Health blog Category: physical therapy
We Don’t Have to Live With Hand, Wrist, or Elbow Pain
Hand, wrist, and elbow injuries are common among the population and have probably affected everyone at one point or another. Some of the most common issues we may have or will experience throughout the elbow, wrist and hand include:
- Tennis elbow
- Carpal tunnel
- De Quervain’s tendonitis
- Wrist fractures
So what can causes these various conditions and what symptoms come with them?
Tennis elbow (lateral epicondylitis): People with this condition usually complain of pain of the outer aspect of the elbow.
Knee Pain Doesn’t Have to be a Way of Life
For many of you, knee pain is a way of life, limiting your ability to climb stairs, squat down to get something off the floor, enjoy long walks, shopping and a host of other daily activities. Your knee joint is one of the most complicated joints in your body and has to bear up to 6 times your body weight with running or jumping.
This incredible joint has to move over a million times each year and over 80 million times over a lifetime.
How Your Desk is Set Up, Could be the Reason For Your Discomfort
Do you ever experience pain or discomfort while working at your desk? Do you experience headaches, eye strain, shoulder, neck or back pain while sitting at your workstation? If you answered yes, then your office may have some shaping up to do.
So what exactly is ergonomics?
Ergonomics is defined as “an applied science concerned with designing and arranging items people use so that people and things interact most efficiently.” So, how do we apply ergonomics to our everyday workplace settings?
Is Standing On One Foot Difficult?
Have you ever experienced a sharp pain in the bottom of your foot when you take your first few steps in the morning? Does your ankle feel unstable or painful when you’re walking or running? Do you have difficulty balancing on one foot without holding onto something for support?
These are all signs of common foot and ankle conditions that we often treat in physical therapy. Although there are many contributing factors leading to the aforementioned symptoms, here is a breakdown of the most frequent causes of foot and ankle pain as well as resulting ankle instability.
Scoliosis and How to Know if We Have It
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. There are three ways that the spine can be categorized when it strays from the normal shape; Kyphosis, Lordosi, or Scoliosis.
In this article, we will focus on scoliosis because it’s a condition we help patients with at Loudoun Sports Therapy Center quite often.
Stiffness, Tightness When Reaching Overhead?
Many people at some point during their lives will experience episodes of shoulder pain or stiffness. Quite frequently, a subsequent scan of the internet or a visit to the doctor will conclude with a vague diagnosis of ‘rotator cuff tendonitis’ or ‘impingement.’ While these words may or may not reflect the correct cause of the painful symptoms, many people do not know the meaning of these terms.
What actually causes these conditions, how are they treated and how are they prevented?
Read full blogThree Common Causes of Our Back Issues
Roughly two-thirds of Americans suffer from low back issues in particular, yet only 63 percent actually take the steps to relieve their pain, according to the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA). Of those two-thirds, 69% say their lower back pain affected their daily lives in different ways such as exercise, sleeping, working and time with family and friends. Those four activities alone make up almost the entire day for most Americans. So why not do something about the pain?
Read full blogWhat is a “Charlie Horse”?
Without a doubt, many of you throughout the course of your lives have suffered a “Charlie horse” or “pulled a hamstring” while running, playing a sport, performing activity or simply while going about your daily life. Have you ever wondered what causes this to occur? Furthermore, how can they be treated and how can they be prevented in the future?
The hamstring is actually a group of three muscles:
- The biceps femoris
- The semitendinosis
- The semimembranosis)
These muscles work together to bend the knee as well as extend the hip.
Read full blogIs Your Neck Disrupting Your Driving or Sleeping Schedule?
Neck problems are becoming more common due our sedentary lifestyles. How often do you use computers and phones throughout the day? Now think about your posture whenever you use these devices. Chances are, there’s probably room for improvement there.
Posture plays a large role in maintaining our neck health and good posture limits our chance of developing problems that can negatively affect our daily activities. Issues with our neck are commonly associated with pain, headaches, and general stiffness.
Read full blogIs Back Pain Plaguing Us With the Inability to Sleep…
If you are living with back problems and pain you are probably plagued by the inability to sleep, difficulty tying your shoes, bathing, sitting at work, or standing while waiting in line at the grocery store. You may also be restricted from your extracurricular sports activities and enjoying your favorite zumba exercise classes.
Like many conditions, when we have back pain or discomfort in one area of the body, if you don’t handle it, it can start impacting another area of the body and restrict you from enjoying your night at the movies, throwing the football with your son, or participating with your hiking club’s adventures. Back problems can make it difficult for you to complete your daily routine activities around the house.
