Below are five exercises that keep your physical therapist in business: 1. Head Stands Yes, you look cool in your outfit, and yes, you are getting improved blood flow to your head. The vertebral segments of your neck, however, are not meant to bear weight like this. The potential risk for neck injury is high, […]
Post-Surgical Ankle Boot? Please Get a Lift For Your Other Shoe!
Many of us know someone who has suffered trauma to the ankle or foot (fractures, surgeries etc.) that requires the usage of a giant, cumbersome immobilization boot. Ankle boots are a necessary evil: They protect the joints and bones of the lower leg and allow for bones and soft tissues to heal. The problem that […]
Information on Stroke Recovery
In a nutshell, strokes are awful. Strokes affect upwards of 800,000 people per year in the U.S. and cost our healthcare system a massive amount of money. There is a huge range of severity involved with strokes. For example, my grandfather had a small stroke that resulted in lost vision in one of his eyes. […]
What Is Normal Range of Motion for The Thumb?
Have you ever noticed that some people can flex and extend their thumb into crazy positions, while others have very limited thumb motion? What in fact is a “normal” amount of thumb motion? This is a tough question to answer given that the metacarpal-phalangeal joint (MCP joint) of the thumb has a somewhat unique property […]
Out of My Cast: What Do I Do Now?
Fractures are not fun. An accident or fall that results in a broken bone is followed by the inevitable hospital visit. X-rays are taken, insurances are billed, and in many cases, bulky and uncomfortable casts are tightly wrapped around fractured extremities. Casts are a necessary evil. Most orthopedists will keep a broken bone in a […]
Why Should I Stretch My Back on a Foam Roll?
Too many of us sit at a desk all day. The effects of focusing on a monitor and reaching for a keyboard over time can be devastating. Fortunately, there is a simple stretching exercise that can help to counteract our imposed postural duress. There are two major benefits of lying on a foam roller. The […]
More Signs of Hypermobility
Take a look at the above picture. Some people, usually women, have knees that tend to “bend backwards” in stance. This is an overt sign of hyper-mobility, or excessive extensibility, of the joints. The problem that often arises from this phenomenon is what we call “resting on your ligaments”. The woman in this picture can […]
What is an Occult Fracture?
The word occult according to Webster’s dictionary means “secret or mysterious.” In orthopedics, the word occult aptly describes rare types of fractures that do not show up on x-rays. Occult fractures pose a particular danger to patients who are prescribed exercise or physical therapy as a remedy for pain. An excellent example of the occult […]
Why Won’t My Shoulder Rotate?
Deficits in the shoulder’s ability to rotate both internally and externally occur in patients with shoulder pain all of the time. Today we will be talking about internal rotation deficits. This is clinically referred to as “GIRD” (Glenohumeral Internal Rotational Deficit). The following photos illustrate how GIRD presents. Note that with the patient’s attempt to […]
Beauty is Pain: Effects of Wearing High Heels
If you’ve ever been to physical therapy, then you might have noticed that posture is often a topic of conversation… and usually it’s more about your bad posture. Posture affects things from range of motion, strength potential, and even pain. Let me demonstrate how posture can be affected by something as simple as footwear, and […]
Sitting All Day & Experiencing Lower Back Pain?
Sitting at work every day and experiencing lower back pain? The following list outlines exactly what happens to your lower back with sitting, and what you can do about it. 1. During sitting, most people will eventually fall into a posterior pelvic tilt (as shown below). What to do? Take a look at how your […]
Why Won’t My Finger Straighten?
Ever jam your finger into something and it hurts for a while, but then the hurt goes away? It is likely because you sprained a ligament. Ever jam your finger and it hurts for a while, and then you realize you can’t straighten it all the way? If so, chances are you have Mallet Finger. […]
Do Your Ribs Move?
The ribs and the ribcage have many purposes. They protect many of the internal organs; they serve as attachment sites for many muscles that control the arms, pelvis, and neck; and they assist in the breathing process. Your ribs must be able to move fluidly in order to assist in all of these tasks. In […]
Keyboard Wrist Supports? No Thanks.
I don’t like keyboard wrist supports, those long slips of fancy-padded rubber that sit directly in front of keyboard trays. Here is why. The ideal position for your wrists and fingers to work in while typing should be “neutral,” neither flexed nor extended. This is best done with the wrists hovering ever so slightly above […]
Two Long-Term Effects of Ankle Sprains
Most athletes, high-heel shoe addicts, and the chronically clumsy have encountered ankle sprains. The swelling and pain that result from turning one’s ankle can last for months and be very limiting in the short term. What most people do not address, however, are the long-term effects of ankle sprains. I have seen patients with lower […]