Direct access physical therapy in Colorado allows patients to see a licensed physical therapist without first getting a doctor’s referral. This means many people can begin physical therapy right away, rather than waiting for a physician visit before scheduling care. If you’ve ever delayed physical therapy because you thought a referral was required, you’re not...
By: Ian Nay, PT, DPT, OCS At Mend Physical Therapy, we spend a lot of time working with people who are already doing many of the right things. They train regularly, they prioritize recovery, and a lot of them are getting consistent massage work. That combination matters. Good soft tissue work can absolutely help reduce...
The use of lumbar corticosteroid injections is often utilized for patients with back and leg pain (radicular pain) and/or leg numbness, pins and needles, or nerve root weakness (radiculopathy). In an older adult these symptoms may be due to a narrowing of the canals in which the lumbar nerve roots exit (lumbar stenosis). These injections...
The majority of people with lower quarter pain or symptoms will demonstrate altered coordination and communication between the nervous system and muscles. This leads to altered movement patterns which may perpetuate symptoms and lead to more chronic pain and muscle imbalances. Primary movers for our movement patterns (example: gluts) may be substituted for weaker, less...
Is a picture really worth 1000 words? As our technology continues to improve MRI and CT scanners have become more proficient at finding changes in our spines. This higher imaging quality comes with a cost in that many of these positive findings like “bulging discs”, arthritis, “pinched nerves” and the frightening-sounding “degenerative disc disease” can...
Lumbar Spinal Stenosis is a spinal diagnosis found in older adults and involves a narrowing of the canals in which the nerves exit the spine. It can be found in either the central canal of the spine or in the foramen where nerves exit on each side of the spine. Often these patients reports symptoms...
New data shows 1 in 2 Americans report at least one chronic medical condition affecting the musculoskeletal system. This number far outpaces other chronic conditions affecting the heart, lungs, metabolic system, or cancer. Examples, include low back pain, knee pain, osteoarthritis, neck pain, and post operative conditions. Thankfully, research supports treatments provided by Physical Therapists...
The deadlift remains one of the best exercises to target the posterior chain of muscles spanning from the shoulder to the foot. This chain of muscles is key for strength, power, and stability of the lower quarter joints. We commonly see weakness throughout this chain of muscles in our Boulder Physical Therapy practice among patients...
Physical Therapy remains the first line treatment for lumbar disk injuries due to its’ non invasive nature and clinical effectiveness. The natural history of disk injuries is not well established but preliminary data covered in prior blog posts demonstrates regression of these injuries over time. A recent case study in the New England Journal of...
Photo Credit: jerrydurhampt.com 1. Why did you decide to pursue a career in Physical Therapy? After my 1st semester of college I realized I needed to find something that would make ME happy for the majority of my life…. I had a mentor who was a PT during my high school years… I tracked him...
