As we come to the end of 2022, we want to take a moment to wish you and yours a warm, cozy, and healthy holiday season. Despite the busy-ness that creeps in this time of year, Mother Nature is nudging us to rest, recover and reflect. We hope you follow her lead and take the winter months to address your aches and pains, rehabilitate your injuries and move your body in nourishing ways.
With love and support,
𝔾𝕒𝕓𝕪, 𝕂𝕚𝕞, 𝔸𝕝𝕚, 𝕁𝕠𝕕𝕪 & 𝔼𝕝𝕤
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Are you able to hop up and down on each foot 10 times without losing your balance? Go ahead, stand up and give it a try. If you can do this on both sides, congratulations, you’re well prepared to run through an intersection, jump for sports, and prevent yourself from falling if you trip, or maybe avoid tripping altogether. If you’re not able to do it, can only do it on one side, or it hurts when you do it, please read on for some exercises you can do to improve your ability to hop on one foot.
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We need flexibility in our shoulders for a lot of different reasons. Activities like getting dressed and undressed, scratching our backs, and lifting overhead require shoulder mobility.
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I was once given the advice to take good care of the things that connect us to the floor. As a physical therapist, this makes me think of feet. Feet are quite literally our connection to the ground as well as our base of support for many of the activities we do every single day. In addition to appropriate footwear, we can do exercises to help our feet adapt to the surface we stand on and propel ourselves forward.
Having both mobility and strength in our feet is critical for treating injuries in our lower extremities as well as injury prevention by having better balance and stabilit
Read on to learn our favorite exercises to strengthen the feet.
Golfers reach. Waiters bow. Deadlift. Warrior 3. Airplane. Forward fold. Rock backs.
What do all of these activities have in common? They require isolated movement of your hip joint, also known as a hip hinge. Bending from the hips helps you to maintain a neutral position of the spine which is a critical movement for function. As humans, we often need to get close to the floor – for gardening, to pick up laundry, to lift grocery bags, to pick up your children (you get the picture). If your hip doesn’t hinge well in its socket or your hamstrings limit this movement, the next set of joints that have to get you lower are in your lower back. While bending the spine isn’t a dangerous or bad thing, we need stability in the spine when lifting or leaning.
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The ability to touch your toes when bending forward from a standing position with straight knees is one way we measure flexibility. This is because there are many daily activities that require flexibility in the muscles on the back of your body. A few everyday examples include picking things up off of the ground, taking your shoes on and off, loading or unloading the washing machine, and much more.
Also, if you don’t have adequate flexibility in the structures that allow you to forward bend with ease, you are at risk for developing lower back pain, and possibly pain in your neck and upper back, hips, knees or lower legs. Because of the importance of flexibility for function and pain prevention, the toe touch flexibility screen is a useful tool. It can direct you or your physical therapist to the specific muscle groups that need to be addressed.
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Holding the plank position is a good indicator of your core strength. Core strength and endurance are extremely important in maintaining a healthy spine and avoiding low back pain. If you’re unable to hold a good quality plank for the recommended time, this article is for you.
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After nearly thirteen years in business and an expansion last year, it was time to refresh our logo. We are very excited to introduce this new logo to you! The expansion changed our floorplan and color scheme, but simultaneous to the physical changes came energetic shifts within our team and culture. Because of this, it’s time to share our story with you. We also want to take this opportunity to communicate our values and how they are represented by the new logo.
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The serratus anterior muscle is a great one to focus on for shoulder strength and health. It’s also known as the boxer’s muscle. Not only does it keep your shoulder blade stable on your rib cage, it also helps with shoulder protraction and upward rotation. These actions maintain space in your shoulder joint when you reach or raise your arm. After all, nobody likes the pain of a pinching shoulder.
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Most of us read this question and think, “of course!”. But, can you do it without slouching or experiencing pain? Contemplate it for a moment, or even better, give it a try. If you think or know the answer is no, we encourage you to read on.
Physical therapists are big fans of movement to decrease pain. And we commonly modify activities to help minimize your experience of pain. However, the ability to hold certain positions is necessary to work, drive and otherwise function in our modern world. Being able to hold a typical posture like sitting or standing for an hour without pain or slouching is an indicator of your physical endurance and function.
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