treating hip impingement

If there is one group of muscles worth getting to know, it is the hip flexors.  They are a powerful group of muscles important for lots of daily functions.  (If you want to know more about the anatomy, we can chat sometime and/or you can read more in text books.)  Hip impingement is basically caused by a joint not moving properly.  While there may be lots of causes, the goal in treatment is to help the joint move better.  The hip joint and surrounding area must first be assessed to create a plan to minimize pain and avoid further damage.  As this is accomplished, the treatment can progress to overall movement patterns, correcting muscle imbalances, and dealing with other complicating bio-mechanical, or environmental factors.  With a proper approach, the road to recovery (including improved strength, flexibility and endurance) can be a rewarding one.  Working with, and understanding the hip flexors role in hip impingement is a great start

those are tight hip flexors!

shoulder pain and lat tightness

A lot of shoulder pain is a result of tight shoulder internal rotators.  The internal rotators of the shoulder are the pectoralis major, pectoralis minor, biceps, latissimus dorsi, teres major, and subscapularis.  This group of muscles play a large role in pulling motions.  To simplify this article, I will focus on the latissimus, also known as the "lats".  The lats are a large muscle group that attach to the back of your neck, most of your spine, scapulae (shoulder blades), your upper arm bone (the humerus), and your pelvic girdle.  When these muscle are tight or overdeveloped they can cause imbalances and improper alignment of the whole shoulder complex.  They can become tight through overuse or through the less than optimal postures we work in or sit in each day.  To counteract this tightening and shortening of the lats it is important to stretch them on a regular basis.  This can be accomplished in many ways.  Here are two easy ones... 1.  Hang from a pull up bar (use support under your feet if you need to)  and 2.  practice a child's pose yoga stretch (look it up!).  By stretching the lats, and other shoulder internal rotators, it is possible to improve the alignment and motion of the shoulder to help eliminate or lessen pain.  This is a very simple explanation and if you are interested in more detail, leave a comment.  Always exercise or stretch within your own comfort zone and if you are unsure, wait and ask your doctor.  Thanks

all about posture

Posture is a topic I have spent a lot of time studying and evaluating.  As a physical therapist it is a topic that I commonly get asked about.  Is posture important?  Absolutely!  It allows the body to function more efficiently and effectively.  Without getting into a lot of detail here, I will say that posture is a by product of our habits, moods and energies and not something that we "fix" by constantly reminding ourselves to lift our head up or put our shoulders back.  There is a lot we can do to improve our posture and I would love to help!  Please ask any questions at the bottom of the post!

rest more, do less

There is a time for doing and a time for resting.  A lot of healing in physical therapy comes from resting.  It comes from giving the body a chance to heal while we do our best to remove obstacles and create environments conducive to healing.

Lunges and plantar fasciitis

Lunges are a great exercise for leg, ankle, foot and core strength.  They are also good for balance and posture.  It is important with lunges to use good form and to build up the number of repetitions gradually.  Foot placement is also very important to avoid over-stretching the bottom of the foot, which could lead to plantar fasciitis.  If you are unsure how to do lunges or if they are a good exercise for you, check with a physical therapist or another professional trained in exercise prescription.

tight muscles

Tight muscles can cause all sorts of weird and sometimes scary feelings!  If you have some tight muscles, and I know you do, go to your doctor and see if you could benefit from physical therapy!  You might be amazed at what a difference it can make!

plantar fasciitis

A common, painful injury!  There is one way to help this in a hurry!  With plantar fasciitis, the soft tissues in the bottom of the foot (from the toes to the heel) are overworked, overstretched, inflamed, injured and sore!  Deep tissue massage parallel to the fibers of the fascia is the way to go!  Add some gentle stretching and ice afterward and you are well on your way to getting back on your feet!  Literally!