Rehab of the Overhead Athlete: Spine Considerations
Posted on by Andrew Albers, DPT, COMT, FAAOMPT
The spine is a vital component of overhead athlete rehabilitation, and when addressed appropriately, it may help decrease overall recovery times and increase outcomes. This blog will discuss considerations, techniques, and exercises for addressing the spine in overhead athletes.
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Should I Improve My Hip Flexibility?
Posted on by Kathleen Habschmidt PT, DPT
Hip flexibility refers to the ability of the muscles surrounding your hips to lengthen and move through their full range of motion. The main muscles include hip flexors, hamstrings, glutes, and inner thigh muscles. Tightness in these areas can show up as stiffness, discomfort, or reduced mobility during activities like walking, squatting, getting up from a chair, or climbing stairs.
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Staying Comfortable in the Classroom: Five Stretches for Students and Teachers
Posted on by Courtney Fullenkamp PT, DPT
We wish all our teachers, students, and parents all the luck as they kick off a new school year. Whether you are preparing your classroom, purchasing new school supplies, trying on new gym sneakers, moving into your first dorm, or starting a technical program here at Athletico, we wish you all the best success as you begin this next year full of learning and fun. With all of the excitement of a new school year below, you will find a list of simple stretches to keep your body in tip-top shape during your time in the classroom.
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Is Walking Backwards Good for Your Health? 5 Benefits You Didn’t Expect
Posted on by Brandon Jones, PTA, BS, MBPR
Have you ever seen someone walking backwards at a park or gym and wondered why? While it might look unusual, backward walking has been practiced for decades in countries like China and Japan—and for good reason. It turns out, this simple activity can offer a wide range of health benefits.
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4 Lifestyle Changes for Long-Term Pain Management
Posted on by Tony Matoska, PT, DPT, CMPT
Living with chronic pain can feel overwhelming. Whether it’s lingering back pain, joint stiffness, or widespread discomfort, it often interferes with the things you love like work, hobbies, and time with family. While physical therapy is an important part of treatment, it’s only one piece of the puzzle. Making key lifestyle changes can significantly reduce your pain and improve your quality of life.
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Move Better, Feel Better: 5 Tips to Restore Your Range of Motion
Posted on by Zachary Vandenberg, DPT
We’ve all felt stiffness after sitting for too long or bending over. Limited range of motion (ROM) can affect how you move, how you feel, and even how you perform during physical activity. Whether you’re an athlete, a weekend warrior, or just someone looking to stay active and pain-free, restoring flexibility is key to staying mobile and avoiding injury.
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Injury Prevention for Summer Sports
Posted on by Tanner Neuberger, PT, DPT, TDN Level 1
Summer sports are in full swing! Baseball and softball seasons are thriving, and off-season prep for fall sports like football, cross country, and volleyball is ramping up. With how busy youth athletics have become, many young athletes juggle multiple teams and training programs throughout the summer. While this high activity level can be exciting and rewarding, it also increases the risk for overuse injuries. Taking proactive steps toward injury prevention is more important than ever.
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Strength Training for Rhythmic Gymnasts
Posted on by Tara Hackney, PT, DPT, OCS, KTTP
Rhythmic gymnastics is a sport where athletes combine dance, tumbling, and the use of an apparatus to perform high-level athletic routines. Rhythmic gymnasts require extreme flexibility. They also need strength to perform their leaps, turns, holds, and acrobatic skills. Weightlifting is a common way that many athletes build strength. However, in the rhythmic gymnastics world, weightlifting has mixed thoughts. Historically, gymnasts have a desire for a certain body type. They may avoid weightlifting to avoid “bulking” up. Rhythmic gymnasts indeed need to maintain flexibility to perform their skills. However, strengthening should be an important component of their overall training program.
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