If you’ve been to physical therapy you may have asked yourself the question, what exercises do I do when to be the most productive with my time and effort? I often find myself having this conversation with patients in our Boulder Physical Therapy and Lafayette Physical Therapy clinics and I wanted to share a framework...
Strength training is an essential part of treatments at our Boulder Physical Therapy and Lafayette Physical Therapy practices. All patients regardless of injury, diagnosis, or ability level will perform a form of strength training to improve their performance or ability to perform the activities they enjoy. This valuable form of exercise continues to be studied...
The rotator cuff is an essential group of muscles that stabilize the shoulder during overhead movements such as the strict press, jerk, snatch, and handstand push-up. These muscles are commonly injured by CrossFit athletes and weakness of the rotator cuff can lead to multiple shoulder pathologies such as, rotator cuff tendinopathy, impingement (subacromial pain syndrome),...
In the world of pregnancy and postpartum exercise, lack of available evidence has led to a fear-based model of avoiding heavy weight training due to unknown risk. As more research is being done on the pregnant population the evidence is becoming clear that activity, including heavy weight lifting, does not increase risk to mom or...
Seeing GHD sit-ups on the whiteboard at the start of your CrossFit workout can be a make-or-break moment. It’s a movement that either leaves you excited or apprehensive. This exercise hammers the anterior muscle chain, demanding precise timing and execution. Unfortunately, without the right preparation, performing uncontrolled, extreme extensions of the lumbar spine during GHD...
What are shin splits and who gets them? Medial tibial stress syndrome (MTSS), aka shin splints, is a common injury in impact sports and has a high prevalence in runners making up “10-20% of all running injuries and 60% of all lower-limb overuse injuries” (1). This diagnosis is commonly treated in our Boulder Physical Therapy...
Researchers estimate 1 in 5 adults will drop out of an exercise program. Time remains the most common reason for drop outs, but many participants state lack of improvement. This frustration is understandable given the individual’s commitment of time, energy, and money toward their health and fitness goals. The reasons for lack of improvement are...
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...
It may not seem obvious, but weakness in our hips can lead directly to shoulder pain while climbing. Because climbing requires the use of all extremities simultaneously, impairments in one region of the body almost always have a direct impact on the other extremities. One of the most common, but seldom recognized, patterns is the...
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...