Chronic or persistent pain is defined by pain that extends beyond 12 weeks or the normal healing time for a given injury/diagnosis despite treatment. Our medical system does a great job treating new or acute pain, but has struggled to be as effective with patients dealing with chronic pain. It is estimated 1 in 4...
Stress management is a critical skill for any individual including patients in our Boulder and Lafayette Physical Therapy practices. Stress falls into a if not when category and when it impact our daily lives we need to look for constructive outlets. Common stress management strategies include talking to a friend/family member, exercise, sleep, journaling/prayer, and...
Knee osteoarthritis is the most common joint disease world wide and one of the leading causes of disability. Thankfully this condition is successfully managed conservatively utilizing Physical Therapy interventions including manual therapy and exercise. Previous research has shown these Physical Therapy interventions can postpone or prevent the knee for knee replacement. In some cases, conservative...
Exercise remains an essential intervention of any acute or chronic pain management program. The effects of aerobic exercise on pain reduction (analgesia) is well established and thought to occur through a multifactorial process involving positive neurological (peripheral nerves, spinal cord, and brain), as well as, immunological, and circulatory changes in the body. The analgesic effects...
Patellofemoral Pain, or pain around the knee cap, is the most common source of knee pain. Although common, patellofemoral pain can lead to significant limitations in daily, occupational, and recreational activities. Left untreated, 50% of patients with patellofemoral pain report symptoms at a 5 year follow up. In our Boulder Physical Therapy practice we commonly...
At a fundamental level, all forms of exercise are designed to improve the current state of the participant. In our Boulder Physical Therapy practice, we aim to effectively and efficiently prescribe exercise to meet each patient or client’s goals. A key element of any exercise program has to include progressively, increasing demands over time. Flexibility...
It is not uncommon to have athletes present to our Boulder Physical Therapy practice who exceed the national guidelines on weekly amounts of moderate and vigorous aerobic exercise (150 and 75 minutes, respectively). Especially among younger athletes, diet and sleep are often overlooked and not given the same focus as their exercise totals. Common expressions...
Many exercisers report weight control or weight loss as one of their main goals for performing a weekly exercise program. While exercise can produce a caloric deficit, especially when combined with a nutritional caloric deficit, our bodies have significant physiological mechanisms to avoid weight loss. For example, many participants will create a caloric deficit through...
Patellar tendinopathy also known as “jumper’s knee” is one of the most common chronic knee injuries found in tennis and racquet sport athletes. Similar to other tendon injuries, patellar tendinopathy used to be referred to as a tendinitis but more recent research indicates a lack of inflammatory cells. Instead, an imbalance in loading (activity >...
Sleep is an essential part of your day and makes up one of the 4 (sleep, stress management, nutrition, and exercise) easy, but effective components of daily health. In our Boulder Physical Therapy practice, sleep is often left out of these 4 essential elements of daily health. While researchers have identified some individuals who can...