CrossFit gets a bad reputation for having high rates of injury. I have heard many Physical Therapists and Orthopedic Surgeons say things such as “CrossFit keeps me in business.” This could not be further from the truth and is a lie the healthcare profession needs to stop propagating. My hypotheses for why people repeat ignorant...
Injuries mainly fall into the “when” not “if” category for a majority of Americans. These injuries could be the result of traumas (fracture, sprains, or strains), over use injury, and at times without a known cause. Thankfully our bodies are remarkable in their ability to heal from these injuries as we move through the 3...
The acronym R.I.C.E. (rest, ice, compression, and elevation) has been utilized for decades in the clinical and self management of acute injuries. Clinicians have updated RICE to PRICE adding in protection of the injured area, but this acronym needs further updating. In general, the 4 of the components of this self treatment approach have merit...
Pre-participation movement screens have gained popularity among sports teams and health professionals over the past decade. Their aim is to determine the likelihood of an individual sustaining a future injury by testing them through a battery of movements. Clinicians may utilize a composite of individual tests to identify risk for a specific injury (ex. ACL...
Acute muscle strains and sprains remain one of the most common injuries we encounter at our Boulder Physical Therapy clinic. In a previous blog post we summarized the findings of new research studies showing how early Physical Therapy accelerates a patient’s recovery after these injuries. In addition, to exercise and sleep, nutrition also plays an...
Over the last 5-10 years ultra marathon running has grown in popularity with pavement and trail races popping up throughout the West. Ultra trail running events are described as distances greater than a marathon, in mountainous terrain, and involving elevation changes. Authors report a 5200% increase in these events between 1978 and 2008 (Hoffman et...
Marathon running is a challenging event requiring substantial amounts of endurance and strength training for optimal performance and injury prevention. The race distance of 26.2 miles requires high mileage training, often >75-100 miles per week at the elite level, placing the athlete at risk of a running related injury (Saragiotto et al. 2014). In addition...
Last year an estimated 30 million people ran at least 50 days for exercise and health benefits (Running USA). The fastest growing segment of the running community includes older adults who gain impressive cardiovascular, muscle, bone, and mental health benefits compared to their sedentary peers. In addition, contrary to popular but incorrect old...
Runners older than 50 years old have shown the greatest increase in participation rates among long distance runners. In a previous post we described the impact of aging on running speed. In each decade after age 40 a runner will lose approximately 10% of their VO2 max due to changes in their musculoskeletal and cardiovascular...
Basketball has one of the highest injury rates in sports with articles reporting up to 7-10 injuries per 1000 athlete exposures (Dick et al. J Athl Train. 2007). As expected, the majority of these injuries occur in the lower extremity, in particular within the knee and ankle. Authors report both overuse (tendinopathy) and traumatic (sprain,...