Joint Ventures' Blog

When your physical therapist hands you his or her business card, do you ever look at the credentials after the name and scratch your head?  OCS?  CSCS?  DPT?  ART? 

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Muscle strength testing is a basic component of a physical therapy evaluation.  Some more specific muscle tests have been developed to help clinicians evaluate strength in patients in more detail than with previous testing positions.  There are several benefits to this type of testing for you, the patient.   

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Now that Spring is upon us, and everyone starts coming out of hibernation, I want to offer my advice to those without exercise experience.  There are certain exercises I highly recommend you do not perform.  I say this from my own personal experience and because I've seen many patients with injuries specifically related to poor exercise execution and gym routines.  It should be stated that there are probably people that have been doing these exercises for years and without issues, but that doesn't mean that these exercises are not RISKY!  All exercises have risks, just like all sports have risks.  Example: Football players take the risk of head injury and skiers take the risk of knee injury.  I recommend that if your goal is to lose weight and get into better shape, or to start working out, you need to reduce the risks of injury with your routine.  Here is a start. 

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The idea of getting in a pool in front of others, or when you are in pain can be a difficult concept to accept.  But when dealing with back pain I think those suffering should consider all their options, including aquatic physical therapy.  Over the last three months, I have found that my patients coming in for treatment due to low back pain have tried every other option for pain management, but nothing has helped.  They are in pain, looking for some form of exercise, and are tired of doctor appointments.  Due to the duration of time they have been dealing with this day to day pain, they are stressed out, not sleeping well, and struggling with day to day activities.  Getting in the pool and working with a skilled professional to find a pain free form of movement can motivate an individual and possibly lead to a return to exercise in a land based setting.   

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Maybe you have walked in to your gym and noticed people rolling on a piece of foam, or one of your running buddies, says “you should get a foam roller, they are great!”  So, you might ask, what are these foam rollers all about and why should I use one? 

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If you would describe yourself as an athlete, mom, or simply a human being... Functional Training is a valuable tool to incorporate into your daily exercise regimen.  When performing awkward positions of bending, lifting, balancing, and twisting, Functional Training (FT) helps to ensure that you handle these activities with greater stability, less effort and less fatigue.  The focus of FT is on movement, not on isolated muscle groups.  Practicing movement patterns helps you to perform everyday activities safely and efficiently.  In other words, if want to get better and stronger at an activity, then you should rehearse the activity.  
 

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Throughout the day we are all exposed to various amounts of stress.  We’re not talking emotional stress here, but physical stress---the forces your body is subjected to with everything you do.  There are external forces, such as gravity, friction, and ground reaction force (the force that travels up your body when your foot hits the ground as you walk, run, jump, etc).  And there are also internal forces such as joint contact (bone and cartilage interactions), muscle contraction, and joint shearing (sliding and pivoting).   I think when most of us hear the word “stress” we have a negative association because we think of emotional stress, like being busy, or being overloaded with work or relationship issues.  Physical stress could be harmful if it is repetitive or excessive, but when applied at the correct amount, it can have a positive impact on your body.  Furthermore, insufficient amounts of physical stress can be harmful.  Without enough physical stress, you can develop things like osteoporosis (low bone density), muscle strains, muscle atrophy, and myofascial dysfunctions. 

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Most people with poor posture have poor breathing habits.  Many people don’t realize that a slouched sitting posture can wreak havoc on the function of the diaphragm.  The diaphragm is a large dome shaped muscle at the base of the lungs, responsible for expanding the lungs so we can take in air to get oxygen.  When this muscle isn’t working as well as it should, other muscles in the upper back and neck area can take over by expanding the rib cage and helping to fill the lungs.  However, this compensation pattern can lead to more chronic back or neck pain.  So if you find yourself sitting in a chair most of the day, or if you’re rehabbing from a neck, back or rib injury, you could probably benefit from some diaphragmatic breathing practice to wake up this underutilized muscle. 

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Poor posture, incorrect body mechanics, and faulty desk set up are all major factors in workplace related injuries and health problems.  Static positioning with these faulty mechanics can lead to injuries such as neck/back pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, and shoulder and wrist tendonitis. Below are some good tips to adjust your desk arrangement to prevent these injuries.   

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I hear this question frequently from my patients, so I thought I’d write some general guidelines to consider when choosing to ice, to heat, or when to do both. 

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