Back pain is the most common reason patients seek care from their primary care physician and Physical Therapist. Mend’s clinicians in our Boulder Physical Therapy and Lafayette Physical Therapy clinics specialize in the treatment of this painful diagnosis. Physical Therapists in our clinics utilize hands on treatments, including mobilization and spinal manipulation, dry needling, and...
Low back pain is a common condition best treated by Physical Therapists due to their unique ability to effectively provide all evidence based treatments (including spinal manipulation, directional exercise, and strength training) for this patient population. Large systematic reviews of the existing medical literature have repeatedly shown the benefits of strength training to reduce the...
By: John Crawley, PT, DPT, OCS A good functioning shoulder is essential to a climber’s performance. When the shoulder is healthy, reaching for holds and holding strenuous positions feels secure. Whether you’re yarding on a deep lock-off at the gym, pressing out a corner in Eldo, or snatching holds during big deadpoints while in Rocky...
Arm Injuries in Throwers Throwing injuries among baseball players are on the rise with a 54% and 58% increase in disability and days missed, respectively, over a one year period.(5,6) Recent evidence suggests that up to 50% of professional pitchers and 47% of youth level players can expect an injury limiting their participation in baseball.(1,12)...
The rotator cuff is a group of four muscles that coordinate movement and provide dynamic stability of the shoulder joint. These muscles are crucial for rock climbers who put extreme stresses through their shoulders, often in awkward positions that can cause bone structures to rub or impinge on the rotator cuff muscles. Because of this,...
By: Chelsey Vasquez, PT, DPT, PRPC Many breast cancer survivors continue to experience shoulder pain, tightness, weakness, and limited mobility long after treatment ends. A new 2026 study published in the Journal of Cancer Survivorship found that a multimodal physical therapy approach may significantly improve pain, function, and quality of life for women dealing with...
Ehlers‑Danlos Syndrome (EDS) is a group of genetic connective tissue disorders that affect collagen formation—the protein that helps provide the structure to skin, joints, and organs. This condition can lead to joint hypermobility, frequent dislocations, and persistent pain. Because EDS affects the connective tissue throughout the body, it often requires a multidisciplinary management approach focused...
By: Chelsey Vasquez, PT, DPT, PRPC and Erica Tran, PT, DPT, OCS For many women, childbirth recovery includes more than just sleep deprivation and adjusting to life with a newborn. Perineal tearing during delivery is extremely common and can sometimes lead to lingering pelvic pain, scar sensitivity, or pain with intercourse months after giving birth....
Patients often receive exercise handouts from physicians when initially presenting with musculoskeletal pain. The idea behind the handout makes sense on the surface, a low cost treatment option which may help a patient’s symptoms. Unfortunately, these handouts (often photocopied to death) lack specificity including providing the right handout to the right patient, as well as,...
Tennis elbow or lateral epicondylalgia is a common overuse injury in the upper extremity. Initially believed to be an inflammatory process or tendinitis newer research has instead found a degenerative process consistent with cellular turnover (remodeling) in tendon where the muscles of the wrist and fingers attach into the arm. Current Physical Therapy best practice...
