Tom Willemann Health Tips

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

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Can I Exercise Safely with a Cold?

Can I Exercise Safely with a Cold?

The average adult gets one to six colds every year, with symptoms lasting a week to 10 days. Should you let these colds interrupt your exercise routine? Probably not, as long as you pay attention to what your body tells you. Above the Neck Symptoms In other words, if your only symptoms are a runnyContinue Reading »

Maintaining Bone Health as We Age

Maintaining Bone Health as We Age

The National Osteoporosis Foundation estimates that osteoporosis is a major health threat for 55% of people 50 years of age or older. Ten million people—80% of them women—have osteoporosis, and almost 34 million people have low bone mass and are at an increased risk to develop the disease. With one in two women and oneContinue Reading »

Treating Plantar Fasciitis with a Night Splint

Treating Plantar Fasciitis with a Night Splint

The plantar fascia is a ligament full of fibers that runs along the bottom of the foot from the heel to the toes. When the tears are located at the end of the ligament attached to the calcaneous, or heel bone, what you feel is plantar fasciitis or heel pain—a burning, aching or sticking sensation.Continue Reading »

Effective Physical Therapy for Shoulder Dislocations

Effective Physical Therapy for Shoulder Dislocations

If you have dislocated your shoulder,choosing the best mode of treatment to get you moving and free from pain as quickly as possible can be a real challenge. One kind of shoulder dislocation, multidirectional shoulder instability, tends to occur in younger adults and may need surgery, along with physical therapy, to provide relief.   Care shouldContinue Reading »

Transitioning to Indoor Workouts as the Weather Changes

Transitioning to Indoor Workouts as the Weather Changes

While some Americans are able to exercise outdoors almost year round, most of us must move our workouts indoors for at least a few months. Transitioning in some sports or activities is easier—or at least more obvious—than in others. Ocean swimming, for instance, is a little difficult to replicate indoors, but if you play tennisContinue Reading »

Weight Machines or Free Weights: Which is Better?

Weight Machines or Free Weights: Which is Better?

The debate over whether weight machines or free weights better help a person achieve fitness is not new. Recently, the trend has been away from weight machines and toward free weights, so it is worth revisiting the benefits and drawbacks of both. Weight machines have several advantages. For one thing, they are easy for theContinue Reading »

Total Hip Replacement: Getting Up and Going

Total Hip Replacement: Getting Up and Going

If you are about to have your hip replaced, you will need to begin a rehabilitation program very soon after the procedure is completed. The type of rehabilitation will vary with the surgical technique used to attach the metal prosthesis to the femur. This artificial ball and stem can be affixed either with bony cementContinue Reading »

Using Lumbar Support Roll

Using Lumbar Support Roll

My friend told me about his new car and how he had a great lumbar support that can be adjusted to fit his back.   Many vehicles offer this feature but they are often used incorrectly, whether incorporated into the seat or a portable. Tips for fitting your lumbar roll: Make sure it feels good and does not increase lowContinue Reading »

Osteoporosis – “The Silent Thief”

Osteoporosis  – “The Silent Thief”

Osteoporosis and Osteopenia Osteoporosis is a disease that will affect 1 in 5 women over age 50, often with no symptoms until a fracture occurs, giving it the name “The Silent Thief”. Osteopenia is a lesser degree of bone loss than osteoporosis. The greatest loss of bone mass, which can be as much as 20%,Continue Reading »

“Cementing” and Knee Replacement Surgery

“Cementing” and Knee Replacement Surgery

More than 580,000 knee replacement surgeries—the vast majority of them successful—are performed in the United States each year. In this procedure, special acrylic bone cement is often employed to adhere the new artificial knee parts to your leg bones. Its technical name is polymethylmethacrylate, or PMMA. What is PMMA? In some situations, the surgeon canContinue Reading »