Health blog
Bursitis: 7 Tips to Prevent It
By Kieran Loving, ATC
What is bursitis? To start defining this, let’s consider this question: why don’t your bones grind away to dust when you exercise or just move during the day? It’s two bones sliding on top of each other. That can’t be good, right? But our bodies are amazing and have been equipped to deal with this because we have ‘joint pillows’.
Bursae are thin, lubricated cushions located at points of friction between a bone and the surrounding soft tissue.
5 Causes of Poor Posture
I don’t know about you, but growing up I constantly heard “stand up straight”, “don’t slouch”, “keep your shoulders back”. 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 on other people, but it can be harder to notice and break poor postural habits of our own.
Read full blogWhy Two Stretching Routines are Key to Good Health
The benefits of stretching routines reach far beyond rehabilitation. Whether you’re an athlete, sedentary, a weekend warrior, young or old, active or inactive, you will reap the value of a regular stretching routine.
What is Stretching?
In general, stretching is the elongation of a muscle and is used to help prevent injury and discomfort. However, there are different types of stretching that are important to distinguish. One is best implemented as a warm-up to prepare your body for exercise and the other is best used as a cool-down to reduce post-activity muscle soreness.
Read full blogAn Ankle Sprain is Never Just an Ankle Sprain
By Xavier Thompson, ATC
Have you ever “rolled” your ankle? Chances are that you have, because what is commonly referred to as a “rolled ankle” or ankle sprain is one of the most common injuries that people experience. It’s important to know though that once an ankle is sprained, the chances of re-spraining it go up dramatically. Fortunately, there are steps you can take in order to get back on your feet.
Knee Arthritis Impacts Every Age Group
By Misha Gilani, DPT
Knee Arthritis is a very common condition that we treat here at Loudoun Sports Therapy. What you might not realize is that knee arthritis impacts every age group. It presents itself with a number of symptoms including pain, limited range of motion, weakness, swelling and difficulty performing daily and functional activities. Think about walking, going up and down stairs, standing up from a chair. If you have pain from arthritis, these everyday activities are significantly impacted.
What To Do After a Fall
By Angie Austin, LPTA
Falls happen more often than you may think. In fact, more than one third of adults 65 and older fall each year. (So if you thought you were along, don’t be ashamed!) Thankfully, more often than not, these falls don’t result in serious injury. But, if any symptoms or the reason that caused you to fall in the first place are not recognized or treated, there is a much greater change of future falls and more serious injury.
Discs and Donuts: Why the Spine Needs Discs
By Kieran Loving, ATC
Why are there discs in our spines? What are they and why do we need them? To start, let’s talk about what these discs are. You may have heard the analogy that the discs in your back are like a jelly doughnut. The disc should be filled with fluid kind of like the strawberry jelly in one of these treats. The outer lining of the disc is made of up rings and then in the center, there is a jelly-like fluid.
Keep IT Band Syndrome from Slowing Down Runs
By Cierra Washington, ATC
You’ve probably heard of IT Band syndrome. But what is it exactly? Let’s start with the name. The ‘IT’ refers to the iliotibial band that runs along the outer portion of the thigh. When people refer to the IT band, they often have the misconception that it’s a muscle. Actually, the IT band is the long tendon of the tensor fascia latae (TFL). The TFL performs multiple hip functions and also helps stabilize our torsos.
Read full blogAgility: How to move quickly and easily
Agility: the ability to move quickly and easily. When you think about the definition, ask yourself “Which sports don’t involve agility?” The answer: NONE!
From golf to swimming to synchronized diving to football to skiing to rugby, every athlete must conquer the concept of agility. Imagine a wrestler who has a significant amount of strength, but doesn’t move easily or quickly. Now imagine that same wrestler, moving faster and using less effort to overcome his opponent.
5 Reasons the SI Joint Might Hurt
By Kieran Loving, ATC
What in the world is an SI joint? Why is it even important? SI joint problems can happen in people of all ages and fitness levels. I used to work as an athletic trainer in high school setting and many young athletes would complain about lower back pain or symptoms that radiated down their legs. You might be thinking, ‘They’re young. They can’t have low back problems. They’re in peak physical condition and participate in sports practices for hours a day!’ So why were they coming into the athletic training room with lower back issues?