Health blog
Hamstring Problems are Not Just for Athletes
Hamstring problems are not just something we see in athletes. While hamstring injuries can happen to an athlete during a practice or a game, it’s actually much more common for all of us to experience hamstring problems related to everyday activities. A hamstring injury will start to make you feel stiffness and soreness throughout your leg which will make things like walking, changing positions (getting in and out of the car or a chair, etc) and using stairs more difficult.
Read full blogPoor Posture Causing Headaches, Discomfort, and Stiffness
How is your posture? Poor posture may be causing your headaches, discomfort and stiffness. Many of us have sedentary jobs at a desk and/or use mobile technology for day-to-day communications. Think about how you sit when you do these things. It’s easy for us to slip into a poor posture when we’re mindlessly reading emails or sending texts. Poor posture contributes to neck pain, stiffness, nagging headaches, trouble standing up and other painful issues.
Read full blogCommon Foot & Ankle Injuries
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 & ankle pain? Have you ever gotten up in the morning and felt pain in your heel when you put your foot down on the floor? You’re probably wondering why your foot & ankle would hurt after you’ve been off your feet and sleeping all night. One of the most common causes of heel pain is plantar fasciitis. Plantar fasciitis arises from the inflammation of the thick band of tissue on the bottom of the foot.
Read full blogChronic Back Pain, Could Poor Posture be to Blame…
Poor posture could be to blame for our chronic back pain. Irritation to the nerves that emerge off the lumbar spine can cause burning and shooting pain down the legs and into the feet. Chronic back pain can also cause poor posture, making it difficult to walk, sit, drive, and perform routine activities such as driving, laundry, and dishes; to name a few. Chronic back pain is a debilitating condition that will affect the majority of Americans at some point during their life. In fact, chronic back pain is one of the leading reasons people go to the doctor and employees miss work..
Read full blogSay No to Sciatica! 3 Indicators That You Need to See a Physical Therapist
Each of your sciatic nerves runs from either side of your lower back down to each of your legs. That’s why a classic sign of sciatica is having a shooting pain on one side only. While compression of one of your sciatic nerves can literally be a “pain in the butt,” it doesn’t always require medical attention. Yet sometimes physical therapy is your best bet to banish sciatica symptoms. So how can you tell when to go it alone, and when to call a physical therapist?
Read full blogIs there a difference between a strain and a sprain?
Spring is finally here; we are enjoying the warmer weather, and also engaging in more activities. It’s also that time of year we start seeing some minor injuries occur with all age groups. Sprains and strains are pretty common minor injuries. People usually like to use them interchangeably to describe the same injury, however there are differences.
A sprain involves the ligaments in a joint. Ligaments attach bone to bone and are there for stability. A strain involves the muscles that attach to a joint. A strain can involve a tendon or a muscle itself. Tendons are the connections between muscles and bones. The other main difference between the two is that a strain will involve some sort of bruising around the joint, whereas a sprain will possibly cause some muscle spasms. Both injuries will likely involve swelling, limited range of motion, and pain.
Read full blogMorning commute have you sitting in traffic…
Neck pain and tightness is something that we all may experience from time to time for different reasons. However, chronic pain or tightness often has a deeper issue than just sleeping wrong one night. Poor posture and muscular weakness is often the culprit for neck issues. We spend so much time with our heads down and shoulders rounded while using our phones, shoulders hunched while driving or doing daily activities, and the like, that we don’t even notice we’re training our body to give us issues.
Read full blogLoosen Up Those Stiff Joints
At some point or another in life we experience joint stiffness. What actually is “joint stiffness?” It is a
situation in the body where we feel tightness in the parts of our body that bend, like the elbows, wrists,
shoulders, hips, knees, neck, lower back, and ankles.
Below are some of the most common causes of joint stiffness:
- muscular tightness
- capsular/ligamentous tightness
- muscle weakness causing poor joint alignment and tracking
- loss of joint space with osteoarthritis
- rheumatoid arthritis
- structural damage from wear and tear or injury and the resulting inflammation
Joint stiffness presents with the sensation of not being able to fully rotate, bend, or extend a joint in the
body.
What causes that muscle cramp or “charlie horse”?
By: Jeremy Schain, DPT
Without a doubt, many of you throughout the course of your lives have suffered a“Charlie horse” or “pulled a hamstring” while running, playing a sport, performing activity or simply while going about your daily life. Have you ever wondered what causes this to occur? Furthermore, how can they be treated and how can they be prevented in the future?
The hamstring is actually a group of three muscles:
- The biceps femoris
- The semitendinosis
- The semimembranosis)
These muscles work together to bend the knee as well as extend the hip.
Read full blogWhere do Most of Us Carry Our Stress?
Neck problems are becoming more common due our sedentary lifestyles putting more stress on our neck and shoulders. 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.
