Athletico Health Resources

Gymnasts have a very long season- they usually practice year-round with the main bulk of the competition season occurring during the winter and spring for many levels. Due to this type of training schedule, gymnasts need to make sure they are taking care of themselves during and after practice. Here are some tips for self-care for gymnasts to keep them healthy and on track for a great season. (more…)

If week 1 of the 2023 season didn’t go quite as planned for your Fantasy Football team, we have some tips that could help you improve your lineup ahead of week 2! Athletico’s Brandon Bowers, PT, DPT, is highlighting notable player injuries within the Athletico Fantasy Football Injury Report. Since player injuries can have a significant impact on fantasy football teams, this weekly report can be used as a resource to help you decide who to sit and who to start. (more…)

Our Achilles tendons don’t often get the praise they deserve. These large tendons on the back of our lower leg are surprisingly strong, and vitally important, especially for runners. The Achilles connects the muscles in our calves to our heel bones. Specifically, they connect the gastrocnemius and soleus muscles to the back of our calcaneus bone. Because of their attachment point, the Achilles tendons help propel us forward when we walk, run, or jump. Through this attachment, our Achilles tendons can withstand up to ten times our normal body weight when we run or jump. Just think about how many strides you took during your last run, and how many times up to ten times your body weight was placed on your Achilles tendon! Luckily you had a tough Achilles tendon to absorb all that force. (more…)

Week 1 of the professional football season officially begins tonight, and for many of us, this means that our Fantasy Football leagues will need a starting lineup before it’s time for kickoff. To help you decide on who to sit and who to start, Athletico’s Brandon Bowers, PT, DPT, is providing tips via the Athletico Fantasy Football Injury Report. This report provides information about significant player injuries and recommendations to help you get the most out of your Fantasy Football team. (more…)

Working out can mean many things. It does not have to mean lifting heavy weights or participating in a jazzercize class. Working out is an essential part of life to encourage a healthy living lifestyle. Exercise can help to improve brain activity, bone and muscle strength, and ability to perform activities of daily living, as well as reduce weight and risk of chronic disease. (more…)

Sitting all day can take a major toll on the body. When you are in class or at work all day, most often you are focused on learning, completing projects, engaged in work, etc. and not paying attention to your posture. Take a deep breath and don’t be so hard on yourself, it’s okay to have days when you are sitting for long periods of time, however it is important to find time to stretch and get your body into different positions so that you don’t develop tight muscles that can lead to dysfunction or pain in the future. This article will cover five exercises that can help you to unwind after a long day and keep your body tuned up to keep moving well. I will provide modifications and variations to try in order to give you different options to stretch various muscles and areas of the body that get tight from sitting for long periods of time. (more…)

Let’s face it, life can be stressful. Whether it’s stress from work, home, friends, etc., it can come from anywhere. It can trigger us to start choosing bad habits, and these bad habits can add up over time, becoming detrimental to our health. The higher amounts of stress that someone has, the higher the likelihood that they will have some form of mental and physical health issues. In an effort to stave off these possible negative outcomes, it is important that we practice some self-care in order to decrease our stress levels to a manageable degree. As a physical therapist, here are my go-to essentials for practicing self-care. (more…)

Flip flops and sandals are popular summer shoe options. However, these shoes often sacrifice support for an open toe. With many people wearing less supportive shoes in the summer months, foot injury rates may appear to increase during this time. Plantar fasciitis is a common foot condition that can affect people of all ages and we may see a higher rate of plantar fasciitis during the summertime. (more…)