Athletico Health Resources

Elite athletes jumping into tubs filled with ice water after a tough workout is a fairly cliché scene in sports movies, but for good reason. Ice baths have become a post-workout habit that countless professional athletes take very seriously. Kobe Bryant is so dedicated to taking ice baths that his personal tub of cold water has gotten its own police escort! Hearing things like that makes people wonder how something as simple as ice water can be beneficial to the world’s most successful athletes. When asked, those athletes will often cite reduced muscle soreness, faster recovery, and injury prevention as their main reasons for taking the plunge. (more…)

It seems you cannot turn on the TV lately without hearing something about another professional athlete who is suffering from the effects of a concussion. A concussion is a serious brain injury and is very difficult to assess and treat as MRIs and CT scans are almost always normal. If not treated properly, these concussions can cause both short- and long-term problems. One treatment that is getting more and more attention is the use of vestibular physical therapy for individuals who have been concussed. (more…)

At first, hydration might seem like a dry topic, but there is more to it than just drinking water. Many people may not realize that hydration levels can affect everything from essential bodily functions to your mental and physical performance levels, making it an ideal topic to cover with hordes of athletes returning to their sports this week. (more…)

Editor’s Note: Today’s post is written by Mark Kaufman, PT, ATC, Athletico president and founder.

Every four years, we get to appreciate an event that ‘takes us away’ for a special 16-day period. I am speaking of the Olympic Games, of course. As we approach the London Olympic Games set to open this Friday, memories of past Olympic highlights flow through my mind and bring on the excitement of what I am sure is to come, the creation of more memories. (more…)

Working on your balance probably isn’t an integral part of your everyday life, but I’m prepared to make the case that it should be. The benefits for improved balance range from a reduced risk of injury to improving intelligence and even potentially increasing one’s life span. With that in mind, here are my five reasons to work on improving your balance, as well as some ideas on how to get started. (more…)

Editor’s Note: Today’s post is written by Jeff Stein, PT, DPT, MS, ATC, who is the team physical therapist for the Chicago White Sox and was the Head Team Athletic Trainer/Physical Therapist for the Purdue Men’s Basketball Team from 2006-2012. Stein helped rehabilitate All-American basketball player Robbie Hummel of Purdue and NBA player Carl Landry after ACL injuries, among many other athletes.

Derrick Rose had done it thousands of times before, a simple jump stop for a shot or pass, but this one was different. With one wrong movement, his season was over. On that fateful night, Rose tore the Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) in his knee, and immediately the questions arose. How long will he be out? Would he ever be the same? Is his career over? The good news is, despite the abrupt ending to the season, with the surgical repair and the rehabilitation Rose undergoes with the Bulls’ athletic trainers and physical therapists, the odds are good that he’ll regain his form and be the MVP-caliber player he was before. (more…)

Running season has arrived and a lot of you wanted to hit the ground running, but instead, you hit the ground hurting…hurting on the outside of your knee. If that’s the case, you could have iliotibial band syndrome (ITBS) or IT band syndrome for short. IT band syndrome is an overuse injury that is common in endurance athletes like runners and bikers. It affects a tissue that runs from the side of your hip all of the way down past your knee. Most of the time, the inflammation manifests itself as pain on the outside of the knee. It can be incredibly painful and is typically a frustratingly stubborn injury to deal with.
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Plantar fasciitis can be a real pain in the foot. Plantar fasciitis is the medical term for inflammation of the plantar fascia, which is the connective tissue that runs along the bottom of your foot. If you’ve ever had pain in the bottom of your foot with the first few steps out of bed in the morning, you’ve probably had some experience with this painful condition. (more…)