Athletico Health Resources

The temporomandibular joint (TMJ) is the joint where your jaw attaches to the temple of the skull. It is a joint that allows you to move your jaw up and down and side to side. This joint is essential for guiding movements required for chewing, swallowing, and speaking. Temporomandibular joint disorders (TMD) are conditions associated with dysfunction of the joint as well as the associated muscles.

The cause of TMD is still widely unknown. However, the majority of patients with TMD suffer from malpositioning of the TMJ disc, and muscle tightness in the jaw, face, and neck. TMD can present differently in every individual, so a clinical examination is recommended to customize a plan of care. One option for treating TMD is dry needling.

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Whether you are working at home or the office, it is important to consider your workplace setup. Due to poor workplace setups, pain can occur, limiting people in all areas of life. In this blog, we will discuss ways to improve workplace ergonomics.

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The Holiday season is in full swing, which means both stores and online retailers will be busy with shoppers through the New Year.

Great deals on gifts are out there! Whether you’re going to stores or opting for online shopping due to the COVID-19 pandemic, you could also be putting your body at risk for injury. Fortunately, there are things that can be done to prevent these injuries for occurring. Read below for four tips to stay injury-free this holiday shopping season.
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Have you ever experienced a burning pain or a “pins and needles” sensation running from your shoulder down to your hand? Even though you might think there is a problem with your shoulder, your neck may be the issue even if you are not experiencing neck pain.

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According to the World Health Organization roughly 50% of adult individuals will experience at least one headache annually. These range from migraine or tension type headaches to cluster and medication-overuse headaches. Regardless of the type of headache, we can all agree that the pain, in many instances, is very debilitating.  Headaches have many causes and it is always a good idea to check in with your physician to get to the root cause at which point different pharmaceuticals or treatments may be suggested or prescribed.  Physical therapy and Massage therapy, both offered by Athletico, are two different,effective and more holistic options for headache relief as well. (more…)

The back is designed to protect the spinal cord. However, it is also like a set of stackable blocks with bones that connect and run from the base of the head, to the bottom of our tailbone. Those stackable blocks keep us erect/upright, maintain posture, absorb shock and provide a stable base for our arms and legs to attach to for everyday movement.  There are three sections of the spine: (more…)

“Thats the thing about pain.  It demands to be felt.”- John Green

Early on in college, I decided in addition to majoring in physical therapy, I would also major in psychology.  Why?  I felt that if I was going to treat and understand the physical aspect of a person, I better understand a little bit about the brain, thoughts and emotion of an individual.  After all, each of us is not just a body or a brain.  We have both.  Why is it that it’s readily accepted as the “norm” if you mention you have knee arthritis or back pain, however, it becomes taboo to discuss the psychology or emotion that may be involved with that pain?  I firmly believe that the psychology of what one is experiencing is extremely important to discuss and address. (more…)

We have all had those moments driving down the busiest of the Chicago expressways: tight grip, shoulders up to our ears, and a feeling of growing tension in the neck and shoulders. It is rush hour in Chicago and you know that this tension is progressively getting worse day after day, month after month, year after year. Here are my top 5 exercises to ease those post commute aches. (more…)