As physical therapists, we are always advocating to our patients the importance of movement and exercise. A question we get asked a lot is, “How often should I exercise?” Dosage of appropriate frequency, duration, and intensity is important to get the most efficient effects and benefits from exercise. A recently published research review found [...]
Do you have sharp pain in your hips when you go into a deep squat? This may occur due to your anatomy, glute weakness, hip flexor tightness, poor motor control and/or inefficient sequencing of muscles firing. We call this pinching sensation “impingement.” In the case of hip impingement, what may be happening is the [...]
The patellofemoral joint is the joint under your knee cap. Often, we have pain here that makes it difficult to walk, go up and down stairs, and squatting or sitting down and getting up. Frequently, we can hear our kneecaps clicking when we bend and straighten our knees too, and [...]
One activity that can easily be overlooked is something we do and need every single day is SLEEP! During our physical therapy sessions, we try our best to look at the body as a whole, and sleep is a topic we often talk to our patients about. […]
Have you ever performed a deadlift? Everyone’s answer to this question should be, “Yes!” Deadlifting is a part of our everyday routine. Examples of functional deadlifting include picking up grocery bags from the ground, lifting a box from the floor to your waist, picking up your child from the crib, etc. Deadlifting is an [...]
The thoracic spine goes from the base of the neck to about the small of your back, making up the upper back and middle back. Limited mobility in thoracic extension and/or rotation can result in compensation mechanisms in the shoulders when performing specific movements such as overhead lifting, back squatting, front squatting benching, etc. [...]
Normal age-related physical and cognitive changes occur in our bodies as we get older. Examples include decreased muscle mass and fiber size and decreased performance involving cognitive tasks and functions. […]
Many people question whether or not deep squatting is an appropriate or safe exercise to perform secondary to fear of damaging the knees. Different degrees of depth in a squat are prescribed in exercise and rehabilitation programs for various reasons. There is not one single textbook way to squat, but some exercises, activities, and [...]
We’ve heard it before from healthcare providers, friends, family, other patients, etc. that squatting with your knees over your toes is bad for your knee joints. This is a misconception that has been told with the intention to decrease pain or injury in the knees. However, functionally, we experience our [...]
Heart rate recovery (HRR) after exercise can be used to easily assess the status of your cardiovascular health. HRR tells you how fast your autonomic system can switch from using its sympathetic system (fight or flight) to using its parasympathetic system (resting state) [1]. […]
