whether it’s due to arthritis or an injury, it is important to know what causes that knee pain.
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.
Spend several hours at a computer each day?
Neck problems are becoming more common due our sedentary lifestyles. How often do we use computers and phones throughout the day? Now think about your posture whenever you use these devices. Chances are, there’s probably room for improvement there.
Posture plays a large role in maintaining neck health and limits your chance of developing problems that can negatively affect your daily activities. Issues with your neck are commonly associated with pain, headaches, and general stiffness.
Take Steps To Treat Lower Extremity Problems
When is the last time you could walk the dog, go shopping, take your kids to the amusement park, go for a run, or even just stand for prolonged periods of time without experiencing nagging foot or ankle pain? If you or someone you know is experiencing foot/ankle pain, know that you are not alone. Approximately one-fourth of the population is affected by foot/ankle problems at any given time!
Foot/ankle conditions can present with a number of signs and symptoms including:
- Swelling
- Bruising
- Redness
- Numbness/Tingling
- Burning sensation
- Inability to weight bear
- Stiffness
- Weakness
The foot and ankle are composed of 26 bones, 33 joints, and over 100 muscles, tendons and ligaments.
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