Overhead athletes rely on their thoracic spine’s mobility and stability to generate power and prevent injury. In our Boulder Physical Therapy and Lafayette Physical Therapy clinics we examine the spine’s biomechanics and influence on patients with shoulder pain. Ruiz et al. (2020) reviewed the biomechanics of the thoracic spine in overhead sports and highlighted the...
By: Kristin Carpenter, PT, DPT, OCS, FAAOMPT If you’re a woman in your 40s or 50s and suddenly experiencing more joint pain, muscle aches, or back pain, you’re not imagining it. Many women notice new or worsening musculoskeletal pain during perimenopause, the hormonal transition leading up to menopause. These symptoms can feel confusing especially if...
The sacroiliac (SI) joint gets blamed for a lot of pain it probably isn’t causing. It’s not that clinicians are acting in bad faith. It’s that once you’re trained to look for something, confirmation bias makes it easy to keep finding it, even when the evidence says it’s uncommon. A Joint Built Not to Move...
By: Mary Pezzella, PT, DPT Musicians spend hours asking their bodies to perform precise, repetitive movements while often holding the same position for long periods of time. Just like an athlete warms up before practice or competition, musicians can benefit from preparing their bodies before they start playing. A physical warm-up doesn’t need to be...
Sacroiliac (SI) joint pain is a frequently overlooked source of low back and hip pain in athletes. It’s easy to miss because it doesn’t always announce itself the way a muscle strain does — instead, it tends to show up as a dull ache in the lower back, buttock, or posterior hip that can mimic...
By: Dr. Lucas Glomb, PT, DPT, OCS When the baseball season ends, many athletes shift their focus away from structured training. But the offseason is exactly when smart, focused work can make the biggest difference — especially when it comes to shoulder and elbow health. The difference between in-season and off-season programming is substantial. During...
By: John Crawley, PT, DPT, OCS A good functioning shoulder is essential to a climber’s performance. When the shoulder is healthy, reaching for holds and holding strenuous positions feels secure. Whether you’re yarding on a deep lock-off at the gym, pressing out a corner in Eldo, or snatching holds during big deadpoints while in Rocky...
In our Boulder Physical Therapy practice we often see athletes who are dealing with a swimming related injury. Some of these injuries can occur from training errors and poor stroke mechanics, but many are secondary to correctable changes in mobility and strength. Many injured swimmers complain of shoulder pain including rotator cuff muscle or tendon...
By: Chelsey Vasquez, PT, DPT, PRPC Many breast cancer survivors continue to experience shoulder pain, tightness, weakness, and limited mobility long after treatment ends. A new 2026 study published in the Journal of Cancer Survivorship found that a multimodal physical therapy approach may significantly improve pain, function, and quality of life for women dealing with...
Seeing GHD sit-ups on the whiteboard at the start of your CrossFit workout can be a make-or-break moment. It’s a movement that either leaves you excited or apprehensive. This exercise hammers the anterior muscle chain, demanding precise timing and execution. Unfortunately, without the right preparation, performing uncontrolled, extreme extensions of the lumbar spine during GHD...
