Barb saw the truck in the rear-view mirror and braced. Her hands gripped the wheel, every muscle in her body was tense when the truck hit. After three months, those muscles still haven’t let go-she feels a stiffness or tightness that no amount of stretching eliminates. When Barb saw the headlights, her nervous system’s natural response …
Most people don’t realize this, but off-the-clock physical therapists are diagnosing people all the time without getting them on a treatment table. It’s second nature to us. My kids remember walks along the Pearl Street Mall where I would notice a total stranger walking in front of us with a back or hip problem and …
Every time I got in the car, I started humming. For months after my son died, it was the same simple lullaby. I sang my way through Driver’s Ed too, sweaty palms gripping the wheel and Ooh Child (Things are Gonna Get Easier) playing over and over in my head. And now, I find these …
The pain started as just a hint on the outside of the elbow. Leo was not even sure when or how he first noticed it, but within weeks the constant ache on the outside of his elbow went from a whisper to a howl whenever he had to lift anything. Forget pouring coffee in the morning …
Snowfall in Boulder this year is nearly double normal, and that means you’ll be navigating treacherous terrain just getting around. It feels like the right time to share an article we wrote in 2015 about staying upright while walking on ice. Keep calm and waddle on… Walking on icy streets and sidewalks during the winter …
In December I said, who cares? No time to exercise, lots of parties and too much good food everywhere I turn. Now it’s January and I say “What the #%&@ was I thinking?” And baby, it’s cold outside. I want to just pull the covers over my eyes and hibernate until spring. Well, except for breaks to eat …
Yes, we work on body problems. But we can never ignore how the mind – and some common myths – create a self-fulfilling prophecy. If you think running is only for the under 50 crowd, or that a little noise in your joints portends future pain, it will be so. But it isn’t so simple …
“My posture is horrible“. It’s a common refrain from patients who are also thinking: – my bad posture is the reason I hurt. Myths like that are common, even among physical therapists. While many of us blame poor posture for our pain, research says NO. Yes, posture matters, but in ways that will surprise you. Here’s …
Grip Strength One somewhat surprising predictor of longevity is grip strength. In one study, researchers measured grip strength in almost 140,000 adults from 17 countries and over a 4-year period, monitored their health and re-measured grip strength. An 11-pound decrease in grip strength was linked to a 16% increased risk of dying from any cause. Grip strength was …
If you and your climbing buddies compare injuries, you almost always compare painful wrists, hands/fingers, shoulders or elbows. That’s because climbing places massive loads on the arms and can truly stress tendons. In fact, nearly half of all chronic climbing injuries involve the fingers, and over 80% are in the upper limbs. Having tendinopathy and fixing it …