Hip impingement or Femoroacetabular Impingement is a common condition among athletes caused by abnormal contact within the hip joint. Contributing factors include structural changes in the ball (Cam lesion) and/or socket (Pincer lesion), as well as, weakness in the hip musculature. The powerful glut muscles act as both movers and stabilizers of the hip joint. ...
MRI testing of the shoulder is no different than testing in other body regions. Pathologies such as bursa changes, tendinopathies, labral and rotator cuff tears are very common in asymptomatic populations and tend to increase with an individual’s age. Many of these MRI findings do not contribute to a patient’s current symptoms and may be...
Shoulder impingement is the most common cause of shoulder pain and is commonly treated with Physical Therapy interventions including upper body strengthening and manual therapy. Dry needling is gaining traction in both clinical practice and the medical research as an effective treatment option for musculoskeletal pain. When combined with other forms of manual therapy, including joint...
Risk reduction programs in sports have been shown effectively reduce sports injury. In particular, the research on knee injuries, including ACL, in soccer have shown dramatic reductions in injury rates. These programs, often designed and implemented by Physical Therapists, include exercises designed to improve an athlete’s strength, balance, coordination, and agility. Research shows these programs...
Tennis elbow or lateral epicondylalgia is a painful condition affecting the wrist and finger extensor tendons as they attach into the arm. Breakdown of the tendon at its’ insertion and weakness in the forearm muscles lead to pain and reduced tolerance for gripping and hand movements. Physical Therapy treatments including manual therapy to the spine...
After daily aerobic exercise, strength training may be the most important exercise you perform each week. Strength training has been shown to improve metabolism and mood, functional and athletic capacity, as well as, reduce your risk of injury and slow the effects of aging. Individuals should select exercises targeting large muscle groups performed over multiple...
In the absence of rare spine pathology the only abnormal low back MRI is a normal MRI. After age 30 many of our spines will age and positive findings will become more common in patients with and without back pain. MRIs have tremendous sensitivity and can find even the smallest amount of pathology, but their...
We have previous discussed the limitations of orthotics to control lower extremity alignment. Another common reason for orthotic use is to control the degree of pronation or flattening of the foot during foot strike in walking and running. The theory believes orthotics are able to impact force absorption by controlling this motion at the foot...
Death, taxes, and low back pain are three of the certainties of life with over 90% of individuals reporting low back pain at some point in their lives. Our previous posts have described the ability of Physical Therapy to both accelerate a patient’s recovery from low back pain and reduce its’ risk of recurrence. A...
Physical Therapy is an excellent choice for low back pain with numerous research articles supporting its’ ability to rapidly reduce pain and disability. Many interventions utilized in our Boulder Physical Therapy practice, including manipulation and exercise, are designed to prevent low back pain symptoms from being chronic or recurrent. An interesting article was published identifying factors...