Health Blog
Don’t Join the Opioid Epidemic! Why PT is a Much Safer Course
No one wants to live a life in pain, but prescription opioids aren’t always the best choice. Painkillers like Percocet, Vicodin and OxyContin certainly come with risks. Opioid risks include withdrawal symptoms, addiction, depression and overdose. And today, the use of opioids is epidemic. Physical therapy is a safer alternative without the risks and side effects associated with taking opioids.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recognizes that prescription opioid are appropriate in some cases, such as end-of-life care and cancer treatment but recommends nonopioid treatment for other types of pain, including physical therapy.
Read full blogHow Physical Therapy Can Help Relieve Headaches
Some people mistakenly believe that “tension headache” refers literally to pain caused by emotional stress. In fact, the term refers to the muscle tension or spasms, at the back of the head that leads to head pain. Yet although feeling tense can certainly lead to muscle spasms, other issues — such as poor posture, injury, or arthritis — are also common culprits.
Are You a Good Candidate for Physical Therapy to Reduce Headaches?
Read full blogThe Undeniable Link Between Nutrition and Pain
Every day, we learn more about the key role that proper nutrition plays in decreasing pain. Of course, the opposite is also true — poor dietary habits can lead to, or worsen chronic pain.
It’s not unusual for physical therapists to walk their patients through their lifestyle habits in order to pinpoint habits that might be contributing to their chronic pain. For that reason, helping a patient examine his or her diet is often part of an initial physical therapy evaluation, when appropriate.
Read full blogWhy Physical Therapy is Critical Following a Joint Replacement Surgery
The intricacies of joint replacement surgery can vary greatly, depending on whether the replacement involved a knee, wrist, shoulder, ankle, or hip. Yet the post-surgical recovery period for all of these procedures is remarkably similar. The most important element? Working those new joints correctly, with the help of a physical therapist.
Reducing Swelling
Before you even leave the hospital, you’re likely to be treated by a physical therapist. That’s because it’s crucial to the healing process to keep inflammation down.
Read full blogHow Physical Therapy Can Help Your Achilles Tendonitis
What is Achilles Tendonitis?
The Achilles tendon is the largest tendon in the human body. This tendon joins the calf muscles to the heel bone and travels down the back of the lower leg. If it’s put under strain, it can get inflamed. This is known as Achilles tendonitis . If it’s left untreated, the Achilles tendon can become ruptured or even torn.
Causes and Types of Achilles Tendonitis
The causes of Achilles tendonitis include:
- Running on uneven or hard surfaces
- Wearing improper shoes when exercising or running
- Introducing stair climbing to an exercise routine
- Increasing the intensity of an exercise too soon
- An injured calf muscle
- Not warming up properly before an exercise routine
- Sudden intense physical activity
The types of Achilles tendonitis are non-insertional and insertional.
Read full blogUp Your Calcium Intake for Stronger Bones and for PT Support
As your physical therapist may have told you, osteoporosis and osteoarthritis are often more interconnected than you might have thought. As cartilage deteriorates, the adjoining bone can become affected as well. This makes calcium more important than ever to support bone health for those suffering from deteriorating surrounding joints.
Why Calcium Matters
To prevent injuries and pain associated with overuse and with aging, strong bones are crucial. Calcium is the number one nutrient that helps preventing thinning bones.
Read full blogPlantar Fasciitis: Causes, Symptoms and Treatment Plan
Some people wait longer than they need to when it comes to getting help for lower foot pain. Yet physical therapy can not only ease the immediate pain of plantar fasciitis but improve the condition itself.
What is Plantar Fasciitis?
Because the plantar fascia runs from the ball of your foot to the heel and is fairly wide, this band of tissues may cause pain throughout much of the lower foot, or it can happen in specific areas.
Read full blogMassage Away Your Pain with Massage Therapy
Once considered a luxury that only the rich and pampered could afford — or justify as treatment — massage is now considered an integral part of many physical therapy programs. With a variety of massage techniques to address a range of health problems, the respected practice has been proven to help significantly reduce temporary or chronic pain.
For patients needing immediate pain relief, or who are seeking to avoid drug or surgical therapies for ongoing pain and discomfort, talking to a physical therapist about using massage for some or all of their treatment plans is the ultimate “feel good” move.
Read full blogHow PT Can Reduce the Need for Opioids
With unintentional drug overdoses on a sharp increase within the U.S., more medical professionals are seeking treatment options that don’t carry the risk of painkiller addiction. Certainly, reducing pain through opioids can be a legitimate treatment. Yet mushrooming addiction rates make it obvious that methods such as physical therapy can often be a better first-line treatment than opioids, without the long-term consequence of drug addiction.
When is Physical Therapy Right for You?
It’s never too late to discontinue long-term opioid use (under your doctor’s supervision) in favor of physical therapy.
Read full blogFall Prevention Tips for the Elderly
Physical therapy is too often seen as a “last chance” to help prevent further falls, especially for older patients who have already had a few close calls. Yet physical therapists do so much more than guide patients through helpful balance-enhancing movements — as crucial as those are. These professionals, can also be counted on to help patients assess their lifestyles in order to remove as many fall risks as possible.
Medical Checkups are Crucial
Seniors should never skip annual eye exams, because changes may have happened gradually that they didn’t notice, but which are affecting their perception of light, distance and depth.
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