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And Why They Work Dr. Rani Helvey-Byers, PT, DPT, OCS, RYT-500 Low back pain can be a debilitating condition that affects upwards of 619 million people globally, making it the leading cause of musculoskeletal disability worldwide [1]. Further, treating low back pain is expensive. Studies show the annual average cost spent on treating low back...

Ankle mobility is essential for both daily walking tasks as well as higher level athletics and sports participation.  In our Physical Therapy practice in Boulder we see a loss of dorsiflexion, bending, among athletes with lower extremity injuries and conditions.  A lack of ankle bend, dorsiflexion, has been associated with many conditions including heel pain, plantar...

Ankle mobility, in particular dorsiflexion, is an essential mobility need for athletics and every day activities including stair climbing and squatting. Interestingly, authors have shown side to side asymmetries of 6 degrees, > 20% were greater than 10 degrees, are common between legs in both healthy and injured populations Prior research has demonstrated altered dynamic...

Lack Of Hip Mobility Impacts Low Back Pain Symptoms

Do you have low back pain? At our Boulder Physical Therapy and Lafayette Physical Therapy clinics we often examine your hip mobility even though your low back is your area of complaint. Adjacent areas to the back, including the hip, can influence how we move and perform each day. A recent study investigated the relationship...

In a previous blog we wrote about why you should not spend your valuable exercise time rolling your iliiotibial (IT) band.  In short, this strong fibrous band will not stretch or move in response to any painful exercise with a foam roller or soft tissue tool of your choice.  This is a classic example of...

The achilles tendon is a strong, durable structure capable of absorbing and producing large loads as we walk, hike, and run.  When the tendon is overloaded without adequate recovery periods this structure is prone to painful and limiting conditions such as achilles tendonitis and tendinopathy.  One of the important risk factors for achilles injury among...

Most of us perform stretching and mobility as a complement to our endurance and strength training.  Mobility work clearly has a role in our programs to reduce stiffness, soreness, and improve our ability to move more comfortably through a functional range of motion.  Our previous blog posts have described the debates around the roles of...