The knee is subjected to the biomechanics of the adjacent hip and ankle due to its’ location between two long bones lower extremity. These long levers can contribute significantly to a patient’s knee symptoms. In our Boulder Physical Therapy and Lafayette Physical Therapy offices we commonly evaluate and treat the adjacent joints in the lower...
ACL injuries are one of the most common sports injuries with estimates ranging from 100-200K tears per year. Female athletes are at significantly greater risk for ACL tears and have a 6-8 x greater risk of injury compared to their male peers in the same sport. After an ACL injury, each athlete should meet with...
Femoroacetabular impingement (aka: FAI, hip impingement) is a common condition experienced by many rock climbers. It is characterized by pain to the front of the hip or groin, experienced when the climber moves their hip toward the end of its range of motion. The most common ways you will experience pain from hip impingement: Lifting...
The movements inherent to rock climbing can put significant stress on the meniscus. High-stepping, heel hooking, drop-knees, and planting/twisting can make the knee susceptible to meniscus tears. Both traumatic and degenerative meniscus tears are common among climbers, but there is excellent evidence showing that conservative treatment should be the first line of treatment in the...
Bowel movements are a part of our normal routine, but painful bowel movements don’t have to be. A common cause of painful bowel elimination is anal fissures. These tiny tears in the anal canal are quite common and have a significant impact on quality of life. Among patients studied in a 2014 cohort, prevelance of...
The majority of people with low back pain will demonstrate altered coordination and communication between the nervous system and muscles. This leads to altered movement patterns which may perpetuate symptoms and lead to more chronic low back pain and muscle imbalances. Primary movers for our movement patterns (example: glutes) may be substituted for weaker, less tolerant...
Depression is one of the most common causes of disability in the world. Authors estimate 1 in 5 individuals will experience a form of depression, varying in severity, in their lifetimes. Depression remains a serious condition and individuals affected with this condition are strongly encouraged to work with a mental health professional for evaluation and...
What are shin splits and who gets them? Medial tibial stress syndrome (MTSS), aka shin splints, is a common injury in impact sports and has a high prevalence in runners making up “10-20% of all running injuries and 60% of all lower-limb overuse injuries” (1). This diagnosis is commonly treated in our Boulder Physical Therapy...
Manual therapy and exercise remain the key conservative treatment interventions for patients with knee arthritis. In our Boulder Physical Therapy and Lafayette Physical Therapy clinics we successfully treat knee pain and lost function associated with knee arthritis. In some individuals conservative interventions are not enough to improve function and they may elect to undergo a...
As pelvic physical therapists in Boulder County, functional constipation has been something treated in our clinics via various techniques. A new randomized controlled trial has shown one commonly performed intervention to be an effective first-line treatment for functional constipation. Functional constipation is defined by the Rome IV criteria. Rome IV criteria: Must include two or...