Athletico Health Resources

2020 has been a difficult and disappointing year for many high school athletes. Beginning with the cancellation of winter and spring seasons and now with fall/winter sports again in jeopardy, many athletes have missed a significant portion of their high school career. While there is nothing to replace the feeling of playing in games, there are many ways to stay active, remain competitive, and continue training for your sport. Here are some ideas from a physical therapist on how to stay in optimal shape in preparation for the return of athletics. (more…)

We are all too familiar with pain; it is truly one of the unfavorable guarantees that we have in life. Whether it be emotional or physical pain, we learn at a young age that pain is a reality that we all must face. In fact, there is a direct link between our physical pain and emotional wellness. Often times, emotional stressors are manifested in our physical ailments. Just as often, we find ourselves with physical impairments that can trigger certain emotional responses affecting our moods and perspectives. (more…)

Low back pain is one of the most common ailments treated in outpatient physical therapy clinics today. Back pain can be debilitating and negatively affect quality of life to a large degree, and as a younger individual, it is something that is not often thought of as a potential injury. Yet, low back pain is fairly common in the younger population; up to 10-25% of the population in their late teens to early 40s report back pain. In this age group, low back is commonly described in the research as “non-specific back pain,” meaning back pain does not have a known cause or correlation to MRI or X-Ray imaging. Most acute, non-specific back pain usually resolves on its own within 6 weeks and with appropriate rest, good nutrition, light activity and a positive outlook, you can help manage the severity of your pain. (more…)

Injuries and bye weeks have many fantasy football players scrambling to fill gaps in their rosters as we head into week 7 of the professional football season. To help you decide who to sit and who to start ahead of week 7, Athletico’s Brandon Bowers, PT, DPT shares tips in the weekly Fantasy Football Injury Report. (more…)

For most people, physical therapy is only considered after an injury or surgical procedure. Unlike medical doctors, dentists and eye doctors, people do not consider going to a physical therapist for yearly check-ups. However, if you are training for a particular event, interested in finding out your injury risk level for specific sports, want to improve your balance or are considering seeking preventative care to decrease risk of age-related issues, physical therapy may be the best option to consider. Physical therapists are trained to be movement experts. They evaluate their patients based on functional movement screens, strength testing, range of motion measurements and special tests to determine muscular deficiencies and imbalances. Discussing goals during your first session with your therapist will allow for performance of a specific exam and creation of a unique exercise program built for you. Here are three reasons you may want to consider seeing a physical therapist even though you may not be in pain or have an injury. (more…)

I am a Doctor of Physical Therapy. I have been in practice for over three years and I have loved every minute of it. There are many aspects of my job that I love, and I am finding new things about it that I love all the time. It is a career that has allowed me to combine many of my interests into one: helping people, fitness, healthcare, anatomy and much more. I have even had the opportunity to help students with their therapy careers and serve as a clinical instructor. Everyone has different reasons for why they love being a PT, and here are mine. (more…)

We are fortunate to have the modern advances and the benefits of electronic devices, remote education and networking, cushioned seats and postural supportive office chairs. All these things have become increasingly more abundant in our daily lives, however, the detriment of longer commutes, hours working on a laptop and evenings slouched or reclining on the couch in the company of televisions, tablets, and smartphones can often contribute to an increased tendency for neck pain, “tightness,” and muscle dysfunction. (more…)

This past week of the 2020 football season was a bad one for a couple of starting quarterbacks who ended up sustaining injuries. To help you navigate these injuries ahead of week 6, we are sharing tips from Athletico’s Brandon Bowers, PT, DPT, in our weekly Fantasy Football Injury Report. (more…)