Health blog Category: strengthening
How to Solve Hip Problems
Many people in all age groups have experienced hip pain at one point or another. Hip pain can result from weakness in the joint, injury from sports, or when the joint becomes irritated. There are many different types of hip problems that can arise. Injuries range from bursitis to fractures to replacements. Some hip problems happen to healthy joints, while others occur in the elderly due to osteoporosis or because of congenital deformities.
Common Hip Problems
- Bursitis: Hip bursitis is a common problem that occurs when the fluid around the joint becomes irritated. The most common complaint is pain on the outside of the upper thigh that may radiate down the side of the leg.
Protect Your Spine
Moving boxes, bending down to scrub the floors, and playing on the floor with our kids are all things that can lead to spine/back pain. While some back discomfort goes away after a day or two, any amount of discomfort is your body telling you that there was straining and microscopic tearing of muscle tissue occurring, this straining and tearing causes inflammation.
All the activities listed above, are examples of repetitive injuries to the spine.
Read full blogOne of the Most Stable Joints in the Body…
You guessed it, the hip joint! However, that does not keep this joint and region of the body from becoming unstable, developing issues, and producing discomfort.
Unstable hip joints can lead to discomfort and weakness in the hip region and creates difficulties:
- sleeping or lying in certain positions
- standing, walking, running, and climbing stairs
- standing up from a seated position
- balancing
- bending your leg in towards your chest (such as when dressing, cutting your toe nails, or washing/drying your feet)
There are multiple structures in and around the hip joint that can produce pain in this area of the body:
- Labrum
- The ring of cartilage around the rim of the socket of the hip joint.
Don’t Slouch!
All of us have heard these instructions at least once in our lifetime. However, many of us disregard this common command in our everyday lives. Think about how many times a day you spend; bent over a computer, looking down at your phone, or slouching on the couch. All of these things are common displays poor posture that can lead you to feeling discomfort and pain. It’s often easy to see and point out signs of poor posture in other people, but it can be harder to notice and break poor postural habits of your own.
Read full blogFlat Feet: How Physical Therapy Can Help The Pain
Flat feet is caused by many things, genetics, age, weight, etc., and can create painful body issues. A physical therapist can treat and suggest simple lifestyle changes like exercises to lengthen and strengthen muscles, shoes and insoles that will lift the arch and posture builders to engage and strengthen the core. But those with flat feet should understand what happens to the body when there is no arch in their feet.
What Does The Arch Do?
The arches add elasticity and flexibility causing the middle of the foot to spread and close.
Read full blogAnkle Sprain Symptoms
An ankle sprain is one of the most common musculoskeletal injuries and can have long-lasting effects on daily living and recreational activities. Initially, ankle sprains will present with pain, swelling, bruising (bleeding under the skin), and loss of function, which can mean time off from work, without being able to stand, walk and possibly no driving depending upon the ankle that is injured.
Once taut ligaments are stretched out beyond their normal limits, they may become loose, or lax, leading to instability. Often times, after an initial ankle sprain, the ankle will continue to feel loose or unstable for months or even years so it is very important to address an ankle sprain or strain as soon as possible. Waiting could cause further loss of mobility and keep your from running in that 5K you have been training for the past few months.
5 Ways to Relieve Back and Neck Pain
There are common causes of both back pain and neck pain. Changes in the spine’s anatomy often cause back pain. There may be lumbar disc herniation, lumbar degenerative disc disease, osteoarthritis or sacroiliac joint dysfunction. Disc herniation occurs when the gel-like interior of the disc leaks outward and irritates the nerve roots. It typically causes a stabbing pain in the back of the legs and back pain. Wear and tear on the spinal discs can lead to lumbar degenerative disc disease.
Read full blogThree Components of Strengthening Programs
By Mike Bills, MS PT
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”.
Relieving the ‘Discomfort-Spasm-Discomfort Cycle’ in the Neck
A neck spasm, neck pain, and general discomfort are common complaints in the orthopedic rehab world, and we’ve certainly treated our share of patients who suffer from various conditions related to neck pain at LSTC. With the high prevalence of desk jobs, the influx of cell phone use, computer use and video gaming, as well as time spent relaxing in front of the TV, our posture certainly suffers more often than we realize. Over time, these repetitive tasks put us into a position called forward head posture, in which our heads and necks protrude forward into a flexed position.
Read full blogDon’t ‘Back Talk’ a Back Problem
Let’s go over some statistics regarding back problems. According to the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA), roughly two-thirds of Americans suffer from lower back pain, but only 63 percent actually take the steps to relieve their pain. Of those two-thirds, 69 percent said that their lower back pain affected their daily lives in many ways such as exercise (38%), sleep (37% ), work (24%), and even family time (7%). Those four activities alone make up pretty much the entire day for a lot of us.
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