As a physical therapist, I have found that the meniscus is often blamed for people experiencing knee pain. Many people are aware that a meniscus can be damaged or “torn”; this raises questions about whether it is the cause for knee pain, and what should be done about it. In this article, I will discuss […]
What approaches come to mind when thinking about rehabilitation after an injury? Many people imagine visiting an outpatient physical therapy clinic and receiving various treatment modalities like ultrasound, needles, cups, taping, or scraping painful areas. Others might think of low-level “physical therapy exercises” like clamshells lying down on a mat or light band-resisted activities. For […]
You rolled your ankle, whether it be in a pick-up basketball game, stepping awkwardly off the platform, or performing your best interpretive dance of Kenny Loggins’ “Danger Zone”. The ankle is now swollen, painful, and you are wondering what to do next. This article will provide a guide to return to doing the things you […]
Spondylolysis or spondylolisthesis are two intimidating words that are often described as representing a “broken back”. These aren’t words anyone wants to hear when experiencing back pain. Doctors and physical therapists often provide complicated and ominous-sounding explanations, such as a “fracture of the pars interarticularis”. From the start there is so much complexity in this […]
Do you wake up feeling unrested in the morning? Have you experienced morning headaches, or been told that you snore at night? Do you feel fatigued or sleepy during the day, despite a full night of sleep? These symptoms can result from many things, but one common, under-recognized cause involves problems with breathing during sleep. […]
Today we’ll be wrapping up our hip pain series with the familiar topic of osteoarthritis, and summarize some practical take-home points at the end (see previous parts 1 ,2, 3, and 4). For an in-depth discussion on osteoarthritis in general, we have a full-length article here, but this article will focus specifically on the hip. […]
In our last article we discussed how to manage muscle injuries of the hamstrings, groin (adductors), hip flexors, and quadriceps. Today we’ll move on to discuss hip pain that is attributed to the “Femoroacetabular Impingement Syndrome”. Background Femoroacetabular Impingement Syndrome (FAIS) is a common diagnosis given to individuals with hip pain. While the diagnosis has […]
In the first two installments of this article series we discussed the science of hip pain and management strategies. In this article, we’ll discuss the topic of muscle injuries – these are colloquially known as a “muscle strains”, but that term is a better description of the mechanism of the injury than a description of […]
Pain in the front, side, or back of the hip are common complaints within the lifting community. A combination of factors are typically involved when experiencing pain or limitations in training, rather than “just one thing” that needs to be addressed. The hip is a complex region that does not have a clear way to […]
Performance in specific sports requires specific adaptations, while developing overall physical literacy and athletic power is predicated on a broad range of traits. If an individual is meeting the base physical activity guidelines as either a youth or an adult, the minutiae of small asymmetries does not warrant further attention. Some sports have shown asymmetries […]