The ability to tolerate weight-bearing wrist extension is essential to many upper body exercises and activities. In our Boulder Physical Therapy and Lafayette Physical Therapy practices we often see patients and athletes limited by pain in their hands and wrists. Wrist pain with weight-bearing can impact your ability to do push ups, arm balances, handstands,...
By: Erica Tran, PT, DPT, OCS Hamstring strains are among the most common injuries for runners and CrossFit athletes, impacting performance and sidelining athletes for weeks. Returning to sprinting, shuttle runs or box jumps after such an injury requires a structured, progressive approach to minimize the risk of re-injury. Based on the work of Hickey...
A lot of clients I work with in our Boulder Physical Therapy practice report wrist pain in their handstands. While there can be multiple contributors to wrist pain, including a loss of upper body mobility or strength, one of the most common issues I see is lack of overhead shoulder mobility. When the arm is...
By: John Crawley, PT, DPT, OCS Rock climbing, like all other sports, has risk factors that contribute to injury rates. Knowing what factors contribute to added injury risk can help participants build better training programs and potentially reduce future risk of injury. Luckily, researchers have begun to ask these questions and have made progress in...
By Kristin Carpenter, PT, DPT, OCS, FAAOMPT The hormonal decline resulting from the menopausal transition (ie: perimenopause) is characterized by detrimental impacts on health including: increased cardiometabolic risk factors (insulin resistance, Type II diabetes, increased central adiposity, weight gain), reduced mental and physical health (depression, loss of lean muscle mass, reduced bone density and increased...
By Dr. Rani Helvey-Byers, PT, DPT, OCS Ankle sprains are one of the most overlooked injuries in Muay Thai. Most fighters figure that if they can still walk and tape it up, the ankle will heal on its own. Pain and swelling do settle down over time, but that is not the same as full...
By: Mary Pezzella, PT, DPT One of our favorite tools at Mend Colorado for improving hip mobility is a heavy duty Rogue resistance band. If you often feel like one hip is “tight,” your squat feels blocked, or you can’t access a position you need for running, climbing, lifting, or everyday life, a Rogue-style loop...
Women can experience a lot of undesirable symptoms during perimenopause, including reduced energy levels, dramatic mood changes, and incredibly uncomfortable hot flashes. Many also notice changes in their body composition, including the loss of lean muscle mass and increased abdominal fat. Put another way, perimenopause is stressful for everyone; however, it can be especially frustrating...
By: John Crawley, PT, DPT, OCS How Pulley Injuries Occur: The Biomechanics Your fingers don’t actually contain muscles; they are moved by long tendons (flexor digitorum superficialis and profundus) that originate in your forearm. These tendons run down your fingers through a sheath, held tight to the bone by ligamentous tunnels called pulleys. Think of...
The movements inherent to rock climbing can put significant stress on the meniscus. High-stepping, heel hooking, drop-knees, and planting/twisting can make the knee susceptible to meniscus tears. Both traumatic and degenerative meniscus tears are common among climbers, but there is excellent evidence showing that conservative treatment should be the first line of treatment in the...
