Physical Therapy Fun Facts
October is National Physical Therapy Month.
In honor of physical therapy month here are some physical therapy fun facts that you may not have been aware of.
Did you know?:
Cubital Tunnel: The “Other” Tunnel
“Just one more page.” One minute you’re being pulled into a great mystery novel and the next thing…your fingers are tingling. Shaking out your hand and moving your elbow in and out seem to return your fingers to normal but a few pages later, the tingling returns, especially in the small finger. Perhaps your first thought is, “Carpal tunnel syndrome.” A quick Internet search only causes more confusion. You might have cubital tunnel syndrome. (more…)
Chronic Pain
Pain, though far from enjoyable, is something every one of us will experience at some point in our life. In many cases pain is acute and caused by some type of trauma, incident, surgery, disease, or illness and there’s an end in sight once the healing process occurs. Chronic pain however is a different animal as this type of pain persists sometimes days, weeks, months, or even years. In fact, you may be surprised to find out chronic pain affects more people than coronary heart disease, diabetes, and cancer combined. Below is a chart from the American Academy of Pain Medicine which depicts this comparison.
5 Common Questions Patients Have After Their Knee Replacement
1. How long will my swelling last? Swelling is normal after a knee replacement. You may notice that your knee is large and discolored after surgery. Swelling is not something to worry about unless the swelling becomes excessive or is acompanied with a fever, redness, and unusual discharge from the incision. Most of the swelling will calm down in the first 12 weeks after surgery, but some swelling may be present up through a year after your surgery.
Stretch of the Week: Self Massage for the Lats
Happy Fall and welcome to the final week of September! This week I am providing a self massage technique for the lats.
You will need a foam roller for this stretch. You can purchase one for relatively cheap on Amazon! You have to be able to lay on the floor for this one as well, so the only contraindication would be if you are unable to get down and up from the floor. You could always try to use a wall instead.
Stretch of the Week: Lateral Lat Stretch
This weeks lat stretch is called a lateral Lat stretch. Say that three times fast! It also involves a quadriceps stretch if you like 🙂
Contraindications for this stretch are if you have knee problems please just sit in a chair. You will need a yoga block if you would like the quad stretch added.
Stretch of the Week: Chair Lat Stretch
This week marks the half way point through the month. How are you feeling? Are you keeping up with your stretching? I hope so!
This week’s stretch is chair lat stretch. It’s a great one to do at work if you sit at a desk all day, so take a break! I sometimes will even do this stretch at my kitchen counter 🙂 The only contraindication for this stretch is if you have a shoulder injury where you can not raise the arm overhead without pain. In which case, please refrain from performing this weeks stretch.
Sleeping positions: The good, the bad and the ugly
Do you sleep in different positions on a nightly basis? Chances are the answer is yes—and that’s common. There isn’t any one sleeping position that works for everyone. Some people prefer to sleep on their side, others on their back. Your usual sleep position — along with other factors, including your weight— can strain your back and contribute to development of back pain. Sleeping positions also affect existing back pain, either by letting you sleep comfortably or by making you wake up sore and achy. Similarly, back pain is more likely to keep you awake when your sleeping position provides no relief.
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