Walking and Brain Health

You’re likely aware of the physical health benefits of exercise – it helps to maintain a healthy weight, lowers blood pressure, decreases inflammation in the body, reduces the risk of cardiovascular diseases, such as stroke and heart attack, and even decreases the risk of developing certain cancers and diabetes. What you may not know is […]

What Is Core Strength, Anyway?

What Is Core Strength, Anyway? Traditional strength training revolves primarily around muscle development in the arms, legs, and chest. This allows for progress toward lifting weight in a controlled, methodical movement such as curling a barbell or a leg press machine. Unfortunately, most of life is not so controlled and despite a person’s extremity strength, […]

Blood Flow Restriction Therapy

Some exercise trends are hard to ignore, and very few have impacted the therapy and sports medicine communities like blood flow restriction training. But what exactly is BFR, and why does it matter? What Is Blood Flow Restriction Training? Blood flow restriction training (BFR) involves using a cuff or band to stop blood flow from […]

The Value of Therapeutic Exercise for Stroke Patients

Recovering from a stroke can be a challenging journey, but with the right approach, significant progress is possible. Understanding the value of exercise for stroke patients can help. Strokes, affecting nearly 800,000 people in the U.S. annually, can lead to physical and cognitive impairments. However, with early intervention and targeted exercises, many stroke survivors can […]

Benefits of Qigong for Seniors

Are you curious about Qigong? Perhaps you’ve heard that it can improve balance and help to prevent falls, as well as provide a host of other health benefits. This article will explore the basics of qigong, how it can improve your health and well-being, and how you can get started with a qigong practice at […]

Slipping a Disk: Exploring Disk Herniation

Up to 80% of individuals will suffer from back pain at some point in their lives, and in many cases, disc herniation is to blame. Despite being incredibly painful for some people, most cases improve with a few weeks to months of conservative treatment, including traditional medicinal and complementary options. Spinal Anatomy To better understand […]

The Benefits of Dance Exercise for Seniors

Dance has been around since the beginning of time, as a form of self-expression, storytelling, and celebration. But did you know it can also be a fun way to boost your overall health? Dance can be made to fit your abilities to challenge you physically and mentally. It’s also a fun movement practice that you […]

Physical Therapy for Nerve Pain

Whether it’s a ping of shooting pain down your leg or numbness and tingling in your hand, nerve pain can be frustrating and uncomfortable. In this article, we’ll take a look at what nerve pain is, what causes it and how physical therapy for nerve pain can help to lessen or even relieve symptoms. What […]

Tennis Elbow vs. Golf Elbow

Are you experiencing persistent pain in your elbow? A variety of activities can cause elbow pain. Two of the most common elbow conditions are tennis elbow and golfer’s elbow or “golf elbow.” However, knowing whether you have tennis elbow or golf elbow can be tricky. While both conditions can be difficult to treat, understanding their […]

Exercise for Overweight Seniors

As health risks increase with age, adopting a regular fitness routine becomes more important than ever. For seniors, prioritizing weight loss can be life-changing. So what type of workout routine is best for seniors trying to lose weight? In this article, we’ll explore why losing weight is vital for living a healthy life, and how […]

Is Osteoporosis Genetic?

Osteoporosis affects millions of people around the world, particularly women. According to the National Institutes of Health and Aging, one in four women over the age of fifty is at risk of developing osteoporosis, and a variety of different factors, both genetic and otherwise could play a role. (1) So, is there a way to […]

What to Expect at Physical Therapy

You’re not alone if you’re unsure about what to expect at physical therapy. Your first appointment might seem intimidating, but it’s the first step toward recovery and improved mobility. Physical therapy is designed to help you rebuild strength, flexibility, and function after injury or illness. Your physical therapist will be your guide, addressing concerns early […]

Exercises for Bone Strength

The Importance of Exercising with Osteoporosis Osteoporosis is fairly common, with an estimated 10 million people over the age of 50 suffering from this condition. And, about 43 million more people suffer from low bone mass, which puts them at an increased risk for osteoporosis. Osteoporosis is characterized by significant bone loss and decreased bone […]

Staying Social: Why It’s Important to Our Health

Social connections are essential for health and well-being, especially as people get older. Loneliness and social isolation are quickly becoming public health concerns as the population ages. While loneliness and social isolation can occur at any age, studies have shown that older adults often spend more time alone, leaving them more vulnerable to social isolation […]

Cognitive Skills: Keeping the Brain Flexible

What is Cognition? Cognition is the ability to think, reason, remember, analyze, interpret, judge, and problem solve. It involves the higher-level brain functions such as language, perception, imagination, and planning. It is a mental process to gain knowledge and understanding. Cognition and memory are the cornerstone of rational thought and behavior. While everyone forgets things […]

The Five Stages of Parkinson’s Disease

Parkinson’s Disease (PD) is a nervous system disorder with varied and progressive symptoms. According to the Parkinson’s Foundation, roughly 10 million people worldwide currently live with the disease. Some of these symptoms include involuntary muscle movements, balance problems, and poor coordination. To determine how far along a person is in the disease process, clinicians can […]

An Active Adult’s Guide to AC Joint Arthritis

This guide provides seniors with a comprehensive understanding of AC joint arthritis, its causes, symptoms, treatments, and exercises.

Best Sleeping Position for Lower Back Pain

When you are dealing with back pain lying down on your back with your legs elevated on pillows or on the couch arm is the most decompressive position to rest the back and is the best place to start with acute pain. Low back pain is an extremely common complaint, with approximately 80% of the […]

Quick Changes That Can Boost Brain Health

Occasional forgetfulness happens to everyone at some point in their lives, and although this can be completely normal, it can be quite disruptive to your life. The good news is that your brain is naturally adaptable and has the incredible ability to reshape itself when it comes to learning and memory. You can take advantage […]

Getting an Epidural: What to Expect

Chronic lower back pain is an extremely common condition and is the leading cause of disability around the world. There are a variety of conditions that lead to lower back pain with or without sciatica, including prolapsed intervertebral disc herniation. Various conservative treatment options exist including physiotherapy, manual therapy, manipulation, and numerous anti-inflammatory and pain […]

Spinal Stenosis: The Other Cause of Back Pain

 Lumbar spinal stenosis is a common condition, affecting more than 200,000 adults in the United States. Lumbar spinal stenosis is the most common reason for spinal surgery in patients over the age of 65; however, surgery has shown no significant benefit over conservative treatment options. If you have recently received a diagnosis of lumbar spinal […]

Sitting Not Helping Back Pain

“I’m trying to rest my back but it isn’t helping. Could sitting be causing my back pain?” -Daniel Daniel, you have a good thought that if you are in acute low back pain that resting may be a good option.  However, you want to make sure you are not sitting to the point of it […]

The Effects of Exercise on Diabetes

The Effects of Exercise on Diabetes If you are a diabetic, you may have heard of the debate between whether exercise is helpful to people with diabetes or whether it can be harmful. Some people believe that exercise can potentially do more harm than good, especially in those who take insulin. This is because exercise […]

Why We Should All Practice Balance

Why We Should Practice Balance Balance is involved in everything we do. From walking and dancing to leaning over to tie your shoes, you need good balance. Good balance plays an increasingly important role in our lives, contributing to our quality of life and independence. Practicing balance involves exercises and activities that strengthen your muscles […]

The Importance of Strength Training for Seniors

The Importance of Strength Training When we think of strength training, we often think of bulked-up dudes lifting more weight in one shot than we do in a week. But this type of exercise has many different levels, and a long list of health benefits that we should consider essential to our well being, (and […]

Anti-Aging Benefits of Lifelong Exercise

Research Supports the Anti-Aging Benefits of Lifelong Exercise We are all aware how important exercise is to our health and well-being, particularly as we age. Stronger muscles protect us from injury. Balance and flexibility exercises keep us moving safely and securely. Now, there is new data that quantifies the benefits of lifelong exercise and how […]

Ask a PT: “What exercises help a sore back?”

What Exercises Help a Sore Back? In general you can break down low back pain into two major categories. Disorders that affect the front of the spine versus the back of the spine. (The front being the disc and surrounding tissues and the back being the joints and ligament structures called facet joints.) Disorders in the […]