When it comes to pain and physical therapy, ironically, one of the most common things I hear from patients is, “I’m just going to wait until the pain and inflammation calm down before I come back.” On the surface, that might sound perfectly reasonable. If something hurts, resting it seems like the smartest thing to do, right? And sometimes… it is. But many people are surprised to learn...
At CJ Physical Therapy and Pilates in Portsmouth, NH, our goal is to help you live a pain-free life without pain pills or invasive procedures. Release the muscle tension and trigger points that are keeping your pain cycle going, without pain pills or invasive procedures. Talk to a Specialist For Free UNDERSTANDING DRY NEEDLING What Is Dry Needling? Trigger Point Dry Needling is one of several strategies we...
Abdominal crunches are one of the most popular “ab exercises” around. It’s a movement that emphasizes upper abdominal strength. You start by lying on your back, typically with your hands behind your head and knees bent. You then lift your head and chest off the floor, “crunching” your upper body into a C-shaped curve. Over the years, many “experts” have dismissed this exercise, claiming it’s ineffective for core...
Healthy Knees After 40: 3 Simple Principles to Stay Active and Avoid Knee Pain Why Healthy Knees Don’t Depend on Luck or Good Genes If you’ve made it into your 40s or 50s without any significant knee pain, consider yourself fortunate. Knees tend to get more cranky as we get older. They’re one of the most common reasons people stop hiking, give up pickleball, skip vacations that involve...
When you live in New England, summer is a short and precious season. And you don’t want something like nagging knee pain ruining it for you. Whether you’re walking the beach, gardening, playing a round of golf or pickle ball, or tackling your favorite hiking trail – knee pain can quickly turn your favorite summer activities into frustrating experiences. The good news? There’s a lot you can do...
Why Strengthening Isn’t Always the Answer for Knee Pain If you’ve been dealing with knee pain for any length of time, you’ve probably received some version of the same advice… Strengthen your legs. Strengthen your quads. Strengthen your glutes. Build more support around the knee. It sounds logical, and sometimes it can help. But what if it doesn’t? If you’ve faithfully done the exercises, gone to the gym,...
What’s the greatest gift you can give Dad this Father’s Day? It might not be what you think. Instead of another golf shirt, grilling gadget, or gift card, how about something a lot more meaningful – priceless perhaps? How about more years of doing what he loves. Every Father’s Day, dads across the country receive gifts they’ll appreciate but probably don’t need. But if you asked most dads...
If you’re over 40 and have been dealing with knee pain, there’s a good chance you’ve heard some version of this conversation before: your knee hurts, your doctor orders an MRI, the MRI shows a meniscus tear, and suddenly surgery is on the table. For many people, that’s where the story ends. They assume the tear is causing the pain and that fixing the tear is the only...
Ten years ago, you could play 18 holes on Saturday, mow the lawn on Sunday, and barely think about it. Now your back tightens up halfway through a round. Your elbow aches for two days afterward. Maybe your knee complains every time you walk a hilly course, or your shoulder feels stiff before you’ve even reached the back nine. The frustrating part is that it often feels like...
When Did You Start Putting Yourself Last? It usually doesn’t happen all at once. A sore back at the end of the day.A knee that doesn’t love the stairs anymore.A shoulder that feels tight when you reach overhead. Nothing alarming enough to stop you — but just enough to notice. So you keep going. Because that’s what you’ve always done. You take care of the kids, the house,...
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Portsmouth, NH’s people-first physical therapy studio. We help active adults 40+ find the root cause of their pain and build a long-term plan to fix it, so they can get back to doing what they love most.
