Managing jaw pain
TMD, or temporomandibular joint disorder, is a name for a number of problems that involve the temporomandibular (jaw) joints, muscles, or associated structures. TMD can show as pain or tenderness in your jaw, aching pain in or around your ear, facial symptoms, difficulty or pain while chewing, or locking of the jaw. Effective treatment of […]
Concussion Management with Physical Therapy
Physical therapists (as part of a whole healthcare team) can be some of the best medical professions to treat concussions because of our knowledge, frequency and time we get to spend with our patients. Also, many factors that are important to consider when working with concussion symptoms are ones that we already use to inform […]
Strength Training For Runners
As a physical therapist, I’ve noticed that elite runners look very different today than in the 80’s when I ran competitively. They have more muscles and more efficient strides. Strength training is now recognized as essential for injury prevention, muscle recruitment, and running economy. Strength Training’s Role Injury Prevention: A strong core and improved muscle […]
Popping In Our Joints
Do you have any joints that regularly crack or pop with movement or positional changes? So do I! The advice that I give my patients with this popping is pretty straight forward. If the popping you’re feeling is not painful than we won’t worry about it too much. But I do find occasionally that the […]
Monitoring Running Workload to Prevent Injury
“How far should I run?” “How often?” “How will I know that my training is too much?” “Not enough?” If you are a runner, chances are that you’ve thought about these questions when planning to train for a race or objective. While many programs exist online to guide us in mileage selection for success in […]
Timing is Everything!
Timing of Physical Therapy Intervention is Important in Terms of Healthcare Costs and Time Spent in Pain A research study was published on November 26th, 2018, that shows – like low back pain – early physical therapy intervention for neck pain significantly reduces the overall cost of an episode of injury (namely from reducing the […]
Why is hip mobility important?
Hip mobility is important because…… It allows muscles to function optimally. If the muscles can’t move a joint through a normal range, they’re missing out on opportunities to be stronger and more efficient. Limited joint range of motion also predisposes muscles to get abnormally shortened, which limits their ability to be strong. It encourages optimal […]
Squat Like A Tot!
Generally speaking, toddlers have a lot to learn. But they may do one thing better than most adults! Squat to full range of motion (ROM)! Next time you have the chance to watch a toddler squat I want you to take note of their knee positioning. What you’ll find is that in order for them […]
Occupational Safety
April 28th is the World Day for Safety & Health at Work, established by the International Labour Organization to promote the prevention of occupational accidents and diseases worldwide. The concept of injury prevention and wellness has always appealed to me, so in 2017 I took some extra training to become certified in Applied Prevention and […]
NSAIDs and Risk For Heart Attack and Stroke
NSAIDs are commonly used all over the world for mild to moderate pain control associated with inflammation. In fact, estimates show about 15% of the population takes NSAIDs whether prescription or over the counter. There are over 20 different types of NSAIDs some of which include: Motrin, Advil, Celebrex, Cataflam, and Voltaren. If you are […]
Move. Recover. FUEL. Endure. Connect.
It’s mid-February already. Stereotypically, January is the time when a lot of people decide they need to make some healthy changes – whether or not they call them resolutions. Eating healthier is usually one of them. If you decided this, how have you done so far? Still at it? Everyone knows it’s important to eat […]
How I Saved My Vacation and What You Should Know About Relieving Acute Knee Pain Without Surgery.
January in the Caribbean on a cruise ship. I was sitting in a chair, watching the turquoise blue ocean, then I stood up and experienced, out of nowhere, acute sudden left knee pain. I tried to “walk it off” or at least move across the room without limping, but it was impossible. There was […]