Have you suffered an injury that has led you to be bed-ridden for an extended period of time? Are you recovering from surgery? Are you planning a long trip where you will be in a cramped space for long periods of time? If you answered yes to any of these, you could be at risk [...]
Archive for Injury Treatments
Physical Therapy Plays Vital Role in Giffords’s Recovery
Many of you remember the tragic shooting at an event in Arizona last January. Six people were killed and a congresswoman, Gabrielle Giffords, was shot point-blank in the head. Giffords survived, and if you saw the “20/20” special last week, you know that she is making an incredible recovery. Ten months after being shot, Giffords [...]
Physical Therapy for Tendonitis: Achilles Tendonitis
Author’s note: Tendonitis is an inflammation or irritation of a tendon. Chronic strain, overuse or misuse of a tendon leading to a repetitive stress injury, or a serious acute injury can lead to a weakness, tear or swelling of the tendon tissue resulting in pain and stiffness near the tendon. This is the fourth in [...]
Physical Therapy: What Do I Do with a Herniated Disc?
You may have heard about athletes or your friends suffering from a herniated disc, but you didn’t know what they were talking about. You knew it was something about their back, because they said their back hurt, but you didn’t know exactly what the problem was. So what is a herniated disc? First, you have [...]
Physical Therapy for Tendonitis: Patellar Tendonitis
Author’s note: Tendonitis is an inflammation or irritation of a tendon. Chronic strain, overuse or misuse of a tendon leading to a repetitive stress injury, or a serious acute injury can lead to a weakness, tear or swelling of the tendon tissue resulting in pain and stiffness near the tendon. This is the third in [...]
Physical Therapy for Tendonitis: The Elbow
Most of the pain and irritation of elbow tendonitis is felt close to the elbow area at the end of the tendon. This pain is often felt during or after activity (playing tennis) but may be felt constantly throughout the day as the condition worsens. The main cause of elbow tendonitis is overuse of the [...]
Physical Therapy: How to Rehab a Rotator Cuff Injury
Unlike torn MCLs, rotator cuff injuries are common among athletes and casual exercisers. Fortunately, a rotator cuff injury can be treated with rehab rather than surgery in some cases. First, you have to understand where the rotator cuff is located and what it does. The rotator cuff is made up of four muscles that help [...]
The Use of the Blood Pressure Cuff for Lumbar Stabilization
The reason for the Blood Pressure Cuff is to isolate the Transverse Abdominis Muscle, which works in conjunction with Multifidus, Diaphragm and Pelvic Floor muscles. These are the key local stabilizers for the stabilization of the lumbar spine. In order to isolate the muscles a blood pressure cuff is recommended to provide you with feedback [...]
Studies Show Prehabilitation Effective
Many patients wonder why their doctor prescribes physical therapy prior to a pending orthopedic operation. The fact is that many reliable studies performed recently support the efficacy of rehab prior to a surgical procedure, or “prehabilitation”. Recent studies compare non-prehabilitation patients vs. prehabilitation patients. Prehabilitation patients demonstrate a greater percentage of strength gain, lower pain [...]
Plantar Fasciitis Treatments Depend on Stage
The type of treatment for plantar fasciitis is influenced by what stage you are in. If it’s in the acute stage, you obviously want to do any treatment that’s going to decrease those symptoms. If patients have pain of inflammation, a physical therapist will want to use some type of modality and help the patient [...]
