Evidence continues to support the utilization of Physical Therapists as a first line treatment for patients with musculoskeletal conditions such as back, neck, shoulder, or knee pain. Patient self referral for Physical Therapy services or direct access has been safely utilized in our country since the late 1950s. Many large corporations and the U.S. Military...
Each day over one hundred Americans die from an opioid overdose. Over prescription and use of prescription pain relievers has largely contributed to these unnecessary deaths and the $78 billion dollar economic burden of the opioid epidemic. Authors estimate over 2 million Americans are currently suffering from a substance abuse disorder related to these prescriptions....
Carpal tunnel syndrome or the entrapment of the medial nerve at the wrist is a condition leading to pain, numbness, and pins and needles sensations along the palm side of thumb, index, and middle fingers. If the entrapment continues weakness can be experienced in the wrist and hand. Contributing factors include loss of nerve and...
1. You have experienced an illustrious and diverse career in research, education and clinical work. What is the secret to your success in all of these disciplines? I have been very blessed to have such a great career in physical therapy – I firmly believe that the reason for any of the success that I...
Meniscal tears are a common knee diagnosis and can occur either traumatically or gradually over time. This latter type of meniscal tear, degenerative, was previously treated with arthroscopic surgery and post operative physical therapy but more recent research has changed our practice patterns with this patient population. Specifically, research shows no benefit of surgery over...
The labrum is a dense connective and fibrocartilage tissue lining the socket of the hip joint. It functions to deepen the hip socket and improve stability and weight bearing during functional activities. The labrum is highly innervated on top and front portions of the joint and often refers to the front of the hip when...
Hip impingement or Femoroacetabular Impingement is a common condition among athletes caused by abnormal contact within the hip joint. Contributing factors include structural changes in the ball (Cam lesion) and/or socket (Pincer lesion), as well as, weakness in the hip musculature. The powerful glut muscles act as both movers and stabilizers of the hip joint. ...
In our previous blog posts we have written on the inability of arthroscopic surgery to outperform Physical Therapy or placebo surgery for the treatment of degenerative meniscal tears. A recent review and statement paper was released in the British Journal of Sports Medicine highlighting evidence regarding the management of meniscal tears (Thorlund et al. 2018). ...
In our previous blog post we described how few (16%) partial rotator cuff tears progress over time. Understanding the non progressive nature of the injury allows patients an opportunity to explore non surgical options including Physical Therapy. In this study they followed partial rotator cuff tears over time, but a more recent study followed patients...
Hip impingement, or the compression of the soft tissue or bony structures of the hip joint, has become the flavor of the week in orthopedic surgery. Surgical rates have risen 18 fold over the past ten years outpacing the available research on the condition. Previous research has shown up 68% and 67% of asymptomatic hips...