Adjusting Your Bicycle to Alleviate Pain
Due to the repetitive nature of cycling, cyclists are at a higher risk for repetitive stress injuries. Some of these injuries may be caused by an improperly adjusted bicycle. When a bicycle is not ideally adjusted to fit you, you will experience higher levels of stress in certain areas of the body. This will eventually lead to tissue injury and pain. Think of it this way: if you were to use your finger to push on one small area of your skin 10 times, your body is able to adapt to that stress and there is no injury. If you were to push on that same area of your skin 1,000 times, you end up with a bruise, which indicates tissue injury. (more…)
Physical Therapy and Scar Tissue
A former patient recently approached me with questions about whether Athletico could help him overcome a challenge that had recently developed for him. We talked through some of the options and, with his permission, I wanted to share his story here in hopes it helps others. Physical therapy can help in more ways than just bumps and scrapes. (more…)
Limited Hip Mobility and Core Weakness: Causes of Lower Back Pain in Golfers
With the golf season now in full swing, many golfers may be experiencing some aches and pains from the first several rounds of the course. Low back pain is a specifically common aliment among golfers. Low back pain can be caused by numerous factors, but two areas of deficit are common culprits to low back pain among golfers. (more…)
Stretch of the Week: Final Psoas Stretch
The final week of May is here! How are you doing? How is your back? Make sure you check in with yourself, it helps to create body awareness as you stretch. For the last week of May you will have three options for a psoas stretch. I will be giving beginner, intermediate, and advanced variations for this psoas stretch. If you have a history of low back problems stick with the beginner variation. (more…)
What is Work Comp?
A common question I receive in my travels as an Work Comp therapist is “What is Work Comp and who needs it?” Essentially Work Comp is an extension of physical and occupational therapy services for injuries that occurred while in a work setting or environment. (more…)
Stretch of the Week: Psoas Opener
During the month of May we will be focusing on a crucial muscle involved in low back pain, our psoas muscle. Back in December we addressed our quads and hip flexors (please feel free to check back through our Stretch of the Week archive for those stretches!), which did get into the psoas a little, but this month we will try to isolate it. For the first week we will start with a gentle psoas opener, it’s a variation of what’s called a Bridge in the exercise world. (more…)
Stretch of the Week: Goddess Squat With a Side Stretch
The last week of April brings us to goddess squat with a side stretch. This one will give you some strengthening in the legs as well as a stretch in the sides and core, bonus! If you have severe knee problems, please use a chair. Otherwise you won’t need anything for this stretch! (more…)
How Do I Get Rid of This Hip and Back Pain?
Are you experiencing pain towards the back of your hip or on one side of your lower back? Perhaps you fell onto one buttock or maybe you stepped off a curb or missed a last step and landed, hard, on one leg. You might just have pain in this area but don’t know the cause. What you should know is Physical Therapy can help! For pain that occurs with walking, prolonged sitting or standing, bending forward, standing up from a sitting position or climbing stairs, our physical therapists are here to help. (more…)