A couple of things are known when reading the research on low back pain. First, it is common with 9 out of 10 adults experiencing symptoms over their lifetime. Second, patients with low back pain are very different and require a specific, individualized treatment vs. a one size fits all approach. Medical research has identified...
Strength training in endurance athletes is an essential part of any injury prevention and conditioning program. Our previous blogs have highlighted the importance of these exercises for improving an athlete’s efficiency during training and competition. Endurance athletes who strength train are more economical and therefore faster than their weaker peers. Strength training exercises should involve...
Photo Credit: ssorkc.com 1. You have published a few articles on the utilization of strength and conditioning principles with Physical Therapy patients. In my opinion, these valuable principles are under utilized in our profession. In your experience, how can practicing clinicians improve their patient outcomes using these principles? Well I think one of the...
Shoulder pain remains one of the most common reasons patients seek out care from both primary care physicians and Physical Therapists. Shoulder impingement or the compression of shoulder tissues, including the rotator cuff tendons and bursa, is the most common diagnoses behind these patients’ symptoms. Physical Therapy remains a gold standard treatment for this condition...
Shoulder pain remains one of the most frequent reasons patients seek care from a Physical Therapist. Although many diagnoses create symptoms in the shoulder region, rotator cuff tendon pain is one of the most common. Descriptions of tendon pain such as tendinitis are being disproven by the research due to a lack of inflammatory process...
Shoulder pain remains one of the most common reasons patients seek out the care of both their primary care physician and Physical Therapist. The most common cause of shoulder pain remains subacromial impingement or the compression of soft tissues including the rotator cuff tendons within the shoulder joint. Physical Therapy including joint manipulation and mobilization,...
In our previous posts we discussed how patients and athletes can utilize strength training to both improve strength as well as their flexibility. Recent research continues to show strength training a muscle through its’ full range of motion is more effective than static stretching for flexibility gains. This research has refuted a commonly held belief...
In our previous posts, we have described the limitations of orthotics to correct lower leg alignment and treat foot and leg conditions compared to Physical Therapy exercises. In addition, long term orthotic users often show atrophy of the foot’s core muscles which leads to further weakness and dysfunction. Instead of orthotics, an active approach...
The lunge is a very common exercise to strength the lower quarter. I commonly use the exercise to address lower quarter weakness, motor control or coordination impairments, and conditioning needs. Often patients will experience knee pain, either in the forward or backward leg while performing the movement. Changing the alignment of the trunk, hip, or...
In our Boulder Physical Therapy practice we often see athletes who are dealing with a swimming related injury. Some of these injuries can occur from training errors and poor stroke mechanics, but many are secondary to correctable changes in mobility and strength. Many injured swimmers complain of shoulder pain including rotator cuff muscle or tendon...