Humans have been trying to live longer for all of recorded history. From the ancient Mesopotamian poem, The Epic of Gilgamesh, through medieval alchemists’ search for the Philosopher’s Stone, up to today’s more scientific investigations, our species is absolutely obsessed with overcoming our own mortality.
While death is still as inevitable as ever,
It’s well known that physical activity is an important aspect of a healthy lifestyle. It can reduce the risk of several common mortality factors, including arterial hypertension, diabetes mellitus type 2, coronary heart disease, stroke and more. However, people don’t often think of physical therapy as a means of creating a more active lifestyle. Physical therapy doesn’t have to be just about recovery – it can be a proactive approach to enhancing your quality of life.
The beginning of a new calendar year is often full of optimism and hope, as many of us resolve to live better and improve our lives over the next year. A common resolution is to improve our exercise habits and health. Unfortunately, many times these resolutions will be short-lived or unfulfilled altogether. So, as we turn the page on 2024 and make our way into another new year,
According to the National Osteoporosis Foundation, an estimated 10 million Americans suffer from osteoporosis. An additional 44 million have low bone density, putting them at increased risk of developing the disease in their lifetimes. While it’s more common in adults over 50, and more likely to effect women than men, the truth is osteoporosis impacts millions of lives of either sex every year.
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.
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,