Physical Therapy Archives

How to Start Trail Running

Post author:admin
Post published:March 31, 2021
Post category:Physical Therapy Running

As the winter starts to taper off and the ground begins to thaw, it’s a great time to get off the treadmill and start running outdoors again. One of the best places to do this is on your local trails due to the increased challenge of navigating uneven and unstable surfaces, as well as responding to natural changes in elevation. Both of these qualities can sometimes be missed in traditional flat road or treadmill running. However, if you are not familiar with trail running or just getting started, this guide…

Running and Mental Health

Post author:admin
Post published:March 16, 2021
Post category:Baltimore Physical Therapy Running Sports

When most people think of running, they see it as a form of activity that improves their physical health. Running can be seen as a way to lose weight, get stronger and overall improve their physical well-being. However, running has been proven to significantly improve one's mental well-being also. Studies have shown that running can be as effective as antidepressants when treating mild to moderate anxiety and depression(1). The Runner's High Have you ever heard someone refer to running as their “drug”? It is because there is a chemical…

Appropriate Training for a Rotational Athlete

Post author:admin
Post published:March 9, 2021
Post category:Baseball Exercises Overhead Athlete Physical Therapy Softball Sports

We Get It Olympic lifts are cool. They are a combination of strength and power that are useful for many sports and just general well-being. Olympic lifts force you to initiate the movement in your legs if you want to increase the weight and reps you complete. Olympic lifts are commonly used in Crossfit or bootcamp workouts because they increase the amount of calories we burn, thanks to the full body workout they create. The speed in which we complete these lifts adds a different variable to training, which can…

You are not your MRI results

Post author:admin
Post published:March 2, 2021
Post category:Physical Therapy

Pain can, quite understandably, cause a lot of concern, worry, anxiety and distress. Particularly when it creeps into all aspects of our life and begins to limit our sleep, our social life, and the activities that bring us happiness. Oftentimes, that pain brings us to our health care provider and soon enough we’re having an X-ray or an MRI to see what is causing our pain. And that makes sense, right? We want to know what’s causing our pain because how can we “fix” it if we don’t know what’s…

How to Take Care of Your Knee Pain

Post author:admin
Post published:February 23, 2021
Post category:Baltimore Exercises Knee Pain Physical Therapy Recovery

Knee pain is a common injury that most athletes deal with at one time or another. I’ve heard countless people walk through the door saying “I have a bad knee” or “my bum knee makes it tough to play sports”. However, there is much more to knee pain than simply having a “bad knee.” If anything, barring a direct trauma to the knee, knee pain can be associated with an ankle or hip that is not doing its fair share. Mobile and Stable Joints The body is divided into…

Nutrition, Fuel, & Recovery: General rules from a DPT

Post author:admin
Post published:February 9, 2021
Post category:Baltimore Nutrition Physical Therapy Recovery Running

The definition of nutrition is the process of providing or obtaining the food necessary for health and growth. “What you eat, is what you are” has a lot of truth to it. And since health and growth have different meanings for each individual, nutrition is not exactly a cookie cutter approach. There are some general suggestions that can be made to help you get the most out of your training. Refuel, Recover, Repeat Post-workout nutrition exists to Refuel our body Reduce soreness Preserve muscle mass and growth Boost the immune…

The Importance of Offseason Training

Post author:admin
Post published:January 22, 2021
Post category:Baltimore Physical Therapy Sports

As physical therapists, we see athletes all too often that are injured early in the season. So, why would that be? If you ask the athlete they may say that they couldn’t see it coming or a freak accident. However, when we peel back the curtain, their injury is just the tip of the iceberg. Am I Prepared for the Season? As an athlete, you must ask yourself, “Am I prepared for this season?” The answer may surprise you when you think about the demanding physical nature of sports. Running,…

Is Your Tightness Really Tightness?

Post author:admin
Post published:January 15, 2021
Post category:Muscle Pain Physical Therapy

As physical therapists (strength and conditioning coaches I assume see this as well) we often hear “and no matter how much I stretch, I’m still tight!” If that statement resonates with you it may be a sign to change up your routine a bit, because sometimes that feeling of tightness isn’t an accurate representation of what’s going on in the body! A Game of Telephone There’s a reflex loop (if you think like a telephone wire running from one phone to another phone) in each muscle that senses stretch. The…

Rehabbing Your Injury Yourself?

Post author:admin
Post published:January 8, 2021
Post category:Baltimore Physical Therapy Recovery

Everything is on YouTube now. You can learn how to build a deck, fix your sink, or cook the best dinner of your life. With a world of information, just a click away, it's easy to think we can rehab our injuries without help. However, it is important to realize that while the internet is a great resource, it can't always replace the knowledge of experts within the field. As DPTs, here are the biggest problems that patients face when self rehabbing: The "One Size Fits All" Problem I’ve…

Could your sleeping position be causing you pain?

Post author:admin
Post published:December 18, 2020
Post category:Baltimore Physical Therapy

Do you ever wake up feeling stiff or in pain? Have your hands ever “fallen asleep” throughout the night? Is it difficult to find a comfortable sleeping position? Your sleeping posture could be the cause! When talking to patients dealing with stiffness and pain, we often hear “I think I slept wrong”. So what can we do to prevent that? Keeping the spine neutral (avoiding excessive bending forward or backwards) is key to a good nights rest. Depending on your sleeping position, there are a few ways to support…