Read more about the article Understanding Pain

Understanding Pain

by Dr Nathan Pierce, DPT, OCS. Have low back pain?Did you know that 80% of the population will experience lower back pain in their lifetime? 85% of low back pain is non-specific meaning that the cause is not clear. How can that be? Oftentimes this is because pain is equated with tissue damage.Pain doesn’t always equal tissue damage. In fact, pain is not a sensation at all. The term “pain fiber” is misleading as they do not exist. What we do have are nociceptors. Nociceptors are tiny nerve fibers located…

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Read more about the article Training in the Transverse Plane for the Lacrosse Athlete

Training in the Transverse Plane for the Lacrosse Athlete

We move in 3 major planes of motion. These planes include the frontal, sagittal and transverse planes. The frontal plane divides the body into front and back and includes lateral movements. The sagittal plane divides the body into left and right and includes flexion and extension movements. The transverse plane divides the body into top and bottom halves and includes rotational movements. A lot of the time, training includes frontal and sagittal plane movements, (squats, deadlifts, lateral lunges) but neglects the transverse plane.  Training in the transverse plane is crucial…

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Read more about the article ACL Injuries & Prevention in Sports

ACL Injuries & Prevention in Sports

The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is one of the four main ligaments that connects the femur (thigh bone) and the tibia (shin bone) together. The ACL sits in the middle of the knee. Its main job is to prevent the tibia from sliding out in front of the femur. So how can you injure your ACL? It can happen from a contact injury (like getting tackled in football), but most of the time, it occurs from a noncontact injury (like planting your foot to quickly change direction while running or…

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Read more about the article Tendon Pain

Tendon Pain

Tendinopathy, or previously referred to as tendonitis/osis, is an injury that causes a spectrum of changes to occur in a damaged or diseased tendon. This process can lead to pain and/or reduced function in activities of daily living or sporting activities. The risk factors for tendinopathy are multifactorial, but are most influenced by sport, occupation, and genetic factors. Sporting activities require increased amounts of force to be placed on a tendon, which requires increased loadability of the tendon.  The most common types of tendinopathy: Rotator Cuff Wrist and Forearm Flexor/Extensor…

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Read more about the article Rotator Cuff

Rotator Cuff

Disc golf, while often seen as a relaxing activity, is actually very demanding on the shoulder and elbow joints, similar to that of pitching a baseball. Therefore, as we move into Summer and disc golf courses like Druid Hill Park are opening to the public, it’s a great time to make sure you’re ‘pre’-habbing your shoulder to help prevent pain as you get back to the tee!  Why can throwing lead to shoulder pain? Looking at your typical backhand throw, all your force is channeled through your shoulder and elbow…

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Read more about the article Shin Splints

Shin Splints

Shin Splints: What are they? Why do they happen? What can you do about them? Shin splints, technically known as medial tibial stress syndrome (MTSS) affects 5-35% of runners.  It involves pain on the inside of the lower leg that occurs with running and typically develops gradually.   Though some aspects of the pathology remain unclear, we do know it involves the interaction of the tibialis posterior, flexor digitorum longus muscles; possibly the soleus muscle; the crural fascia (a connective tissue in the lower leg); and their attachment onto the tibia…

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Read more about the article Low Back Pain Relief from Physical Therapy

Low Back Pain Relief from Physical Therapy

Four out of five Americans experience back pain at some point in their lives. While the severity varies, research suggests that most cases of low back pain can be resolved by conservative treatment without Surgery or Pain Medication. If you’re experiencing low back pain of any kind, reach out to a physical therapist who will help to rule out any red flags (or refer you to a specialist if deemed necessary), identify contributing factors and offer solutions to your pain, work with you to shape a realistic plan forward, and…

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Read more about the article Postpartum Pelvic Pain – Naomi Dillon

Postpartum Pelvic Pain – Naomi Dillon

There are so many different causes of pelvic pain. Because our pelvis interacts so closely with our organs, many people get really concerned when their pelvis starts to hurt. Rightfully so! It can start to affect our bowel and bladder habits, our workouts, and eventually affect our daily activities as well.  When it comes to postpartum pain, did you know that of women who have pain in the first 3 months postpartum, ⅓ of them continue to have pain beyond the 3 month mark? Did you know that 13% of…

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Read more about the article Concussion

Concussion

"The CDC estimates that about 1.6 to 3.8 million sports-related concussions occur every year. Concussions are not limited to athletic injuries however, with millions of concussions resulting every year from falls, auto accidents, and other trauma. Concussion symptoms vary from case to case including the following: Symptoms of a Concussion: loss of consciousness headache, which may range in intensity from mild to severe poor memory or concentration sensitivity to noise, light, or both dizziness or vertigo blurred vision sudden mood changes nausea or vomiting poor balance drowsiness fatigue reduced hearing…

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Read more about the article Blood Flow Restriction (BFR) Training in Rehabilitation:<br>A Useful Adjunct or Lucy’s Latest Trick?

Blood Flow Restriction (BFR) Training in Rehabilitation:
A Useful Adjunct or Lucy’s Latest Trick?

Blood Flow Restriction (BFR) training has gained recent popularity in the rehabilitation, fitness, and performance industries over the past decade. Its origins date back to the 1960s, when scientists first noticed improved walking tolerance in people with intermittent claudication after a physical training program. This discovery sparked a wave of research into the mechanism and clinical use of BFR, some of it useful and some of it haphazardly dangerous. However, skepticism is warranted whenever an intervention promises that low-intensity exercise with a blood pressure cuff can improve strength, performance, recovery,…

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A Useful Adjunct or Lucy’s Latest Trick?