Health blog
Stand up Straight, Don’t Slouch!
By: Alyssa Burke, PTA
These instructions sound familiar to anyone? I don’t know about you, but growing up, I constantly heard both of these and, “keep your shoulders back” all the time. Good posture is something that we are taught but don’t always think about as we carry on with our daily activities until we start to notice aches and pains. It’s often easy to see and point out signs of bad posture in other people. It can be harder to notice and break poor postural habits of our own.
How to Properly Start a Running Program
By: Angie Austin, LPTA
The start of the year often triggers people to start those New Year’s resolutions and improving physical fitness or exercising more are probably towards the top of most lists. A goal as specific as running can create dramatic changes to overall health and well being.
Benefits: Running is a great way for us to improve our cardiovascular health. As a form of aerobic exercise, running can reduce stress, improve heart health and alleviate symptoms of depression.
When is a fall serious enough to seek medical attention…
Whether you are young or old, a fall outside, or even in your own home can be serious. You might assume that medical professionals are busy assessing injuries from falls at certain times of the year such as winter when there is snow and/or ice on the ground. This is true, however, it is also very common for older individuals to fall in their own homes at anytime of the year. How do you know if your injury warrants medical attention, or if it something you can handle on your own?
Read full blogWhat does the IT band do and how do IT band problems start?
By: Mike Bills, MS PT
What is the IT band and how do problems start here? There are a number of muscles on the outside of your hip that attach to the IT band. The job of all of these muscles is to keep the hip joint structures open, help support the joint and then create the movement of the joint. Most commonly what happens in a patient who is experiencing some level of IT band problems is that the muscles on the outside of the hip that are working to hold the hip together while we move the leg are overworking.
Bone on bone friction in the joints?
What is arthritis and who can get it?
While arthritis may be very common, it is not always well understood. Arthritis is actually not a single disease, but rather an informal way of referring to joint pain or inflammation. One of the most prevalent types of arthritis, osteoarthritis, occurs as result of degenerative changes occurring over time within a joint. Osteoarthritis involves the wearing away cartilage, the smooth cushioned surface at the end of our bones, causing the joint to “bone on bone” leaving the joint unprotected.
Clicking a mouse or using a keyboard uncomfortable?
Let PT give you a helping hand with your elbow, wrist, or hand issue. Physical therapist is not just about getting people walking again. Physical therapists can also treat your upper extremities issues that impact one’s ability to type, hold, grip, squeeze, and perform other fine motor tasks with one’s hand required throughout a typical day. For example, some of the most common issues for we see throughout the elbow, wrist, and hand include tennis elbow, carpal tunnel, De Quervain’s tendinitis, and post- wrist fracture.
Read full blogIncreased activity putting increased stress on the knee joints…
Have you increased your activity level in the past month? This can create increased stress on our joint and muscles and when we haven’t properly prepared these joints and muscles for that stress, problems can occur. When you start to have knee pain that’s when you really start to notice and appreciate how big of a role your knees play in your day-to-day activities and the things you so for fun. Going up and down stairs becomes a dreaded part of the day.
Read full blogTrouble Walking the Dog or to the Mailbox because of Foot Pain…
By: Devin Wurman, DPT
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 or 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 would hurt after you’ve been off your feet and sleeping all night.
Changing positions constantly because of a back muscle strain?
Lower back problems are one of the most common complaints we encounter in physical therapy. The majority of adults will experience back pain at some point in their lifetime. The back pain they experience may only last a short time or it could linger for months. Back pain affects men and women equally and can even be seen in children and teenagers. There are many different structures that are at risk for injury in your back.
Read full blogTrouble standing up or sitting down because of hip pain?
People frequently come to physical therapy with different complaints involving the hip. The number one complaint being pain localized to the hip joint and muscles surrounding the joint. Some people also experience stiffness in and around the hip and even the lower back. These issues create difficulty moving the joint and generalized weakness in the affected leg.
Hip pain affects people from all walks of life. Unfortunately, because the hip is a weight-bearing joint, most people find difficulty in creating lasting relief for their symptoms.
