Health blog
Footwear Staples
“Have you recently purchased new sneakers or other footwear?”
“Have you recently started running to get in shape for summer?”
“Do you happen to wear anything other than those flip flops?”
These are all common questions Loudoun Sports Therapy Center clinicians will ask patients who come in with foot and ankle pain. Each question brings forth additional information that allows the clinician to determine why the patient may be experiencing the pain.
Handle a Back Strain
What is a back strain?
Low back pain is one of the most common issues seen in an outpatient physical therapy clinic and the vast majority of people will experience some form of back pain at least once throughout their life. There are many different causes of low back pain, but one common cause of back pain is due to muscle strain. Muscle strains can occur to any muscle throughout the body.
Why is Cross Training Important?
By Xavier Thompson, ATC
Cross training. What is it and why is it important? If you follow the headlines of any sports’ stars in the off season, you’ll likely see multiple stories about how an athlete is doing something besides their professional sport to prepare for the next season. You can find videos on the internet of star basketball players boxing or doing core work. Articles are written about football players taking up ballet or yoga.
What is Shoulder Tendonitis?
By Misha Gilani, DPT
Shoulder tendonitis is a very common problem for every age group and one we treat often at Loudoun Sports Therapy Center. Tendonitis is inflammation of the tendon that attaches the muscle to the bone. With respect to the shoulder, the muscles that are most frequently inflamed are your rotator cuff and bicep tendon. Our patients will typically complain about pain along the front of the shoulder. Patients often complaint of pain with overhead activities, lifting items, reaching behind their back or pain when washing their hair.
Proper Ergonomics for Car Travel
Warmer weather is here and some of you might be getting ready for fun spring break trip or planning a summer vacation. If you’re planning on driving to your destination, you should take into consideration proper ergonomic postures. Long drives can mean many hours of both drivers and passengers sitting in awkward, static postures for long periods of time. Just as you prepare for your trip by making packing lists and booking hotels, you should also ergonomically prepare your car for the long trip.
Read full blogHow to Spring Clean Your Diet
By Millie Betts, Personal Trainer and Health Coach
As the weather gets warmer, get inspired to eat good food that truly nourishes your body so you feel your best. Here are my top five clean eating tips to “healthify” your diet this spring.
Focus on one-ingredient foods.
“One-ingredient” foods are whole, natural foods that have no added ingredients. Some examples include:
- Fresh fruits and vegetables
- Whole grains such as quinoa, brown rice, bulgur and oats
- Natural dairy products such as natural cheeses, plain unsweetened yogurt and low-fat milk
- Lean proteins like fresh meats and seafood, dried beans and eggs
Plan meals around a vegetable.
Read full blogScoliosis: The Signs and Symptoms
Your spine consists of 33 bones: seven cervical, 12 thoracic, five lumbar, five sacral and four fused coccygeal bones. Only the top 24 bones are movable. Depending on how you look at a ‘normal,’ healthy spine, it will appear straight or have two gentle curves. When the curves appear more exaggerated, it’s likely you’re looking at a spinal deformity.
Scoliosis can be identified relatively quickly either just by looking at someone’s spine or by using a few tests.
Flexibility vs. Strength in Dancers
By Danielle Hoguet, DPT
When you think of a ballet dancer, you probably picture someone with a long graceful body who can bend in unimaginable ways. When people learn that I was a dancer, usually their first response is, ‘you must be very flexible.’ It is very true that ballet training stresses flexibility. Dancers, whether ballet or other styles, spend a significant amount of time stretching and pushing their bodies past their natural limits to achieve maximum flexibility. It’s important for dancers and aspiring dancers to understand though that flexibility isn’t the only thing they need to train.
Happy National Athletic Training Month
By: Cierra Washington, ATC
March is National Athletic Training Month! The month is dedicated to spreading awareness about who Certified Athletic Trainers (ATCs) are, the environments in which they work and the importance of their role in rehabilitation.
What are ATCs?
According to the National Athletic Trainers’ Association, ATCs are highly qualified, multi-skilled healthcare professionals who collaborate with physicians, physical therapists, and other healthcare professionals in a variety of settings.
Conditioning: How to Prepare for Spring Sports Season
If you’re participating in a spring sport, what should you be doing now to get ready to compete in a few weeks? Hopefully, you been training in the off season or at least have been staying relatively active to maintain your level of fitness. But if you had more of a couch potato lifestyle for the past few months, it’s time to get up! According to the National Children’s Hospital, 50% of injuries could have been avoided if the athletes had been properly conditioned before competing in their respective sport.
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