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...
Previous research reports older adults who remain active are able to slow the physiological effects of aging including increased body fat, decreased muscle mass, and muscle weakness. Other systems in our body also show a decline with aging including the immune system. Immunesenescence, the decline in immune system function due to aging, is an established...
There is a current, albeit unproven, thought about the dangers of repetitive spinal flexion. Those who repeat this unfounded belief feel repetitive forward bending places the spine in a less than optimal position leading to back pain or injury. These thoughts have been disproven by the research and forward bending of the spine does not...
In our previous posts on ACL injury we have highlighted girls are 6-8 more likely to sustain an ACL injury compared to boys in the same sport. Multiple research studies have attempted to reduce this risk by implementing sport specific strength, agility, and balance programs. On average, these programs have a significant impact on injury...
Achilles tendon ruptures are most commonly seen in patients 30-40 years of age and 4-5 times more likely in males versus females. The injury is often associated with a sudden increase in force placed upon the tendon either from rapid progressions in sport activities or trauma (ex. fall from height). These injuries can also occur...
The Journal of the American Medical Association recently reviewed the evidence on the utilization of spinal manipulation for patients with acute back pain. Authors reported moderate evidence to support its’ use to both decrease pain and improve function. The majority of research on spinal manipulation is currently being performed by Physical Therapists to determine best...
In our previous blog posts we have written on the inability of arthroscopic surgery to outperform Physical Therapy or placebo surgery for the treatment of degenerative meniscal tears. A recent review and statement paper was released in the British Journal of Sports Medicine highlighting evidence regarding the management of meniscal tears (Thorlund et al. 2018). ...