Category Archives: Sports and Fitness

Improper Exercise Leads to Training Injuries

January 5, 2022 Kevin - Blog, Sports and Fitness

The amount of physical activity you need depends on your individual fitness goals and your current fitness level. It’s important to start within your abilities and to listen to your body’s cues in terms of pain and injury. If you experience a training injury and your body starts to ache past the point of normal muscle soreness, your body is trying to tell you that something is wrong. For a short time, you’ll be able to push through the ache, but eventually, a breakdown will happen, and weakness and lack of flexibility will begin. Once you have a breakdown, the pain will happen and more than likely you will stop training. We want to help you before you get to a breakdown.

Training Injuries

Training injuries can be sustained from weight training, martial arts training, and sport-specific training. Common injuries include:

Strain/Sprain (commonly called a pulled muscle)
Tendinitis, Back/Neck Pain, Tennis Elbow (Inflammation of the tendon fibers that attach the forearm extensor muscles to the outside of the elbow).
Carpal Tunnel: Numbness, tingling, or a dull sensation of the thumb, index finger, and middle fingers due to compression to the median nerve in your wrist.
Muscle Tear/Rupture
Separated or Dislocated Joint (shoulder, hip, knee)
Bursitis: Tightness in the hip or pain radiating down the lateral thigh contusion

Running Injuries

Overuse musculoskeletal injuries occur frequently in runners. Proper stretching and training principles can reduce your risk of developing a running injury.

Shin Splints: An overuse injury of the anterior or posterior tibialis muscles, characterized by pain or soreness down either side of the shin. Technically, this condition is tendinitis or inflammation of the tendons/muscles that attach to the tibia.
Achilles Tendinitis: Inflammation of the Achilles Tendon with possible thickening or thinning of the tendon and associated with pain resulting from overuse, overstretch, or poor flexibility. Hills or jumping activity will exacerbate this condition.
Plantar Fasciitis: Inflammation of the plantar fascia, which is the connective tissue supporting the arch of the foot. There may be point tenderness at the heel and arch. This condition usually occurs with increased mileage or won/unsupported shoes. This condition may lead to heel spurs.

Prevent Injury While you Train

Injury can happen at any time, but there are steps you can take before during, and after your run to help prevent long-term pain. Prior to your run allow yourself at least a five-minute warm-up. Suggestions include jumping rope, jumping jacks, light jogging, or a combination. After your warm-up takes the time to gently stretch your muscles. Remember not to bounce.

While you are training it is important to use the proper equipment. This includes shoes for your foot type (high arch, flat foot, neutral foot), comfortable clothing, and appropriate socks. If the shoe is fitted to your foot, you will need to change running shoes every 400 miles. Even sooner if wear has occurred to the foot platform. Also make sure to change the running path often, aka different locations, terrains, surfaces, and directions. Cross-training is also important. We recommend using a Stairmaster or elliptical trainer, biking, swimming, yoga, Pilates. After a run, it is important to cool down with more intense stretching than the warm-up.

How Physical Therapy Can Help

TRAINING ASSESSMENTS

Educate on faulty or improper posture or body mechanics with training
Educate and help with techniques on exercises that help your muscles stretch farther. Flexibility training helps prevent cramps, stiffness, and injuries and can give a wider range of motion.
Correct muscle imbalances through flexibility and strength training
Endurance training
Alleviate pain
Correct improper movement patterns

RUNNING ASSESSMENTS

Modify training when you have a minor ache and pain (This does not always mean you need to stop training)
Get assessed for weakness and flexibility issues to address biomechanical deficits. A therapist can videotape your running to look for biomechanical deficits that you may have while running
Look at foot mechanics for proper shoe type, stability, motion control, and neutral/cushion shoes

Find a PT

We have talented teams of physical therapists throughout the U.S. that can help you get the care you need. Whether you need training injury prevention or recovery, our specialists have the skills and know-how to get you back to your workout routine or sport safely.

PT News October 2021

October 20, 2021 Teresa Stockton - Arm, Blog, PT News, Sports and Fitness

This time in PT News we recap what our clinics have been posting throughout Sept/October 2021. We are excited to bring you current physical therapy-based posts featuring published articles from PTandMe partnering clinics!

1. Arm Pain? Check the Neck!

Written by JACO Physical Therapy with multiple locations in O’ahu, HI.

Do you have a deep ache or weird sensation in the shoulder, elbow, or hand? Does it come and go? Does it get worse when you stay in one position for too long, sometimes spreading into other areas? Do you massage or “shake it out” to get relief? Check the neck! Read more

2. Marathon Series: 4 Parts

Written by The Center for Physical Rehabilitation, an outpatient physical therapy practice with locations throughout Greater Grand Rapids, MI.

Welcome to the blog and video series of my marathon training! I want to preface that this series will not be a detailed training plan, but a combination of reflection, describe shared principles in rehab and running, and a showcase of the clinician talent at CPR. Read more

3. Pulled Groin or Sports Hernia? How to Tell the Difference

Written by O.S.R. Physical Therapy, an outpatient physical therapy group with 4 locations in MN.

It’s one of the most painful moments of any athlete’s life. Doing a fast cut-over during practice or twisting too much to avoid another player, suddenly you feel a sharp pain in your inner thighs and up into your groin. Clearly, you’ve strained your groin – but, is this strain just a pulled groin or sports hernia?… Read more

We hope you enjoyed our picks for the PT News October 2021 edition.

Find these locations and others to start feeling better today!

PT News August 2021

September 1, 2021 Teresa Stockton - Balance & Vestibular Rehab, Blog, PT News, Sports and Fitness

This time in PT News we recap what our clinics have been posting throughout August 2021. We are excited to bring you current physical therapy-based posts featuring published articles from PTandMe partnering clinics!

1. Knee ACL and Lower Extremity Injuries: Can we prevent them in our young athletes?

Written by Mishock Physical Therapy with multiple locations in Montgomery, Berks, and Chester Counties.

Lower extremity injuries make up 66% of all sports injuries, the knee being the most commonly injured joint. (Med Sci. Sports Exerc. 2002) The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is one of four ligaments in the knee that holds the thigh and leg bones together. The ACL ligament is often injured in sports. The ACL ligament tear often requires orthopedic surgery (ACL reconstruction). It is estimated that 350,000 ACL reconstructions are performed annually in the USA. Over 100,000 of these repairs happen in NCAA athletes per year, alone. Read more

2. Strengthening Your Core Can Improve Balance

Written by One to One Physical Therapy & Aquatics, an outpatient physical therapy practice with locations in Lake Worth, Boca Raton, & Delray Beach, FL.

Did you know that strengthening your core muscles is linked to developing better balance? It’s true! When your core muscles are strong, they have a better chance of preventing you from experiencing chronic lower back pain and developing other injuries. They also prevent you from losing your balance or falling over. A strong core helps to keep you in an upright position, especially as you get older and develop more of a risk of falling and hurting yourself. Read more

3. Freeride Mountain Biker Carson Storch Pushes the Limits

Written by Rebound Physical Therapy, an outpatient physical therapy group with locations throughout Greater Bend, OR.

In the sport of freeride mountain biking, taking big risks often produces big rewards. Professional freerider Carson Storch knows this firsthand. The 28-year-old Bend native has spent the last decade competing in high-profile slopestyle and freeride competitions and starring in mountain biking film projects in which he pushes the limits of the sport… Read more

We hope you enjoyed our picks for the PT News August 2021 edition.

Find these locations and others to start feeling better today!

PTandMe was recently recognized as one of the Top 100 Physical Therapy Blogs Online by feedspot.com!

High School Sports Injuries

August 11, 2021 Kevin - Blog, Pediatrics, Sports and Fitness

Every year, millions of teenagers participate in high school sports. An injury to a high school athlete and the pressure to play can lead to decisions that may lead to additional injury with long-term effects. High school sports injuries can cause problems that require surgery as an adult, and may lead to arthritis later in life.

When a sports injury occurs, it is important to quickly seek proper treatment. To ensure the best possible recovery, athletes, coaches, and parents must follow safe guidelines for returning to the game.

Teenage athletes are injured at about the same rate as professional athletes, but because high school athletes are often still growing they are more susceptible to muscle, tendon, and growth plate injuries.

Types of High School Sports Injuries

Injuries among young athletes fall into two basic categories: overuse injuries and acute injuries. Both types include injuries to the soft tissues (muscles and ligaments) and bones.

Acute Injuries
Acute injuries are caused by a sudden trauma. Examples of trauma include collisions with obstacles on the field or between players. Common acute injuries among young athletes include contusions (bruises), sprains (a partial or complete tear of a ligament), strains (a partial or complete tear of a muscle or tendon), and fractures.

Overuse Injuries
Not all injuries are caused by a single, sudden twist, fall, or collision. Overuse injuries occur gradually over time, when an athletic activity is repeated so often, parts of the body do not have enough time to heal between playing.

Overuse injuries can affect muscles, ligaments, tendons, bones, and growth plates. For example, overhand pitching in baseball can be associated with injuries to the elbow. Swimming is often associated with injuries to the shoulder. Gymnastics and cheerleading are two common activities associated with injuries to the wrist and elbow.

Stress fractures are another common overuse injury in young athletes. Bone is in a constant state of turnover—a process called remodeling. New bone develops and replaces older bone. If an athlete’s activity is too great, the breakdown of older bone occurs rapidly, and the body cannot make new bone fast enough to replace it. As a result, the bone is weakened and stress fractures can occur—most often in the shinbone and bones of the feet.

Concussion
Concussions are mild traumatic brain injuries. They are caused by a blow to the head or body that results in the brain moving rapidly back and forth inside the skull.

Although some sports have higher instances of concussion—such as football, ice hockey, and soccer—concussions can happen in any sport or recreational activity.

Growth Plate Injuries
Growth plates are areas of developing cartilage tissue near the ends of long bones. When a child becomes full-grown, the growth plates harden into solid bone.

Because growth plates are the last portion of bones to harden (ossify), they are vulnerable to fracture. Growth plates regulate and help determine the length and shape of adult bone, therefore, injuries to the growth plate can result in disturbances to bone growth and bone deformity.

Growth plate injuries occur most often in contact sports like football or basketball and in high impact sports like gymnastics.

Treatment

Treatment will depend upon the severity of the injury, and may include a combination of physical therapy, strengthening exercises, and bracing. More serious injuries may require surgery.

Return to Play

A player’s injury must be completely healed before he or she returns to sports activity.

In case of a joint problem, the player must have no pain, no swelling, full range of motion, and normal strength.
In case of concussion, the player must have no symptoms at rest or with exercise, and should be cleared by the appropriate medical provider.

Prevention
Many high school sports injuries can be prevented through proper conditioning, training, and equipment.

High school athletes require sport specific training to prevent injury. Many injuries can be prevented with regular conditioning that begins prior to the formal sports season. Injuries often occur when athletes suddenly increase the duration, intensity, or frequency of their activity. Young athletes who are out of shape at the start of the season should gradually increase activity levels and slowly build back up to a higher fitness level.

Using proper technique for the position being played is also key to preventing injury. Proper equipment—from the right shoes to safety gear—is essential. In addition, injuries can be prevented when athletes understand and follow the rules of the game, and display good sportsmanship.

Information provided by American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons

Top 5 Benefits of Cross-Training

May 19, 2021 Teresa Stockton - Blog, Sports and Fitness

We’ve all had exercise ruts: Our weight loss stalls, our strength seems at a standstill, and every workout feels like misery. If that’s happened to you, there’s something that your body might be trying to tell you: cross-train.

All athletes have physical specialties, and as a result, they tend to focus on and train the major muscle groups that are used primarily in their specific sport. Cross-training helps to create muscle confusion, which combats boredom and exercise plateaus. What it involves is adding in a new-to-you exercise sequence, or a faster or unusual workout type, to keep your body on alert for responsiveness and adaptation.

TOP 5 Benefits of Cross-Training

Decreased Risk of Injury
Through cross-training, an athlete is less likely to get an overuse injury. Instead of overusing the same joints over and over, cross-training allows athletes to employ a variety of muscle groups.
Better Aerobic Capacity
Limiting an athlete to one activity can cause burn-out. By doing different exercises, they are instead able to switch to new activities when a body part feels sore. For example, if you are a runner with shin pain, you can stop running and do swimming, rowing, or other non-impact activity, allowing you to continue to work on your stamina.
Increase in Overall Strength
Research has shown that strength training can increase overall performance. By increasing strength, athletes can run faster, throw harder, and jump higher. For instance, weightlifting can increase performance more than just simply practicing certain skills.
Develop Dynamic Flexibility
By working out multiple muscle groups, athletes can develop much greater dynamic flexibility than when you focus on one area of the body. New muscles, joints, and ligaments are “warmed up” and lengthened by trying new exercises or activities.
Aid in Healing
In some cases, cross-training can allow the body to recuperate faster from injury; this is because other exercises can directly improve the condition caused by regular activity. Using alternative exercises allows the body to heal and in many cases will also help stretch and strengthen parts of the body that are in pain.

Physical therapists work with athletes to improve performance, prevent injuries, and aid in recovery. If you are in pain or are looking for ways to improve in your sport find a physical therapy clinic near you!

This article was written by the rehabilitation team at The Center for Physical Rehabilitation – with locations throughout greater Grand Rapids, MI.

PT News April 2021

April 28, 2021 Teresa Stockton - Blog, Hand, Knee, PT News, Sports and Fitness

This time in PT News we recap what our clinics have been posting throughout April 2021. We are excited to bring you current physical therapy-based posts featuring published articles from PTandMe partnering clinics!

1. Physical Therapy Can Relieve Your Arthritis Pain in These 4 Ways

Written by Cornerstone Physical Therapy with multiple locations throughout Ohio.

Physical therapy is one of the highest-rated treatments for arthritis pain. While so many people think of physical therapy as a treatment for following an injury or after a devastating health condition like a heart attack or stroke, utilizing physical therapy for arthritis pain is both highly effective and recommended. Read more

2. What is Proprioception Injury Prevention?

Written by O.S.R. Physical Therapy, an outpatient physical therapy practice with 4 locations in Minneapolis.

Proprioception injury prevention is simply using your body’s sense of orientation to prevent an injury. Thinking about how you’re moving, what’s around you, and your position can help you stay clear of acute injuries. Acute sports injuries are some of the most painful injuries for an athlete. An injury is physically painful. But, it can also be emotionally painful as you’re sidelined for days and even months until you recover. Read more

3. Second ACL Tear 7 Times More Likely in Young Athletes

Written by Custom Physical Therapy, an outpatient physical therapy group with 3 locations near Reno, NV.

If you return to knee-strenuous sporting activities (e.g. soccer, volleyball) within 9 months of your ACL reconstruction and you are 25 years old or younger, you are 7 times more likely to sustain a second ACL tear! Those who returned to their sport 12 months after surgery fared substantially better. Read more

We hope you enjoyed our picks for the PT News April 2021 edition.

Find these locations and others to start feeling better today!

Common Basketball Injuries

March 10, 2021 Teresa Stockton - Ankle, Blog, Sports and Fitness

Whether you are a weekend warrior or involved in youth sports, athletes ages 5-75 can experience injuries from playing the games they love. Physical therapists are adept at working with patients suffering from common basketball injuries and can help in a variety of different ways.

One of the most common basketball injuries is an ankle sprain. An Ankle sprain is a partial or complete tear of the ligaments that support the ankle. Ankle sprains may be caused by falling or sudden twisting of the ankle, such as:
• Stepping on an uneven surface or in a hole
• Taking an awkward step when running, jumping, or stepping up or down
• Having your ankle roll over when playing sports or exercising called inversion of the foot

Physical therapy intervention is the standard for treatment of ankle sprains. Treatment for the acute ankle sprain is based primarily upon the RICE principles: Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation. This is followed quickly by a program of exercises and functional training to reduce the likelihood of chronic ankle instability. Balance and “proprioceptive” training are critical components of the rehabilitation process. In the case of a severe sprain and subsequent chronic instability, surgical intervention may be indicated.

Stress fractures are also seen frequently. A stress fracture is a tiny crack in the bone from chronic overuse. It is typically caused by repeated stress or overuse.
Causes include:
• Increasing the amount or intensity of an activity too quickly
• Switching to a different playing or running surface
• Wearing improper or old shoes
• Stress fractures can worsen by continued physical stress. Smoking can also make

Rest is the first thing you can do for a stress fracture. This includes avoiding the activity that caused the fracture and any other activities that cause pain. Rest time required is at least 6-8 weeks. Once you are ready to restart activity your physician may prescribe physical therapy. They may begin with non weightbearing activities, such as swimming, cycling, use of an Alter-G treadmill. Next, weight-bearing, nonimpact exercise may be prescribed. Gradually, low-impact activity, starting with walking, will be added to your treatment. Once you can do fast-paced walking with no pain, your physical therapist will give higher impact activities, such as light jogging.

HAND INJURIES are also commonly seen in basketball. If you experience a finger injury, a hand therapist will work to make sure your fingers heal correctly and reduce the risk of long term damage.

A Boutonniere injury is usually the result of a forceful blow to the bent finger and causes a disruption of the central slip of the extensor tendon insertion at the level of the middle phalanx. The middle joint (PIP) is unable to fully straighten. If left untreated, a PIP flexion contracture can result and chronic deformity ensue. Acute boutonniere injuries are treated with PIP extension splinting continuously 4-8 weeks. Chronic boutonniere injuries with PIP flexion contractures are treated with dynamic splinting to improve passive PIP extension and static splinting for at least 4 weeks once full PIP extension is achieved.

Mallet injuries are seen commonly with ball sports and result when the terminal extensor tendon is torn from the attachment on the bone. When this occurs, a small fragment of bone may be avulsed from the distal phalanx and the end of the finger droops down and cannot be straightened actively. X rays are necessary to determine the course of treatment. Bony mallet injuries may require surgical correction. Most of these injuries can be treated conservatively with continuous DIP extension splinting for 6-8 weeks.

PT News March 2021

March 3, 2021 Teresa Stockton - Blog, Industrial Rehab, PT News, Sports and Fitness

This time in PT News we recap what our clinics have been posting throughout February and March 2021. We are excited to bring you current physical therapy-based posts featuring published articles from PTandMe partnering clinics!

1. 5 Common Sports Injuries: Causes, Prevention, and Treatment

Written by Wright Physical Therapy with multiple locations throughout Idaho.

Sports injuries happen, and they usually occur when engaging in sports or exercise. Sports injuries can occur due to overtraining, lack of conditioning, and improper form or technique. Failing to warm-up increases the risk of sports injuries. Read more

2. The Cost of Being Sedentary

Written by The Jackson Clinics, an outpatient physical therapy practice with multiple locations throughout Northern Virginia.

While it might be easy to list off all of the benefits of exercising, we don’t typically talk about the cost of being sedentary. In fact, a recent study by Jama followed over 100,000 adults for more than 8 years and measured their fitness using a treadmill. The participants were arranged by age and gender into performance groups: Read more

3. Work-at-Home Pain Relief

Written by JACO Physical Therapy, an outpatient physical therapy group with 4 locations throughout Oahu, HI.

We have found that many of our patients are still working from home and spending more time than they anticipated working at a less-than-ideal workstation. We’ve been seeing complaints of neck pain, back pain, and wrist pain that is caused by strain from poor body mechanics while working. Read more

We hope you enjoyed our picks for the PT News March 2021 edition.

Find these locations and others to start feeling better today!

PT News November 2020

November 4, 2020 Teresa Stockton - Blog, Cancer Related Care, General Information, PT News, Sports and Fitness

This time in PT News we recap what our clinics have been posting throughout October & November 2020. We are excited to bring you current physical therapy based posts featuring published articles from PTandMe partnering clinics!

1. 15 Minute Holiday Home Exercise Program

Created by Mishock Physical Therapy with 7 Convenient locations throughout Montgomery, Berks, and Chester Counties.

The goal of the Mishock Physical Therapy Holiday Home Exercise program is to promote the development of the individual’s ability to become strong in fundamental movement patterns (relative maximum strength) that are critical to improving function and preventing injury. The scientifically based program trains the body’s major muscle groups by focusing on the core, upper, and lower body strength through fundamental movement patterns. Read more

2. 9 Ways Stretching Can Improve your Health and Wellness

Written by Cornerstone Physical Therapy, an outpatient physical therapy practice with multiple locations throughout Ohio.

Is stretching part of your daily life? If not, it should be. Stretching is a great way to start your day and it comes with a wide range of benefits. Don’t know where to start? Don’t fret! Our licensed physical therapists can help you create a stretching plan that will work best for you. To find out more about how daily stretches and improve your quality of life! Read more

3. Recovery During and After Cancer Treatment: A Therapist’s Role

Written by Rebound Physical Therapy, an outpatient physical therapy group in Bend, OR, and surrounding areas.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and it also is National Physical Therapy Month. As a physical therapist and certified lymphedema therapist, I am very passionate about working with patients during their journey with breast cancer. Physical therapists (and occupational therapists) play an important role in the recovery after breast cancer treatments. These treatments can include surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy. Patients can experience side effects from treatments that can impact their daily lives. Read more

Find these locations and others to start feeling better today!

Tips to Prevent Sports Shoulder Injuries

September 9, 2020 Teresa Stockton - Blog, Shoulder, Sports and Fitness

If you have injured your shoulder with a fracture, strain, or a sprain, you need to rehab safely to take care of the muscles, tendons, and ligaments. We usually injure our shoulders through either overuse, wear and tear of joints, trauma, or a false movement.

Common shoulder injuries include:

Bursitis
Frozen shoulder
Torn rotator cuff
Fracture
Dislocation
Impingement
Arthritis

Strengthening the Shoulder Muscles

The best way to avoid shoulder pain is to reduce the risk of an injury from happening. This can be done by working with your shoulder muscles to increase range-of-motion while building joint strength. As you work to strengthen your shoulder start slow and make sure to rest between practices.

If you are experiencing shoulder pain, speak to a health care professional for modified exercises.

Here are some exercises that can help get lessen mild shoulder pain and prevent an injury from occurring.

1. External rotation with retraction
This exercise uses a gentle resistance band arm workout to help your shoulder.

Stand with your feet hip-width apart.
Take a long resistance band in both hands.
Have your elbows at your side (bent about 90 degrees) with your palms facing up.
Now gently move your forearms out to the side, about 6 to 8 inches.
Squeeze your shoulder blades together as best you can. Your forearms will move out a little bit further.
Hold in this position for a short pause, then return to your starting position.

2. Side-lying external rotation

Lie down on your side on a mat, with your weight on your elbow if you wish.
Place a rolled-up towel underneath your top arm (bent) to rest between your arm and your hip.
Hold a small weight (1/2kg – 2 kg depending on your size and strength) in your hand.
Start with the weight on the floor in front of your body, and rotate your arm slowly from the elbow.
Your hand should come up so that your lower arm is almost perpendicular to your body. Don’t go too far, as that will put stress on your shoulder.
Gently bring your hand back down, and repeat. Do this exercise slowly.

3. Shoulder abduction with anchored resistance
This exercise uses a resistance band anchored under your feet

Hold the band in your hand, thumb facing up
Lift your arm straight out to the side to shoulder height, and lower it back down.
Slowly return to the starting position and repeat for up to 10 reps
Switch arms and repeat

4. Bilateral shoulder extension
For this exercise, grab your long resistance band and stand with your feet hip-distance apart.

Pass the resistance band around the net post, or if you’re doing this at home, around a pillar or another stationary object at hip height.
Position yourself far enough away from the anchor point that there is tension in the band.
Hold one end the resistance band in your hands with your palms facing up, and your thumbs rotated outward.
Keeping a tight hold of the resistance band, bring your arms back (keep them straight) until it is against your side.
Bring your shoulder back and squeeze your shoulder blades together.

When is it time to get help?

Shortly after an injury or pain, you should start with the first steps of recovery rest, ice, and protection. If your shoulder pain doesn’t subside, a physical therapist can help guide you through a treatment plan tailored specifically to your needs. If you experience pain while doing an exercise program, stop immediately, and consult your healthcare provider.