Health blog Category: Uncategorized
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).
Moving, standing or sitting creating discomfort?
By: Mike Bills, MS PT
Many people seek physical therapy because of hip pain, specifically, pain in their hip flexor muscles. When you experience this pain in the front of the thigh, it usually stems from the fact that your hip flexor muscles, there are a few of them, are being overworked for a number of reasons.
These reasons can include:
- Weak gluteal muscles
- Tight IT band
- Weakness in the hip flexors
When this overworking and stress happens, the hip flexor starts to get tight as a result.
Read full blogTwo Routines to Prevent Aches and Muscle Soreness
By Kate Zanoni, LPTA
The benefits of routine stretching reach far beyond rehabilitation. Whether you’re an athlete, sedentary, a weekend warrior, young or old, active or inactive, you will reap the value of a regular stretching routine.
In general, stretching is the elongation of a muscle and is used to help prevent injury and discomfort. However, there are different types of stretching that are important to distinguish. One is best implemented as a warm-up to prepare your body for exercise and the other is best used as a cool-down to reduce post-activity muscle soreness.
Taking Care of a Fracture
What is a fracture? The word, ‘fracture’ is a medical term that refers to a crack or break in a bone. Bones are made of calcified materials, which give them their hard rigid structure.
There are several types of fractures:
- Greenstick- when a bone is bent, but not broken all the way through.
- A buckle fracture results from compression of two bones driven into each other.
- A growth plate fracture occurs at the joint and can result in shorter bone length.
Walking to Improve Bone Health
Walking is a great step to improve bone health and fitness. Springtime is a good time to get outside and be active. What better way to kick the winter blues and enjoy the beautiful spring weather than to go for a walk! Walking is one of the easiest ways to get a workout and it offers many physical and mental health benefits. It’s why the American Heart Association designates April as National Walking Day. So, lace up your shoes and go for a walk.
Read full blogKeep Athletes Competing: Proper Warm-Up and Adequate Stretching
By: Cierra Washington, ATC
Do you know what constitutes a complete warm-up? Too often, sports-related injuries occur and could have been easily prevented had the athlete thoroughly prepared their body for practices and games. So what is an appropriate warm-up? The warm-up, which typically lasts between 10-15 minutes, feeds the body. Whether it’s a run, a jog, a swim or a brisk walk, the change in activity does several things:
- It increased the blood supply to the muscles
- It increases the heart rate
- It begins to produce more lubrication for the smooth joint motion
Now that the body is warm, the next step is to thoroughly stretch.
Read full blogHow to Test Your Balance and Fall Risk
By Devin Wurman, DPT
The goal of Balance Awareness Month is to reduce the time it takes to diagnose a vestibular or inner ear disorder and help people suffering from conditions like vertigo, dizziness and those who have trouble balancing. Medical experts say falls are the number one cause of death and non-fatal injuries in older adults and six out of ten falls occur in the home.
Try these simple tips to help prevent falls in your home:
- Arrange or remove furniture so there is ample space to walk around in each room.
Don’t Let Shoulder Problems Throw You Off Your Game
By Danielle Hoguet, DPT
Shoulder pain is one of the most common problems we treat here at Loudoun Sports Therapy Center. Whether it’s a athlete such as a swimmer or baseball player who have pain while performing, or a parent who can’t pick up their child without pain, we treat patients of all ages for problems in the shoulder that prevent them from doing their normal activities.
Shoulder pain can be the result of several factors.
September is Balance Awareness Month
By Devin Wurman, DPT
Happy Balance Awareness Month! The goal of this month is to reduce the time it takes to diagnose a vestibular or inner ear disorder and help people suffering from conditions like vertigo, dizziness and those who have trouble balancing. I’ve seen many patients over the years that have come to me for dizziness whether they were referred by their physician or found me through the internet. While many of these patients do in fact have a vestibular disorder, others do not. It’s important to educate our patients and the public about symptoms of vestibular disorders.
What is a vestibular disorder? A true vestibular disorder is when something goes awry with your inner ear and the part of your brain that processes sensory information involved with controlling balance and eye movements.
Handle Hip Pain Before It Keeps You Off Your Feet
By Abbey Fecher, DPT
Hip pain is a very common problem we treat here at Loudoun Sports Therapy Center and it can result in difficulty with many daily activities. People frequently come to physical therapy with different complaints involving the hip. The number one complaint being pain localized to the hip joint and muscles surrounding the joint. Some people also experience stiffness in and around the hip and even the lower back.