Athletico Health Resources

During Men’s Health Awareness Month, we encourage men to take steps toward living a healthier life by staying active, maintaining a good diet, and taking early action when experiencing health issues. We sat down with men’s health expert, physical therapist, and Chicago clinic manager Nate Mancillas to discuss important men’s health topics and how physical therapy can help overall wellness. (more…)

Building strength and muscle mass is a goal that many have (and these two attributes will typically go hand-in-hand), whether the person wants to be healthier, look better, help improve athletic performance, etc. These people all have similar goals of improving as much as they can. With new information about the importance of muscle mass and strength for overall health, starting your strength and muscle gain journey as soon as possible is of high importance. But where to begin? How do you navigate the process? There are so many resources on muscle gain and strength building, and it is easy to get lost in the noise. This blog will lay out tips to help you along this journey and give you a framework to draw a plan.

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Hip injuries in dancers comprise about 17.2% of all muscular and bony injuries. These injuries are often hard to diagnose because many have overlapping signs and symptoms. Injuries can occur for a variety of reasons. Some injuries are traumatic from a fall, contact, or another impact like a fracture or an avulsion (where a muscle can yank on its bony attachment and pull some bone loose). Additional injuries can come from overuse and result in tendinitis (or other tendinopathies), bursitis, snapping hip, strain, or a labral tear. Some are bony, like Femoral Acetabular Impingement (FAI) or dysplasia. Whatever the cause, a hip injury can be frustrating for a dancer.

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Squats are a foundational exercise movement. When you squat, you move at multiple joints via the action of several major muscle groups. A squat involves a hip hinge and bending at the knee and ankle. A squat is also a functional movement. Every time you sit down in a chair or get up from a seated position, you move through a squat pattern. Despite the familiarity of this movement pattern, it is easy to make errors with your squat form. So here are some tips to help you squat better (and maybe even with less pain or less risk of injury).

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• Are you planning an elective surgery?
• Do you have difficulty accessing rooms in your house or leaving your home due to an injury?
• Is transportation to and from medical appointments difficult or inconsistent?
• Do you have a busy schedule and find yourself canceling scheduled appointments?
• Are you easily distracted by others around you or intimidated by equipment in a clinic setting?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, receiving physical or occupational therapy from an Athletico therapist in the privacy and comfort of your home is an excellent option for you.

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I decided to become a physical therapist a long time ago when I shadowed a local physical therapist for a week. During that week, I was able to see the wide variety of patients he was able to help and guide through their recovery. He saw young and old, athletic and deconditioned, and confident and anxious. This was when I realized the tremendous impact a physical therapist can have on a patient’s life. From there, I fully committed to becoming a physical therapist, and now I’m well into my sixth year of working as one for Athletico. Being that it’s National Physical Therapy Month, I sat down and reflected on the many reasons why I love my job.

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Your beautiful bundle of joy has made their debut, and all you want to do is snuggle your precious little one, or your little seems always to want to be close to you. If this sounds like your situation, I can 100% relate because I have a five-month-old and a 2.5-year-old. I treat upper extremity injuries, and I never considered the importance of body mechanics when lifting and carrying my little ones until I started to experience the aches and pains of loving on my precious little ones at all hours of the day and night. Our little ones love us no matter the learning curve parenthood requires, and they need us at our healthiest. Let me share some tips I have learned.

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Physical therapists regularly work to help patients reduce pain and improve function. There are a variety of different treatment techniques that are used to accomplish these tasks. There are even several different settings in which physical therapists can be found. Athletico is an example of outpatient physical therapy, but physical therapists also work in inpatient, acute care, skilled nursing, and school-based settings. In this blog, we’ll look at the role of physical therapists in each setting.

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