Ankle sprains are one of the most common sports injuries and one of the most common we encounter at Mend Physical Therapy. These injuries lead to pain, lost practice and games, as well as chronic balance impairments up to 1 year after the injury. As our manual therapy and exercise treatments have evolved we are seeing...
Authors estimate close to 64 million adults in the United States have bunions on their first toe and 200,000 will elect for surgery to treat this painful area of the foot. The surgery is not without risk and around 15% of patients undergoing surgery will require a 2nd revision. Bunions are defined as an increase...
Ankle sprains are one of the most common injuries encountered by Physical Therapists working in sports medicine practices. Prior research has shown 85% of these injuries will involve the ligaments on the outside of the ankle. The severity of the sprain is graded on a 3 point scale which describes the degree of ligamentous injury....
Achilles tendinopathy is the most common tendon injuries seen in our Boulder Physical Therapy practice. Patients often present with pain along the mid portion of the achilles tendon during walking, hiking, running, or jumping activities. The greatest risk factors for this condition include a loss of ankle flexibility (dorsiflexion) and calf weakness. Both of these...
A recent clinical practice guideline was published advising clinicians and patients on the management of achilles tendon injury (tendinopathy). These guidelines are based on both the available medical research and medical opinions from experts in the field. The Journal of Orthopedic and Sports Physical Therapy reported the following for management of mid portion achilles tendinopathy...
Plantar fasciitis (fasciosis) is a painful diagnosis limiting a patient’s ability to stand, walk, or run. The -itis of the name is a misnomer because very few cases of plantar heel pain involve an inflammatory process. Instead, a breakdown of soft tissue fibers and cells is noted in the plantar fascia reflecting the sequential stages...
Shoulder Pain and Impingement Background Shoulder pain is a common source of peripheral joint pain occurring at a prevalence rate of up to 47% across all age groups and is second most common cause of musculoskeletal pain(7,9). Symptoms of shoulder pain account for 33.2% of physician visits in the U.S. and are most frequently associated...
Heel Pain (Plantar Fasciitis) Background Plantar fasciitis/fasciosis is the most common cause of heel pain. Patient often complain of pain upon their first steps in the morning, sharp pain under the heel which may spread into the arch of the foot. These symp- toms are often worse on a return to standing or walking after...
Hip Pain associated with Impingement and Labral Tears Femoral Acetabular Impingement (FAI) is defined as the mechanical abutment of the femoral head against the acetabulum1. This contact is either structural (cam or pincer lesion), functional or a combination of both and results in pain, loss of motion, and disability. Researchers have questioned if the findings...
Cervical Radiculopathy Injuries and Symptoms Cervical radiculopathy occurs when a nerve from the neck becomes irritated or compressed by space occu- pying lesion including fluid, soft or bony tissues as it exits the spine. Patients often complain of sharp, burning pain down the arm, numbness, tingling, or weakness. This condition is most common in the...
