It’s that time of year! With the warm summer weather, we are eager to be active outside again. However, we need to be cautious as we return to our summer sports. In the summer, there is a significantly higher risk of injuries, such as strains,…
We hear it a lot: “Each time I’m coming down a flight of stairs I feel a sharp pain in my knee. It’s not necessarily hurting any other time–just when I’m stepping down. What’s going on?” Many different types of tissue could be contributing to…
Shoulder pain is a very common diagnosis we treat in the clinic nearly every day. While there may be several factors contributing to your pain depending on activity, age, movement patterns, and behavior, we’ll review a few general exercises that may help shoulder pain. Remember,…
Do you suffer from arthritis? You may have been told that treating arthritis means taking medications, receiving injections, or even considering surgical options. Have you thought “I have arthritis; there is nothing I can do about it because there is no cure; therefore, I have…
Unspecified low back pain is a very common diagnosis we treat in the clinic all the time. If this sounds like you, you are not alone–the majority of adults experience this type of pain at some point in their lifetime. While “aging” often gets the…
A recent multi-center randomized control trial found dry needling and upper cervical spinal manipulation to be more effective than interocclusal splint therapy, diclofenac, and TMJ mobilization in patients with TMD. 1 This treatment could also be suggested for patients with dental, orofacial pain, and neuralgia….
The term “tennis elbow” sounds like an injury sustained only by athletes in racquet sports. However, tennis elbow is a common term for a painful condition that affects a wide variety of people. In this post, I want to help shed some light on defining…
Wrist fractures are one of the most common broken bone injuries and can happen to people of any age or state of health. This type of injury can happen any number of ways, but these fractures are most frequently associated with a fall, or a FOOSH …
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is the most common upper extremity nerve injury. Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is the compression of the median nerve in the wrist, which can be painful and reduce participation in daily activities. Usually, people experience this condition as pain, tingling, and numbness in…
Our health care system has been slow to address deficiencies in the provision of care to the mother after pregnancy. Awareness of this deficiency is gaining momentum, and the medical community is beginning to embrace the importance of “fourth trimester” care. Mothers still report feeling uninformed…
Dry needling is an effective tool that is used to treat a variety of neuromusculoskeletal pain conditions. This technique utilizes thin filiform needles that penetrate the skin in order to affect a change in the underlying tissues (muscles, tendons, perineural tissue). Dry needling produces biochemical,…
We’ve already had conversations with older individuals in the clinic on the topic of falls and safety. While snow, ice and inclement weather can challenge anyone’s sense of balance, falls are especially dangerous for older people. So with colder weather and holidays approaching, we want…
At DPT, we’re all about helping you get better, faster. Spending time with you, learning about your goals, your concerns and your day to day life help us figure out how to do just that. In addition to this time, we use a variety of…
I am currently looking for patient volunteers for a study measuring the effectiveness of dry needling and electrostimulation for knee arthritis patients. This study, a capstone project for a fellowship program, requires nine volunteers and is free of charge (no copay–totally covered by your insurance)…
With the Chicago marathon right around the corner, you might be thinking… Do I need to change my race shoe? Do I need a shoe with extra cushioning? What if I start to get foot pain halfway through the race? Or ankle pain? Or knee…
Each year on August 4th, I get up early, fill my Grandpa’s coffee cup up with coffee, and just sit and think about how far we have come and hopefully how proud he is of our Company. 17 years ago, this morning, we opened DPT after…
I ran my first 10K this weekend. By 8 am the temperature was already 90 degrees Fahrenheit. I really had intended on running a 5K. This distance is more in line with what I “trained” for, but when you wait until 10 pm to register…
I frequently get asked about dizziness and vertigo. This is a common condition. In physical therapy we treat one specific subset of dizziness – vestibular-related dizziness. I think of the vestibular system as this group of organs within the inner ear (the part you can’t…
Vertigo (spinning), dizziness, imbalance, and visual disturbance can significantly interfere with one’s ability to function daily. These symptoms may be the result of a vestibular disorder. The vestibular system, consisting of the inner ear and part of the brain, controls balance and eye movements. When…
As physical therapists, we have been asked this question by doctors and patients many times over the years. The short answer: an emphatic yes. In fact, it is truly crucial for the patient to complete a home program in order to meet their goals and…
Becoming a Fellow in Manual Therapy was the achievement of a lifetime for me. I dreamed of becoming one ever since I heard of Manual Therapy in June of 1986. My fellowship has allowed me to study and be mentored by some of the finest…
Why do physical therapists treat patients with a multitude of injuries including spine, shoulder, hip, knee, and ankle (to name a few), yet we don’t work with patients with hand and wrist disorders? Rather, we pass these patients off to our occupational therapy partners. Our…
With the advent of functional MRI (fMRI), research study of the human brain has advanced considerably and we are beginning to understand more about how our perceptions shape our healing process. It turns out that our perception of pain—not just the physical experience of pain,…
Each year almost one-third of all people who are 65 years and older experience a fall, and three out of four of these falls occur indoors. As such, it is important to identify the major hazards in the home and find ways to “fall proof”…
Chances are that you probably haven’t given much thought to how your neck and back are faring in the era of the smart phone, but studies show that you certainly should. It’s practically a reflex these days to pull out our smart phones when we’re…
Ankle sprain is an incredibly common injury that most people allow to heal on its own. In over 800,000 patients who reported for assessment of lateral ankle sprain, only 11% had rehabilitation codes associated with them (2016). So is ankle sprain a cause for concern?…
What is muscle soreness and why do our muscles get sore? Everyone has experienced muscle soreness at one point in their lives. For runners, it usually happens one or two days after a longer-than-usual run and can be described as achiness, pain, or muscle tenderness…
In running, as in all sport, we emphasize good form/proper mechanics. Efficiency, speed and injury avoidance are all related to form. But what does this mean and what is appropriate for you? Here, we’ll break down the components of running form and point out a…
Runners deal with a lot of injuries during training! Here are some common diagnoses related to running. Look for future posts for ideas on how to manage these issues. 1. Heel pain (plantar fasciitis): Plantar fasciitis or plantar fasciopathy is an irritation of the attachment…
