Snapping hip syndrome is a common injury among dancers, gymnasts, runners, and soccer players. Snapping hip syndrome occurs when a hip muscle or tendon slides and stretches over the hip bone, then snaps when tension is released during movement, causing pain and tightness in the front, back, or side of the hip. Physical therapy can help to loosen tension in the hip and strengthen and heal the muscles and tendons causing snapping hip syndrome for a safe return to sport and dance.

The MCL is the most commonly damaged ligament in the knee that can be sprained or ruptured when a large force is applied to it. The MCL provides support and stability to the knee during lateral and cutting movements and prevents the knee from bending inward toward the other knee. A physical therapist can help an athlete restore function, mobility, stability, and strength to the MCL through therapeutic exercise and targeted strengthening for a safe return to sport.

Strengthening your core muscles has numerous benefits, allowing you to walk upright, maintain good posture, control your movement, and engage in daily work and sports activities. The core muscles are the foundation of movement for your entire body, stabilizing the spine, pelvis, and shoulder. A physical therapist can help you properly strengthen core muscles based upon the functional stability you need for various activities. Mangiarelli Rehabilitation physical therapy assistant, Patti Ciferno, demonstrates beginner core strengthening exercises you can do at home.  

Iliotibial band syndrome (ITBS) is a common overuse injury among runners and cyclists in which the IT band becomes inflamed and painful due to repetitive stress on the IT band. The IT band is a thick band of connective tissue that extends from the pelvis to the tibia, connecting to the outside of the tibia just below the knee. Physical therapists can treat IT band syndrome to lessen pain, restore movement, and return to activity and sport safely through targeted strengthening, gait training, manual therapy, and functional training.

Breast cancer-related lymphedema can develop in 1 in 5 breast cancer survivors following surgery or treatment that damages or removes lymph nodes. Lymphedema is a build-up of fluid under the skin due to inadequate drainage of the lymphatic system that leads to swelling in the affected area. A certified lymphedema physical therapist can help you manage lymphedema through complete decongestive therapy. Check out our infographic to learn more!

On World Arthritis Day, we are explaining physical therapy treatment for knee osteoarthritis. Knee osteoarthritis is a degenerative joint disease characterized by knee pain, stiffness, and decreased strength. Physical therapists can help to reduce knee osteoarthritis symptoms, slow the progression of the disease, and create a customized, comprehensive program of exercise and manual therapy to help knee osteoarthritis patients move safely and improve function, strength, and range of motion in the knee joint.

In honor of National Physical Therapy Month, we are debunking 15 common myths about physical therapy on the blog. October is a month to celebrate and recognize the dedication of each of our physical therapists and physical therapy assistants at Mangiarelli Rehabilitation. Our focus is providing patient-centered, evidence-based physical therapy treatment customized to each patient’s specific condition. However, there are a number of misconceptions about physical therapy and what physical therapists do that we address and explain today!

Check out our October 2021 Newsletter that highlights the benefits of work conditioning, tips to avoid raking injuries this autumn, debunking common myths about knee pain, our fall donation drive for kid’s toys, and celebrating National Physical Therapy Month!

Hamstring injuries are one of the most common sports injuries, particularly in sports requiring high speed, agility, and explosive power. The hamstring muscles are critical for lower body movement, bending the knee to run and jump and controlling actions such as kicking. Preventing hamstring injury is essential and can be achieved through a targeted strengthening program. On the blog, Mangiarelli Rehabilitation physical therapist Mike demonstrates exercises you can do to strengthen your hamstring muscles.

Soccer is an incredibly popular sport with over 13 million Americans playing soccer, three million of whom are youth soccer players. Due to the intensity of soccer’s kicking, sprinting, fast changes in direction, and contact and the increase in year-round competition, both traumatic and overuse injuries can occur. Most soccer injuries occur in the lower extremities, particularly to the ankle, knee, and hamstrings. Physical therapists can help soccer players recover from injury safely through a comprehensive rehabilitation program.

Work conditioning is a customized program for the injured worker designed to help the worker regain strength, mobility, motor control, aerobic capacity, and functional skills to safely return to work. Upon completion of the work conditioning program, the physical therapist conducts a functional capacity test to determine the injured worker’s readiness to return to work. Work conditioning reduces the risk of a worker’s re-injury and provides the worker and employer the confidence that the worker can make a safe, sustainable return to work.

The season of autumn brings spectacular fall foliage. However, once the vibrant beauty of the colorful leaves fades, we are left with the job of raking and bagging enormous amounts of leaves. Weekly leaf raking can take a toll on your body, particularly if you are engaging in incorrect biomechanics that strain your back, neck, and shoulders. Check out our tips to help you avoid injury when raking this fall!

Is it Fact or Fiction? Our latest blog debunks the 10 most common myths about knee pain. Knee pain is one of the most common orthopedic conditions that lead patients to seek physical therapy. Physical therapy provides a safe, non-invasive, and effective way to reduce knee pain, improve mobility and strength, and restore function to the knee.

Check out our 10 tips to prevent injury during cheerleading. Cheerleading involves intense gymnastics tumbling, partner stunts, lifts, and tosses. The physical demands of cheerleading contribute to injuries to the ankle, wrist, shoulder, knee, back, neck, and head. Physical therapists can help cheerleaders not only safely heal from an injury sustained during cheerleading, but also help prevent injury through a targeted conditioning and strengthening program.

Football is a high-contact sport with one of the highest sport injury rates. Common football injuries include concussions, ACL tears, ankle sprains, turf toe, shoulder dislocation, rotator cuff tears, and hamstring strains. Physical therapy provides effective treatment for football-related injuries, helping the athlete to safely recover and return to sport when fully healed. Physical therapists help athletes regain strength, function, and range of motion through a targeted therapeutic exercise and strengthening program while managing pain and minimizing the risk of future injury.

September is #PainAwarenessMonth. While pain is an important survival mechanism to protect an injured area of the body, chronic pain is persistent pain that lasts beyond the normal healing process. Chronic pain develops when the nerves that communicate pain to the brain become hypersensitive, causing the brain to perceive that area of the body as a potential threat and therefore painful. Physical therapy offers safe and effective treatment for chronic pain, reducing pain and improving mobility, strength, and function.

Check out our September 2021 Newsletter which highlights Mangiarelli Rehabilitation’s commercial on 21 WFMJ, 2020 PTA Kent State Clinical Instructor of the Year awarded to our physical therapist, Jen, 8 tips for back-to-school ergonomics, and exercises to stabilize the shoulder.

Physical therapy is a safe and effective alternative to manage pain and reduce the use of opioids. Over the last two decades, opioid prescription rates have quadrupled. Opioids pose a significant risk with serious side effects like depression, addiction, and possible overdose. In 2016, the CDC recommended physical therapy and prescribed exercise as a safe alternative to managing long-term pain and preventing opioid use and addiction.

Mangiarelli Rehabilitation physical therapist, Sarah, demonstrates three exercises you can do to stabilize and strengthen your shoulder. The shoulder is a complex joint that allows for a significant amount of mobility and is stabilized by the surrounding shoulder musculature on and around the shoulder blade. Shoulder instability involves increased laxity of the shoulder joint in which the joint can “slip” in and out of the socket. A physical therapist can address shoulder instability and increase shoulder strength and stability through an exercise program that targets the rotator cuff muscles, scapular muscles, and lower and upper back muscles.

Check out our latest infographic with 8 Tips for Back-to-School Ergonomics! Carrying a school backpack can have significant biomechanical, physiological, and discomfort impacts on the wearer and can contribute to neck, back, and shoulder pain. Learn how to address body mechanics, posture, and the proper use of school-related equipment to protect students’ necks, shoulders, and backs from pain or injury with our back-to-school ergonomics tips!