Health blog Category: physical therapy
Shoulder Pain and Impingement
Shoulder pain and shoulder injuries are one of the most common injuries we see at Loudoun Sports Therapy Center. Some of the most common ailments related to the shoulder that we see include tight/overworked muscles, tendonitis, impingement and, joint stiffness. All of these can cause pain, weakness, and decrease ability to perform everyday activities. Shoulder pain can cause an absence from sports, prevent us from playing with our kids, and cause difficulty doing household chores.
Read full blogEnd the Vicious Cycle of Back Pain
Back discomfort can be debilitating for anyone experiencing it. Living with back pain often means being plagued by the inability to sleep, stiffness, and difficulty doing activities we love. This discomfort and pain impacts our ability to run, rock climb or hike, garden, walk the dog or play with our grandchildren. Back pain is something that can affects everyone from, young athletes, to active parents or older adults.
With many conditions, when you have pain or discomfort in one area of the body, and you don’t handle it, it can start impacting another area of your body.
Read full blogBalance Issues Occur in Both Older and Younger Populations
Balance issues occur in anyone, regardless of age. However, the cause of balance issues and how to treat them differ in older and younger populations.
We all have three systems that all work together to ensure we have good balance.
- We have our balance organ, which is our vestibular system in the inner ear.
- We have our leg strength.
- We also have our visual component which we rely heavily on when something else is not working properly.
What to Be Careful of When Running or Jogging
Whether we are pounding the pavement for a short jog or we’re a routine racer, running is great cardiovascular training. It is a gratifying way to maintain overall fitness. Although the act of running itself may initially seem daunting if we’re not an avid runner, we will reap the physical benefits within a few weeks.
The key is to start slowly and add distance incrementally to decrease the risk of injury.
Here are the top 10 health benefits of running:
- Improve Longevity
- Burn Fat
- Reduce Your Cancer Risk
- Strengthen Your Core
- Improve Your Sleep
- Reduce Your Risk of Osteoporosis
- Boost Your Mood:
- Reduce Your Risk of Diabetes
- Reduce Your Risk of Blood Pressure and Heart Disease
- Boost Your Immunity
Preventing Injury: Running Ritual Musts and the Importance of Stretching
These tips are essential for optimizing your running dexterity, whether you’re an indoor treadmill devotee, an outdoor roadrunner or a trail running enthusiast.
Sports Related Ankle Sprains
Defining Ankle Sprains
Ankle sprains are a common injury in sports and are a result of excessive stress on either side of the ankle causing excessive motion in the joint. Most commonly, people roll their ankle inward causing the ligaments on the outside of the ankle to stretch, tear or rupture. Some common causes of a sprained ankle might include a fall that causes you to twist your ankle, landing on your foot after jumping or pivoting, walking or running on an uneven surface or someone stepping or landing on your foot. 
Symptoms of an Ankle Sprain
- Pain, especially when you bear weight on the affected foot
- Tenderness when you touch the ankle
- Swelling
- Bruising
- Restricted range of motion (inability to point the foot without pain)
- Instability in the ankle
- Popping sensation or sound at the time of injury
Why is treatment so Important?
Read full blogBack Pain No More!
Many of us have complained at one point or another about stiffness, or radiating pain into the buttock/legs or mid-back. These are both indicators of low back problems affecting us. Low back problems are very prevalent in our society and can greatly limit our ability to carry out daily tasks.
Symptoms of Low Back Pain:
The pain can range anywhere from a mild nagging, to a severe pain that will greatly limit your mobility.
Read full blogKnee Pain Doesn’t Have to be a Common Problem
Knee pain is a very common problem which can result in difficulty with our daily activities.
Causes of Knee Pain
Problems can stem from many different causes. The most common cause of knee pain and dysfunction, is weakness of musculature surrounding the knee and hip resulting in abnormal mechanics. When the knee joint is not moving properly there is unnecessary rubbing and pressure within the joint that results in pain and inflammation.
Read full blogShoes can be the Cause of Foot Pain
Extended time using sandals over the summer can result in pain and/or other symptoms of the foot and ankle.
Why wearing sandals and flip-flops can cause foot pain:
These sandals and flip-flops lack the arch and heel support provided by tennis shoes and other closed toed shoes, which can result in pain, nerve irritation, and/or muscular dysfunction.
The Importance of Arch Support
When there is less arch support provided by shoewear over an extended period of time, this can cause you’re arch to “collapse” or overpronate.
Read full blogGolfer’s Elbow and What to Do About it
Golfer’s elbow, or sometimes called pitcher’s elbow, is medically defined as medial epicondylitis.
How it Occurs
This overuse injury is characterized by pain on the inside of the elbow that can radiate into the forearm. This condition occurs when inflammation affects our tendons that connect our forearm to our elbow. Golfer’s elbow usually occurs from repetitive gripping, flexing, or rotating the wrist as seen in golfers or pitchers. However, it can affect anyone who repetitively uses their hands, wrists, forearms, or elbows.
How to Treat Golfer’s Elbow
This condition can usually go away with rest, ice, and possible bracing.
Read full blogCuring Hamstring Pain
Pain that originates at our “butt” bones, behind/sides of the knee, or anywhere in between could be indicating a hamstring injury! First, let’s discuss a little bit about the hamstring anatomy and its function in our daily life.
The hamstring is comprised of three muscles:
- Biceps femoris
- Semitendinosis
- Semimembranosus
These three muscles all originate at the ischial tuberosity, commonly referred to as your “butt” bones, and inserts below the knee on your tibia and fibula. The Hamstrings primary function is to not only flex your knee, but also assist in extending the hip.
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