Movement Strategies to Combat the Stress of Pandemics and Politics
I think we can all agree that 2020 has been far from a typical year. We continue to find ourselves in a state of uncertainty — and it’s causing people to live in a constant state of stress. Eight months ago, when this pandemic began, we saw a huge surge in back and neck pain […]
Is Shoulder Pain “Impinging” on Your Lifestyle?
If you’ve ever had pain in your shoulders when you try to raise your arms overhead, pull off a sweatshirt, grab a gallon of milk from the fridge, or place grocery bags on the counter, you were likely dealing with shoulder “impingement syndrome…” otherwise known as “rotator cuff impingement” or “rotator cuff tendonitis.” They call […]
Tight Hamstrings: a Case Study
If you’ve ever felt tightness in your hamstrings, the typical advice you get from friends, family, and even well-meaning health and wellness professionals is to stretch them. Well… if it’s just your hamstring that’s actually tight then this might be good advice to follow. But what if it’s something else? If you accidentally stretch a […]
5 Tips to Avoid Back Pain While Raking Leaves
Fall is officially in full swing here in New England. But as much as we love leaf peeping, leaf raking is turning into a literal pain! As more and more people start their fall clean ups over the next few weeks, we fully expect to be getting more calls and complaints in our office about […]
Neck Pain During Crunches? Here’s Why & How to Avoid it
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 […]
Tight Hip Flexors? When Stretching isn’t Enough…
When it comes to feeling stiff and immobile, tight hip flexors are the second most common complaint I hear – right after tight hamstrings. Tight hip flexors are annoying, achy, and they often contribute to lower back pain. When your hips are tight, it can be painful or uncomfortable to walk, run, play golf, exercise, and even stand up straight! Typically, the recommended treatments for […]
When Traditional Physical Therapy Fails…
I’ve been a physical therapist for a very long time — 20 years to be exact — and I’ve seen a lot of changes in healthcare over the course of my career. One of the biggest (and saddest) changes I’ve seen in my field is the overcrowding of clinics. As reimbursements from insurance companies go […]
Five Ways Adding Pilates to your Life will Enhance your Fitness.
Pilates has been around for about 100 years, and it still amazes me how many people have NOT heard of this incredible exercise method. It was first created by Joseph Pilates and initially gained popularity among the dance community as a way to recover from and prevent injuries. But you don’t have to be a […]
Why Back Pain Keeps People from Exercising
Did you know that eighty percent of the population suffers from what we call “non-specific low back pain” (NSLBP)? You might have NSLBP if your back pain: is often chronic comes out of nowhere comes and goes (you have good days and bad days) is not due to a recent or major accident or fall If […]
Should You Heat or Ice an Injury?
Earlier this week, we put on a free Zoom workshop all about preventing and overcoming knee pain – and one of the questions that came up was if you should apply heat or ice when something is hurting. This is a VERY common question in our office, so we wanted to share the same advice […]
