Is it Safe to Run with Knee Pain?
Generally speaking, exercise should not be painful. Pain is an alarm system within the body telling you something is not working properly. So, should you keep running when your knee hurts? When do you go to the doctor? Will they ask you to stop running? Can you ignore it? Stop right there.
Physical Therapy at Every Age: Can Babies Go to Physical Therapy?
The simple answer is “yes.” Babies can go to physical therapy. Babies of all ages can benefit from skilled physical therapy for various reasons. To break it down, we’ll look at the who, what, where, and why our little ones can share the gym with the average population!
PT Travel Hacks for Pain-free Vacation
Traveling should be fun and not a precursor to injury. Use these tips to help make your next trip as pain-free as possible.
What Are the Different Levels of an ACL Tear?
There are 250,000 anterior cruciate ligament ruptures in the United States every year1. The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is one of four major stabilizing ligaments of the knee. The ACL, along with the posterior cruciate ligament (PCL), medial collateral ligament (MCL), and lateral collateral ligament (LCL), play crucial roles in helping the knee function normally. When one or more of these ligaments is injured, daily activities such as going up and down stairs or walking across uneven terrain can become more challenging. Similarly, an injury to one or more knee ligament(s) can make running, cutting, or jumping difficult in sports. Not all ACL injuries are created equal, as some are more severe than others. Let’s take a look at how ACL injuries are classified.
When to See an Expert for Ankle Pain
Ankle pain is a common reason many people see their physical therapist. It is often after a bad sprain or for a strained muscle. It can also occur following a more severe injury like a fracture or after surgery like an Achilles repair. These reasons for coming to physical therapy are fairly obvious. The injury typically happens suddenly, with a lot of swelling and pain.
Maximize your Running Performance with a Video Gait & Running Analysis
According to the 2020 Sports & Fitness Industry Association report, approximately 50 million Americans participate in some variation of running or jogging. That’s 15 percent of the United States population. With the recent pandemic and gyms being temporarily closed, even more, people took up running to get in their daily exercise. Whether a weekend warrior runner or a competitive athlete, a video running analysis can benefit you.
Why You Shouldn’t Put Off Your Ankle Pain
We’ve all tweaked our ankles at some point in our lives. Some of us have even done it so forcefully that we have sprained a ligament, broken a bone, or strained a muscle. Hopefully, you took appropriate care and are feeling better, but often in my practice, I hear the dreaded phrase, “oh yeah, that’s my bad ankle. It never got better after I did (insert something youthful and nostalgic here).”
There are two forms of untreated ankle issues I see in the clinic regularly. The painful ankle that is effectively avoided or the stiff ankle that the patient thinks is normal. Both can have long-term effects on ankle health and wear and tear on the knees, hips, and even low backs.
Return to Sport vs. Return to Work
The American Physical Therapy Association describes Physical Therapists as “movement experts who improve quality of life through prescribed exercise, hands-on care, and patient education.” As physical therapists, with our patient’s help, we shape their goals around what improves their specific quality of life. Often, we picture athletes returning to sports or patients relearning how to walk. Less commonly, we think about the importance of injured workers returning to their jobs without limitations. It’s easy to understand why the rehabilitation process for return to sport is so intense and personalized for a patient. The rehabilitation process for return to work should be just as intense and personalized to assist the employee in reaching their goals.
