Health Blog
How to Run Pain Free
Many runners ask how they should be running. Running training should be focused on 1 of 2 things: 1) injury prevention or 2) performance. So the main purpose of this post is to focus on injury prevention and treatment. I promote runners to avoid a heel strike and to try more of a mid foot strike when running with pain or recovering from an injury. Landing with a midfoot strike has been associated with decreases in peak impact loads and a decrease in knee pain (patellar-femoral symptoms).
Read full blogHeels in Shoes = Unhealthy Joints = Foot Pain
Wearing any kind of shoe with a heel is detrimental to our joint and muscle health. Even the heel in an athletic shoe can wreek havoc on the mechanics of our walking or running and it does this to a tune of millions of repititions throughout each step we take in our lives. I believe this has become a marketing technique to create the “most comfortable” cushioned shoe for consumers. For example if you put a shoe on that has a higher heel like a running shoe then you foot feels great, because it dosen’t have to work!
Read full blogPhysical Therapy Attendence. PRESENT!
My physical therapist says I need to have 2 to 3 treatments a week. Why?
Once you have been referred to a physical therapist, or you decide to see one on your own, the PT will perform an initial evaluation. At the end of this first session the therapist will most likely recommend that you set up some treatment times for the next several weeks, usually to the tune of 2 to 3 visits a week.
Read full blogPT and Rotator Cuff Pain/Tears
Most of us have heard the term “rotator cuff” and many people suffer from what is called rotator cuff pain. However, many people don’t actually know what that means. The term “rotator cuff” refers to a group of 4 muscles that connect the shoulder blade (scapula) to the arm bone (humerus). These four muscles are the supraspinatus, infraspinatus, teres minor, and subscapularis.
The Shoulder and the Rotator Cuff
Problems start to occur when there is inflammation present in the tendons.
Read full blogHealthy Lifestyle a Physical Therapist’s take
A healthy lifestyle means maintaining a balanced and nutritious diet as well as engaging in sports or other fitness related activities. A healthy diet alone however is inadequate to ensure a healthy body as physical activity helps to keep one in shape and free of sickness and disease.
According to the World Health Organization, only one in ten people exercise regularly and a majority do not follow a healthy diet. This leads to obesity and obese people suffer from many health complications such as diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and even cancer.
Direct Access = Self referral to Physical Therapy
In my experience patients have much success with Direct Access. When patients see a Physical Therapist for musculoskeletal pain vs going through a physician referral they have a faster window for recovery. The literature is coming out with more and more evidence to support these personal anecdotal experiences. For instance here is and article that show Physical therapist’s have the expertise to see patients directly.
A recent article in Health Services Research looked at the comparison of self-referral vs physician-referral episodes to outpatient physical therapy.
Read full blog5 Hidden Benefits of Exercise
First of all, we know that exercise is good for us but few people in our society regularly perform an exercise routine. I believe we need something to motivate ourselves and something to keep physical activity in our regular routine. We all need to find something that motivates us as an individual. Your primary motivation to exercise is unique to you. Therfore your motivation might be a goal to play with your kids again, decrease the risk of falls, be able to lift things without difficulty, sit through a movie with your family / friends without pain, or return to playing sports.
Read full blogIs Sitting Slowy Killing Us? And causing Back Pain.
We all know the detrimental effects of prolonged sitting. I Hope.
There is no mystery behind it, we already have the evidence, as described in this past CNN article. Sitting increases our risk of premature death, obesity, cardiovascular disease, cancer, orthopaedic injury or dysfunction and many other diseases. In fact, we don’t see ANY lumbar disease in any third-world country or in any country that toilets on the ground or sleeps on the ground.
Read full blogHow Does Ultrasound Therapy Work?
What Is Ultrasound Therapy?
Ultrasound therapy is a relatively common treatment in Physical Therapy used for pain relief and can be useful in treating many conditions. Some of the most common conditions ultrasound is used for include arthritis, fibromyalgia, muscle strain/sprain, ligament sprain/strain and various other injuries. Ultrasound is exciting because it uses high-frequency sound waves to relieve pain. These sound waves produce heat that can penetrate deep into the painful tissue.
TENS for pain relief
TENS
TENS stands for transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation and is commonly used in physical therapy to aid in pain relief. With this tratment sticky electrodes are placed on the skin around the painful area. When the TENS unit is turned on, it delivers a light current through the electrodes to the skin and tissues just beneath it. The sensation feels a bit like tingling, or pins and needles, though the intensity can be set high enough to make a muscle twitch.
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