Health blog
The Importance of the Discs in Our Spines
What are They and Why do we Need Them?
You may have heard the analogy that the discs in your back are like a jelly doughnut. The outer lining of the disc is made of up rings and then in the center, there is a jelly-like fluid. When a disc is healthy, it is somewhat oval-shaped, the fluid is in the center of the disc and the rings are strong and thick.
Read full blogThat Pinching in Our Shoulder
What is shoulder impingement?
When the muscles of our rotator cuff become subjected to repeated pinching in between the rounded head of the humerus bone and the acromion process (a bony prominence from the shoulder blade that forms a roof over top of the ball and socket joint) shoulder impingement is occurring. This pinching may only be a discomfort or may not even produce pain at first, but with repetition, our rotator cuff muscles will become inflamed.
Read full blogA Strengthening Program’s Role in Preventing Injuries
For athletes, being stronger and strengthening properly will help them to experience a significant decrease in potential for injury, and experience an overall greater ease of activity and movement with everything they do. This all starts with knowing what muscles to work and how to work them correctly.’
Typically, there will be no immediate effect to having weakness in a particular muscle in your body. The effects are usually more long term in the sense that “weakness” or lack of proper strength in an area, results in excess friction on the bones in the joint, excessive wear and tear on tendons and cartilage around a joint, and more.
Setting up a Strengthening Program
First and foremost, you need to know what the strength of the smaller supporting muscles are, in the area you wish to begin to strengthen.
Read full blogBursitis Pain and How it Occurs
Let’s Start by Defining Bursitis.
Our bodies are amazing and have been equipped to deal with our bones rubbing or grinding together because we have ‘joint pillows’.
Bursae are thin, lubricated cushions located at points of friction between a bone and the surrounding soft tissue. They are found all over our body including the shoulders, knees, hips, heels and elbows. These sacs cushion and lubricate our bones so they don’t grind away.
Shoulder Pain and Impingement
Shoulder pain and shoulder injuries are one of the most common injuries we see at Loudoun Sports Therapy Center. Some of the most common ailments related to the shoulder that we see include tight/overworked muscles, tendonitis, impingement and, joint stiffness. All of these can cause pain, weakness, and decrease ability to perform everyday activities. Shoulder pain can cause an absence from sports, prevent us from playing with our kids, and cause difficulty doing household chores.
Read full blogThe Impact of Knee Pain
Any kind of knee pain or stiffness makes simple daily activities such as walking, going up or down the stairs, squatting, and standing up from a chair, difficult.
The number one complaint from someone experiencing any kind of knee problem is pain under or around the knee cap. This type of pain can greatly limit functional mobility.
Some people also experience stiffness in and around the knee making it difficult to move the joint.
End the Vicious Cycle of Back Pain
Back discomfort can be debilitating for anyone experiencing it. Living with back pain often means being plagued by the inability to sleep, stiffness, and difficulty doing activities we love. This discomfort and pain impacts our ability to run, rock climb or hike, garden, walk the dog or play with our grandchildren. Back pain is something that can affects everyone from, young athletes, to active parents or older adults.
With many conditions, when you have pain or discomfort in one area of the body, and you don’t handle it, it can start impacting another area of your body.
Read full blogBalance Issues Occur in Both Older and Younger Populations
Balance issues occur in anyone, regardless of age. However, the cause of balance issues and how to treat them differ in older and younger populations.
We all have three systems that all work together to ensure we have good balance.
- We have our balance organ, which is our vestibular system in the inner ear.
- We have our leg strength.
- We also have our visual component which we rely heavily on when something else is not working properly.
What to Be Careful of When Running or Jogging
Whether we are pounding the pavement for a short jog or we’re a routine racer, running is great cardiovascular training. It is a gratifying way to maintain overall fitness. Although the act of running itself may initially seem daunting if we’re not an avid runner, we will reap the physical benefits within a few weeks.
The key is to start slowly and add distance incrementally to decrease the risk of injury.
Here are the top 10 health benefits of running:
- Improve Longevity
- Burn Fat
- Reduce Your Cancer Risk
- Strengthen Your Core
- Improve Your Sleep
- Reduce Your Risk of Osteoporosis
- Boost Your Mood:
- Reduce Your Risk of Diabetes
- Reduce Your Risk of Blood Pressure and Heart Disease
- Boost Your Immunity
Preventing Injury: Running Ritual Musts and the Importance of Stretching
These tips are essential for optimizing your running dexterity, whether you’re an indoor treadmill devotee, an outdoor roadrunner or a trail running enthusiast.
Sports Related Ankle Sprains
Defining Ankle Sprains
Ankle sprains are a common injury in sports and are a result of excessive stress on either side of the ankle causing excessive motion in the joint. Most commonly, people roll their ankle inward causing the ligaments on the outside of the ankle to stretch, tear or rupture. Some common causes of a sprained ankle might include a fall that causes you to twist your ankle, landing on your foot after jumping or pivoting, walking or running on an uneven surface or someone stepping or landing on your foot. 
Symptoms of an Ankle Sprain
- Pain, especially when you bear weight on the affected foot
- Tenderness when you touch the ankle
- Swelling
- Bruising
- Restricted range of motion (inability to point the foot without pain)
- Instability in the ankle
- Popping sensation or sound at the time of injury
Why is treatment so Important?
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