Health blog Category: physical therapy
What to do About a Concussion
Many people think that a concussion only happens in football games or car crashes. But the truth is, all athletes are at just as high a risk for these brain injuries.
So how do you reduce the risk of you or your athletes getting sidelined by a concussion?
What is a Concussion and How Does it Occur?
A concussion is a traumatic brain injury that alters the way the brain functions.
Read full blogWhere These Headaches are Coming From
Anyone who experiences ongoing or recurring headaches, has probably taken aspirin or any other over-the-counter medication to “relieve” the symptoms. However, this is only temporarily relieving the symptoms as it is creating a false release of the muscles and thus a temporary release of the muscle tension and pressure.
How They Occur:
The problem with headaches is that typically, the small muscles in our neck and those covering our skull have gotten into a more permanent state of tightness and pressure.
Read full blogStretches to Prevent Injuries
Hiking and rock climbing and other sports are wonderful recreational activities that provides significant benefits to the body. They can workout pretty much every muscle in our body and help to build up our endurance. Even if it’s a short hike or climb, if we’re spending much of it scrambling over rocks or walking up a steady incline, we will feel it!
While these activities are challenging, adventurous and a lot of fun, it can be rough on the body.
Read full blog“I’ve Pulled My Hamstring!”
There have been numerous times athletes have grabbed the back of their leg and hobbled off the field or court in pain. This is often because they’ve pulled their hamstring muscle.
What is the hamstring and why is it injured so often?
The hamstring complex is made up of three muscles that originate from the ischial tuberosity (bone in the buttock region), proceeds down the back of our leg, and then crosses the knee on either side.
Read full blogWhere That Elbow Pain is Coming From
Nov 12th 2019Many people have heard of and will use terms like ‘tennis elbow’ and ‘golfer’s elbow.’ What exactly are these conditions and what’s the difference? The truth is, not much. Tennis elbow and golfer’s elbow are both overuse injuries that are caused by any activity that requires repetitive motion of the arm and wrist.
The difference between the two conditions:
The difference lies in where the elbow is inflamed.
Read full blogWalking and Standing Shouldn’t Be Painful
Foot and ankle pain, and discomfort in the heel and arches are common problems for every age group. This type of discomfort and pain makes daily, functional activities such as standing, walking and using stairs difficult. It can also mean we have trouble going from a seated position to a standing one without pain.
What causes foot and ankle problems?
Foot and ankle pain can stem from a number of factors.
Read full blogThe Importance of the Discs in Our Spines
What are They and Why do we Need Them?
You may have heard the analogy that the discs in your back are like a jelly doughnut. The outer lining of the disc is made of up rings and then in the center, there is a jelly-like fluid. When a disc is healthy, it is somewhat oval-shaped, the fluid is in the center of the disc and the rings are strong and thick.
Read full blogThat Pinching in Our Shoulder
What is shoulder impingement?
When the muscles of our rotator cuff become subjected to repeated pinching in between the rounded head of the humerus bone and the acromion process (a bony prominence from the shoulder blade that forms a roof over top of the ball and socket joint) shoulder impingement is occurring. This pinching may only be a discomfort or may not even produce pain at first, but with repetition, our rotator cuff muscles will become inflamed.
Read full blogA Strengthening Program’s Role in Preventing Injuries
For athletes, being stronger and strengthening properly will help them to experience a significant decrease in potential for injury, and experience an overall greater ease of activity and movement with everything they do. This all starts with knowing what muscles to work and how to work them correctly.’
Typically, there will be no immediate effect to having weakness in a particular muscle in your body. The effects are usually more long term in the sense that “weakness” or lack of proper strength in an area, results in excess friction on the bones in the joint, excessive wear and tear on tendons and cartilage around a joint, and more.
Setting up a Strengthening Program
First and foremost, you need to know what the strength of the smaller supporting muscles are, in the area you wish to begin to strengthen.
Read full blogBursitis Pain and How it Occurs
Let’s Start by Defining Bursitis.
Our bodies are amazing and have been equipped to deal with our bones rubbing or grinding together because we have ‘joint pillows’.
Bursae are thin, lubricated cushions located at points of friction between a bone and the surrounding soft tissue. They are found all over our body including the shoulders, knees, hips, heels and elbows. These sacs cushion and lubricate our bones so they don’t grind away.
