Health blog Category: physical therapy
Sciatica Can Make Walking Difficult
Sciatica can make daily activities like simply walking and sitting difficult and painful. Sciatica is a very common condition that affects 10% of the population. However, many more people suffer with sciatica-like symptoms from low back pain to numbness in the leg.
You may have Sciatica if you are experiencing the following:
- Tenderness to the deep gluteus (buttocks) muscles
- Numbness, tingling or pain that travels broadly down the thigh
- Constant pain that may originate in the low back, but travels mainly down the back of the buttock and thigh
- Pain that feels better when lying down or walking, but worsens with sitting
Potential damage can occur to the spinal joints and nerves so it is important to see a physical therapist as soon as possible to prevent the risk of this from occurring and to determine the exact origins of your symptoms so you can get back to standing, walking and sitting comfortably as soon as possible.
Read full blogHeadaches – Poor Posture May Be To Blame
Poor posture may be causing us headaches, discomfort, and stiffness. Headaches can be debilitating and prevent us from playing with our children, having dinner with our families, and completing our daily tasks such as doing the dishes or laundry.
How is your posture? Many of us have sedentary jobs at a desk and/or use mobile technology for day-to-day communications. Think about how you sit when you do these things. It’s easy for us to slip into a poor posture when we’re mindlessly reading emails or sending texts. If our posture issues are not addressed, it can contribute to neck pain, stiffness, nagging headaches, trouble standing up and other painful issues that will prevent us from being able to make that concert with friends or a family gathering. It may even keep us home and unable to go to work and will, most likely, continue to recur.
Strong Core means Healthy Back
Poor posture from core weakness contributes to neck, back, shoulder or hip pain which can then contribute to issues and pain further down the upper or lower extremities. This can make everyday things difficult, such as:
- bending over to tie your shoes.
- sitting while working or driving.
- simply getting dressed in the morning.
A strong core means a healthy back.
When most people think of the core, they think of the abdominals and doing sit-ups and generally know that one needs to have good core strength.
Shoulder Joint Discomfort and Common Causes
Shoulder joint discomfort and pain can restrict you from doing simple ordinary everyday tasks such as washing your hair, reaching into cabinets, doing laundry or washing the dishes. Perhaps you are no longer able to throw a ball with your kids or participate in any sports because of shoulder joint discomfort or pain. Common movements such as:
- Wear and tear from poor lifting mechanics and poor posture,
- Overuse without proper conditioning, like bench-pressing or golfing,
- Overhead activities, like throwing a ball or painting walls,
- Tackling sports, like football or wrestling,
- Repetitive movements like lift/holding a child; and
- Your dog pulling you with his leash
- Falling and breaking the fall with arms
Put you at risk for shoulder joint discomfort and pain and may lead to shoulder joint damage. If you keep pushing through these symptoms you may make the injury worse or even larger and it may begin to limit your ability to *reach behind your back to tuck in your shirt, *drive a car, or even *lift something simple like a grocery bag; or *throw a ball at practice.
Read full blogCommon Foot & Ankle Injuries
When is the last time you could walk the dog, go shopping, take your kids to the amusement park, go for a run, or even just stand for prolonged periods of time without experiencing nagging foot & ankle pain? Have you ever gotten up in the morning and felt pain in your heel when you put your foot down on the floor? You’re probably wondering why your foot & ankle would hurt after you’ve been off your feet and sleeping all night. One of the most common causes of heel pain is plantar fasciitis. Plantar fasciitis arises from the inflammation of the thick band of tissue on the bottom of the foot.
Read full blogIs there a difference between a strain and a sprain?
Spring is finally here; we are enjoying the warmer weather, and also engaging in more activities. It’s also that time of year we start seeing some minor injuries occur with all age groups. Sprains and strains are pretty common minor injuries. People usually like to use them interchangeably to describe the same injury, however there are differences.
A sprain involves the ligaments in a joint. Ligaments attach bone to bone and are there for stability. A strain involves the muscles that attach to a joint. A strain can involve a tendon or a muscle itself. Tendons are the connections between muscles and bones. The other main difference between the two is that a strain will involve some sort of bruising around the joint, whereas a sprain will possibly cause some muscle spasms. Both injuries will likely involve swelling, limited range of motion, and pain.
Read full blogMorning commute have you sitting in traffic…
Neck pain and tightness is something that we all may experience from time to time for different reasons. However, chronic pain or tightness often has a deeper issue than just sleeping wrong one night. Poor posture and muscular weakness is often the culprit for neck issues. We spend so much time with our heads down and shoulders rounded while using our phones, shoulders hunched while driving or doing daily activities, and the like, that we don’t even notice we’re training our body to give us issues.
Read full blogLoosen Up Those Stiff Joints
At some point or another in life we experience joint stiffness. What actually is “joint stiffness?” It is a
situation in the body where we feel tightness in the parts of our body that bend, like the elbows, wrists,
shoulders, hips, knees, neck, lower back, and ankles.
Below are some of the most common causes of joint stiffness:
- muscular tightness
- capsular/ligamentous tightness
- muscle weakness causing poor joint alignment and tracking
- loss of joint space with osteoarthritis
- rheumatoid arthritis
- structural damage from wear and tear or injury and the resulting inflammation
Joint stiffness presents with the sensation of not being able to fully rotate, bend, or extend a joint in the
body.
What causes that muscle cramp or “charlie horse”?
By: Jeremy Schain, DPT
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 blogWhere do Most of Us Carry Our Stress?
Neck problems are becoming more common due our sedentary lifestyles putting more stress on our neck and shoulders. How often do we 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 neck health and limits your chance of developing problems that can negatively affect your daily activities. Issues with your neck are commonly associated with pain, headaches, and general stiffness.
