Blog

Mend Physical Therapy Blog and Injury Information
Improving Osteoporosis With Exercise

In our Boulder Physical Therapy and Lafayette Physical Therapy clinics we commonly receive questions on the benefits of exercise on bone density. High intensity resistance training and impact training have been shown to improve indices of bone strength in postmenopausal women with low bone mineral density (Watson et al. 2018). High intensity resistance training and...

Cold Water Immersion After Training May Negatively Effect Muscle Growth

The utilization of cold temperatures whether in the form of air temperature, water immersion, or ice baths after exercise is not new, but participation in this intervention is on the rise.  As the popularity of cold water immersion increases it continues to outpace the available research supporting its’ utilization.  Overall the research has significant methodological...

Closed Kinetic Chain: Unlocking Shoulder Pain For Climbers

Introduction Climbing is a physically demanding and exhilarating sport that requires a combination of strength, balance, coordination, and flexibility. Unfortunately, when injuries to the shoulder occur some elements of good shoulder function tend to be negatively impacted. With any good Physical Therapy program, the compromised elements are found and targeted with exercise to restore function....

Utilizing The Hangboard To Improve Your Rock Climbing

The World of Hangboard Somewhere along your jaunt down the nice wandering cobble set path of life you were unexpectedly jabbed by the climbing bug, its infectious poison penetrating all the way into your soul, leaving your mind consumed with the indomitable desire to get vertical. The only way you have found to cull the...

Can Exercise Prevent Neck Pain?

Neck pain is one of the most common reasons Americans seek care from their primary care physician and Physical Therapist.  In our Boulder Physical Therapy and Lafayette Physical Therapy clinics we commonly treat neck pain through manual therapy, patient education, and high level exercise.  Current medical research supports the utilization of manual therapy, including spinal...

Utilizing The Vertical Pull To Reduce Your Low Back Pain

Low back pain is one of the most common reasons people visit their primary care physician and Physical Therapist. In our Boulder and Lafayette Physical Therapy clinics we effectively treat this condition with education, spinal manipulation, and exercise. This latter intervention has the greatest long term effects on symptoms and risk of symptom recurrence. In...

Using Push Ups To Improve Your Handstand

 In our Boulder Physical Therapy clinic we are often asked what is the most important muscle to work on with exercise if you’re training or looking to train handstands. When it comes to muscles in the shoulder, there’s one that seems to be more important than the rest for handstands. A study by Kinoshita et...

Why Every Rock Climber Should Strength Train

Strength training is not utilized by rock climbers enough! While many people assume that strength training is only for building muscle, showing off the biceps, and being able to campus better, there are numerous additional benefits that directly carry over into improving your climbing performance. In this article, we will explore the various benefits of...

3 Ways You Should Change Your Exercise Routine During Your Perimenopausal and Menopausal Years

Many women are aware of the multitude of undesirable symptoms that occur in the perimenopausal period (the menopausal transition where you go from a regular menstrual cycle to a very irregular cycle) including reduced energy level, mood changes,hot flashes, and body composition changes including loss of lean muscle mass and increased abdominal fat. For the...

Should I Perform Front Or Back Squats

The squat is one of the most commonly prescribed exercises in our Boulder Physical Therapy and Lafayette Physical Therapy practice. With so many variations of this strength training exercise you may be wondering which exercise prescription is best for you. The squat in particular has two primary variations, the front squat and the back squat....