Athletico Health Resources

One factor that athletic trainers and physical therapists look at when assessing knee injury risk is the reliance someone has between 3 groups of muscles – the quadriceps (quads), glutes, and hamstrings. Here’s a quick rundown of what these muscle groups all do: (more…)

Today’s blog post is written by guest blogger, Judy Micek, OT at Athletico Bolingbrook.

Athletico continues to celebrate Occupational Therapy month by sharing more gardening tips for you to use this spring. Continue to enjoy time in the garden by using new tools or learning a new routine after gardening. (more…)

Today’s blog post is written by guest blogger, Judy Micek, OT at Athletico Bolingbrook.

It may have been a long cold and snowy winter, but Spring has finally sprung! Along with the fresh buds on the trees and stems breaking through the ground, April is Occupational Therapy month. In celebrating our profession, soon to be 150 years old, we would like to share some tips for protection and prevention of common problems for those of you who are eager to get back into gardening.   (more…)

Spring is here!

You have probably been itching to get outside to enjoy the warmer temperatures. But before you do, remember these tips to help you transition from the gym to exercising outside.

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As humans, we are unique creatures for a couple of reasons – one for our ability to reason and two because we live life upright instead of on all fours. Living upright puts a pretty constant workload on our feet. Our feet can become painful or sensitive over time and foot pain is a common complaint in physical therapy. There are many basic strategies and self-treatments you can try if foot pain plagues you. (more…)

The theory of “no pain, no gain” is a popular saying and belief that I address in the physical therapy setting on a daily basis. Some people believe that in order to improve pain, strength, or flexibility, pain must be involved. Many attend therapy with the impression that physical therapy will hurt immensely and will nickname their soon-to-be physical therapist the “physical torturer”. Some come to their first session with fear and some come with the attitude of “hurt me so I can get better!” These are the individuals who are often surprised and/or relieved when I say that the goal is to relieve the pain, not to create it.  Of course, there are times when I have to create some pain to help a patient get better, but for the majority of patients, I am looking to find a way to increase mobility and strength without pushing through pain. (more…)

With pitchers and catchers reporting for duty, people cramming in marathon gym sessions before spring break, and warm weather making people more active, I can guarantee the number of people seeing doctors, athletic trainers, and physical therapists for shoulder pain will soon rise. Luckily, one cause of shoulder pain, shoulder impingement, is often avoidable with some reasonable preventive strategies. (more…)

The official start to the Chicago running season with the Bank of America Shamrock Shuffle is right around the corner. With the frigid temperatures and abundant snowfall that Chicago has endured this winter, you may have logged in fewer miles these past few months outside than in previous winters. Warmer temperatures are predicted for later this week and spring is right around the corner and we encourage you to consider these tips to safely transition from the treadmill to outdoor running. (more…)