In recent years there has been a lot of talk about the hip in the world of orthopedics, physical therapy, sports, and fitness. Why, you may ask? Well, a very significant reason this area of orthopedics has exploded is due to improved technology, allowing better imaging techniques and a clearer view of the hip. What […]
The Physics Of Falling On Your Ass
Now that I have your attention from the catchy title of this week’s blog ….. Walking to work this week, I witnessed several spectacular falls on icy sidewalks. There are two main reasons why these falls occur. Given that we are in the midst of a particularly nasty winter, it is worth our time to […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Can a “Sashay” Cause Lower Back Pain?
The short answer is yes. The word “sashay” by definition is “to walk in an ostentatious yet casual manner, typically with exaggerated movements of the hips and shoulders.” The sashay brings to mind images of models walking down runways, divas “strutting their stuff,” and the general positive connotation of female confidence. As empowering and popular […]
Using Your Natural Turnout: A Cry for Dance Injury Prevention
In the dance community, particularly the ballet community, turnout is such a coveted talent. It becomes ingrained from a very early age that this perfectly externally rotated foot position is necessary to be considered a good dancer or one that is better than the other dancers. The problem is that turnout is not just a […]
Staying Injury Free in Social Dance
When people think of dance injuries, the mind often automatically goes to a setting of a ballet barre or stage show. Sometimes dance injuries happen in the social dance arena as well. For the purposes of this article, the term social dance will be defined as a dance style that requires at least 2 people […]
Poor Posture at Work? Do Something About It!
Any patient with a repetitive overuse injury who walks into our clinic will be asked the following question upon evaluation, “What does your work desk set-up look like?” Countless bouts of thumb tendonitis, back pain, elbow epicondylitis, and other maladies could be avoided if employers only took the time to make basic modifications to computer […]
Neck Pain With Bicycling?
In terms of repetitive stress injuries involved with bicycling, one type of injury that we are encountering with increased frequency is the “neck strain.” Take a look at the relative positions of both the head and neck in the photo on the right. Note that this person’s neck has to extend quite a bit in […]
Thumb Tendonitis and your iPhone
iPhones and other handheld devices have “unlock” features that must be manually surpassed prior to usage. The iPhone in particular requires the sweeping motion of a finger across the bottom of the screen from left to right. Most people tend to hold the phone in the right hand and use the right thumb to make […]
Tape on Athletes: New Fashion Trend or Therapeutic?
You may have noticed that many track athletes, volleyball players, and even platform divers at the London Olympics were competing with visible strips of tape on various parts of their bodies. What purpose does taping serve for athletes? To start with a simple example, traditional “athletic taping” is used to immobilize joints. The most typical […]