Blog

Low back pain continues to be a common source of pain, loss of function, and in some cases disability.  A portion of this weight on our society and medical system is the over emphasis on imaging findings including disc injury or degenerative disc disease as the source of a patient’s symptoms.  Unfortunately, there is an...

Low back pain is the second most common reason patients seek care from their primary care physician.  In addition, it is one of the most common reasons people seek care at our Boulder Physical Therapy practice.  Due to its’ high incidence in the population, low back pain has become a significant financial burden on our...

Shoulder pain remains one of the most frequent reasons patients seek care from a Physical Therapist.  Although many diagnoses create symptoms in the shoulder region, rotator cuff tendon pain is one of the most common.  Descriptions of tendon pain such as tendinitis are being disproven by the research due to a lack of inflammatory process...

Strength training is an essential part of an individual’s weekly exercise program.  It’s numerous benefits include reduced injury risk, increased sports performance, and improved function in life activities.  Time is finite resource and a commonly cited barrier to exercise.  In our Boulder Physical Therapy practice we strive to prescribe the most effective and efficient exercises...

Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome (pain on the front the knee and around knee cap) is the most common source of knee pain among active individuals.  Patients often complain of pain with running, stair climbing, squatting, and during prolonged sitting.  The natural history of this diagnosis is not as short as once thought with 90% of patients...

Patellar tendonitis (tendinopathy) is common among jumping athletes requiring repetitive jumping, landing, and squatting movements.  This overuse injury was thought to have a inflammatory component (ex. tendonitis) but more current research supports the term tendinopathy.  This term indicates a disruption in tendon fiber characteristics and alignment leading to a loss of its’ tensile strength.  Resting...

Exercise prescription including type of exercise, reps, sets, frequency, and intensity varies between each patient with knee pain.  Many factors influence this prescription including knee diagnosis (arthritis vs. patellofemoral pain), patient function and symptoms, as well as, the available medical evidence supporting the use of exercise to both reduce pain and improve function.  A recent...

The back squat is one of the most efficient and effective exercises for lower quarter strength development.  This exercise can be performed with dumbbells, barbell, or a slosh tube.  Slosh tubes are a recent addition to resistance training equipment made up of a PVC pipe filled up to 1/4 to 1/2 with either water or...