I feel it is important to write on spine surgery given all the publicity it has received in recent months. Two high profile sports figures have been in the news related to their issues with back surgery. To begin with, a few weeks ago, we were told Tiger Woods would...
I have been doing some reading lately after having discussions with people about whether exercise is helpful or harmful for those in pain. Do a search on Exercise and Pain and you will get back over 183 million hits. Clearly everyone has an opinion and has put...
Welcome back for more of your top tips on choosing a Physical Therapist. As mentioned last week, some thought should be put into choosing the right Physical Therapist for you. Don't find yourself stuck with a provider that does not meet your needs. Or worse become...
I have come to a realization that many individuals are not sure what to look for when selecting a Physical Therapist. Many seem to think it does not or will not make much of a difference. For most, it is call some office and play the therapist roulette game. Which...
There is an interesting discussion right now as to the benefits of arthroscopic knee surgery. For this topic of discussion is meniscal surgery worth it? Or can a person be just fine without it? As a physical therapist, I routinely field this question from those...
I am always amazed at how doctors and patients alike feel physical therapy after spine surgery is optional. Sure, patients always have the choice, but why go through a major surgery not to do EVERYTHING you can to recover better and faster? Going to therapy 3 days...
Whiplash is a fancy name to describe an injury (most often the neck) due to an accident, collision, or fall. More specifically it relates to the speed of impact. As a result of the event, often the individual sustains an injury to the muscle or soft tissues. These...
Ankle sprains are a common injury for those engaging in athletic or even recreational activity. Each year more than 1 million people visit a doctor for an ankle sprain (ref). And this does not account for those who do not seek care. In many cases the person can "walk"...
Over my years as a physical therapist, I have intermittently worked with patents with a history of cancer or currently undergoing treatment. I will never forget my 1st experience treating a young man with cancer (he was still in high school) and I was in my last...
The 1st question to be answered is do you really have a pinched nerve?? Often people believe they have a pinched nerve just because they have neck pain. Maybe because they have pain somewhere in an arm in addition to the neck. Possibly some doctor threw this term...