Pain Myth #1: Rest Will Fix Your Problem
This is the first installment of the 5-Part series “Myths You Were Told About Your Pain” I bet that just about everyone has complained of pain at some point and a friend or relative or even a doctor has told you to “just rest until it feels better.” And this piece of “medical” advice drives me crazy…
Why So Many Patients Are Accessing Physical Therapy WITHOUT Using Their Insurance…
When I thought about how to set up my physical therapy business, I decided to do something drastically different from the other typical physical therapy clinics out there. Let’s back up a little first before I discuss that any further… Over my past 11 years working as a physical therapist, I have seen significant (and frequent)…
Should You Let Your Child Play Sports With A Fever?
The obvious and recommended answer is no. But I know some of you are going to let your kids do it anyway (hell, I’ve done it a bunch of times), so I might as well give you recommendations on how to best prepare them and manage them while they’re playing.
Why You Need To Stop Working Out and Start Training
Many people don’t get the results they desire because they are “working out” instead of training….don’t be one of them! Most people think the two terms “working out” and “training” are synonymous, but they are actually very different. So what’s the difference between the two… Working out is doing random exercises in the gym without a specific…
7 Common Mistakes Athletes Make When They Get Injured
Injuries are an unfortunate risk that comes with playing sports. After an athlete suffers an injury, many times they don’t treat the injury properly which causes a delayed or incomplete recovery and more time on the sidelines. This can be due to the athlete simply not knowing what to do, ignoring the injury, or getting…
5 Signs You’re Not Fully Recovered From Your Ankle Sprain & At Risk For Another Injury
Putting You At Risk For Another, Potentially More Serious, Injury…like a torn ACL Ankle sprains are a very common athletic injury, but the significance of an ankle sprain is frequently downplayed and many people never get back to 100%…even though they think they are fully recovered. If you don’t fully recover from your ankle sprain, it will put…
The “Speed & Agility” Ladder Myth
Given the popularity of speed & agility ladders, I’m sure you’ve seen or used one at some point. And I’m sure you were told it would help you (or your child) run faster or improve your agility. And now here comes the truth – agility ladders won’t help you do either. So, does that mean…
Quick & Easy Self-Assessment: Ankle Dorsiflexion
Limited ankle dorsiflexion (moving your foot up towards your body) is a common issue and its ramifications can affect the foot all the way up the kinetic chain to the shoulder. Some of the common problems that limited ankle dorsiflexion can lead to are: plantar fasciosis, achilles tendinopathy, ACL tears, anterior knee pain, and lateral hip…
Get Pain With Shoulder Presses? Try This Shoulder-Friendly Variation Instead
If you get pain with shoulder (military) presses or avoid them altogether because they bother your shoulders, then the landmine press might be the solution to your pressing problem. I highly recommend this variation to many of my patients and I even use the landmine pres personally in my training. There is a video of…
Top 10 Not-To-Do List For Youth Baseball Pitchers
I first heard of a not-to-do list from author and human guinea pig Tim Ferriss and I really liked the idea, so I figured I would put one together for youth baseball players. As Tim wrote in his blog, “not-to-do lists are often more effective than to-do lists for upgrading performance [because] what you don’t…
The Importance of a Dynamic Warm-Up
While I feel like just about everyone has heard of a dynamic warm-up, I definitely don’t see them being performed that often and it’s a shame. They are easy to implement, can improve performance, and potentially prevent injury. I’ll briefly discuss the benefits of a dynamic warm-up and then provide a video of one at…
Early Sport Specialization is Killing Your Child’s Health
Do you want to limit your kid’s athletic development and increase their chances of getting injured? Then have them specialize in one sport from an early age. Early sports specialization (i.e. playing only 1 sport from an early age) is a booming yet concerning trend in the U.S. The social pressure to have your child specialize…
Is ACL Surgery As Successful As You Think It Is….Nope!
It is estimated that approximately 100,000 ACL reconstruction surgeries are performed annually. Undoubtedly, you probably know someone who has had this procedure done or even had it done on yourself. The public perception seems to be that if you undergo ACL reconstruction surgery, it’s a temporary setback and you will be able to return to playing…
Hydration Recommendations For Athletes
With temperatures rising and outdoor activities starting to increase, I figured it would be a good time to go over the recommendations for proper hydration for sports activities. This is especially important for young athletes as they have a harder time dissipating heat and usually don’t fully understand the importance of hydration (or listen to…
The Truth About Your Lumbar (low back) MRI Results – What the Doctor’s Don’t Tell You
What You NEED To Know About How To Interpret Your Back MRI Results So you just had an MRI of your lumbar spine (lower back) and you went to see the doctor for the results or tried to read the MRI results yourself. Quickly you became confused, overwhelmed, and/or anxious reading all these “bad” things…