Overhead athletes rely on their thoracic spine’s mobility and stability to generate power and prevent injury. In our Boulder Physical Therapy and Lafayette Physical Therapy clinics we examine the spine’s biomechanics and influence on patients with shoulder pain. Ruiz et al. (2020) reviewed the biomechanics of the thoracic spine in overhead sports and highlighted the...
As a CrossFit Athlete, skier, runner, pickle-baller, or anyone in between, warming up is crucial to reduce the risk of injury and improve performance. There is a significant body of scientific research supporting the importance of task specificity and muscle activation during warm-up exercises to reduce injury and increase performance. Below we outline some considerations...
Our brains create a remarkable and close to non stop dialogue in our heads throughout the day. Often this inner voice can be heard remembering or replaying prior events, as well as, contemplating future events. This voice has remarkable abilities that help separate from the rest of the animal kingdom. Researchers call this inner voice,...
In our Boulder Physical Therapy practice we often train the foundation of the body prior to moving to distal extremities. Physical Therapy exercises targeting the trunk musculature including the shoulder blades, core and spinal movers and stabilizers often are contributing factors to areas of pain in the extremities including the shoulder, knee, and elbow. Most...
In Boulder, cycling up canyons is part of lifestyle for many in our community and Boulder Physical Therapy clinic. These rides can be challenging as cyclists look to adjust their gears and bodies to gain an advantage over the challenging terrain. We have long know about the brain’s ability to limit a participant’s workout by...
Triathlon is one of the more popular sports in Boulder with individuals training at all competitive levels and distances. Depending on their competitive level and distance athletes will commonly train up to 25 hours per week for their upcoming races. Surprisingly authors reports only half of triathletes utilize strength training in their weekly hours secondary...
After a sports injury it is normal to feel apprehension or concern about re injury when returning to practice or competition. In our Boulder Physical Therapy practice, our Physical Therapists utilize objective tests to quantify strength, power, and function asymmetries following an injury or surgery to ensure a patient is ready to return to their...
Plyometrics have been utilized in late stage Physical Therapy and strength and conditioning programs for decades. These jumping and bounding movements are initially attributed to the Russian track and field coach Verkhoshanski in the 1960s as shock or jump training. The term plyometrics is attributed to Purdue University track and field coach Fred Wilt in...
Boulder is one of our country’s hubs for endurance athletes including those training for one of the race distances in triathlon. In our Physical Therapy practice we frequently evaluate and treat triathletes’ injuries allowing them to return to the high volume of training required in their sport. The vast majority of these injured athletes are...
Caffeine is a well established stimulant enjoyed by many adults, in many forms, around the world each day. Users have known about its’ performance effects since the beginning with researchers confirming its’ performance benefits over the last century. It is one of the few well established performance enhancing drugs and was previously restricted and is...