Knee osteoarthritis (OA) is a common condition in middle to older age and is a leading cause of pain and disability among this population. Our prior posts detailed improvements in cartilage thickness occurring in individuals with mild knee OA after a lower body exercise program. In advanced stages of knee OA or with a progressive...
Customized foot orthotics based off a clinical examination, plaster or foam cast have been utilized for decades in order to treat overuse injuries of the foot, ankle, knee, hip and even spine. These orthotics are usually not covered by insurance and usually run into the hundreds of dollars compared to an off the shelf model....
Hydration, electrolytes, salt and pickle water are all common internet solutions for muscle cramping. These remedies are based off the assumption that muscle cramping is secondary to imbalances in electrolyes (potassium, sodium) or hydration levels. In particular, when athletes are dehydrated there is a decrease in the water content, concentrating many elements in the bloodstream...
In a prior blog posts we discussed the effects of stretching on fitness, performance and flexibility. We are often prescribing mobility exercises to restore movement to a joint or body region (thoracic spine and rib cage) in order to improve movement patterns for performance, pain relief, or as part of a weekly fitness program. While...
Previously we wrote about the positive impacts of exercise on the body’s tissues. The benefits of exercise is based on the ability of your rehabilitation program to properly load and unload an injured tissue allowing it to remodel and heal. The optimal amount of load is key with both ends of spectrum, over doing it...
here are not many more controversial topics in the exercise science literature than stretching. While most believe stretching is an important component of a fitness or rehabilitation program the debate occurs on the timing, frequency, duration, type, direction, and intensity of the stretching program. Recently, a large push in corrective exercise programs involves mobilizing joints...
Up to 250,000 athletes will sustain an ACL injury each year and the majority of these patients will require Physical Therapy before and/or after their ACL reconstruction surgery. These athletes may be at risk of future lower extremity injuries either on their involved or uninvolved lower extremity because of inadequate physical therapy, poor movement patterns,...
A common question we receive from parents is “when can my child start weight training”. This is a difficult question to give a standard answer on because so many variables are at play including the maturity of the athlete (skeletal, neuromuscular, emotional, and mental), the demands of their sport, and their training experience. Our main...
In prior posts we described risk factors for an initial episode of achilles tendinopathy including muscle imbalances, calf weakness (concentric and eccentric), and loss of mobility within the foot and ankle. Once the tendinopathy is established, patients demonstrate significant deficits in range of motion, strength, balance, endurance, and jumping ability (Silbernagel et al. 2006). These...
Mend Physical Therapy has previously written on the prevention and treatment of running injuries in multiple prior blog posts. Running is very common form of exercise in the United States and here Boulder County. The vast majority of runners will sustain an injury in the upcoming year which will prevent them from training or competing...