Health blog
All About a Meniscus Tear
Meniscus Tear – The Basics
A meniscus is the cartilage that is found in the knee joint that sits between the bones of the leg known as the femur and tibia. Think of 2 pads that cushion the inner and outer aspects of your knee. It functions to absorb shock, distribute the load of forces in the knee and to keep the joint lubricated by moving around fluids.
A meniscus tear can frequently occur with twisting or turning activities often when the foot is planted.
This is Why you are Having Joint Pain
Do you find your joints aching for seemingly no apparent reason? Even small aches and pains are your body’s way of telling you something is not working correctly and this should not be ignored. According to a Centers for Disease Control (CDC) study, 30% of the people surveyed reported some form of joint pain within a 30-day period. The greatest number of respondents had knee joint pain, followed by shoulder, finger and then hip joint pain.
Read full blogPhysical Therapy Benefits You Pre-Surgery
Preparing for surgery can be daunting in itself. Your body is about to go through a planned trauma, not to mention the mental preparation you have to plan for with the known discomfort to follow, even though you are already in pain and that’s why you’re going through with the surgery. Does this ring a bell? The calming factor in this though, is physical therapy can help. Pre-Op Physical therapy can help before your surgery even happens, for a couple of reasons.
Read full blogDon’t Let an Injury Sideline You!
Have you…
- Had a prior sport related injury?
- Had a prior injury of any kind?
- Had pain during training or workouts?
- Recently started or soon starting a new sport season?
- Training for new sports/competition?
- Known someone who has a season ending injury?
Here’s how you can prevent sports injuries!
Injury occurs when one of two factors are present:
- Repetitive Actions: Most sport and athletic competition involves repetitive motion.
‘Do Anywhere Workouts’ – Stretches
School is starting again and your schedules are filling up. But as schedules get busy, it can be tough to keep fitness towards the top of you priority list. So, here are some ‘Do Anywhere Workouts’ and stretches you can perform anywhere without special equipment or a gym. Keep in mind, you don’t need a fancy stretching strap. Some other things that will suffice are:
- belt
- dog leash
- scarf
- towel
For all of these stretches, you will be seated on the floor, a couch, a bed or an exercise table, whatever is comfortable and available for you.
Read full blogYour Kid’s Backpack Could Lead to Chronic Back Pain
Unfortunately, the incidence of backpack-related injuries continues to climb each year as kids get overloaded with homework and transport multiple textbooks, notebooks and binders to and from school each day. School-aged children and teens report instances of pain, and parents often dismiss complaints, citing “growing pains.” However, when the problem gets severe enough, school-aged children often come to physical therapy because of chronic back pain. The good news is most back pain is easily preventable.
Read full blogHow to Avoid Back Pain
Is your back pain interfering with your life?
If you answered yes, you are not alone! Nearly four out of five people experience back pain at some point in their lifetime and many have repeat incidents of back pain throughout their life. With proper care and education, you can learn to prevent bouts of back pain from occurring.
Back pain can vary, from a persistent dull ache to sudden sharp pain, and can have many causes.
Overuse of Injuries
Overuse injuries can be any chronic condition that stems from repetitive motion or force through a joint that places a significant amount of stress (over time) on the joint or surrounding tissue. These injuries can affect your bone, cartilage, tendons, and muscles. Some injuries produce a constant dull, ache; while others you may feel more sharp and pinching pain, depending on the area.
Some examples of overuse injuries are:
Medial Tibial Stress Syndrome (Shin Splints)
Shin splints may lead to some sort of stress reaction/fracture in the tibia if not taken care of.
Arthritis Making it Hard to Move…
The change in weather brings some less pleasant symptoms like joint stiffness, pain and inflammation. Arthritis symptoms can increase with changes in weather. But there are ways you can manage the pain and also increase your activity level.
You’ve probably heard the word ‘osteoarthritis’ but what exactly does it mean and what are the symptoms?
Osteoarthritis:
- Joint inflammation that causes pain and stiffness
- It is progressive
- There is no cure for arthritis.
Stretching Can Help Avoid Injury
Have you ever gotten up after sitting in a movie theater for a couple of hours and felt really stiff? Whenever you are stuck in the same position for a long period of time it is pretty common for the muscles around your joints to get tight and stiff. If it goes away relatively quickly, then no harm done, however if it’s something that takes longer than usual, you may want to look into a good stretching program.
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