Knee Arthritis Background Information Osteoarthritis (OA) costs have risen to 13.2 billion dollars per year and is the leading cause of disability in adults (1). Knee OA is the most common area affected and leads to mild to moderate disability in more than 10% of adults over age 55 (2). Up to 70% of...
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...
Background Sacroiliac (SI) joint pain is an less common source of low back pain but has a higher incidence pregnant and post partum patients, as well as, after trauma. The incidence of SI pain in patients with low back pain is 13% (9-26%) (1). The majority of patients will report buttock pain (94%), lower lumbar...
Healthcare demonstrates significant swings of the pendulum in examination and treatment trends. Thankfully the medical evidence helps balance these swings allowing us to come to a more appropriate balance in clinical practice. Unfortunately, unchecked bias in a clinician, such as confirmation bias, can lead to missed diagnoses and inappropriate treatments. In Physical Therapy, this can...
The pelvic floor consists of muscles, ligaments, fascia and nerves located within the bony pelvis of women and men. In physical therapy we often discuss the muscles of the pelvic floor and may simply refer to these as the “pelvic floor”. These muscles serve essential functions including: Support for pelvic organs (bladder, uterus, bowel) Control...
“Do your kegels.” How often do pregnant women hear that little phrase? These days, most prenatal apps, books, or health care professionals will tell a pregnant patient to do their kegels at some point during pregnancy. How many should you do, how often, should you really be doing them, and how do you even know...
The 6-week postpartum doctor’s visit is when women are often “cleared” for activity and are often advised to start slowly and gradually build exercise volume. Running is a popular activity in the postpartum population given the flexibility of scheduling exercise, weight loss and fitness benefits and ability to participate in exercise with your baby (once...
A recent article in the Journal of Orthopaedic and Sports Physical Therapy (Deering et al, June 2020) discusses the research currently available to guide a return to exercise (including competitive sport) after pregnancy and childbirth. The short answer is, there’s not much. The article proposes a 3 phase approach to postpartum recovery in athletes. Phases...
Diastasis recti abdominis (DRA) is a normal thinning of the connective tissue known as the linea alba as a response to increased intra abdominal pressure (IAP). Studies estimate that around 60% of first time mothers at 6 weeks postpartum will have a DRA. A study by Sperstad et al. in 2016, notes that the presence...
What’s considered “normal” when it comes to bladder health and urination? The following is some basic information I use to screen people for possible bladder dysfunction and help them better identify the habits that may be contributing to their urinary symptoms. It’s important to remember there is no exact set of normal bladder habits, but...
