Knee pain remains one of the most common reasons patients seek care from a primary care physician and Physical Therapist. The knee is uniquely placed between two long levers in the thigh and leg bones. The levers significantly increase the effect of impairments in the ankle and hip joints on the knee. Commonly, patients present...
Early access to Physical Therapy services (direct access) has been previously shown to reduce a patient’s cost of care by up to $1500. In addition to its’ cost savings, direct access to Physical Therapy treatment has been shown to be a safe and effective short and long term treatment plan for patients with musculoskeletal pain....
Static stretching, involving holding a muscle at end of its’ length for a sustained period of time, is a common component of most individual’s exercise programs but its’ useful compared to other forms of exercise including aerobic and strength training is questionable. Research is unclear on the benefits of static stretching for most individuals, as...
Achilles tendinopathy is the most common tendon injuries seen in our Boulder Physical Therapy practice. Patients often present with pain along the mid portion of the achilles tendon during walking, hiking, running, or jumping activities. The greatest risk factors for this condition include a loss of ankle flexibility (dorsiflexion) and calf weakness. Both of these...
An important shift has taken place in medicine away from the old paternalistic model of care toward the development of the therapeutic alliance. Patients are now encouraged to engage and interact with their medical providers in order to find an optimal path forward. The alliance aims to incorporate patient values and expectations, the best available...
Headaches are a common source of pain and disability with total costs estimated over 30 billion dollars per year. Patients’ signs and symptoms help classify headaches into categories including migraine, tension type, cluster, and cervicogenic but some are found to be multifactorial in nature. Some of the most effective interventions for headache are provided by...
Hip impingement or femoroacetabular impingement is a diagnosis consistent with bony enlargement of the hip joint, abnormal contact between the joint surfaces, and associated hip pain and loss of function. As we have described in our previous blogs, FAI is the one of the fastest growing hip diagnoses due in part to greater utilization of...
Strength training is an essential part of any workout program. Participants should aim for 2 to 3 workouts per week targeting major muscle groups of the upper and lower body. Multi joint movements such as the squat or deadlift provide a more effective and efficient workout compared to single joint exercises (ex. leg extension machine)....
Hip arthritis is a painful condition causing pain, loss of range of motion, and lost function in many middle to older aged adults. The pain from hip arthritis is multifactorial in nature arising from the cartilage and joint surfaces as well as the surrounding soft tissues. Physical Therapy consisting of manual therapy and strength training...
Spinal manipulation is one of the oldest medical treatments dating back to Hippocrates and the ancient Egyptians. Theories behind its’ beneficial effects are as old as spinal manipulations use but many have erroneously detailed a purely mechanical effect of the treatment. It is not uncommon to hear patients report, “my spine was out of position/alignment/place...