As I mentioned in a previous post, the rotator cuff (not cup!) is a very vital and complicated joint. It is made up of four muscles that help move and stabilize the shoulder joint. Damage to any one of the four muscles or their ligaments that attach the muscle to bone can occur because of acute injury, chronic overuse, or gradual aging…
Archive for Health Tips
Living with Parkinson’s: Physical Therapy
The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) define Parkinson’s disease (PD) as a group of conditions called motor system disorders, which are the result of the loss of dopamine-producing brain cells. According to NINDS, the four primary symptoms of PD are…
What is Physical Therapy?
Physical therapy is treatment of medical injuries. More specifically, it is treatment to assist you in movement, balance and pain relief. Its purpose is to help you get back to your regular, daily activities as fast and as safe as possible. A licensed physical therapist will create a specialized plan for each individual that will work to help you regain strength, range of motion, function and the ability to go about your life in the way you want to live. That is closer to the textbook version. Physical therapy is also something that can help someone walk again. It’s something that can help a person hold their grandchildren again. It can help someone get a good night’s sleep and wake up in the morning without pain…
How Do You Choose a Physical Therapist?
So you got hurt, whether it was at work, playing sports or just doing daily household chores. Now you need to get better. But how do you choose a physical therapist when there seem to be so many choices out there…
Physical Therapy Success Story: Youth Overcoming the Odds
There are a number of genetic conditions that affect children, and can lead to severe developmental problems. One of these is Angelman Syndrome. This syndrome was first diagnosed in the 1980s in the U.S., and it features severe development delays that can affect function. However, Kyra Stimson, who is now age 5, is doing more than many thought she could with this syndrome…
Physical Therapy: Living with Kidney Cancer
According the American Cancer Society, there were more than 1.3 million people were diagnosed with new cancers last year. Of that number, more than 50,000 were kidney cancer…
Don’t Mess Around When It Comes to Your Head
Pittsburgh sports fans have been dealt another tough blow by concussions. The Pittsburgh Penguins’ star defenseman, Kris Letang is out indefinitely after taking a check to the head and suffering a concussion…
Physical Therapy: Overcoming Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
Do you have extreme fatigue but don’t really know how why, as you don’t have any underlying conditions? You could be suffering from chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS)…
Physical Therapy: Brain Injury Awareness Month
After years of neglect or indifference, brain injuries are finally beginning to get everyone’s attention. It’s a shame that it took so long and so many victims for us to realize what a significant problem it was. On the local side, we in Pittsburgh have become more aware about brain injuries, specifically concussions, because the [...]
‘Lack of Time’ No Excuse to Neglect Exercise
It’s very frustrating when I see a patient who clearly hasn’t been keeping up with their home exercise program. It’s frustrating because it’s not that they can’t do the program I’ve assigned them. It’s not that the program is too hard. It’s that they don’t think they have the time to do it. Of course [...]
