Joint Ventures' Blog

Over the past few years, the number of barefoot and minimalist running enthusiasts has increased dramatically.  Books have been written, large clunky shoes have been denounced, and now it is easy to find minimalist shoes that provide protection from the hard streets, but don’t do much else.  Due to this growing population, I am often asked what I think about it.  I am a barefoot/minimalist runner and I love it, but that doesn’t mean that it is for everyone.  

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A few months back, I was reading about a wrestler who was training for the World Wrestling Championships in 2010 which was held in Moscow.  His name is Jake Herbert and he wrestles in the 85 kg weight class.  He was discussing how he wanted to prove to himself that he was fully committed to putting his best effort in training for what he called the most important tournament in his life.  So on top of all of his training in wrestling, and the time in the weight room, he set a goal of doing 10,000 pull ups over a 1 year span.   

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A common knee injury that we treat here at Joint Ventures is a tear in the meniscus (plural, menisci), or as a more common reference, a tear of the knee cartilage.  For the purpose of this post, we will consider the menisci to be the primary name for what lies between the two bones in the knee. 

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Health insurance benefits have undergone significant changes in the last decade, placing more financial burden on the individual; resulting, in higher premiums, coinsurances,and copays.  Limited numbers of visits for services and/or a limited time frame in which you can use your benefits are commonly used components of current health insurance plans.  In this blog we hope to provide information about these concepts and help you to understand how knowledge of this information can help you navigate your health care and physical therapy experience.   

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Knee injuries, ankle sprains, back and shoulder injuries can all potentially keep athletes on the sidelines and limit their ability to maintain their stamina, strength, speed and flexibility.  Being instructed by the doctor to rest, take some time off, and rehabilitate can be a huge blow to an athlete’s confidence, motivation, and drive.  The use of the aquatic setting offers the opportunity for the athletes to not only rehab their injury, but improve mechanics and tap into other muscles that are not working to full potential.   

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In a recent issue of the Journal of Orthopedic and Sports Physical Therapy, there is an article concerning the pros and cons of diagnostic imaging that I found fascinating and I want to share some of the highlights.   

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Working a muscle group harder than its opposing muscle group is a common mistake when it comes to exercise and can result in problems including back pain, shin splints, rotator cuff strains, poor posture, and reduced sports performance.  

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If you’re a Bostonian, don’t check the calendar or the air temperature to see if summer has arrived.  Look down!  When the masses of co-eds turn in their Uggs for flip-flops, you know the seasons have changed. 

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I am often asked how Active Release Technique® (ART) differs from other forms of soft tissue work, such as massage or trigger point therapy.  The not-so-simple answer is that ART® is a patented form of manual therapy that uses active movement and therapist-applied tension in order to relieve pain and dysfunction of the muscles, tendons, ligaments, fascia, and nerves.  In order to determine if ART® would be an effective treatment for a particular injury, it is helpful to understand how ART® helps alleviate the dysfunction of an injury. 

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While spin class may make you feel like the next Lance Armstrong, urban biking can be dangerous for the inexperienced outdoor biker.   

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