Health blog Category: physical therapy
Treatment for Shoulder Pain
Are you suffering with shoulder pain, stiffness, or decreased function? Shoulder pain can develop for a number of reasons including:
- traumatic injury
- overuse
- postural deficits
- weakness
If left untreated, intermittent or nagging shoulder pain can develop into a significant condition which can limit your ability to participate in activities of daily living (ADLs), work duties, leisure activities, or sports.
This is where physical therapy can help.
Read full blogTips for a Stronger Core
Jul 13th 2021The core is commonly thought of as the abdominals, but in actuality it is comprised of more muscles than that. If you think of your core as a coke can, imagine that the top of the can is your diaphragm, the front of the can is your abdominal wall (including the internal and external obliques), the bottom is your pelvic floor, and the back is your erector spinae and multifidi. There are more muscles and greater specifics to this concept, but to keep things light the above are a few of major importance. The job of the core is to provide support to the spine.
Read full blogTreating Back Pain
Most of us will experience back pain of some sort during our lifetime. While back pain is prevalent in our society, it isn’t something you have to “live with”.
Causes
Back pain can be caused by multiple things depending on where the pain is in the spine, along with the type of pain you are experiencing. Some common causes of back pain are:
- Muscle weakness: muscles work together to help to coordinate proper movements.
Is Your Posture Causing You Pain? We Can Help!
Jun 30th 2021What is posture? And how does it affect us?
Simply put, posture is the position in which someone holds their body. Typically, when it is good, it is described as sitting or standing upright without slumping the shoulders or arching the back. Having and maintaining good posture takes practice and effort, but when it is bad it can negatively affect your daily life in many ways. Read below to see what can come from incorrect posture and how you can correct it.
Common issues associated with it:
- Headaches: poor posture causes stress on the body which can manifest in headaches for some people
- Neck pain: Sitting or standing in a slumped position puts strain on the neck musculature and can result in dull or sharp pain depending on the severity
- Back pain: Similar to the neck, poor posture can cause the muscles in the back to be constantly firing or over stretched which can lead to pain.
- Shoulder pain: The body is connected!
Sciatic Nerve Inflammation
WHAT IS SCIATICA?
Sciatica is the inflammation of the sciatic nerve that travels from the back, down to the foot. This means, sciatica can cause pain in your back, buttocks, hamstring, calf, shin, or foot depending on where the nerve is irritated.
Sciatica can also be a referred pain from levels L4-S2 sending pain signals to the body parts they innervate in the same regions as listed above. It can be caused by a pinched nerve, disc herniations, or stenosis at the spine.
Lower Back Problems Causing Discomfort
Lower back problems are very prevalent in our society and can greatly limit your ability to carry out daily tasks.
Unfortunately, many people think it is just something they have to “live with” so they try to push through the pain. BUT THAT IS NOT THE CASE!
Thankfully, physical therapy can be extremely beneficial for resolving lower back pain thus greatly improving your quality of life.
Symptoms
When it comes to this condition, the number one complaint is pain and stiffness localized to the lower back which gets worse when you stand, walk or are in one position for a prolonged period of time.
Read full blogDefining Osteoarthritis
You’ve probably heard the word ‘osteoarthritis’ but what exactly does it mean and what are the symptoms?
Osteoarthritis:
- Joint inflammation that causes pain and stiffness
- It is progressive
- There is no cure for arthritis. (You can’t reverse the damage)
- Wear and tear of cartilage is continuous and worsens over time.
- Treatment: “Motion is Lotion” (stretching and strengthening)
Osteoarthritis is caused by progressive degeneration and wearing down of your articular cartilage over time which means there is less cushioning between your joints.
Read full blogCommon Hip Pathologies
While the pain or limitations you feel are at your hip, the evaluating doctor of physical therapy can determine where and what is causing your pain (even if it’s coming from another region, like your low back or pelvis). If the condition proves to require further medical testing, the evaluating therapist will be able to determine that and direct you accordingly.
Common Conditions:
- Osteoarthritis: wearing of the joint surfaces (cartilage) of the hip joint
- Mechanism of Injury:
- Wear and Tear
- Prior trauma
- FAI: see below
- Symptoms:
- Pain worse with prolonged positioning (e.g.
- Mechanism of Injury:
4 Causes of Neck Problems
The neck, a.k.a cervical spine, is comprised of 7 spinal segments and 8 nerves. The nerves that exit out of the neck go on to supply innervation and control function of the arms and hands. It is also important to know that some of the muscles that control neck motion are responsible for shoulder motion too.
Common Neck Conditions:
- Cervical Radiculopathy
- Restricted nerve mobility in the neck that can cause pain into the shoulders and arms
- Muscle Spain/Strain
- Muscle that produces pain with contraction (use)
- The term “strain” specifically refers to faulty tendon contraction. Tendons are where muscles attach to bones.
Common Sources of Knee Pain
Knee pain has many sources, but all of them can be treated here at LSTC!
- Osteoarthritis: wearing of the joint surfaces (cartilage) between the tibiofemoral joint; wearing is most often on the inside (medial) portion of the joint
- Mechanism of Injury:
- Wear and Tear
- Lack of muscular support
- Reduced motor control
- Wear and Tear
- Symptoms:
- Pain worse with prolonged positioning (e.g.
- Mechanism of Injury:
