Ankle mobility is essential for both daily walking tasks as well as higher level athletics and sports participation. In our Physical Therapy practice in Boulder we see a loss of dorsiflexion, bending, among athletes with lower extremity injuries and conditions. A lack of ankle bend, dorsiflexion, has been associated with many conditions including heel pain, plantar...
In our Lafayette Physical Therapy and Boulder Physical Therapy clinics we often have my patients ask whether a steroid injection is appropriate for managing their symptoms of tendon pain. This question does not have a simple answer. While corticosteroids can be effective for pain relief and inflammation control there are underlying physiological changes that happen...
Neck pain is one of the most common reasons Americans seek care from their primary care physician and Physical Therapist. In our Boulder Physical Therapy and Lafayette Physical Therapy clinics we commonly treat neck pain through manual therapy, patient education, and high level exercise. Current medical research supports the utilization of manual therapy, including spinal...
Low Back Pain Background Information Low back pain is a common disorder affecting up to 90% of people in the lifetime and is the 2nd most common reason people seek medical attention(1,2). Our health care system spends an average of over $90 billion dollars on low back pain largely from increases in surgical procedures, injections,...
Tennis elbow or lateral epicondylalgia is a common overuse injury in the upper extremity. Initially believed to be an inflammatory process or tendinitis newer research has instead found a degenerative process consistent with cellular turnover (remodeling) in tendon where the muscles of the wrist and fingers attach into the arm. Current Physical Therapy best practice...
Physical Therapy strengthening exercises remain the first line treatment for patients with shoulder diagnoses including impingement and rotator cuff pain. While immediate gains in range of motion and pain can be found using spinal and extremity manual therapy interventions, long term outcomes are achieved through a focused strength training program. Exercises are prescribed to target...
Our neck plays an important role in our ability to balance and maintain equilibrium within our environment. This region of the spine has a high density of sensors called proprioceptors which provide immediate feedback to our spinal cord and brain regarding our body position in space. In some patients with neck pain this system can...
Neck pain is a common condition coming in just behind Low Back Pain in prevalence presenting to primary care physician and Physical Therapy practices. Neck pain is most effectively treated with a combination of manual therapy, including joint mobilization and spinal manipulation, as well as, mobility and strengthening exercises. Consistent with our musculoskeletal diagnoses manual...
Neck pain remains one of the constants in life along with death, taxes, and low back pain. Thankfully, similar to low back pain, the vast majority of neck pain (although painful) is not serious in nature. Prior research has shown a Physical Therapy treatment program consisting of manual therapy and exercise helps accelerate a patient’s...
Neck pain will affect up to 70% of the population at some point in their lifetimes. Thankfully the vast majority of these cases are not serious in nature and will improve with conservative treatments including Physical Therapy. Within Physical Therapy, a manual therapy (mobilization and manipulation) and strengthening exercise approach has been shown to be...
