In recent research the National Sleep Foundation has linked electronic device usage prior to going to bed with a decreased ability to fall asleep or even stay asleep.

How many times have we finished up that last email, school project or finished a quick texting session with a friend before going to bed. This last minute electronic frenzy could spell out our doom when it comes to a peaceful night of sleep. Continue Reading

Certain conditions are becoming more evident in the patient population. Diabetes, high blood pressure and obesity are very common comorbidities that we see often as therapists among the intermittent conditions in each patient’s medical history.

Fibromyalagia is a syndrome (collection of symptoms) which is frequented in many patients medical history. It seems to be a regular diagnosis especially on patients with significant medical problems.

It is hard to say whether this unique rise has been due to increased awareness or increased occurrence. Although its commonality is well documented, its awareness among clinicians varies. Continue Reading

You heard me, are you nice to yourself? This question encompasses the major idea behind a new field of psychology called self-compassion.Basically, we tend to treat others better than we treat ourselves. Recent research has urged that self abasement produces personal feelings of neglect and loneliness which can lead to depression, overeating, suicidal thoughts and even change our brain chemistry.

Feelings often drive us to new highs or new lows in our life but can these feelings be produced by an altered sense of self worth. Can a poor self esteem and in turn self abasement lead to changes that can alter our life. Continue Reading

I am sure that everyone of us has heard of working our core. The question is why are core exercises so important? Are the guys in the gym with rippling six packs an example what we mean by core stability?

Surprisingly, most of Americans (including the ones with ripped abs)  are at risk of low back injuries in the future. These core muscles include small intricate connections of muscle within the spine along with the larger strap like muscles that surround the spine and anterior portion of the abdomen. Continue Reading

A recent article by Chris Hayhurst in the February edition of PT in motion describes a growing gap between new graduates and employers. Employers are worried that although new graduates are some of the most highly trained and technologically advanced PT’s in recent years, they have a common problem which is adding up to an epidemic.

What these new graduates have in skill they lack in professionalism. Employers are hiring these new graduates and are getting good results except for a few key areas. Continue Reading

The National Institute of Neurological  Disorders and Stroke have given new light to the fact that patients who participate in intense physical therapy at home show the same amount of improvement compared to using expensive high tech body weight supported treadmill devices.

These researchers also demonstrate that these patients continue to improve walking ability up to a year following the initial stroke. This is yet another pat on the back for those of us in PT who work so hard with patients during the recovery. Neuroplasticity is a very slow and sometimes agonizing process for the therapist and patient. Continue Reading

Recently I have just finished reading a book entitled Body By Science which was written by Doug McGuff M.D. and John Little. All of the chapters within the book are backed by research and the research articles are listed at the end of the chapters.

This was a very interesting read for anyone interested in the fitness realm. We have all been taught the basic strategy of weight training a body part every other day and mix in some cross fitness cardio somewhere in between. Well these guys take the latest research and really put some theories to the test. Lets dive in and take a closer look to see what kind of gold nuggets we can dig up. Continue Reading

I have been sitting here going through my review for the NPTE. I know that many of us would rather live in the world of muscle and bones, however without the neurological anatomy providing the hard wiring for all those muscle and bones we wouldn’t function at all.

This is why I have decided to include a little neurological anatomy review to refresh those of us who tend to dwell in the realm of Orthopedics.

I heard that groan !…. Trust me its not as bad as it sounds. Continue Reading

I was reading a very interesting article this morning in Golf Digest about Tiger Woods. No it has nothing to do with his recent status with his personal life. It might have been missed by many people, but Tiger rapidly progressed from surgery to playing in the tour.

It seems that Tiger went to Canada to receive injections of his own platelets into the surgical sight to improve his rate of recovery. Continue Reading

The most common prescribed medication for musculoskeletal problems or post surgical protocols are anti-inflammatory medications or NSAIDs. In a recent study it has come to the attention of researchers at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill that some of these medications can reduce the ability of tissues to handle an appropriate load force. Continue Reading