Spinal manipulation is one of the oldest medical treatments dating back to Hippocrates and the ancient Egyptians. Theories behind its’ beneficial effects are as old as spinal manipulations use but many have erroneously detailed a purely mechanical effect of the treatment. It is not uncommon to hear patients report, “my spine was out of position/alignment/place...
photo credit: radiopaedia.org Magnetic resonance imaging of musculoskeletal pain has long been known to find various pathologies, including herniated disks, tendon tears, and spinal stenosis, which may or may not contribute to an individual’s symptoms. These spinal and extremity findings are common in pain free individuals especially over the age of 30 years old. As...
As technology continues to advance more and more devices are coming forward with step tracking options including phones, pedometers, and other electronics attached to our clothing. Many individuals aim to hit the 10,000 or 5 mile point each day, but you may be surprised this number is not based in science but was rather put...
Knee arthritis is a common condition affecting millions of middle and older aged adults in America. Physical Therapy interventions including manual therapy and exercise remain the go to treatment for the treatment of this condition in the early phases of the diagnosis to improve pain and function. In patients who remain symptomatic, physicians may recommend...
Roughly 24 million American golfers participated in the sport at least once in the last year. The game of golf places unique demands on the human body not seen in many other sports. Specifically, proper swing mechanics require adequate strength and range of motion throughout the hips and spine. This is often noted in the...
As we have detailed in previous blog posts, surgical rates for both hip labral tears and hip impingment (femoroacetabular impingement or FAI) have shown a dramatic increase over the last 10 years. These increases are largely attributed to higher utilization of MRI testing and subsequent referrals to greater numbers of surgeons trained in hip arthroscopic...
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...
The glut muscle group, including the gluteus maximus and medius, are commonly weak among patients with lower quarter diagnoses including low back pain, patellofemoral pain syndrome, and ankle sprains. These muscles can be targeted with many different exercises, but some exercises cause excessive compensations of adjacent muscle groups in patients with pain. For example, the...
Pain located on the outside of the hip has previously been diagnosed as trochanteric bursitis, but more recent research reports less than 10% of patients demonstrate bursal inflammation. This condition is more accurately diagnosed as greater trochanter pain syndrome indicating a breakdown of the glut tendons as they attach into the hip. This condition commonly...