Athletico Health Resources

“I had surgery 2 weeks ago. When can I wear heels?”

“I wore heels for 30 years, every day at my job. Now I can’t wear flat shoes because my ankles are too tight.”

“I have a growth in my foot that is pressing on some nerves. I just want to wear heels again.”

“Please tell my daughter not to wear 5 inch heels!”

These are a few statements, as a therapist, I hear more often than you may think!  Woman LOVE their high heeled shoes! I recently went to a dancing event where a family friend showed off her dance heels to me. I asked her why she wasn’t dancing, and she told me that she couldn’t stay balanced in her dance shoes! Now I am a girl, and I like to dress up and put on heels, too. However, as a therapist who sees heel lovers suffer ankle fractures and sprains, I have to wonder: Is the thought of “beauty before pain” truly worth it? (more…)

For most of us, undergoing surgery is a big deal. Not only do we have to consider the cost and potential risk factors, but we have personal questions about the efficacy and the outcomes we can expect. Elective surgery is a big decision because it is an invasive procedure; so we want assurances that we will be coming out of it better than we were going into it. Though there are no absolute guarantees, you will want to have some open dialogue with your physician of choice to get your questions answered. In many instances, you may even want to get a second or third opinion to not only confirm that surgery is indeed necessary but to make sure you entrust your care to someone you deem both competent and knowledgeable. (more…)

As a physical therapist I often hear people make the statement “My knee hurts today, but it always does; I have arthritis” or “Physical therapy can’t help me because my pain is from arthritis.” Once a joint is showing arthritic changes or degeneration, it’s true that degeneration will not reverse. However, research is showing more and more how physical therapy can often make changes in the pain you experience from a joint that is diagnosed with arthritis. Isn’t that great news?! (more…)

Take a look at any group of people and you will, without fail, see a few of them with their cell phones out, heads lowered, and shoulders rolled forward – temporarily hunchbacked because of an incoming text. Any physical therapist, athletic trainer, or physician can tell you that that type of posture (text neck) can lead to a wide range of injuries in the neck, back, shoulders, and arms. Now I’m not advocating abandoning texting and moving to a Bluetooth headset-only society/dystopia. I’m also not saying we should eschew cell phones like a grizzled hermit, angrily shaking our fists at anything that plugs in. I just want you to be aware of what you’re predisposing yourself to and what you can do to help counteract the effects of text-neck. So here are a couple of key things to think about the next time you pull out your cell phone. (more…)

What is pelvic organ prolapse?
Prolapse is defined as a slipping forward or down. Pelvic organ prolapse occurs when a pelvic organ drops from its original position in the pelvis and puts pressure on the vaginal wall. Organs that can be involved are the bladder (cystocele), urethra, rectum (rectocele), uterus, vagina, or small bowel (enterocele). Prolapse can be limited to a single organ or involve multiple organs.

Pelvic organ prolapse is experienced primarily by women. It is most common in women over 50 years of age and in Caucasian and Hispanic women greater than African American women. (more…)

When I treat a patient after an ankle sprain, I am never surprised to find out that this may not be the first time they sprained their ankle. I often have younger athletes in the clinic after their second or third ankle sprain and find out that they never had any formal treatment after the first one. So why are recurring ankle sprains so common and how can we prevent them? (more…)

Osteoporosis is a bone disease that is defined by low bone density and loss of bone tissue, which puts one at an increased risk of fracture particularly of the spine, hips, and wrists. This can occur when not enough new bone is formed or when old bone is reabsorbed too quickly. In either case an imbalance between bone formation and bone resorption occurs. (more…)

So here we are, three entries deep into the “It’s All in the Hips” saga. We’ve covered gluteus medius and its role in stability. We’ve also talked about the gluteus maximus and its importance in power production. Today, we’ll take a journey to the front of the hips to talk about the hip flexors. (more…)