Health blog Category: physical therapy
Trouble lifting your arms to wash your hair?
By: Cierra Washington ATC
“My shoulder is killing me! I can’t even get my arm up to wash my hair!” Shoulder pain is one of the most common complaints we hear in the physical therapy world from patients. Whether the pain is sharp and stabbing, or full and achy, it causes the person a significant amount of discomfort and inability to perform their everyday activities. So what causes shoulder pain in the first place?
Read full blogFirst few steps in the morning uncomfortable?
By Kate Zanoni, LPTA
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.
Don’t Turn Away From this Discomfort
Neck pain is a very common problem for every age group and one we treat often at Loudoun Sports Therapy Center. Our patients will typically complain about pain along the middle of the neck, pain in the middle of the back and pain radiating into the top of the shoulder along the upper trapezius muscle which, can also radiate down your arm into the fingers. These symptoms often cause the patient to have difficulty sitting, sleeping and turning their neck.
Read full blogStrengthening Multiple Parts Prevents Problems
May 10th 2018If you look through the plan of care for a patient who comes to Loudoun Sports Therapy Center because they are feeling ankle pain for example, you will notice that their exercises and stretches are not only focusing on their ankle but also their hips and their knees. Not surprising, a common question we hear as physical therapists is ‘why do I have to strengthen my hips if I am here for my ankle?’
Regardless of the body part a patient is coming here for whether that be their ankle, their hip, their back or shoulder, we answer with this explanation: Everything in the body is connected in some way and what happens at one joint affects what happens at other joints.
Two Routines to Prevent Aches and Muscle Soreness
By Kate Zanoni, LPTA
The benefits of routine stretching reach far beyond rehabilitation. Whether you’re an athlete, sedentary, a weekend warrior, young or old, active or inactive, you will reap the value of a regular stretching routine.
In general, stretching is the elongation of a muscle and is used to help prevent injury and discomfort. However, there are different types of stretching that are important to distinguish. One is best implemented as a warm-up to prepare your body for exercise and the other is best used as a cool-down to reduce post-activity muscle soreness.
Instability when walking, playing sports or standing?
Hip pain is a very common problem which can cause difficulty with many daily activities. People often come to physical therapy with different complaints involving the hip. The number one complaint is pain localized to the hip joint and muscles surrounding the joint. Some people also experience stiffness in and around the hip and the lower back. This causes difficulty moving the joint and generalized weakness in the affected leg. When you are dealing with pain or stiffness in your hip, it can create difficulty performing the following activities:
- Walking
- Going up or down stairs
- Squatting
- Standing up from a chair
- Prolonged sitting
- Prolonged standing
When a patient is feeling significant stiffness in their hips, they can also start to experience difficulty with tasks such as sitting with their legs crossed, putting on shoes and socks, and getting in and out of the car.
Read full blogMuscle Discomfort Throwing Off Workouts
We probably take for granted how mobile or shoulders are until we are unable to move them as freely because of pain or tightness or discomfort. Have you ever tried to pull your shirt on in the morning and felt a pinch in the shoulder? There are many conditions that may cause us to experience pain, loss of range of motion or stiffness in our shoulders. These problems don’t have to happen following a traumatic injury such as a car crash or falling on an outstretched arm.
Read full blogAches, soreness or swelling in a joint
Why do knee aches and pain occur in the first place?
In order to fully understand knee problems and the aches and pain they create, you need to know a little about the makeup of the knee joint. The knee joint is the junction of two major bones of your knee fitting together to form a hinge joint, like a door. The major difference between the hinge of a door and your knee joint is the way it is made.
Read full blogSitting cross-legged or putting shoes on difficult
Hip pain is a very common problem we treat here at Loudoun Sports Therapy Center and it can result in difficulty with many daily activities. People frequently come to physical therapy with different complaints involving the hip. The number one complaint being pain localized to the hip joint and muscles surrounding the joint. Some people also experience stiffness in and around the hip and even the lower back. These issues create difficulty moving the joint and generalized weakness in the affected leg.
Read full blogAvoid a strain or sprain with outdoor activites
By, Devin Wurman, DPT
Now that the weather is getting better and we are finally able to say good-bye to winter, more and more of us are planning to spend an increased amount of time outdoors. This also means that we need to be more cognizant of our bodies when participating in outside activities such as gardening.
Some of the most common injuries that we see in therapy are associated with the knee, shoulder, and/or back.
