Health blog
Is grabbing and holding an object difficult because of joint pain?
By: Kiara Holmes, ATC
Arthritis; [ahr-thrahy-tis] – Noun – The condition your parents always said you would get in your hands if you crack your knuckles.
While cracking your knuckles isn’t really a culprit for arthritis, I can tell you that NOT moving your joints will set you up for arthritis much faster.
What is arthritis? It is the degeneration of the cartilage in various joints of the body that lead to pain, stiffness, and inflammation.
Trouble throwing a ball or lifting weights because of shoulder discomfort?
Nov 14th 2018By: Jessica Freedman, ATC
Baseball pitchers, javelin throwers, football quarterbacks; what do all three of these athletes have in common? Each of their sports involves overhead throwing. These sports, as well as many others, require the athlete to constantly move their shoulder through the overhead throwing motion. Over time, this movement puts stress on the shoulder joint and can cause a number of different chronic injuries. So what are some common injuries seen in overhead athletes?
How the body needs to work to walk properly
By: Mike Bills, MS PT
Walking is something that we all do everyday whether that be to simply get from one point to another or for exercise or for relaxation. Because walking is such a necessary part of daily life, it’s important to understand what should and should not be happening when we walk is important to help us live a safe and healthy lifestyle. When you walk there are many major parts of your body that need to be working properly together to ensure that the activity of walking is efficient, safe, and beneficial.
Let’s start with your legs.
Want to shake up a previous workout routine?
One of the most common complaints that runners have after committing to a running program is that their running plan becomes “stale”, “predictable” or “boring.” A primary reason for these feelings is a lack of progression. Running at the same pace for the same distances or for the same duration over and over again can wear you out quickly. As much as it may be tempting to just get out and run a little, taking time to plan can go a long way in terms of keeping your mind and body sharp as well as preventing injury. A running plan with controlled progression can completely change the way you approach your running.
Read full blogWant to get rid of that nagging foot pain for good?
By: Rachel Herrmann, DPT
A lot of people don’t like feet and don’t give much thought to their feet, but our feet and ankles do a lot for us. They help propel us as we walk, they help us stay level when we are hiking through the rugged mountain trails or through the shifting sands on the beach; They help us press on the gas pedal to get us through the yellow lights; they help us rise up taller so that we can look over the crowd of taller people blocking your view at a concert.
What’s the difference between a strain and a sprain?
By Alyssa Burke, PTA
I’m sure you’ve heard someone say they sprained or strained something. Maybe you’ve even experienced these injuries yourself. Sprains and strains are common injuries that affect the soft tissues of your body. You don’t have to be an athlete to experience one of these injuries. People of all ages and activity levels are susceptible to sprains and strains. Sometimes these injuries can be confusing to keep straight, so what is the difference between a sprain and a strain?
Ever Walked with a Limp or on Your Toes Because of Knee Pain?
Knee issues can begin for a variety of reasons. Sometimes, knee pain can be attributed to a specific incident like a fall or an injury while playing sports. Knee problems can begin when you take a wrong step as you are run or walk. A knee issue could start after you walk us more stairs one day than you normally do or just by stepping down awkwardly from just one or two steps. Sometimes knee pain just occurs for no apparent reason.
Read full blogJoint stiffness making daily activities difficult
By Devin Wurman, DPT
We’ve had many patients coming in and complaining about their joints being stiff and sore. That’s folks being treated for arthritis and patients coming here for something else. Temperature and humidity changes can certainly cause joint pain, a prime symptom of arthritis.
So what exactly is arthritis?
What happens with arthritis is that the joint begins to wear down. In normal joints, there is a material that covers the bone called cartilage.
Difficulty Sleeping, Exercising or Working?
By: Jason Makoutz, DPT
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 blogIs balancing on one foot difficult for you?
Have you ever experienced a sharp pain in the bottom of your foot when you take your first few steps in the morning? Does your ankle feel unstable or painful when you’re walking or running? Do you have difficulty balancing on one foot without holding onto something for support?
These are all signs of common foot and ankle conditions that we often treat in physical therapy. Although there are many contributing factors leading to the aforementioned symptoms, here is a breakdown of the most frequent causes of foot and ankle pain as well as resulting ankle instability.
