Health blog
Knee Replacement Surgery in Northern Virginia
Knee replacement surgery in Northern Virginia is relatively common. A total knee replacement is when the surgeon cuts away the diseased and damaged components of the joint and replaces them with an artificial surface. The knee prosthesis is made up of metal and plastic components and usually comprises 3 components- tibial, femoral, and patellar. The picture below shows the tibial and femoral components. The patellar component is usually just a resurfacing of the underside of the patella.
Read full blogPhysical Therapy for Your Rotator Cuff
Rotator cuff tears are an extremely common injury issue with prevalence increasing with each decade of life. You probably know how common they are, and might even know people with this injury, or have even had one yourself. What you probably don’t know is that most of them are actually asymptomatic.
A research study done by Hirashima et al in 2013 looked at 664 participants with varying ages starting at 20 up to 90.
Read full blogMay is National Correct Your Posture Month
This month we want to make sure you have the tools and resources to correct your posture. Whether you are sitting, standing, sleeping, or moving around posture is important and can impact how well you are able to perform said activities. Rounding your shoulders forward or letting your head shift forward as well as rounding your back are all signs of bad posture. Below are some exercises that can help prevent poor posture no matter what position you are in.
Read full blogHow to Manage and Treat Disc Bulging and Herniated Discs
Do you have pain in your back that gets worse when you sit down for a long time, or have neck pain that wakes you up in the middle of the night? Have you ever had pain or numbness that radiates down your arm or leg? Have you had a doctor say that you have a slipped, bulging, or ruptured disc in your back or neck? What does any of this mean and how can you stop it?
Read full blogBack Pain and Hip Mobility
Back pain is a very common issue that we see amongst the everyday population. However sometimes your back pain might not be because of an actual back problem. Your hips and pelvis can have a direct impact into the various stresses and strains in your lower back. This is due to pelvic misalignments, lack of hip mobility, weakness throughout the hips, and tight hamstrings or hip flexors.
This causes compensations throughout the lower back and causes different compressive forces to go through the low back.
Read full blogSports Recovery: High-Level Athlete Rehab
Our Sports Recovery Program goes a step beyond the usual physical therapy. These programs are specifically designed for higher-level athletes.
We aim to help prevent the injury from reoccurring when you return to your sports. This is where our Sports Recovery Program comes in.
This program works to safely and effectively return an athlete back to their activity at full intensity, based on their own personal goals. During sessions, Certified Athletic Trainers, Doctors of Physical Therapy, and Physical Therapy Assistants with the help of Rehabilitation Technicians assess, adjust your program to your needs.
Read full blogWhat is Manual Therapy?
Manual Therapy is made up of many different hands-on techniques that we use in the clinic. Each offer their own benefits and are implemented for many reasons. We use manual therapy to help restore mobility, restore joint movement, decrease nerve tension, and improve nerve mobility and help reduce pain.
There are many different techniques that fall into the category of manual therapy. Some of these categories include but are not limited to:
- Soft Tissue Mobilization
- Joint Mobilizations
- Muscle Energy Techniques
- Passive Range of Motion
- Neural Mobilizations
Soft Tissue Mobilization:
Soft Tissue Mobilization helps to reduce soft tissue adhesions and help promote muscle, ligament, and tendon mobility.
Read full blogHamstring Injury Recovery
Hamstring injuries can occur to anyone. However, they are most common amongst athletes, due to movements involving high-speed running, high kicks, tackling, and splits.
What are Hamstrings and How are They Injured?
The hamstring is a combination of 3 muscles:
- Semitendinosus
- Semimembranosus
- Biceps femoris
Injury is dependent on intensity of sport along with other variables such as: duration, frequency and/or body compensations for other lower extremity injuries (such as injury to meniscus).
Read full blogHow to Recover from an ACL Tear with Physical Therapy
The phrase “ACL Tear” can strike fear into the hearts of athletes and fans alike. It’s an injury that often means season-ending surgery and a long road to recovery. We see headlines like “6 to 12 Month Recovery” and wonder:
- Will that athlete ever be the same?
- Why does it take so long to recover from ACL surgery?
- What is an ACL, and why is it so vulnerable to injury?
Knee Problem? What is it?
A Knee problem is a common injury we see given that our knee joints go through wear and tear everyday. Let’s talk about the 3 most common knee problems we see in our clinic.
Knee Arthritis (osteoarthritis) – What is it?
With using your body over time, the cartilage that covers the ends of our bones where they form a joint starts to wear down, and uneven bumps and grooves can form that prevents the joint from moving smoothly.
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