Tom Willemann Health Tips

"Almost Daily Health Tips From Physical Therapist Tom Willemann..."

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What else could heel pain be besides plantar fasciitis?

What else could heel pain be besides plantar fasciitis?

Although conservative treatment can be quite effective for plantar fasciitis sometimes it can be mistaken for other conditions which include:Tarsal tunnel syndromeLateral plantar nerve entrapmentCalcaneal nerve entrapmentLumbar radiculopathyThe classic symptoms of plantar fasciitis include:Acute pain with first steps in amPain after walking or standing for extensive periodsClimbing stairsIf your condition doesn’t improve contact us to help youContinue Reading »

Biker with a hamstring and calf strain

History of a problem is often the key! When did it start? What changed around that time? This information is critical to a therapist’s understanding the origin a patient’s problem. One of our patients suffered a fall that resulted in repairs to his bike. Soon after receiving his bike back he reported pain in theContinue Reading »

Painful shoulder exercises–are they safe?

The exercises your physical therapist prescribed are causing pain. Could that be recommended practice? Recent studies suggest it may be. Eccentric strengthening in the moderately painful range may blunt pain fibers’ signals to the brain leaving you with decreasing pain as the muscles strengthen. Such strengthening may also assist in stimulating improved tissue repair. EvaluationContinue Reading »

Where is my shoulder pain coming from?

It could be coming from your neck or your shoulder?  Unfortunately, I have treated patients that have had shoulder surgery for a fracture, rotator cuff repair, stabilization procedure for shoulder instability or a total shoulder arthroplasty (TSA) that didn’t make enough progress.    Only later found to find out a portion of their shoulder pain was coming from theirContinue Reading »

Can poor vision give you a headache?

Yes!  My wife had an experience with a series of headaches about 4 years ago.   We consulted with a neurologist who asked whether she had a recent eye exam.  She was convinced she had a brain tumor and did  not want to admit her eyes might be failing her.  Finally, she gave in, andContinue Reading »

What is Piriformis Syndrome?

Facts on Piriformis Syndrome: *based on a a review  article in Journal of the American Osteopathic Association (JAOA)* The Piriformis muscle acts chiefly as a hip rotator that  rests over the sciatic nerve and in some cases the sciatic nerve passes through the piriformis muscle belly.  Any trauma, inflammation or increase size of this muscleContinue Reading »

Simple Tip to Reduce Low Back Pain

This morning I woke up with severe right lower back pain.  As a paramus physical therapist I always tell my patients to limit the amount of time you sit to less than 30 minutes at a time with any patient who suffers from neck or low back pain.  More often than not patients tell meContinue Reading »

Does stretching your hamstrings prevent hamstrings tears?

As of right now it has Not Been Shown that hamstring flexibility decreases the chance of a hamstring tear.   The chief risk factors include: Previous hamstring tear Age Decreased hip flexor and quadricep flexibility Hamstring weakness Muscle Imbalances at hip/trunk Type of sports pursued One of the things that seems to reduce the incidence ofContinue Reading »

Does the Right Footwear Prevent Injuries?

Because your feet are subjected to nearly a million pounds of pressure during an hour of strenuous exercise, proper footwear is important to cushion these loads. For this reason, shoe companies and medical professionals have recommended wearing specific types of footwear to prevent injuries. It would be nice if the right shoe could really protectContinue Reading »