Blog Archive

The holiday season is a busy and exciting time of year but can also be stressful. Between shopping, parties, traveling, and visiting family, it's easy for your regular exercise routine to fall by the wayside. Research has shown that physical activity levels tend to decrease the most after holidays. That's...

Sleep is essential for our health and well-being. It helps our bodies recover, boosts our mood, and improves our ability to think clearly. Unfortunately, many people struggle with getting enough good-quality sleep. 62% of all Americans experience a sleep problem several nights a week—and it's likely those numbers are low,...

Have you ever fallen and twisted your ankle? The other day this happened to me when I slipped on the stairs by my porch. I was shocked at how much pain there was and thought that it might be broken. Since I was at home with my young kids, rushing off...

October is National Physical Therapy Month, a time to recognize the vital role physical therapists play in improving our health. If you’ve ever considered physical therapy or have experienced its benefits, here are five reasons to celebrate this valuable intervention. Holistic Approach Physical therapy takes a holistic approach to health....

Falls are a big deal. They can cause injuries and make it hard to live on your own. They can also make you afraid of falling again. This fear might make you less active, making you weaker and more likely to fall. It's a tough cycle to break. Falls aren't...

September is Pain Awareness Month We want to help you take control of your pain, chronic or acute. Over the next month, we will have a series of blogs that will teach you more about what is going on in your body and how physical therapy can help you "Tame...

September is Pain Awareness Month We want to help you take control of your pain, chronic or acute. Over the next month, we will have a series of blogs that will teach you more about what is going on in your body and how physical therapy can help you "Tame...

Exercise is one of the best things you can do for your health. It can reduce your risk of chronic diseases like diabetes or cancer. It reduces your risk of stroke, dementia, osteoporosis, and obesity. Exercise also helps with your mood, sleep, and overall quality of life. Despite all of...

How is it back to school season already!? With classes starting just around the corner, it is time for back to school shopping. You might not think much about those bags full of books, pencils, crayons, and computers, but physical therapists do. How Backpacks Affect Kids Carrying a heavy backpack...

Have you noticed lately that you can’t remember where you parked your car? Or maybe you’ve had trouble recalling your latest email password? Sure, there’s an app for that, but maybe what’s really been missing is exercise. Regular physical activity can be linked to a long list of health benefits,...

If you’ve ever suffered from a bout of low back pain, then you know that finding relief is often any patient’s main goal. And with low back pain sending 2.5 million Americans to hospital emergency rooms every year, that’s a lot of patients seeking treatment options to relieve the pain....

Exercise can be a struggle, but it shouldn't be painful. If you can run a good time in a 5k, but have aches and pains for days after, you likely have a problem. If you are increasing your PR in the squat rack, but your joint pain is increasing right...

The American Heart Association encourages people to "know their numbers" referring to blood pressure, blood cholesterol, blood glucose, and weight. However, research is now showing that moving properly is also important for health. The "sixth vital sign" Walking speed has been called the "sixth vital sign" in medical literature recently....

Exercise has been shown to have a huge list of benefits and little to no downside. It's common to hear that if exercise was a medication, it would be the greatest wonder-drug ever created. But "exercise" is a broad term that covers a lot of specific movements and activities, not...

New year's resolutions around fitness and exercise are incredibly popular. The excitement and hope generated by the start of the year makes starting an exercise program easy. Now that it is almost March, staying with it gets hard. Life gets busy, motivation drops, and suddenly you're back on the couch,...

Pain, soreness and weakness in the hips can interfere with desired activity levels, particularly for men and women 65 years old and older. For active Americans trying to enjoy their retirement years, poor hip health simply isn’t part of the plan but that doesn’t mean they’re destined to miss out...

Physical therapy and nutrition are often seen as separate, but physical therapists know that they are deeply intertwined. To get the most out of PT, especially after an injury or surgery, successfully integrating both is crucial.   Good Food Speeds Up Recovery During recovery from an injury or surgery, the...

As the holiday season winds down, and the calendar rolls over into the next year, gyms and health clubs fill up. People set goals to lose weight, get in shape, or just work off the few extra pounds they put on during all the celebrating. While getting more exercise and...

There are so many things to do this time of year like cooking, parties, shopping, and travel. Physical therapy often gets put at the bottom of the list. But if you're in physical therapy over the holidays, there's a reason. It might be pain, a recent surgery, or just not...

When the weather gets cold, you should make some changes to how you exercise. We're not talking about starting earlier because of the shorter days or making a playlist that motivates you to leave your warm house. There are some physiological changes that occur in your body in the cold...

Fibromyalgia causes widespread pain, fatigue, and cognitive issues. It can be difficult to manage and can severely impact quality of life. Nearly 5 million people in the United States have been diagnosed with this chronic condition. It usually shows up between the ages of 30 and 50, and 80% to...

Physical therapists are experts in human movement who are trained to evaluate and treat all kinds of musculoskeletal issues. They are highly trained in prescribing and progressing exercise to help people move and feel better. Because everyone moves and everyone can benefit from exercise, physical therapists can help people through...

Background According to the WHO, dementia is the seventh leading cause of death worldwide and one of the major causes of disability among older people. Dementia is a group of conditions that affect the brain, causing problems with memory, thinking, communication, and behavior. Dementia has many forms, including Alzheimer’s disease,...

Physical therapists are well known for working with muscles - things like the hamstrings, biceps, or muscles of the back. Most people are surprised to learn that PTs also work on muscles inside the pelvis. These are muscles which most people do not think of, or even know about, but...

What is Parkinson’s Disease? Parkinson's disease (PD) is a progressive neurological disorder that affects movement, balance, speech, and cognition. According to the Parkinson's Foundation, about one million Americans live with PD, and more than 10 million people worldwide are diagnosed with it.   Unfortunately, there is no cure for PD,...

Have you been trying to improve your sport? You may be trying all of the usual things such as foam rolling, drinking more water, but have you ever wondered how well your muscles work together? At Advantage Physical Therapy, we can perform a Functional Movement Screen (FMS) on you to...

More than 795,000 people experience a stroke every year and is a leading reason for disability and death. It affects many aspects of life and will change a person’s quality of life as well as their independence. Sometimes a person will have changes in physical, cognitive, and emotional challenges. However,...

Background Arthritis is the leading cause of disability in the United States. It affects 1 in 5 adults and 300,000 children. Almost 1/3 of working-aged people with arthritis report that it limits their ability to work. It costs $156 billion each year in medical expenses as well as lost wages....

Physical therapy has lots of benefits for active people. Athletes, performers, weekend warriors, and people who work in physically demanding jobs can all benefit from the expertise of a physical therapist. Here are 3 ways physical therapists help active people stay in their best shape. Injury Treatment Active people get...

Anatomy The patella, also known as the kneecap, moves every time you bend or straighten your knee. The groove that this tracks in is called the trochlear groove. Your quadriceps tendon helps to stabilize the patella from the femur and the patellar tendon stabilizes to the tibia. When patellofemoral pain...

I know my to-do list is a mile long, but it always feels so rewarding to check something off of it. Between the dentist, eye doctor, and your general practitioner, did you remember to add your annual physical therapy exam to your list? In case you didn’t catch on, we...

Here are 5 quick tips and tricks to get you back on track and stay on track! Remember why you made your resolution Everyone starts a New Years resolution for a reason, so remember yours! Whether it is loosing weight, learning a new skill, getting a new job, or getting...

Diastasis rectus abodminis (DRA) is a normal occurance during pregnancy. As your baby grows, the abdominal wall will separate to make room for you child, separating your rectus abdominal musculature. After your child is born, the muscles will slowly start to come back together and normally resolve on their own,...

What is Frozen Shoulder? Frozen Shoulder is the commonly used name for a pathology called adhesive capsulitis. The names are often used interchangeably. The capsule which surrounds the shoulder becomes inflamed, thickens, and becomes tight. Scar tissue and adhesions develop that lead to pain and limited range of motion. Characteristics...

Osteoporosis is very common diagnosis, especially as we get older. It is estimated that more than 200 million people have osteoporosis. Approximately 1 in 3 women over the age of 50 years old and 1 in 5 men will experience an osteoporotic fracture in their lifetime. Osteoporosis leads to 8.9...

What is FAI? Femoroacetabular Impingement (FAI) is a common pathology that affects approximately 15% of the population. Common symptoms include mobility limitations in the hip and groin pain. There are two types of structural abnormalities that lead to FAI: PINCER and CAM. The type of FAI you are experiencing is...

It is starting to look and feel like spring! I know that I am not the only one starting to pack up my winter items and dive into deep cleaning the house. But with the warm weather approaching, follow some of these Spring Cleaning tips so that you can enjoy...

It looks like another snow storm is in our forecast! As beautiful as the snow is, it can definitely be dangerous! Here are 5 easy tips to help prevent injury when shoveling snow.   1. Watch your intensity Using your upper body is much more cardiovascularly demanding than you would...

Even with the cold chill coming in, we technically still have one more month of fall! And the season of fall has us thinking about “falls”. Unfortunately, falls are a common occurrence that can be overlooked and viewed as not important. However, falls can have serious consequences and should be...

National Physical Therapy Month was established to raise awareness of the benefits of Physical Therapy. This year’s theme is how PT can help improve physical activity. This is especially important because staying active and being able to go to the gym was difficult during the pandemic. Movement is medicine and...

Let’s talk Balance! Balance is a component of life that is often overlooked and taken for granted. When we have injuries and as we get older, this component often suffers. When is the last time you stood with your eyes closed and tried to maintain your balance? It’s surprisingly way...

One of the services that we are proud to offer at Advantage Physical therapy is cancer rehabilitation. This can be done both during and after cancer treatments. Research has shown that regular physical activity is safe during cancer treatment and will help the person to improve strength, function, and their...

Most of the population sits A LOT. Whether due to their job, school, commuting, or methods of relaxing. When a person is stuck in one posture for extended periods of time, it can lead to aches and pains throughout the body. Low back pain, shoulder pain, mid back pain, neck...

Knee pain is a common complaint seen in physical therapy clinics. Physical therapists will often work on your range of motion and strength to help decrease pain and improve your functional mobility. At times though, going the surgical route may be the best option after exhausting noninvasive options.  Today’s post...

Have you started running more and noticed that your knees are a little achy? Have you been sitting at your desk, working from home and now your back pain just doesn’t seem to go away? Occasionally, some aches and pains sneak up and it would be nice to speak with...