Why Strength Isn’t Always the Problem: Understanding Motor Control
When people think about physical therapy, they usually think about getting stronger or stretching tight muscles. And sometimes that’s true. But a lot of the time, especially with ongoing pain or recurring injuries, strength isn’t actually the main issue. The real problem is motor control. What is motor control?Motor control is your body’s ability to […]
Can Women Get Bulky From Strength Training?
I remember playing sports in middle school and high school and being afraid to lift weights because I didn’t want to “look manly.” I’d heard over and over again that girls who lifted would lose their figure and start to look like boys. As a physical therapist with a background in exercise science, I can […]
Is Strength Training Safe for Kids? A PT’s Advice for Parents
“Is strength training safe for kids? As a Physical Therapist, I get this question from parents more than any other. Since I was a physical education teacher and coach in 2010, I’ve heard many concerns about strength training and children. Many still worry it could stunt growth or cause injury—but the reality may surprise you. […]
How To Keep Your Youth Baseball Player Healthy (Part 2)
If you missed Part 1, check it out here: https://rehabilitationperformance.com/how-to-keep-your-youth-baseball-player-healthy-part-1/ Part 1 focused primarily on avoiding overuse, which is likely the lowest-hanging fruit when it comes to youth baseball injuries. Now that we’ve covered that, let’s dive deeper into the areas I address daily as a Physical Therapist. Below are ways 3-5 we can keep […]
Your Elbow Isn’t Your Problem Part 3: It’s Your Spine!
If you’ve stuck with me for the first two parts of this blog, you have probably started to pick up on the theme that everything in the body is connected and pain in one area doesn’t necessarily mean that’s the area that is at fault. If you haven’t, go back and read parts 1 and 2 so I don’t […]
Age Does Not Determine Your Ability to Play a Pick-up Game
Age Does Not Determine Your Ability to Play a Pick-up Game Basketball. It’s a way of life for many of us in the Tristate. And with March Madness wrapping up this week, it has got me in the mood to play! My love of the game started at a young age playing in our driveway. […]
Are You Breathing? No, the Right Way.
Are you breathing? No, the right way. One of my New Year’s resolutions this year was to put as much effort into improving my breathing as I do into improving my health through exercise and trying to eat right… two months without soda, and I’ve only fallen off the wagon in a couple of weak moments! Breathing the right way has many […]
Take a Brain Break For Your Body
With the end of the year coming, holidays are right around the corner and I’m sure you all are hoping for a “normal” holiday season as much as I am. Normal has been a hard thing to define this year, and one thing that has been as far from normal as anything else is school. […]
Training Anti-Extension
In the last post, we discussed what comprises our ‘core’ and its primary functions, ending with how I thought it would be more beneficial for athletes, both competitive and recreational, to train anti-extension and anti-rotation. This is important for a few reasons. A properly functioning core allows the rest of our body to move in […]