Knee pain remains one of the most common reasons patients seek care from a primary care physician and Physical Therapist. The knee is uniquely placed between two long levers in the thigh and leg bones. The levers significantly increase the effect of impairments in the ankle and hip joints on the knee. Commonly, patients present...
One of the milestones of return to sport or recreational activities after injury is the restoration of strength often measured as a percentage of the involved extremity. Measurements should be at least 90% of the uninvolved limb before returning to sport. Those who have returned from injury know the last 10% can be the hardest...
Neck pain will affect up to 70% of the population at some point in their lifetimes. Thankfully the vast majority of these cases are not serious in nature and will improve with conservative treatments including Physical Therapy. Within Physical Therapy, a manual therapy (mobilization and manipulation) and strengthening exercise approach has been shown to be...
In a strength training exercises two main phases of the lift are experienced by the participant. The first is the concentric contraction involving a shortening of the muscle under load as the weight is moved to the end of the movement. The second or eccentric contraction involves the lengthening of the muscle under load as...
Pain on the front of the knee (patellofemoral pain syndrome) is the most common diagnosis behind knee pain and one of the most common conditions found in sports medicine and Physical Therapy clinics. Although multifactorial in nature, symptoms arise due to abnormal contact between the knee cap and the thigh bone at the knee joint....
Muscle imbalances, muscle strength and length differences across an individual joint, are frequently examined by Physical Therapists in individuals with pain, loss of function, or disease. For example, imbalances between our shoulder external and internal rotators have been shown to correlate with multiple shoulder disorders and help predict success after surgery. In addition, asymmetries in...
In a previous post we detailed the injury risk and loss of performance associated with side to side leg strength imbalances. These imbalances often result from prior or current injury, as well as, the unique demands on an athletes sport or activity. In our Boulder Physical Therapy practice we commonly assess these imbalances with an...
One of the main benefits of resistance training, in both the fitness and Physical Therapy settings, is the increase in strength and muscle size in trained individuals. These benefits have been shown to improve an individual’s function and reduce their risk of future injury. One of the keys to success with this training is the...
At this point in the year, many of our Boulder endurance athletes have completed their respective seasons of running, cycling, and triathlon competitions. Upon reflection, few of these athletes reached the end of their seasons without a missed training day or competition due to injury. This is a very common occurrence as athletes push their...
Rock climbing remains one of the most popular outdoor sports in Colorado and the United States with over 10 million participants each year. On average, climbers experience 4-5 injuries per 1000 hours of climbing participation or 1-2 unique injuries per career. Over 90% of these injuries are overuse in nature commonly involving muscles, tendons, and...
