Health blog Category: running
Why Problems in this Joint Should Be Handled Right Away
By: Alyssa Burke, PTA
Are you feeling weak in the knees, but not in a good way? There are many different factors that can cause people to experience knee pain. We often don’t think about how much we move our knee joints in a day but when we are experiencing knee pain we become more aware of how much we are moving. Some of the common knee problems that people experience are:
- Osteoarthritis
- Tendinitis
- Ligaments sprains and tears
Unfortunately, we cannot control if we will develop osteoarthritis in our lifetime.
Read full blogHow to Properly Start a Running Program
By: Angie Austin, LPTA
The start of the year often triggers people to start those New Year’s resolutions and improving physical fitness or exercising more are probably towards the top of most lists. A goal as specific as running can create dramatic changes to overall health and well being.
Benefits: Running is a great way for us to improve our cardiovascular health. As a form of aerobic exercise, running can reduce stress, improve heart health and alleviate symptoms of depression.
What does the IT band do and how do IT band problems start?
By: Mike Bills, MS PT
What is the IT band and how do problems start here? There are a number of muscles on the outside of your hip that attach to the IT band. The job of all of these muscles is to keep the hip joint structures open, help support the joint and then create the movement of the joint. Most commonly what happens in a patient who is experiencing some level of IT band problems is that the muscles on the outside of the hip that are working to hold the hip together while we move the leg are overworking.
Increased activity putting increased stress on the knee joints…
Have you increased your activity level in the past month? This can create increased stress on our joint and muscles and when we haven’t properly prepared these joints and muscles for that stress, problems can occur. When you start to have knee pain that’s when you really start to notice and appreciate how big of a role your knees play in your day-to-day activities and the things you so for fun. Going up and down stairs becomes a dreaded part of the day.
Read full blogTrouble Walking the Dog or to the Mailbox because of Foot Pain…
By: Devin Wurman, DPT
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 or 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 would hurt after you’ve been off your feet and sleeping all night.
Trouble standing up or sitting down because of hip pain?
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.
Hip pain affects people from all walks of life. Unfortunately, because the hip is a weight-bearing joint, most people find difficulty in creating lasting relief for their symptoms.
Looking to Run a 5K This Year?
Looking to run a 5K this year? As the New Year continues, keep your fitness goals strong with a fitness revolution. Below, we’ve outlined a Couch to 5k running program that incrementally increases mileage over time, allowing your body to properly adjust to additional activity. It’s vital to start slowly and build your mileage over time to avoid injury. All too often, people begin running too many miles too quickly and injure themselves as a result.
Read full blogMoving, standing or sitting creating discomfort?
By: Mike Bills, MS PT
Many people seek physical therapy because of hip pain, specifically, pain in their hip flexor muscles. When you experience this pain in the front of the thigh, it usually stems from the fact that your hip flexor muscles, there are a few of them, are being overworked for a number of reasons.
These reasons can include:
- Weak gluteal muscles
- Tight IT band
- Weakness in the hip flexors
When this overworking and stress happens, the hip flexor starts to get tight as a result.
Read full blogExperiencing weakness, limited range of motion or pain in the knees?
Knee Arthritis is a very common condition that we treat here at Loudoun Sports Therapy. Arthritis in this joint actually impacts every age group. Even younger athletes deal with arthritis. Arthritis is the break down of the cartilage between the bones in a joint.
Given how much wear and tear our knee joints undergo throughout our lifetimes, it might not surprise you that arthritis is most common in these joints. Knee arthritis can cause a lot of problems such as pain, limited range of motion, weakness, swelling and difficulty performing daily and functional activities.
Avoiding high impact activities because of joint discomfort
Knee injuries are one of the most common injuries that we see in physical therapy, whether it is sports related or just degenerative changes that occur as we age. Some of the most common injuries are sprains and strains, osteoarthritis, ligament injuries and meniscus injuries. All of these cause pain, weakness and a decrease in functional activities.
Ligament injuries more commonly occur with the more active patient population. Sports such as soccer and basketball that involve jumping, planting of the leg or a change in direction can cause ACL tears.
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