Arm Yourself After a Distal Radius Fracture

A distal radius fracture—a break near the wrist in the largest forearm bone—is one of the most common injuries of the forearm. The fracture often occurs when a person falls onto an outstretched hand. Other causes include direct impact or axial forces. Treatment depends on such factors as the exact nature of the fracture, yourContinue Reading »

Pedaling Your Way to Health

You probably remember learning how to ride a bike. But most likely, your six-year-old self had no clue just how beneficial this newly acquired skill could be to your overall health and wellness. One of the most popular and enjoyable fitness activities, cycling was recently celebrated in the medical community for enhancing cardiac health, thanksContinue Reading »

He didn’t even touch me … but I felt better?

He didn’t even touch me … but I felt better?People sometimes don’t realize the positive impact their own movements have on their health. Coming out of physical therapy school, you just couldn’t wait to finally apply your training to help people feel better. Part of the training included “hands on” techniques like stretching or jointContinue Reading »

Physical Therapy for Skier’s Thumb

Thumb injuries are quite common, especially among skiers. During a fall, a skier’s thumb can easily catch against the ski pole, resulting in a tear of the ligament that stabilizes the thumb. This ligament, known as the ulnar collateral ligament, normally keeps the thumb from pointing too far away from the hand. Treatment Treatment dependsContinue Reading »

Why You Need Crutches After Meniscus Surgery

Why You Need Crutches After Meniscus Surgery If only surgical treatment worked so perfectly that the patient would hop off the operating table, cured, with no painful recovery required. For knee surgery, that is not the case. Today, most surgical procedures on the crescent-shaped, fibrous knee joint cartilage called the meniscus are performed with tinyContinue Reading »

Maintaining Fitness in Colder Weather

Cold winds are starting to blow, and temperatures are plummeting. If you are not a lover of brisk weather, think about taking your fitness routine indoors. And if you do not have a regular exercise program, now is the time to let us help you get started on fitness activities you can perform inside whereContinue Reading »

Vary Your Exercise Routine for Health and Fitness

But precisely because it is a habit, you may easily fall into the trap of doing only one form of exercise that works on a limited set of muscles. However, recent research suggests that health as well as fitness benefits can be gained from a variety of exercises. One study found that people who performedContinue Reading »

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

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?

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 »