Athletico Health Resources

Shoulders are the most mobile joint in the human body, offering a wide range of potential movements and positions they can get into during our daily life. The shoulder’s mobility relies on muscles, ligaments, and tendons as a source of stability rather than bone like the hip joint. Due to their nature, the shoulder is also commonly injured, with 18-26% of the population having some shoulder issues at any given moment. To combat this phenomenon, I will provide exercises aimed at improving overall shoulder health and longevity, with some nice side effects of improved posture and increased muscle tone. A good routine to follow with the following exercises is to perform 3 sets of 15-20 repetitions to supplement your current training routine.

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Most of us had our first experience with physical therapy after we sustained an injury or underwent surgery. It should be no surprise that we often think of physical therapy as something we do after an injury or post-surgery. But did you know that physical therapy is often used as a preventative tool? Preventative physical therapy may be more valuable than we realize, as the old adage tells us, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” Let’s dissect what preventative physical therapy looks like.

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The short answer is YES! Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States. With a widespread problem, we should consider all of our options for prevention.

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An unexpected cardiac event, like a heart attack or an open-heart surgery, is an extremely scary experience. I’ve witnessed this first-hand as I was beside my father when he suffered a heart attack in October 2021. Thankfully, he survived the heart attack, but my father underwent an open-heart surgery quickly after that. His ongoing recovery process has been life-altering for our family, but his commitment to cardiac rehabilitation (cardiac rehab) has been critical in returning to a healthy life. For those of you that are going through this yourself or have loved ones that have experienced a cardiac event, here are some things to consider related to physical therapy after a heart attack:

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After an exciting NFL season, the Super Bowl is finally here. Millions of people will be watching the game around the globe, and many of them will spend the whole game sitting on a chair or couch. Let’s make the Super Bowl more fun with a game of our own.

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More and more health care providers are seeing an increase in “Boomeritis,” a term coined by Nicholas DiNubile in 1999, referring to the musculoskeletal injuries that the aging athlete in the baby boomer generation, 1946-1964, are experiencing. This group of athletes is the first generation to grow up exercising and continue exercising well into their 70s. The musculoskeletal injuries in Boomeritis include tendon, muscle, and ligament tears and stress fractures. While these injuries can happen at any age, physiologic changes with age make this generation more susceptible to developing these problems.

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The rotator cuff is a hot topic when it comes to shoulder injuries. A rotator cuff is an important group of four muscles that help move the shoulder to perform activities of daily living. Damage to one or more of the rotator cuff muscles can become a source of pain, reduced range of motion, reduced strength, or overall function. It is important to keep this muscle group strong to minimize injury and recover from a shoulder injury. Let’s look at some exercises that you can do at home to strengthen the rotator cuff.

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Taking care of yourself and your mental health continues to be at the forefront of many of our priorities, especially with the increase in mental health symptoms noted since the start of the pandemic¹. Exercise has been shown to reduce depressive symptoms and prevent symptoms from forming². It also has a strong correlation to preventing cognitive decline³. Exercise can reduce inflammation through various mechanisms/pathways and positively affect mental health and well-being⁴, among many other positive benefits. Now more than ever, it is important to take care of your mental health and prioritize it. Our bodies are designed to move, and as shown previously, it has a direct correlation to mental well-being. A relatively “easy” way to do that is through exercise.

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