The muscles of the neck are responsible for movements of the head and shoulder blade, as well as, stabilization of the head on the neck during daily activities. These muscles must be capable of both low repetition, high force contractions as well as high repetition, low force contractions to accomplish these tasks. Patient’s with neck...
Manipulation, along with strength training, remains one of the most effective treatments for patients with sacroiliac (SI) pain. Spinal manipulation by a Physical Therapist provides a unique stimulus to the nervous system creating a complex therapeutic response in the patient. Researchers continue to investigate the mechanisms behind its’ effectiveness including central and peripheral nervous system...
Flexibility remains one of the most commonly assessed and prescribed areas in health and fitness. A significant amount of time and resources continue to be dedicated to this mode of exercise often at the expense of more valuable areas including aerobic exercise and strength training. Although mobility focused Physical Therapy exercises have their place and...
Running economy, similar to miles per gallon in a car, is the amount of oxygen and energy required to propel a runner over a given distance. In addition to fuel utilization, runners with better economy demonstrate better running form and a faster processing of metabolic wastes during exercise. This measure has been shown to have...
Running remains one of the most popular forms of exercise due to its’ convenience, low cost of entry, and aerobic efficiency. It is difficult to replace the same health benefits you receive from a 30 minute run with another mode of activity. Unfortunately the rates of running related injuries have not been reduced with improvements...
Finger strength has been shown to have the greatest impact on climbing performance. Without adequate grip strength or endurance the larger muscles of the upper body cannot produce adequate force to complete a climbing movement. Rock climbing creates unique demands for the forearm muscles taxiing both the aerobic and anaerobic energy systems. On average, climbers...
It has been said you can tell a person’s priorities by examining their check book and calendar. Tasks and activities which are urgent or important to us are more likely to be done on a busy day, but others like sleep or exercise may be pushed to the back burner. This is despite the overwhelming...
Time and money are two finite resources most adults must judiciously spend each week. Family, work, and life demands can easily crowd into our exercise time cutting out health benefits when we need them the most. Edward Stanley once said “those who do not think they have time for bodily exercise will sooner or later...
Rock climbing remains one of the most popular outdoor sports in Colorado and the United States with over 10 million participants each year. On average, climbers experience 4-5 injuries per 1000 hours of climbing participation or 1-2 unique injuries per career. Over 90% of these injuries are overuse in nature commonly involving muscles, tendons, and...
In a previous post we detailed the injury risk and loss of performance associated with side to side leg strength imbalances. These imbalances often result from prior or current injury, as well as, the unique demands on an athletes sport or activity. In our Boulder Physical Therapy practice we commonly assess these imbalances with an...