Muscle strength is correlated with many important clinical outcomes including fall risk, injury risk, sports performance, functional capacity, and quality of life. These adaptations occur when a muscle is asked to repeatedly perform higher volumes of work or exercise creating positive adaptations within the nervous system and muscle. Over simplistic repetition ranges are available to...
Chronic low back pain is a common condition described as pain lasting longer than 3 months in duration. At this point in a patient’s recovery, active interventions such as graded aerobic exercise and strength training take on a greater importance in a patient’s recovery. These interventions are most valuable in order to reduce the pain...
Low back pain is a common human experience affecting up to 90% of individuals at some point in their lifetimes. It is one of the most common diagnoses treated in our Boulder Physical Therapy practice and the majority of patients find the greatest long term relief with regaining lost strength in their core and lower...
An estimated 40% of women and 13% of men over 50 years old will have at least one fracture due to osteoporosis (decreased bone density) in their lifetime. Areas that are most susceptible to fracture include the spine and hip bones. The incidence of fractures increases with age and particularly after menopause, as the protective...
Hamstring strains come in three grades of severity from a less severe strain to a complete tear. They often occur during sports when an athlete accelerates or quickly changes directions on the court, field, or ice. Physical Therapy consisting of activity modification, education, and gradual progressive strength training remain the first line treatment for grade...
Boulder is one of our country’s hubs for endurance athletes including those training for one of the race distances in triathlon. In our Physical Therapy practice we frequently evaluate and treat triathletes’ injuries allowing them to return to the high volume of training required in their sport. The vast majority of these injured athletes are...
Patellar tendinopathy, jumper’s knee, is one of the most common chronic knee injuries found in up to half of all jumping 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 > recovery)...
Neck pain is a common condition coming in just behind Low Back Pain in prevalence presenting to primary care physician and Physical Therapy practices. Neck pain is most effectively treated with a combination of manual therapy, including joint mobilization and spinal manipulation, as well as, mobility and strengthening exercises. Consistent with our musculoskeletal diagnoses manual...
Most running related injuries are overuse in nature and reflect the athlete’s decision to do too much too soon or too little for too long. Despite the significant risk reduction of a running related injury with strength training many runners continue to forgo this important component of a balance weekly training program. This form of...
In 2020, all Americans have experienced challenges impacting their mental health manifested by feelings of stress, anxiety, and depression. In particular, the CDC reports adult caregivers, young adults, and minorities report higher rates of mental and emotional health challenges due the current COVID pandemic. individuals experiencing these symptoms are strongly encouraged to follow up with...