Still Have Hip Pain? 4 Things Most PTs Overlook
Hip pain can take several forms. This ball-and-socket joint is actually deep in your groin. If it gets irritated, pain usually presents in the groin, but can extend down the front-inner thigh all the way down to the knee, and sometimes even in the buttock. Pain and...
Still Have Knee Pain? 3 Things Most PTs Overlook
Knee pain is one of the most common orthopedic conditions out here. It’s a joint of two of the body’s longest bones, which means that mechanically, there are two powerful lever arms (the femur and the tibia) exerting their forces on a small space. That’s a lot of...
Still Have Shoulder Pain? The Things Most PTs Overlook
Shoulder pain can take many forms: impingement syndrome, rotator cuff tears, arthritis, or labral tears (which I had the pleasure of experiencing!). Sometimes they require surgery, but more often we are trying our best to manage with the conservative route. If you are...
Looking at the Mechanics: What Causes TMJ Disorder?
The Anatomy The TMJ (the temporomandibular joint) is the joint between the jaw bone (the mandible) and the skull itself. The mandible, which is one bone, moves like a bucket handle in how it moves on the skull above. It pivots like a hinge at the location of...
My Love/Hate Relationship With the Jigsaw Puzzle
I think I’m an old soul sometimes. Besides all my gray hair, I just think I belong in a different generation than the one I’m in. I hold on to things as long as possible (just ask me how old my coffee pot is), I am terrible with keeping up with pop culture, and I...
My Surgeries: Time on the Sideline and Lessons Learned
As a physical therapist, I use my hands a lot. I had loved that about my job, but in early 2017, this was becoming a problem. One of my shoulders started bothering me. At first it was just a quick, sharp pain, which while unpleasant, I could work through. But then,...
Split Personality: The Two Sides of Me When I’m at Work
I was doing a treatment technique on my wife Tess one night recently at home (She tells me free treatment was in our marriage contract, but I don’t recall seeing that clause…). The technique helped her, she felt better, and a night or two later, she asked me to do it...
Most Important and Most Ignored by PTs: The Thoracic Spine
Ever had that neck pain that just never quite went away? Or that low back pain that, despite getting some therapy on it, keeps coming back? Tight shoulders? Or hips? Something still feels off and it just doesn’t seem like this is from “normal aging”. I’m...
What’s the Difference Between a PT and a Chiropractor?
This is one of the most common questions I get from my patients, and for good reason. Both physical therapists and chiropractors use hands-on techniques to help get people out of pain and back to their activities. Both prescribe exercises. Both call themselves...
What to Look for in a PT or Chiropractor
Choosing the right practitioner to get you out of pain and back to living your life is an important decision. After all, one’s mobility is worth quite a lot. The speed and quality of your recovery can differ greatly (weeks, months, or even years) depending on what...