Athletico Health Resources

Spring is finally here and all you can think about is that long awaited warm summer sunshine and spending time by the beach with your loved ones or friends. However, before you hit up the beach, you head to the gym. You want the best beach body you can achieve. You bust out your favorite exercises: military press, wide grip bench, and use all of the deltoid machines. Your arms are looking great...but wait...now you have shoulder pain? It’s not fair! You are being healthy and going to the gym. Why do you have shoulder pain now?! (more…)

Editor’s Note: Today’s post is written by Betsy Schack, OTR/L. Betsy is an occupational/hand therapist at Athletico Skokie and Athletico Park Ridge. Have you ever woken up in the middle of the night and felt like your hand was just put in a pile of fire ants? You wake up and shake your hand furiously, but the burning does not go away. What you’re experiencing could be carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS). Read more about what causes CTS and how you can not only prevent it but fix it before it becomes worse. (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…)

For the past month, I have been longingly looking out of my window and making a mental list of all the yard work that needs to be done this spring. This is a great time of year to get the family involved and have them help with the load of outdoor projects. There are some safety tips to keep in mind so that you can get your projects done safely without injuring yourself. (more…)

Editor’s Note: Today’s post is written by Betsy Schack, OTR/L. Betsy is an occupational/hand therapist at Athletico Skokie and Athletico Park Ridge. Does it seem like you can’t get through the day without having pain in your elbow? You go to lift your laundry basket, pull a door open, or even try to twist off the cap to your water bottle and feel pain or soreness. Elbow pain is one of the most common problems occupational/hand therapists treat. Two of the most common elbow diagnoses are tennis elbow and golfer’s elbow. Depending on the cause and location of your pain, it can be treated easily and effectively with a few simple steps. (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…)

Editor’s Note: Today’s post is written by Betsy Schack, OTR/L. Betsy is an occupational/hand therapist at Athletico Skokie and Athletico Park Ridge. April is just around the corner. Hopefully the winter coats will soon be back in storage. April is also National Occupational Therapy Month! If you’re reading this blog you’ve most likely heard of physical therapy. Maybe you’ve needed physical therapy after you broke your ankle or for the arthritis pain in your knee. Among many other services that Athletico provides, occupational/hand therapy is quickly growing and currently provided at 29 of our 72 locations. (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…)