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Running is one of the most popular forms of exercise due to its’ accessibility, low equipment cost, and health benefits.  As running popularity continues to grow, unfortunately so do the number of runners who miss a training session or competition due to injury.  These runners are not alone; as research has reported up to 90%...

It is estimated up to 10 million Americans participate in either indoor or outdoor climbing activities.  Research documents 4 to 5 injuries per 1000 hours of climbing participation and each climber can expect 1 to 2 injuries over a climbing career (Backe et al. 2009).  These injuries can be either traumatic or overuse in nature. The...

Strength training is an essential part of an individual’s weekly exercise program.  It’s numerous benefits include reduced injury risk, increased sports performance, and improved function in life activities.  Time is finite resource and a commonly cited barrier to exercise.  In our Boulder Physical Therapy practice we strive to prescribe the most effective and efficient exercises...

In my opinion, Physical Therapy patients are often under exercised and do not return to prior levels of activity due to a lack of rehabilitation intensity.  What are some of your recommendations for implementing higher level exercises and strength and conditioning principles for practicing Physical Therapists? We have a problem in the physical therapy profession...

The squat remains one the best overall exercises for strength development in both healthy and injured patients.  Squatting strength has been correlated with both functional and athletic performance.  Our previous blog posts documented the safety concerns of squatting through a partial or full range of motion.  In short, in a healthy knee there is no...

Nutritional supplements are widely advertised with amazing health claims but few have been able to show true effects beyond placebo or control groups.  In regards to strength training, two have been studied scientifically to draw conclusions on their effectiveness.  Creatine has been shown to improve strength gains and muscle growth among users who are concurrently...

The benefits of strength or resistance training are numerous including increased quality of life, reduce injury risk, and increased performance.  In previous blog posts we have discussed the cross over effect where working one side of the body creates improved flexibility, strength, or balance on both sides of the body.   If we view our...

One of the most common questions we receive from patients in our Boulder Physical Therapy practice is “what should I perform first, cardio or strength training, or should they be on separate days?”  This is a great question because most endurance athletes are concurrently performing high volume endurance exercise along with strength training each week....

Coffee is one of the most popular drinks in the world due to its’ caffeine content.  Moderate caffeine consumption is currently being studied due to its’ potential impact on cognition, the aging process, and some cancers.  In our field of Physical Therapy, caffeine has long been known as a performance enhancer based on its’ ability...