Aquatic therapy utilizes the physical properties of water to help patients heal and regain strength, balance, and function without placing unnecessary pressure on healing joints in a safe environment. Balance is essential to your daily life, allowing you to maintain a stable, upright position when standing, walking, sitting, and climbing stairs.  Check out four ways aquatic therapy can enhance balance training!

Exercise is one of the most effective ways to improve arthritic pain, stiffness, and decreased range of motion in your joints.

The goal of an exercise program for those with arthritis is to preserve or restore range of motion and flexibility in affected joints, increase muscle strength and endurance to take stress off of arthritic joints, and increase aerobic conditioning to reduce health risks associated with a sedentary lifestyle.

Check out 7 benefits of exercise for arthritis!

Check out our 8 tips for fall sports conditioning safety. Fall sports conditioning serves as a foundation upon which the sports season's success is built and can help reduce the number of in-season injuries.

Fall sports conditioning involves a program of weight training and aerobic sport-specific conditioning that allows the athlete to slowly acclimate to the demands of the sport by gradually increasing the intensity and volume of their training over time.

Check out our three tips for backpack safety this school season!

Check out our August 2024 Newsletter, highlighting backpack and school ergonomics tips, physical therapy for swimmer's shoulder, and three golf elbow exercises.

Check out our infographic on backpack and school ergonomic tips! Carrying a backpack can have significant biomechanical, physiological, and discomfort impacts on a child during a critical time of growth, placing undue stress on the body, changing posture, and leading to back, neck and shoulder pain. Our 7 tips highlight how to ensure the backpack is loaded safely carried correctly, proper posture and lifting technique when using a backpack, and computer use safety while at school.

Golfer’s elbow is an overuse injury that develops when the flexor tendons of the forearm become inflamed due to repetitive use of the forearm, hand, wrist, and elbow. Golfer’s elbow can affect golfers, baseball and softball players, those who work on computers all day, and manual laborers in construction, carpentry, or plumbing. Physical therapy offers timely and effective treatment for golfer’s elbow to reduce pain, restore function and strength to the elbow, forearm, and wrist, and address body mechanics to prevent recurrence of the condition.

Swimmer’s shoulder is the most common swimming-related shoulder injury, often caused by overuse due to the repetitive overhead motion of the swim stroke that irritates and inflames the rotator cuff muscles and tendons, leading to pain and limited shoulder mobility. Physical therapy is one of the most effective treatments for swimmer’s shoulder, utilizing a targeted manual therapy, stretching, and strength and conditioning exercise program to restore shoulder function, mobility, and strength and a safe return to competitive swimming.

Check out our July 2024 Newsletter, highlighting managing cervicogenic headaches with physical therapy, physical therapy management for scoliosis, and three shoulder stabilization exercises.

Check out our infographic on physical therapy management of scoliosis! Scoliosis is a condition that affects the normal shape of the spine, altering a person’s back alignment and posture and causing a lateral curvature of the spine. Physical therapy is an effective, non-invasive treatment method to manage scoliosis, stabilize the scoliosis curve, improve postural alignment, enhance neuromuscular control and muscular strength, and improve overall function in individuals with scoliosis.

Cervicogenic headaches are caused by musculoskeletal dysfunction in the upper cervical spine that refers pain to the head, often developing on one side of the head. Physical therapy is often the first line of treatment for cervicogenic headaches and can help manage pain and address the underlying cause of the headache pain through a targeted manual therapy and strengthening exercises program.

A sports hernia involves weakening or tearing in the muscles, tendons, or ligaments of the lower abdominal and groin area that leads to chronic pain, often caused by repetitive and forceful twisting of your pelvis. Sports hernias are most seen in soccer players due to the dynamic nature of the sport, rapid changes in direction, intense sprinting, and repetitive twisting and turning when kicking. Physical therapy can help athletes manage and recover from a sports hernia, addressing underlying muscular imbalances that contributed to injury through targeted exercise, core strengthening, and manual therapy.

Check out our June 2024 Newsletter, highlighting 7 benefits of exercise for individuals with arthritis, benefits of physical therapy after a stroke infographic, and physical therapy's role in osteoporosis management.

Following a stroke, physical therapy is essential to help stroke survivors regain strength, coordination, balance, and motor control as well as address stroke-related physiological impairments through a supervised and customized exercise program. A stroke occurs when the blood flow to an area of the brain is decreased, obstructed, or stopped, which deprives the brain cells of oxygen, causing cell death. Physical therapists help stroke survivors optimize their function after the stroke, enhance their level of independence, and improve their quality of life. Check out our infographic on the benefits of physical therapy after a stroke!

Osteoporosis is a bone disease that causes decreased bone mineral density and changes in bone structure, leading to bones that are thin, porous, and brittle, and more susceptible to fractures. Factors, such as hormonal changes, nutritional deficiencies, a sedentary lifestyle, family history, and certain medications and diseases, can contribute to the development of osteoporosis. Physical therapy plays a critical role in managing osteoporosis, helping those with osteoporosis maintain and build bone density through a customized exercise program.

A perineal tear during childbirth is common during vaginal delivery, involving stretching or tearing of the perineum, the area between the vagina and anus. Perineal tears can lead to pelvic floor dysfunction, urinary or fecal incontinence, and painful sex. The risk of suffering a perineal tear is heightened if you are a first-time mom, had prolonged pushing during labor, delivered a large baby, used forceps during delivery, or if mom is of an older maternal age. Pelvic floor therapy with a physical therapist is one of the most effective and efficient ways to treat perineal pain after childbirth and restore function and strength to the pelvic floor muscles.

Exercise is one of the most effective ways to improve arthritic pain, stiffness, and decreased range of motion in your joints. Arthritis is a chronic, progressive condition that causes inflammation, pain, and stiffness in one or more joints. The goal of an exercise program for those with arthritis is to preserve or restore range of motion and flexibility in affected joints, increase muscle strength & endurance to take stress off of arthritic joints, and increase aerobic conditioning. Check out seven benefits of exercise for those with arthritis and our tips for how to exercise safely with arthritis!

Check out our May 2024 Newsletter, highlighting punching out Parkinson's with therapeutic boxing, completing the stress cycle with exercise, 3 exercises to alleviate piriformis syndrome, and spring donation drive thank you.

Stress is defined as an experience that is emotionally or physically challenging that poses a threat to homeostasis in your body. When you experience a stressor, your body responds with the stress response system, which activates the sympathetic nervous system, causes a fight or flight response, and increases cortisol and adrenaline in your body to survive the threat. It is essential to complete the stress cycle, as remaining in a chronic state of stress can have significant negative effects psychologically and physiologically. Exercise is one of the best ways to complete the stress response cycle by engaging your body in movement, which communicates to your body that you are fleeing or surviving the threat of the stressor.

Tarsal tunnel syndrome results from compression of the posterior tibial nerve as it passes through the tarsal tunnel. The tarsal tunnel is a narrow space located on the inside of the ankle, containing the tibial nerve which provides feeling to the heel and foot and aids in foot function. Tarsal tunnel syndrome can cause debilitating pain, numbness, and tingling in the foot and ankle and limit ankle and foot mobility and function. Physical therapy can play a critical role in improving the function and mobility of those with tarsal tunnel syndrome through a targeted strengthening, stretching, manual therapy, and nerve gliding treatment program.