Health blog Category: sports injuries
Dogs Run Ahead and Pull on the Leash…
Ever wonder what in the world the “shoulder” actually is?
The main joint of the shoulder is called the glenohumeral joint. This articulation consists of the head of the humerus (arm bone) resting in the small glenoid fossa of the scapula (shoulder blade), some would describe this joint as a golf ball on a tee. If you imagine how unstable a golf ball is on a tee, you can appreciate how hard the supporting anatomical structures must work to keep the “ball from falling off the tee.” The structures holding the joint together that offer passive stability consist of the labrum and a series of ligaments that encapsulate the joint.
Limited Range of Motion, Making Daily Tasks Tough
Shoulder pain and shoulder injuries are one of the most common injuries we see at Loudoun Sports Therapy Center whether the cause is from an injury or overuse. Some of the most common ailments related to the shoulder that we see include tight/overworked muscles, tendonitis, impingement and , joint stiffness. All of these can cause pain, weakness, and decrease ability to perform everyday activities.
Common Causes of Shoulder Injury
- Traumatic injury/dislocation
- Weak musculature
- Repetitive movement
- Poor shoulder mechanics
- Post Surgery
Shoulder pain can present itself in many different ways.
Read full blogWhat is Considered a Properly Conditioned Muscle?
What does the word ‘strength’ really mean?
In order to fully understand how to develop a strengthening program appropriately, you first have to understand what is really meant by the word “strength.” The word itself actually has three distinct pieces to it. Each piece is just as important as the other and all three must come into play in order for a muscle to have what is considered “good strength”.
- How much weight can you lift?
How Plantar Fasciitis Starts
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.
Hip Pain Impacting Weekend Plans?
Hip problems make daily activities like simply walking difficult and painful. When you talk to your physical therapist or doctor about your hip pain, it’s important to be able to describe exactly where your pain is located. This helps confirm that your hip is actually the problem. It’s not uncommon for us to hear a patient say ‘my hip hurts’ and then once we’ve done a full evaluation of their area of pain, we find they actually are having a back-related problem.
Read full blogTurning over in bed uncomfortable….
The hip is the largest ball and socket joint in the human body. The joint consists of the head of the femur articulating with the rim of the pelvis, with a ring of cartilage (the labrum) sitting between the two bones. When functioning properly, the hip joint allows us to move our legs smoothly in many different directions. However, if something is disrupting the hip, these motions can become very painful. Problems in this ball and socket joint can make just turning over in bed uncomfortable, and using stairs or standing difficult.
Read full blogDon’t Wait To Treat Lower Body Discomfort
Back discomfort can be debilitating no matter what your walk of life. People living with back pain are often plagued by the inability to sleep, stiffness or difficulty with activities that they love. At Loudoun Sports Therapy Center, our goal to help you treat your back problems through targeted strengthening and specific exercises so you can get you back to living life on your own terms.
Like many conditions, when we have pain or discomfort in one area of the body, if we don’t handle it, it can start impacting another area of the body.
Difficulty Walking or Standing Up from a Chair?
By Angie Austin, LPTA
Many people associate knee pain with the older population. However, we treat patients of all ages for knee pain. Whether it’s due to arthritis or an injury, it is important to know what causes that knee pain.
The knee is a large hinge joint that gives you the ability to bend and straighten your knee, which is necessary for day to day functional tasks like getting up from a chair or going up and down stairs.
Why Stopping Activity Short Term Will Help Long Term
Overuse injuries are some of the most common injuries we see here at Loudoun Sports Therapy Center. Overuse injuries are most commonly thought of with sports, but they can occur from simple everyday activities. An overuse injury is simply caused by any repetitive motion or activity.
Common Overuse injuries
- Tennis/golfers elbow
- Rotator cuff/biceps tendonitis
- Knee/hip pain
- Peroneal tendonitis
The most common cause of these overuse injuries is performing repetitive motions with decreased muscle strength.
Read full blogA Leading Cause People Miss Work
Back pain is one of the leading reasons people go to the doctor and a leading reason employees miss work so it’s a very important topic to understand.
There are four main reason our back pain could have started:
- Muscle strains due to heavy lifting or repetitive movements
- Pain that you can pinpoint on the muscle and does NOT radiate down the legs
- Arthritis: Narrowing of the space in the spine where nerves pass; excess bone that forms on the vertebrae; thinning of the discs between the vertebrae
- Structural: Scoliosis is an example of a structural issue that involves the curvature of the spine which can gradually get worse and become painful
- Bulging and herniated discs:
- Pain that is felt in the legs and not necessarily in the back itself
- As disc issues gets more severe symptoms can progress to numbness, tingling, and weakness
- Bulging discs involve the outer layer of the disc protruding out in the space where the spinal cord is
- Herniated discs involve the middle portion of the disc coming out into the space where the nerves are and causes compression.