Athletico Health Resources

For a person who has never attended physical therapy, the first time can bring many questions.  One question I hear or have been asked in the past is how do I choose a good physical therapist? Although there are no hard or fast rules when it comes to picking a physical therapist below are some suggestions that may assist you in your search.

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Another night browsing the web on my iPad – Another night of wrist pain. I look down to see my hand cocked in some nightmarish position that couldn’t have possibly existed before five or six years ago. Yikes! I am a Certified Hand Therapist. I know better. (more…)

Young athletes today are often practicing three to four hours a day, four to five times per week.  Weekends are often spent competing hours at a time. As intensity of sport participation has increased so has the injury level of the upper extremities. Understanding that kids are not little adults and respecting the growing body is key to staying in the game. The good news is that focus on how to prevent overuse injury in sports for growing athletes is also on the rise. Listed below are 5 common upper extremity overuse injuries in young athletes and ways to help prevent these injuries. (more…)

If you follow professional baseball, I am sure you have observed an alarming rate of pitchers who underwent ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction (“Tommy John surgery”) already this year.  Miami Marlin’s rising star, Jose Fernandez, became the 18^th professional pitcher in 2014 to undergo this surgery, equaling the total number of pitchers to have Tommy John surgery all of last year.¹

Why does this trend continue to rise? (more…)

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

Calling all couch potatoes…Spring is here and with it warm weather sports. With sportsmanship and exercise as great benefits of team sports, many Chicagoans are anxiously awaiting the return of softball season. However, catching that 16” softball can lead to some painful finger injuries or wrist injuries from sliding into base, that shouldn’t be ignored…and they may need more than just ice and rest! (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…)

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…)