By the year 2030 it is estimated that 1 in every 5 Americans will be of retirement age. This stat is stunning and will have a large impact on our country’s economic future as we look to care for these aging adults. Much has been written on our medical system’s ability to extend the lifespan...
The negative effects of aging on the musculoskeletal system are well known and include a loss of bone density, as well as, muscle strength and mass. These effects begin in your 30s, but the speed of this loss is largely dependent on your health and activity level. More active adults who participate in both weekly...
The average adult carves out a 30-60 minute block of time to exercise 2-3 times per week and tries to protect it against infringement from family, work, and life responsibilities. The health benefits of exercise, including strength training, are overwhelmingly in favor of the trained over the sedentary adult. Despite the benefits of exercise life...
Yogi Berra famously said, “when you come to a fork in the road, take it”. These forks come frequently in life and allow us to make decisions and take actions which have large impacts on our future relationships, employment opportunities, and our health. The decision to exercise in adults is an important one because of...
Sarcopenia is the age related loss of muscle mass found in all adults during the aging process. Specifically, the average male can expect to lose 8-10% of his muscle mass each decade after age 30. Thankfully both the amount and speed of this loss can be attenuated through strength training. Females and males participating in...
Direct access to Physical Therapy services was first written into a state’s law (Nebraska) in the 1950s and since has been shown in the literature to be safe, effective, and less costly than seeing a physician first for musculoskeletal pain. Due in part to its’ cost effectiveness large organizations including fortune 500 companies and the...
Exercise selection is one of the most important variables in a weekly strength training program. In general, individuals should look for multi joint (ex. lat pulldown) exercises instead of single joint exercises (barbell curl). At our Boulder Physical Therapy practice we recommend participants select one exercise from each of the following categories: vertical push, vertical...
Strength and muscle hypertrophy (growth) are two separate benefits of strength training. In some participants these occur together, but in other participants (age, sex, training status, nutrition) strength gains often occur without significant increases in muscle size. This is an important point for individuals who refrain from weight training due to fear of “bulking up”...
Tendinopathies, the artist formally known as tendinitis, are common orthopedic and sports medicine conditions affecting both athletes and the general population. Repetitive overload (overuse) of these structures creates a reactive followed by degenerative process in the affected tendon. These injured tissues have not been shown to have significant numbers of inflammatory cells but rather show...
Isometrics, muscle contractions without movement of a joint, have been utilized for many decades as a form of strength training and performance, but have recently been highlighted as an effective treatment for tendon pain. In our Boulder Physical Therapy practice, isometrics are helpful to initially load a tissue after surgery or injury, as well as,...