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). ...
Physical Therapy is an incredible profession allowing our Boulder Physical Therapy and Lafayette Physical Therapy clinicians to help patients achieve their goals of decreased symptoms, improved function, and a better quality of life without the use of drugs or surgery. After 20 years in the field I have seen many patients achieve goals they didn’t...
Diabetes, commonly broken down into type I and type II based on the body’s ability to properly utilize insulin, affects over 400 million people worldwide. In our country, this chronic disease continues to become more prevalent with an estimated 10% of Americans being diagnosed with one of the two types of diabetes. Exercise remains one...
Exercise remains the best tool to improve your mental, emotional, and physical health. When done correctly, and most importantly, consistently these health benefits improve both a participant’s quality and quantity of life. All other pills, supplements, medications, and online remedies pale in comparison to exercise. While we certainly cannot control all the variables (disease, injury)...
Lumbar spinal stenosis is a narrowing of the bony canals in the spine which surround the nerves which supply our lower extremities. The condition is common among aging adults, > 60 years old, and can lead to symptoms such as single or bilateral leg pain, numbness, pins and needles, and/or weakness. Often leg symptoms are...
Osteoarthritis is estimated to affect 250 million people worldwide leading to high rates of global pain and disability. These rates are expected to raise as our population of baby boomers continues to age into their golden years. Unfortunately, many with osteoarthritis will become less active or sedentary because of their symptoms and in turn are...
Since entering the sports medicine field in the early 2000s there has always been a presence of the newest gadget, technology, or device aimed at either reducing pain or accelerating tissue healing. As the years move forward the popularities of these devices wax and wane and eventually fall out of favor due to the next...
Exercise remains one of the most underutilized treatments for mental health disorders. The treatment effects of aerobic exercise have been shown to match or beat the effects of common pharmaceutical treatments for some mental health diagnoses. Previous research has shown even brief bouts of aerobic exercise can be helpful for our mental health, which may...
In our Boulder Physical Therapy and Lafayette Physical Therapy clinics we commonly prescribe mobility or stretching exercises to reduce pain and restore lost function. Accelerating a patient’s return to the activities they enjoy. When combined with other forms of exercise, in particular strength training, stretching is an effective method of restoring lost motion in joints...
Blood pressure is an established vital sign given its’ ability to inform clinicians on the status of multiple organ systems in the body. Most commonly, blood pressure is utilized to assess the workload on the cardiovascular system as it maintains circulation to the body under different levels of stress and disease states. Importantly, blood pressure...
