Health blog
Loosen 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.
How your shoes can impact your feet and ankles
Foot and ankle conditions are very common for every age group. We treat general pain and injuries in this part of the body often at Loudoun Sports Therapy because even if it’s just general discomfort, foot and ankle conditions cause a lot of problems with daily, functional activities. The most frequent complaint we see in the clinic is pain at the ankle joint that can radiate up into the leg or down into the heel. This symptom often causes the patient to have difficulty walking or standing for a prolonged period of time.
Read full blogDiscomfort interrupting workouts, sleep and work?
Q&A
- How does back pain usually start?
Many times back pain starts from a specific incident where you overexerted yourself, lifted something improperly, performed more of an activity than you were used to, sitting/standing more prolonged amount of time, or a traumatic incident. Often times it is a combination of several of these things. Sometimes it doesn’t hurt right away, but may begin to bother you several days later.
Read full blogTired of Joint Stiffness and Arthritis Dictating Activities…
Arthritis is a common reason people seek physical therapy because, quite frankly, they get tired of joint stiffness and joint pain dictating what activities they are able to do. While there is no cure for arthritis as it is a degenerative disease, 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?
How many times a day do we have to reach overhead?
By Rachel Herrmann, DPT
The shoulder is a complex region of the body made up of three joints, four muscles of the rotator cuff and over 10 other muscles that attach around the bones/joints that make up the shoulder. This means there has to be a lot of body parts in good working condition in order to have a healthy and happy shoulder.
One common shoulder issue is called impingement. This is when the muscles of the 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.
Standing a lot during the day…
We spend a lot of time on our feet so it’s no wonder foot and ankle pain, discomfort in the heel and arches are common problems for every age group. Foot and ankle problems make daily, functional activities such as standing, walking and using stairs difficult. In addition, it can also mean we have trouble going from a seated position to a standing one without pain. Even taking just a few steps can be painful due to muscle tightness and joint stiffness.
Read full blogThree reasons We’re Having trouble standing, walking or running
Hip problems are a common complaint that affects all ages and activity levels. Many hip problems are often the result of an overuse injury and can interfere with our daily activities that can make dressing, shaving our legs and standing while cooking challenging.
Three common hip problems are:
- Osteoarthritis. This happens when the cartilage in your hip joint becomes damaged from wear and tear over the years.
Is hip pain throwing off your balance?
By: Rachel Herrmann, DPT, PT
The hip joint is one of the most stable joints in the body, but unfortunately that does not keep this joint and region of the body from developing issues and producing pain. There are multiple structures in and around the hip joint that can produce pain in this area of the body:
- Labrum– the ring of cartilage around the rim of the socket of the hip joint.
