Health blog Category: physical therapy
Cure Your Back Pain Once and For All!
You may have experienced back pain anywhere from sharp, excruciating pain to general discomfort. Every individual experiences different signs and symptoms, however these are the most common:
- muscle tightness or spasms
- sharp or dull pain
- limited range of motion,
- stinging or burning pain that travels to the butt or thigh
- numbness and tingling
- difficulty sitting, standing, walking, or going up stairs
- pain that increases with prolonged activity
Lower back injuries can occur from something as simple as twisting to grab something off of a shelf or as intense as falling off of a ladder.
Read full blogWeak Core Muscles Could be the Reason for Your Slouching
Do you ever find yourself slouching in a chair, slumping at the computer or your belly sticking out after standing for awhile? This is a sign of core weakness that can negatively affect your health and create long-term back or neck pain.
What are Your Core Muscles?
Your “core” is the group of muscles that help stabilize your body and give a strong anchor point from which your skeleton can move properly with good posture.
‘Runner’s Knee’ or ‘Office Worker’s Knee’
If you’ve experienced pain behind your kneecap or in the front of your knee, you may be suffering from patellofemoral pain syndrome or ‘Runner’s Knee.’ Runner’s knee is often characterized by pain behind the knee (retropatellar pain), pain around the kneecap (peripatellar pain) or pain in the front of the knee (anterior knee pain). It is associated with activities that put stress on the knee joint, such as running, sports and recreational activities.
What’s in a Name?
Read full blogHave You Experienced Swelling?
You have probably experienced swelling at one point or another, but what is swelling really?
There are so many definitions of “swelling”. In its simplest form, the term “swelling” is used to describe the response your tissue exhibits when it is injured, irritated or under undue and abnormal levels of stress. For example your body can experience swelling of basically three types:
- Swelling related to an injury: This would be the equivalent of twisting your ankle and then it is swollen for a while afterwards.
Healing Our Shoulder With Physical Therapy
What Causes Shoulder Injuries?
Most shoulder pain occurs following repetitive movements. These movements cause wear and tear that breaks down your rotator cuff tendons. Activities such as raking leaves and shoveling are common culprits that send people to seek medical attention for shoulder pain. In addition, injuries that involve lifting can also cause increased pain in the shoulders.
What Is The Rotator Cuff?
The rotator cuff is made up of four small muscles that control movement and provide stability of the shoulder joint.
How to Relieve Arthritis Pain Naturally
Do you find your knees or hips hurting after sitting for too long? Has bending or squatting become difficult or even painful? This is a common complaint of people with knee or hip arthritis or osteoarthritis. Did you know that the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) says that 1 out of every 2 people will have symptoms of knee osteoarthritis sometime before age 85?
The incidence of osteoarthritis generally starts to increase after age 35 and decreases one’s ability to perform walking, bending and every day tasks.
It’s Time to Start Eating Healthy Again
There are many parts to eating healthy, but one important part of healthy eating involves portion control. “How much am I eating?” you ask. “What is the best way to measure portion sizes?”
When food scales or measuring cups aren’t handy, you can still estimate your portions using these easy tips below to know exactly how much food you’re eating.
3 Ounces of Meat = Deck of Playing Cards 
Medium Apple = Tennis Ball 
1 oz of Cheese = 4 Stacked Dice 
½ Cup of Ice Cream = Tennis Ball 
1 Cup of Mashed Potatoes or Broccoli = Your Fist 
1 Teaspoon of Peanut Butter = Tip of Your Thumb 
1 Ounce of Nuts or Small Candies = One Handful 
*If you’re cutting calories, remember to eat healthy and nutritious food to keep you full.*
*For a list of the food groups and recommended daily servings, please visit http://www.choosemyplate.gov/food-groups/.*
If you have any questions about nutrition or portion control, call Loudoun Sports Therapy Center at 703-450-4300 to speak with our expert staff members.
Read full blogMuscles Spasms and Low Back Pain
Most people have probably experienced lower back pain at some point in their lives. In fact, lower back pain is very prevalent in our society and can greatly limit our ability to bend over to empty the dishwasher, tie our shoes, sit at our desk at work or stand in line at the grocery store.
Indicators of low back pain:
The number one complaint is pain and stiffness localized to the low back which is worsened with standing, walking, or prolonged positioning.
Running Too Much, Too Soon Can Cause Shin Splints
Doing too much, too soon can be a recipe for shin splints!
What are shin splints?
Shin splints, also known as medial tibial stress syndrome, MTSS, are an overuse injury caused by repetitive stress to the lower legs. It’s common for runners to get them especially when they don’t gradually increase their mileage. Remember feeling pain in your shins right your first few practices at the start of a sports season?
Read full blogWater VS. Sports Drink Debate
You’ve been exercising for an hour and a half, your muscles are weak, your shirt is drenched, you’ve recently noticed a minor headache and you’re beyond thirsty. Do you reach for your water bottle filled with water or do you grab a bottle of one of those flavorful sports drinks?
The water versus sports drinks debate has been a topic of discussion for many years. There are a multitude of opinions because there are different circumstances in which one choice trumps the other.
