Our bodies can present many different challenges as we age, including joints that become stiffer and less flexible. Aging joint cartilage can become thinner, ligaments can shorten and become less flexible, and loss of muscle strength can put extra pressure on your joints. As a result, joints can feel stiff and uncomfortable. This discomfort can be even greater in individuals dealing with osteoarthritis.
There’s a growing trend in the world of physical therapy. Many patients that are soon to undergo surgery are opting for a pre-surgical healthcare intervention intended to reduce complications and enhance post-surgical recovery. This intervention is known as preoperative rehabilitation, or prehabilitation (prehab if you’re really into brevity). The proponents of prehabilitation cite its many perceived benefits and low risk (for most people),
After an injury, the race toward recovery can seem more like a marathon than a sprint. It can be hard to get started with such a long road ahead. The painful truth is that early intervention can mean the difference between a fast track to full recovery and a prolonged struggle with pain and limitation.
One of the under-appreciated aspects of a regular exercise routine is the impact it can have on improving your balance and stability. While we tend to focus on enhanced strength and flexibility, the truth is that improved balance and stability – particularly as we age – can play a major role in preventing injuries caused by falls.
People will often use flexibility-enhancing exercises to help them recover from an injury or recent surgery, but these exercises shouldn’t be reserved exclusively for recovery. Keeping your body flexible is a key part of preventing injuries in the first place, and a healthy body is important to overall well being. Incorporating some simple flexibility exercises into your daily routine can be a great way to prepare your body for an active lifestyle,
As if aging didn’t present enough challenges, 2-5% of us will eventually experience a painful condition known as “frozen shoulder”. Also known as adhesive capsulitis, frozen shoulder is an inflammatory condition that causes stiffness and pain in the shoulder joint, and significantly reduces range of motion. Frozen shoulder typically affects people 40 and older and is more likely to occur in women.
In today’s information-rich world, it’s easy to find conflicting opinions between “experts” in various disciplines. There is no shortage of controversy around many topics that people care about. You would be hard-pressed, however, to find any doctor, dietician, or otherwise-qualified expert that would deny the connection between a person’s diet and their physical health. The nutrition we consume is inexorably linked to our body’s ability to grow,
Recovering from an injury can be a stressful experience. Aside from the physical discomfort, there can be a tendency to think about our limitations and how much less we are able to do at the moment. Questions can arise: How long will it take to recover? When can I go back to work? Will I ever again be able to run/swim/play sports,
Inflammation is a natural part of your body’s immune response to injuries. It is the process through which your immune system recognizes and removes harmful stimuli and promotes healing. In general, it is a good thing. However, when inflammation occurs in healthy tissue or goes on for too long, it can harm your body and cause a range of chronic diseases.
It’s not exactly breaking news to suggest that stretching is important, but it’s easy to think that it’s just for athletes and gym enthusiasts. The truth is that stretching can play an important role in injury prevention and recovery, especially for people who spend much of their time sitting, like many of us do. Our bodies were built to move,