Our nervous system is excellent at notifying us to a painful (noxious) stimulus in acute situations such as touching a hot stove or stepping on a lego. Under normal conditions as the painful stimulus resolves due to avoiding the behavior or tissue healing pain is no longer represented in the brain. For reasons we don’t...
Achilles tendon injuries, tendonitis or tendinopathy, are a common lower quarter injury among athletes. Studies suggest a lifetime prevalence of up to 25% among higher risk sports including jumping athletes. In our Boulder and Lafayette Physical Therapy clinics we commonly see achilles tendinopathy among our runners and team sport athletes. Most commonly we see this...
Shoulder pain is one of the most common reasons patients seek care from their primary care physician and Physical Therapist. In our Boulder Physical Therapy and Lafayette Physical Therapy offices we successfully treat many shoulder conditions including rotator cuff tears, shoulder impingement, and tendinitis/tendinopathy. Half of all shoulder conditions involve the tendons of the rotator...
By: Robert Adams, PT, DPT, OCS In our Boulder Physical Therapy and Lafayette Physical Therapy practices we often treat patients looking to improve pain and performance in their yoga practice. “Yoga Butt” is a common issue in yoga where one experiences pain with forward folds and hamstring stretches. This condition is also known as a...
Achilles tendon pain, previously called achilles tendinitis and now called achilles tendinopathy, is a common condition in both sedentary, active, and athletic populations. Researchers estimate this condition will affect between up to 1 in 5 runners in their lifespan with the highest prevalence among all athletes found in ages younger than 45. In our practice...
Platelet Rich Plasma continues to gain in popularity for the treatment of a variety of musculoskeletal conditions. Currently, the clinical application of PRP significantly outpaces the amount of research backing its’ utilization in patients. Explaining in part why this treatment is often not covered by insurance companies for the treatment of these conditions. Patients in...
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...
Tendon injuries are one of the most common sports injuries seen in our Lafayette and Boulder Physical Therapy clinics. Most often overuse in nature, tendon injuries can significantly limit an individual’s ability to perform their daily and recreational activities. Tendinopathy, formerly known as tendinitis, describes the chronic cellular chemical and structural changes that occur...
Lateral elbow pain, previously known as tennis elbow, is the most common reason for elbow pain and 2nd most common overuse injury in the arm after the shoulder. Lateral elbow pain was previously described as an inflammatory condition involving the wrist and finger extensor muscles insertion into the elbow. We now know this condition affects...
Our understanding of tendon pain and injuries has changed significantly over the last two decades and has driven changes in Physical Therapy treatment selection. As a profession we have moved away from a rest and immobilization approach and replaced it with an active approach designed to first strengthen the tendon’s muscle and secondly heal or...