Can Physical Therapy Help My Headaches and Migraines?

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If you suffer from headaches or migraines, you may have tried many methods for relief. Common techniques that can often be successful include medications, caffeine, supplements or rest and sleep.

Some forms of migraines and headaches however can be very chronic in nature and not respond to some of these go to home approaches, or the headache can come back very quickly and repetitively if not addressing other contributing factors. Oftentimes we find ourselves discussing these conditions and symptoms with primary care physicians or neurologists, who can be very helpful in the diagnosis and treatment of headaches and migraines. Often overlooked when it comes to the clinical treatment of headaches is Physical Therapy. Read more

Blood Flow Restriction Therapy (BFRT)

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What it is/background:

BFRT was first invented by Dr. Yoshiakia Sato from Japan in 1966. BFRT has become popular with weightlifters, professional sport athletes, and medical professionals over the recent years. BFRT is a strengthening technique that uses a device similar to a blood pressure cuff, which safely restricts blood flow to a muscle. Read more

Osteoarthritis

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Osteoarthritis affects over 3 million people in the US every year. More common in men under the age of 45, and becomes more common in women after this age. It can be caused by weight, genetics, aging, history of injury or surgery, overuse of repetitive movements of the joint, and joints that do not form correctly. Read more

What is the McKenzie Method

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The McKenzie method is a physical therapy treatment classification that was first introduced to the physical therapy world in the 1950’s by Robin McKenzie. Robin McKenzie had a clinic in New Zealand and that is where he first observed the phenomena of centralization, and it was by accident. McKenzie had a patient he was treating with lower back pain that radiated to his left buttock and down his leg. The patient was not responding to conventional treatment and one day the patient happened to lie on a treatment table on his stomach that was elevated on one side. The patient was lying there for 10 minutes waiting for McKenzie to return to the room. Once McKenzie returned to the room the patient noticed his leg and buttock pain was gone. McKenzie realized that extension was the factor that reduced the pain in the patient’s back and that was the start of the McKenzie Method. Read more

Practices to Prevent Burnout

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As we all know, these past three years have been more than crazy. Stress is on the rise throughout the world, due to the everlasting pandemic. But how much stress is too much stress? And how should we healthily deal with it?

According to Herbert Freudenburg, burnout describes a severe stress condition that leads to severe physical, mental, and emotional exhaustion. Burnout is more than ordinary fatigue; it makes it challenging for people to cope with stress and more difficult for them to handle day-to-day responsibilities. We have all heard of many people, including medical staff, leaving their career field due to the overwhelming load that they have on their shoulders during this time. Katie Gerten found that from December “a whopping 76% of Americans are experiencing burnout” from the current state of the pandemic. Read more

The Throwers Ten Exercise Program and the Overhead Athlete

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The Throwers Ten Exercise Program was originally designed with 10 exercises to target strengthening for injury prevention in baseball pitchers, however has evolved as a more robust program that is beneficial to other overhead athletes. The exercises included in this program were specifically chosen as they are able to be completed outside of a gym. There is minimal exercise equipment needed and therefore allows the athlete more freedom to complete this strengthening program at home or as part of a warm-up. This exercise program would be an excellent place to start strengthening muscle groups in the shoulder in order to prevent injuries when competing in overhead sports.

Goal: To improve the strength, power, and endurance of the shoulder complex needed for the throwing or overhead athlete Read more

Pelvic Floor Dysfunction

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Pelvic Floor Dysfunction can include a variety of diagnoses involving the impairment of the pelvic floor muscles and ligaments. Diagnosis can include urinary incontinence, overactive bladder, bowel incontinence, vulvodynia, pelvic organ prolapse, and many more. Pelvic Floor muscles include multiple muscles that attach to your sacrum and pelvis and support your bladder, uterus, prostate, and rectum. It involves the inability to correctly relax and coordinate the muscles to urinate or to have a bowel movement.
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TMJ dysfunction and Physical Therapy

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Physical therapists are musculoskeletal specialists that typically see a variety of issues related to the spine and extremities. One joint that most do not realize physical therapists are qualified to treat includes the temporomandibular joint (TMJ). TMJ is essentially the joint of the jaw. TMJ dysfunction can be categorized as frequent popping or clicking in the jaw, difficulty chewing, or generalized pain in the jaw area. Read more

Achilles Tendonitis and How Physical Therapy Can Help

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Achilles Tendonitis is an injury of the achilles tendon typically due to overuse or an introduction of a new activity. The gastrocnemius and the soleus muscles make up the calf complex at the lower leg to create the Achilles Tendon which inserts to the calcaneus (heel bone). This diagnosis typically occurs with the sudden increase in repetitive activities that put excessive stress on the achilles. The tendon therefore is unable to recover between activity which results in pain.

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Shoulder Mobility

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Many of us have struggled with how to get a good stretch for our shoulders and how to maintain mobility in our shoulders over time. One method I enjoy using for myself and with my clients is using a simple PVC pipe. This could also be a broomstick, a baseball bat, a golf club, a yardstick, etc. Here are some simple stretches that target the entire shoulder joint capsule.
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