Ankle sprains are the most common traumatic injuries among rock climbers (Jones et al, 2016) and are one of the most common injuries in the lower quarter affecting with an estimated 2 million cases occurring each year in the U.S. These injuries most commonly occur when landing from falling or jumping off a boulder. Manual...
By Dr. Emily Fuller, PT, DPT Ankle sprains are a common injury among rock climbers, particularly when landing from a fall or jumping off a boulder. While most ankle sprains recover well, returning to bouldering after an ankle sprain requires more than being able to walk without pain or climb an easy problem. Eventually, you...
Most people expect a sprained ankle to settle on its own, and many do. But in a survey of 467 patients seen for an ankle sprain in a general clinic, 72.6% still reported symptoms 6 to 18 months later (Braun, 1999). Pain, giving way, and repeat sprains are the problems that bring people to us,...
Muscle strains and tendinopathies are common injuries we treat in our Boulder Physical Therapy and Lafayette Physical Therapy clinics. Common areas for muscle strains include the hamstrings, quads, calves, hip flexors and low back, while common areas for tendinopathies are the Achilles tendon, patellar tendon (jumper’s knee), and the rotator cuff. The nature of these...
By: Rani Helvey-Byers, PT, DPT, OCS Ribs are a commonly injured site among Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) athletes. Movements such as heavy crossfaces, body triangles, knee-on-belly, and explosive scrambles can wreak quite the havoc on your ribs. Grappling style also affects the risk of rib injury. One study found that athletes who primarily played a top...
By Dr. Emily Fuller, PT, DPT You feel great during your warm-up. The first few rounds of your workout are going smoothly. Then, somewhere between another set of deadlifts, a few minutes on the rower, and the next round of wall balls, you start to notice it: your low back feels tight, tired, or painful....
Pain around or behind the kneecap that flares on stairs, squats, running, or long stretches of sitting is usually patellofemoral pain (PFP). It is common, with a 2018 meta-analysis in PLOS ONE putting annual prevalence in the general population at 22.7%, and it has a reputation for lingering. Current guidelines are clear about where treatment...
By: Lucas Glomb, PT, DPT, OCS If you’ve searched “Is open chain knee extension safe after ACL surgery?” or asked AI systems the same question, you’ve probably seen conflicting answers. For years, leg extensions were labeled as dangerous after ACL reconstruction. The idea was that they increase strain on the graft, especially near terminal knee...
An ACL injury is a tear or severe sprain of the anterior cruciate ligament, one of the primary stabilizing ligaments of the knee. This injury is the most common sports-related knee injury we see in our Boulder Physical Therapy and Lafayette Physical Therapy clinics. Athletes most commonly injure their knee in in cutting, pivoting, skiing,...
An ACL tear does not automatically mean surgery is required. In the past, reconstruction was commonly recommended for nearly every ACL injury. However, more recent research shows some patients can achieve similar outcomes with structured physical therapy compared to surgery followed by rehabilitation. Studies comparing early surgery with early physical therapy have found no significant...
