Muscle cramping can be a frustrating and painful consequence of individual and team sport athletic participation leading to decreased sports performance. The internet is filled with reported remedies to cramping from creams to sports drinks. Many aim to resolve possible imbalances of hydration and electrolyte balance (sodium and potassium) from sweating during an athlete’s training...
Rolling is a popular soft tissue intervention for range of motion, performance, and pain relief. Participants have a wide variety of tools to choose from including foam rollers, lacrosse balls, and sticks. Each tool is designed to target an individual sore or painful spot (trigger point) in a given muscle or a tight long muscle...
Tension-type headaches are headaches related to muscle trigger points or muscle tenderness in the head and neck and are the most common type of headache in adults. In our Boulder physical therapy practice, we utilize hands-on techniques addressing muscles and joints of the upper cervical region for headaches. A recent systematic review and meta-analysis (Jiang...
Muscles can be a significant source of pain in our bodies. Chronic muscular pain may be found locally over the muscle or can be felt in an area distant from the muscle known as referred pain. Multiple Physical Therapy interventions including dry needling, foam rolling, and soft tissue mobilizations can be utilized in the short...
In a previous blog we wrote about why you should not spend your valuable exercise time rolling your iliiotibial (IT) band. In short, this strong fibrous band will not stretch or move in response to any painful exercise with a foam roller or soft tissue tool of your choice. This is a classic example of...
Photo Credit: IJSPT Dry needling is a commonly utilized Physical Therapy intervention which can effectively reduce pain, improve pain, and improved muscle performance. Physical Therapists aim to treat trigger points or knots in the muscles thought to either cause pain or limit mobility. In the majority of cases, dry needling leads to an immediate improvement...
Dry needling performed by Physical Therapists has grown in popularity over the past 10 years among researchers, clinicians, and patients. Dry needling uses a solid monofilament needle designed to disrupt the the taut band of muscle tissue causing a patient’s pain. This intervention uses a mechanical stimulus to create a neurological, chemical, and circulatory response...
Dry Needling performed by licensed Physical Therapists is gaining momentum in clinics and research trials across the country. This intervention can be an excellent treatment for patients suffering from pain and trigger points within their muscles. Trigger points are hyper irritable bands of tissue contributing to pain, loss of flexibility, and impaired strength in patients. The...