Athletico Health Resources

A stress fracture can be one of the most irritating injuries to a runner.  When one receives the diagnosis of a stress fracture, the injury will sideline a runner for an average of six weeks. This means no running at all, and most often runners must wear a boot or use crutches. Here are some frequently asked questions to about causes of stress fractures and the pain associated with the injury. (more…)

Every year in October, we celebrate National Physical Therapy Month. There are many individuals that have seen a physical therapist (PT) for common reasons such as low back pain or knee pain. There are many different conditions, however, that PTs may treat that you may not be aware of. In order to keep up their professional license, PTs are required to take continuing education courses. Often, these courses may give a therapist a special set of skills for treating a certain condition or diagnosis. The following is a list of conditions that many individuals may not be aware that can be treated by a PT. (more…)

Athletico’s Jake Bronowski has scored won of the most sought after positions in the massage world: he is the team massage therapist for the Chicago Fire of Major League Soccer. He is a highly skilled and experienced massage therapist and is well-deserving of this role. Working so closely with these elite athletes is a fun and rewarding experience for Jake, and he states that developing relationships with everyone involved in the Fire organization is the best part!

Jake was kind enough to answer my questions about what it is like to work with this very special population. (more…)

We all know that massage therapy feels good and is a healthy reward for our overworked bodies. But, how do you know when you need a massage? I have provided a little cheat sheet for you below. (more…)

Most people think about massage and think back rubs, neck rubs, and relaxation. But did you know that there are many other conditions that massage therapy can be used for? Clinical massage therapy (site-specific treatment with a goal in mind) can be an effective treatment for many medical conditions. (more…)

For thousands of years, we have known that massage ‘works’. We know from millions of subjective reports and hundreds of research studies that massage therapy reduces pain. What we have not realized, until recently, is why massage therapy works. Not knowing the ‘why’ behind results does not demand a lot of respect from the medical community. In the past, doctors have treated massage therapy as something they didn’t discourage, but didn’t necessarily prescribe either. Most of the general public saw massage therapy as a luxury or a special treat. (more…)

The holidays are here and this time of year is all about giving, making other people’s holiday wishes come true, and selflessness. But what about you? What have you done for yourself lately? Certainly it wouldn’t hurt to treat yourself while you are out taking care of everyone else. These are the top 5 reasons to get yourself a massage this holiday season. (more…)

Before working as a clinical massage therapist in the physical therapy field, I had no idea how many people were walking around with shoulder pain and decreased range of motion in their shoulders. Now I find myself working on just as many shoulders as I do backs and necks. This blog post will give you the basics on shoulder pain/dysfunction and how massage therapy can help. (more…)