Biomechanics in sports are essential to both performance and injury risk becoming more important as athletes begin to increase their training volume and reach higher levels of performance. Among runners poor biomechanics in the lower quarter have been associated with reduced running economy and in turn performance, as well as, overuse injuries such as patellofemoral...
In a classic Nike commercial, Michael Jordan denies Mars’ (Spike Lee) repeated statements that it had to be the shoes. We often hear similar proclamations and claims in regards to running shoes and their ability to reduce running injury risk. Unfortunately, despite significant technological advancements in shoes the evidence has not shown an impact of...
Physical Therapy spinal and extremity joint mobilizations are slow passive movements applied to a patient’s joint surfaces. These interventions have been shown to decrease pain, improve range of motion, and increase the immediate force production of a targeted joint’s musculature. In our Boulder Physical Therapy practice, these joint mobilizations are performed with other manual therapy...
If you are an outdoor enthusiast, it is likely you have experienced knee pain at some point. Knee pain is common and affects nearly 25% of adults annually. As with most pain, it can set on acutely, due to a specific injury, or insidiously, due to changes in tissue structure or function over time. Pain...
Knee arthritis remains one of the most common diagnoses in middle to older adults playing tennis and pickleball. Patients commonly experience joint stiffness, pain, and weakness leading to decreased participation in playing tennis or pickleball. Strength training and aerobic exercise remain the most powerful interventions for tennis and pickleball players. Stronger muscles help dissipate the...
In our Boulder Physical Therapy and Lafayette Physical Therapy clinics we commonly are asked the question on the link between running and knee arthritis. The evidence keeps pointing to a lack of correlation between running and arthritis of the knee. Authors of the study “Running Does Not Increase Symptoms or Structural Progression in People with...
Our imaging technologies have made tremendous improvements in their ability to detect abnormalities in our body. These positive findings may or may not be related to our current symptoms including stiffness, giving way, or pain. We have seen improvements in the sensitivity of these tests where we are able to detect individuals with the condition...
Tears in the meniscus, cartilage within our knees, can occur due to injury or degeneration attributed to the aging process. The latter is a much more frequent scenario and often these tears are found on MRIs of patients without knee pain. These false positive results cast doubt on the direct correlation between a picture of...
Knee arthritis is a common, costly condition affecting a large percentage of middle aged and older adults. Physical Therapy remains the gold standard of care for knee arthritis due to its’ ability to delay or prevent the need for a total knee replacement. One of the foundations of Physical Therapy care includes strength training for the...
In a previous post, we detailed the latest research on the importance of ankle mobility on knee mechanics. During weight bearing the shin, tibia, must be able to move forward over the fixed ankle and foot. Without adequate ankle flexibility and shin moved over the foot to the inside placing the knee at risk of...
