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 […]
Weather & Pain: Myth or Science?
Do you ever feel like your joints can predict a storm better than the weather app? Have you caught yourself blaming the weather for a flare-up in pain? If so, you are not alone. Many patients with joint pain report that their symptoms worsen with changes in the weather. Why does the weather impact my […]
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 […]
How To Keep Your Youth Baseball Player Healthy (Part 1)
Injuries in baseball players are on the rise, there is no arguing that. One of the more alarming things I’ve noticed, however, is that the injuries are now starting at a younger age. In fact, UCL reconstruction (‘Tommy John’ surgery) in athletes ages 15–19 has increased dramatically over the last decade. We are seeing an […]
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 […]
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 […]
Defining Core Stability
Core stability is a term that you may have heard before, it’s certainly becoming more popular in the same way that “functional movement”, “functional exercise” and “movement patterns” have become more popular in the past few years. The problem is that “core stability”, like the other terms I listed, is a little ambiguous; so, two […]
A Therapist’s Guide to Proper Shoe Selection
“What’s a good shoe?” As physical therapists treating patients returning to exercise following injury or currently dealing with foot and leg pain, this is a question we hear quite often. Since I spent time working in a running-specialty shoe store, this is a question I’ve heard a lot over the years and will still frequently […]