Can Physical Therapy Improve My Balance?
Balance is simply defined as an individual’s ability to maintain their center of gravity over their base of support. Lean over too far beyond your base of support, and you’ll be falling to the ground. Narrow your base of support too much and it doesn’t take too far to lean before you lose your balance. That’s one reason that so many falls happen in the mid stance phase of the gait cycle when you’re standing on only one foot and have a significantly reduced base of support.
What to Expect when Recovering from Rotator Cuff Surgery
The rotator cuff is made up of four small muscles that surround the shoulder joint. These muscles work as stabilizers to keep the ball of the humerus (which is the long bone in the upper arm) in the right position at the center of the shoulder joint.
Physical Therapy is the FIRST Defense Against Pain
According to the International Association for the Study of Pain, pain is “an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with actual or potential tissue damage.” This means that pain is an experience that encompasses so much more than the physical aspect typically associated with it.1
Pain can affect how we sleep, work, focus and manage our relationships on a daily basis. It affects our stress levels and impacts how we manage anxiety. Whether we are aware of it or not, pain changes how our brain processes information and thus, can affect every aspect of our life.
How Can Physical Therapy Help My Back Pain?
At some point in our lives, most of us will experience back pain1 in some form. Back pain is complicated because there are numerous factors that can contribute to the start of it. Factors such as type of injury, age, activity level, medical history, and even socioeconomic status can have an effect on the cause and severity of your back pain. It can have an enormous impact on your personal life, family life, job performance and ability to participate in recreational activity. There can also be extreme financial implications2 that come with back pain, including time off work due to injury, doctor’s appointments, imaging such as MRIs or CT scans, and prescription medication costs.
Pushing Beyond the DPT…
Four years ago I moved to Chicago as an eager newly graduated physical therapist (PT) who was drawn to Athletico for its strong presence in the performing arts community. As a dancer myself, I felt providing physical therapy to dancers was the absolute perfect way to marry my two passions. Little did I know that Athletico would develop me beyond this in ways I never imagined, such as providing training for me to execute Video Gait Analysis and return-to-sport testing for ACL reconstructions, as well as giving me the opportunity to manage a clinic! I felt pushed to optimize patient outcomes and provide the best customer service in the clinic, but I also felt a strong encouragement to continue learning and improving myself. One of the most defining ways that Athletico demonstrated its investment in my long term growth was through the Evidence in Motion orthopaedic residency.
Why is this Scar Still Bothering Me? Understanding and Decreasing Scar Tissue
Great news: your body has done some healing after an injury or surgery.
Not so great news: now you are looking at a scar.
The scar might be long or short. It might be raised, flat or indented. It could be a range of colors. It might be painful or sensitive. But, for whatever reason, it is still bothering you.
Should I Schedule a Free Assessment or a Physical Therapy Appointment?
At Athletico, our experts are passionate about helping patients live pain-free lives, which is why providing access to exceptional care is among our top priorities.
Every patient is unique. Because of this, we offer a variety of ways to help patients get started with their journey into recovery, including free assessments, virtual free assessments and scheduled physical therapy appointments.
Blood Flow Restriction for Knee Osteoarthritis
Knee pain can be a very troublesome nuisance to a majority of the population; whether knees are sore from a long day of activity or have been persistently sore from those glory days long ago. Knee pain can affect quality of life in many different ways including decreasing activity levels, making it uncomfortable to maintain certain postures for prolonged periods of time, or making it bothersome to go up and down stairs at home. Knee osteoarthritis (OA) is among the common knee-related conditions affecting quality of life – especially in the older population. In fact, knee OA is present in nearly 40 percent of individuals older than 60.
