Health blog Category: physical therapy
Knee Pain: How to be Proactive and Prevent Long Term Issues
Knee pain is a very common problem that we treat here at Loudoun Sports Therapy Center. It can can result in difficulty with many daily activities. The number one complaint for knee patients is pain that is under or around the knee cap. This pain can greatly limit your functional mobility. Some people also experience stiffness in and around the knee causing difficulty moving the joint and generalized weakness in the affected leg. Having pain or stiffness in your knee can cause quite a few problems:
- Difficulty walking
- Pain going up or down the stairs
- Pain squatting
- Difficulty standing up from a chair
- Inability to kneel
Most likely you will also have trouble lifting, pushing or pulling objects.
Read full blogThe Active Person’s Answer to Living Life Pain Free
A lot of times when we feel pain, we immediately try to be our own doctor and figure out what to do for that pain. Sound familiar? Maybe you take some Tylenol or use an ice back on that sore muscle or maybe you just try stretching for a bit. It makes sense to try and find the fix. Life is busy between work, kids’ schedules, maybe you have vacation or race coming up and you want to be able to enjoy it without pain.
Read full blogConditioning: How to Prepare for Spring Sports Season
If you’re participating in a spring sport, what should you be doing now to get ready to compete in a few weeks? Hopefully, you been training in the off season or at least have been staying relatively active to maintain your level of fitness. But if you had more of a couch potato lifestyle for the past few months, it’s time to get up! According to the National Children’s Hospital, 50% of injuries could have been avoided if the athletes had been properly conditioned before competing in their respective sport.
Read full blogThe Silent Disease: Osteoporosis
Did you know that osteoporosis is known as the ‘Silent Disease’? Osteoporosis is a bone disease that occurs when the body loses too much bone, keeps too little bone or when both these things occur. It causes bones to weaken which increases the risk for fractures. Medical experts estimate that 54 million people in the United States have osteoporosis or low bone density. They say one in every two women and one in every four men over the age of 50 will break a bone due to osteoporosis.
Read full blogMake Healthy Choices This Holiday Season without Counting Calories
Tis’ the season for good food, time with family, giving thanks, celebrations and traveling. I love this time between mid-November and the end of the year. However, with so much packed into a span of several weeks, it can be tough to keep your fitness goals on track, especially if you are spending hours in the car or on a plane traveling from one place to another.
A few years ago, when I lived in Florida, I spent a lot of time around the holidays at Southwest International Airport, either the Atlanta or Charlotte airports for a layover, and Reagan National Airport.
What You “Knee’d” to Know About ACL Tears
“Pop!” That’s the dreaded sensation an athlete may feel in his/her knee while maneuvering around an opponent on the field. Following an awkward landing or a sudden change in direction, the popping sensation is often followed by severe pain with weight bearing, loss of range of motion and swelling of the knee. The injury may indicate an ACL tear, which can certainly sideline you from returning to your sport for months, sometimes even years. However, surgery is not always necessary depending on the severity of the injury you sustained.
Read full blogThe Pros and Cons of Playing Multiple Sports
By Cierra Washington,ATC
Many people, parents and coaches in particular, believe that the earlier a child specializes in one sport, the greater their chances are to reach the elite level. According to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), 480,000 out of 8 million (6%) of high school athletes move on to compete at the collegiate level, with roughly 3% being offered an athletic scholarship. Early specialization used to be believed as a key factor is succeeding at the elite level, but that opinion has been debunked.
My Experience with BPPV – Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo
As a physical therapist with over 20 years of experience I have pretty much seen or treated it all; but being the patient was a very different story.
Last March, I ended up with firsthand knowledge of what it feels like to suffer from vertigo; specifically BPPV. It was a Thursday in early March when I awoke with symptoms. When they say ‘benign’ they do mean benign because this came out of nowhere! I remember feeling “dizzy” or “off balance” in my sleep, though it didn’t fully wake me up.
Do Anywhere Workout – Upper Body Stretching Strap Routine
By: Kate Zanoni, LPTA
It’s time for another ‘Do Anywhere Workout’ from Loudoun Sports Therapy Center. We know that when vacations, family reunions and camps fill summer schedules, it’s tough to find time for your own fitness. These workouts are quick and can be performed anywhere with minimal or no equipment. Kate Zanoni is taking you through a stretching strap workout for the upper body this week.
Keep in mind, you don’t need a fancy stretching strap.
Flip Flops or ‘Flip Nots’
It’s 90 degrees outside, the suns is beaming and you’re ready to head out and enjoy the day. As you’re heading out the door though, you’re faced with a dilemma: sneakers or flip flops? Of course, you want to choose your flip flops. They keep your feet cool, you can put them on and take them off quickly and let’s be honest, they’re just plain comfortable! However, along with that comfort comes some structural sacrifices.
Read full blog