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Mend Physical Therapy Blog and Injury Information
What are the best exercises for gluteus maximus?

Whether you want to increase your back squat, shave some time off your Fran score, or take fewer breaks on your uphill skin, you will need to focus on glute strength. The gluteus maximus is the largest and most powerful muscle in the human body, and is responsible for hip extension, lateral rotation, and abduction...

Low back pain is a common condition best treated by Physical Therapists due to their unique ability to effectively provide all evidence based treatments (including spinal manipulation, directional exercise, and strength training) for this patient population. Large systematic reviews of the existing medical literature have repeatedly shown the benefits of strength training to reduce the...

Pain on the front of the knee (patellofemoral pain syndrome) is the most common diagnosis behind knee pain and one of the most common conditions found in sports medicine and Physical Therapy clinics. Although multifactorial in nature, symptoms arise due to abnormal contact between the knee cap and the thigh bone at the knee joint....

Knee osteoarthritis is a common and increasing diagnosis that is contributing to an rapid rise in total knee arthroplasty surgery in the United States. Knee Osteoarthritis leads to disability in greater than 10% of those over 55 years, however manual therapy and exercise has shown to be twice as successful compared to a home exercise...

Strengthening the muscles of the hip, gluts, is a key component of rehabilitation for patients with low back pain, hip pain, and knee pain. These muscles help to optimize movement in the lower quarter improving joint mechanics and force distribution during life and recreational activities. In our Facebook posts, we have shown videos on optimizing...

Knee Osteoarthritis is one of the leading causes of disability today. This painful condition limits an individual’s ability to walk, climb stairs, stand, and participate in recreational activities. Patient’s often demonstrate significant impairments in mobility and strength in both the knee, but also the ankle and hip. When evaluating patients with knee arthritis, Physical Therapists...

Patient’s with knee arthritis often experience pain with weight bearing activities including, standing, walking, stair climbing, and hiking. In our Physical Therapy practice, we find impairments of range of motion, gait deviations, balance, and strength within this patient population. In particular, weakness of the quadricep and hip musculature contributes to pain during weight bearing activities....

Ankle sprains remain one of the most common musculoskeletal injuries treated by Physical Therapists.  Our previous blog posts have highlighted the importance of early diagnoses and treatment including manual therapy, as well as, strengthening and balance exercises.  This treatment approach has been proven superior to both R.I.C.E. (rest, ice, compression, and elevation) and usual medical...

The knee is a vulnerable joint at times due to its’ location adjacent to the two long levers of our thigh and leg bones.  The length of the levers allows the ankle and hip to exert a high amount of forces across the knee.  The importance of treating these adjacent joints in patients with knee...