Health blog Category: physical therapy
Walk Away From Hip Pain
Walk Away From Hip Pain With Physical Therapy. Your hips, due to the amount of loading forces they take on throughout your lifespan, can be a common area of discomfort in the body. This condition known as arthritis is the “wear and tear” of your joint surfaces.
Hip pain can also be caused by some type of injury like a fall, sports injury or overuse/weakness of the soft tissues that support the hip.
Read full blogCore Strength & Abdominals
What is core strength?
Typically, when you think of core strength, you think of six pack abs, right? But that is actually the superficial layer of core muscles, specifically the rectus abdominis. There are 35 different muscle groups the core consists of, as seen below. Core strength refers to the muscles that stabilize the torso during all activities, postural control and even breathing. Without proper core strength, our body is unable to perform tasks in our everyday life, pain free.
Read full blogA Common Joint to Injure
The shoulder is a very common joint to injure. This is due to the nature of the joint. The shoulder joint is a very shallow joint which has mostly muscles and ligaments holding it in place in addition to a thick and stiff piece of cartilage called the labrum, which helps to vacuum seal the two bones of the shoulder in place. Since the joint has a lot of movement this can be a factor in causing injuries.
Read full blogIssues with Our Shoulder
If you are experiencing; trouble reaching into that cabinet, pain when brushing or washing your hair, or even trouble just reaching to pick things up, you’re probably dealing with a shoulder issue. There are several reasons you why you could be experiencing issues with your shoulder. Regardless of the cause, physical therapy is the solution to the problem!
Common shoulder issues you could be experiencing:
- Impingement:
- Caused by overuse, repetitive overhead motions, or poor mechanics with lifting and moving.
- Frozen shoulder (adhesive capsulitis):
- Caused by any type of injury that significantly decreases range of motion at the shoulder.
Sources and Reasons for Back Issues
Back pain can come from multiple different sources and can occur for a number of different reasons. The muscles, lumbar discs in between the bones and the joints of the spine can all be sources of back pain. These are all things that coming to PT can address as well!
So what can I try when experiencing a bout of pain?
- If you injured your back after carrying/lifting or twisting try icing it 10-12 minutes 2-3 times per day.
Ergonomics When Working From Home
With most people working from home, one of the most common questions I hear at our clinic has to do with ergonomics. Specifically, how to set up your at home office.
If you are used to working in an office and are lucky enough to have a good work chair or even better a stand up desk, you may be wondering what you can do at home to remedy your current situation. In any case, most people were not set up to work from home and now may be working from home for the foreseeable future.
Proper Footwear and Parts of Our Shoe
Choosing Footwear
Usually when we go to pick out footwear, we often make our decisions based on:
- Style
- The latest trends
- Price
Our feet take on a lot of stress all day long. We often don’t think about the impact our feet take until the end of the day when they are sore or achy. When selecting footwear, think about what you are going to be doing during the day.
Read full blogBunions
I remember being a kid and seeing my mom’s feet especially in the summer. She had this bump on the inside area of her big toe. She always said, “I hope you don’t have my feet when you grow up!” I always wondered why her bone stuck out like that. These “bumps” are called bunions.
What is a bunion?
A bunion is a foot deformity that occurs when the big toe bone shifts out of place. Your big toe begins to move inward towards the smaller toes, and as this occurs the bottom part of the big toe shifts outwards to form that “bump.” How does this happen? Sometimes it happens because of tight fitting shoes that are worn for a long time that has a narrow toe box. It can also occur because of other medical conditions such as arthritis and good ‘ole genetics!
Read full blogHamstring Injuries can be a Pull or a Tear
What is your hamstring?
The hamstrings are made up of three muscles: semitendinosus, semimembranosus and biceps femoris. These three muscles are located in the back of the upper leg. The hamstrings allow for bending at the knee and extending the hip. One or more of the muscles may be injured with a hamstring injury and it may be a “pull”, a partial tear or a full tear.
Most commonly a hamstring injury will occur with running, jumping or sudden start/stopping motions.
Our Heel; The Part of Our Foot We Forget
The heel, also known as the calcaneus, is located on the bottom of the foot directly below the ankle joint. The heel bone has many muscles and ligaments attached to it. When injuries or irritation occur to the attached muscles or ligaments, it can create pain in the heel. This pain can lead to many other additional issues in your daily life such as difficulty:
- Walking
- Jogging
- Running
- Working out
- standing
The pain can be described as follows:
- Tight
- Spasm
- Burning
- Numbness
- Tingling
- Dull
- Achy
- Sharp
Why does heel pain occur?
This pain can be caused by:
- Overuse of the calf and foot muscles
- Tight calf and foot muscles, or plantar fascia
- Weakness in ankle-supporting muscles
- Fractures to bone
- Inflammation of bursa (fluid filled sacs that provide protection)
- Neurological issues
Common Heel Pain Injuries
- Achilles Tendinitis: inflammation of the Achilles tendon due to overused or tight calf muscles
- Bursitis: inflammation of the bursa due to tight surrounding tissues/tendons or friction at the heel
- Plantar Fasciitis: inflammation of the connective tissue on the bottom of the foot
- Heel Spur: bony outgrowth at the heel due to tight muscles or strains/sprains
- Stress Fractures: tiny cracks in bone due to overuse and repetitive forces
