Is surgery in the future for you to address your musculoskeletal issue? Has your doctor mentioned the need for physical therapy afterwards? Or even the benefit of physical therapy to prepare you for the surgery beforehand? Some people think that the surgery is going to be the quick fix of their knee pain or of…
By: Alyssa Burke, PTAThe IT Band is a part of body that is somewhat of a mystery to many. You’ve probably heard of the IT band. But are you confident about where it is or what it does? We’ll answer these questions today. The IT band is the abbreviation for the iliotibial band. This band…
Physical therapy as an industry has been talking about the link between core strength and better balance for years. When the “core” muscles around our trunk are strong, they prevent chronic lower back pain and many other injuries, but they also keep us from losing our balance and falling down. A stronger core will help…
By: C. Ashley Border, DPTCurious about why you can’t touch your toes or why the muscle in the back of your thigh keeps cramping or straining? Let’s direct our attention to the hamstring muscle! So, what in the world is a “hamstring”? This is the muscle that runs from deep in the buttock to the…
By: Devin Wurman, DPTYou’ve probably been out somewhere and had a friend or family member say that they were stiff, or even heard them predict the weather because of how they were feeling. It’s pretty common from middle age and on to have been diagnosed with osteoarthritis. Osteoarthritis involves the degeneration of the joints, more…
There are common causes of both back pain and neck pain. Changes in the spine’s anatomy often cause back pain. There may be lumbar disc herniation, lumbar degenerative disc disease, osteoarthritis or sacroiliac joint dysfunction. Disc herniation occurs when the gel-like interior of the disc leaks outward and irritates the nerve roots. It typically causes…
What is your plantar fascia?Plantar Fascia is a thick, fibrous connective tissue that covers the bottom of the foot from the heel to the base of the metatarsals. The bottom of the foot is termed the “plantar” side, hence plantar fascia. Whenever the body has inflammation somewhere, the subfix “itis” is added to the end…
Back pain is a debilitating condition that will affect the majority of Americans at some point during their life. In fact, the most recent estimates range from 60% to 80% (depending on the source), regarding the number of Americans that will experience back pain at one or more occurrences during their life span. It can…
By: Jason Makoutz, DPTJoint stiffness is one of the most common complaints we get at Loudoun Sports Therapy Center. Whether you just wake up with stiffness or it is persistent throughout the day it may be a sign that you should seek help.Common Causes of Joint Stiffness: Immobility Capsular tightness inflammation/swelling Post surgical Joint stiffness…
You may have heard someone say they “pulled a muscle”, but do you really know what that means? A pulled muscle is another way of describing a muscle strain. This is a very common injury in people of all ages and those that are elite athletes and in individuals who have a more sedentary lifestyle….
