Shoulder pain is one of the most common reasons patients seek care from their primary care physician and Physical Therapist. The most common shoulder diagnosis among these patients is impingement. This diagnosis occurs when soft tissue structures in the shoulder, such as the rotator cuff, are compressed between the bones of the shoulder. Although a...
By: Lucas Glomb, PT, DPT, OCS Firefighting is one of the most physically demanding professions, requiring strength, endurance, and agility in unpredictable and high-stress environments. Due to the nature of the job, firefighters are at a heightened risk for musculoskeletal injuries that can impact their performance and long-term health. ✅ Heavy loads + overhead work...
Dr. Ian Nay, PT, DPT, OCS Shoulder pain is one of the most common musculoskeletal disorders that we see at MEND, and in fact, will affect about 25% of all individuals at some point in their lives (1). Pain-relieving injections such as cortisone or corticosteroids have traditionally been used as a first-line treatment for shoulder...
Are you a runner with knee pain? Or a CrossFit athlete who has knee pain with squatting or box jumps? Does your MRI show decreased thickness of the cartilage in your patella (kneecap) or femur/tibia?. These are very common conditions that we treat at MEND. There is extensive evidence in the research that shows that...
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...
The meniscus are found on the inside and outside of each knee. They provide cushion and stability between the two bones joining at the knee. A meniscal tear is one of the more common knee injuries and can occur with trauma such as compression and rotation (ex. cutting) or occur with aging. The latter tear,...
In our Lafayette Physical Therapy and Boulder Physical Therapy clinics we often have my patients ask whether a steroid injection is appropriate for managing their symptoms of tendon pain. This question does not have a simple answer. While corticosteroids can be effective for pain relief and inflammation control there are underlying physiological changes that happen...
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,...
Shoulder pain is a common musculoskeletal problem and one of the top reasons patients seek care from their primary care physician. There are many sources of shoulder pain including impingement and rotator cuff tendonitis or tears, but they all have one impairment in common altered muscle recruitment. When pain is introduced into the body the...
Wrist strategy for maintaining balance in a handstand The handstand is a unique position that requires placing one’s entire weight through the hands. Different strategies can be adopted to maintain balance in the handstand on the floor. Studies looking at successful strategies for maintaining balance in high-level handbalancers concluded that more experienced handbalancers relied on...
