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Patient Safety Awareness Week 2022
If something ever goes wrong with your health, the first thought in your mind without a doubt is to go to the hospital. It is the best place to receive treatment for any health condition. However, with that must come … Continue reading
Should We Discharge Patients from Care?
Perhaps we need to change the structure a bit. Instead, we should refer to each time the patient sees the healthcare professional as an “episode of care”. This episode of care is just one point in the patient’s continuum of … Continue reading
National Sleep Awareness Week 2022
Sleeping is a very important part of everyone’s lives. In fact, about one-third of our entire lifetime is devoted to sleeping. However, not everyone is able to get the recommended average of 7 to 8 hours of sleep each night. … Continue reading
Should We Use Pain Scores? Let’s Change the Narrative.
Typically, a numerical pain rating scale (NPRS) is a tool to help us evaluate and assess a patient’s given symptoms. The NPRS is also helpful to gauge a patient’s response to certain interventions throughout the course of the episode of … Continue reading
How 10 Minutes of Daily Exercising Can Boost Overall Health
According to the CDC, people have about 5 hours of free time per day on average. However, those hours can quickly diminish by whatever you have to do in life. This leaves you not a lot of time to exercise … Continue reading
What is the best treatment we can do for our patients? Listen.
We always strive to provide the best care to our patients. We do this through many avenues, including locating the best available evidence, utilize our clinical expertise, and understand the individual’s personal expectations and values. This is true evidence-informed practice, … Continue reading
Ankle Exercises You Can Do for Physical Rehabilitation
If you have ankle pain due to an injury or surgery, you may want to seek help from a physical therapist. By undergoing physical therapy, you will speed up the recovery process by following what your physical therapist recommends. They … Continue reading
What Does the Evidence Say About Foam Rolling?
Foam rolling is a helpful way to improve range of motion, flexibility, and functional mobility. Foam rollers are widely accessible in therapy gym, fitness centers, and for personal use. Using a foam roller has many benefits to help individuals’ reach … Continue reading
How Physical Therapy Helps You After Ankle Surgery
Ankle surgery is sometimes necessary if you have chronic ankle pain due to an injury or disability. Surgery can help alleviate the pain, but you are not out of the woods yet. Following an operation, you are most likely going … Continue reading
Manual Muscle Testing (MMT). Subjective or Objective?
What is MMT? MMT is something that is studied during our educational experiences during school. MMT are included within the objective measures section of the physical examination. MMT is performed to assess the strength and function of various muscles. Strength … Continue reading
Heart Health Exercises
Physical activity is one of the most effective tools to strengthen your heart. It also helps keep your weight under control to prevent high cholesterol, high blood sugar and high blood pressure. There are three different types of exercises you … Continue reading
Patient Reported Outcome Measures (PROMs): Do the Scores Matter?
Patients generally will fill out outcome measurement tools to help score their respective pain, disability, and functional limitations. These forms are important tools to help clinicians understand what patients are currently experiencing. However, we must not look at these scores … Continue reading
American Heart Month
Every year more than 600,000 Americans die from heart disease. It is the number one cause of deaths for most groups, affecting every age, gender, and ethnicity. To bring light on this disease, the U.S observes the month of February … Continue reading
Can We Do More with TheraPutty? Puttycise Tools May Be the Answer
TheraPutty is a commonly used product to help address a patient’s impairments and functional limitations. TheraPutty is helpful to improve strength, flexibility, range of motion, dexterity, and much more! There are other products that might compliment TheraPutty to enhance overall … Continue reading
Sitting Exercises with the TOGU® Inflatable Ball
Are you sitting down too much and need a little movement? Whether you are at home or in the office, TOGU® inflatable exercise balls are a great way to get you exercising even while sitting. Your body must constantly make … Continue reading
Shared Decision-Making: Make Patients ACTIVE!
Patients will come and seek help from a qualified healthcare professional. Individuals will look to these experts to help provide them appropriate treatment for their respective ailments. However, healthcare is truly individualized, and each patient needs to be evaluated separately. … Continue reading
Finding a Workout You Enjoy
Don’t enjoy the thought of getting up from your comfortable couch to go exercise? You only have one body, and it is up to you on how you want to use it. If you are like most people this time … Continue reading
Balance Pads Improve More Than Just Balance
Patients may present to physical therapy to work on their balance. Deficits in balance can be a result of decreased, strength, flexibility, and many other contributing factors. Balance training is prescribed to help improve those specific impairments and functional limitations. … Continue reading
Why You Should Upgrade your Resistance Band
Whether you are a beginner or an expert, resistance bands are a means of strengthening and stretching your muscles for both athletic activity and physical therapy. Standard resistance bands are viable for the fitness goals you want to achieve. However, … Continue reading
Person-Centered or Person-Focused Care?
Providing care to patients should focus on individual clinical presentations, impairments, and functional limitations. Clinicians should treat the patients as an individual. We need to be able to recognize patient belief systems, values, and expectations. Contextual factors can play a … Continue reading
30-Day New Year’s Challenge
Every year, at the beginning of the new year, a lot of people start exercising and hitting the gym in the pursuit of a healthier lifestyle. However, many of these people tend to quit a month or two later. In … Continue reading
Static vs. Dynamic Stretching. Which One Is the Best?
Static vs. Dynamic Stretching. Which One Is the Best? What type of stretching is the best? This is a common question when incorporating stretching into your self-management program. Before we can answer these questions, we may need to understand the … Continue reading
Diabetic Exercises
Regular exercise is great activity that just about everyone should be doing. It helps you get stronger, leaner, and healthier. Also, it is especially important for those of you who have diabetes. Any kind of workout that makes you active … Continue reading
3 Tips for Postural Syndrome
Postural Syndrome refers to individuals in prolonged postured for a long period of time that can result in musculoskeletal impairments including tendons, muscles, and joints. This can be a result of increased sitting during the workday. It becomes imperative to … Continue reading
Diabetes and Exercising
Fighting diabetes? Now is a good time to start exercising. Whether you’re just getting started or are a professional athlete, exercise is great for just about everyone. It is especially important for those who want to manage their diabetes. Regular … Continue reading
4 Strategies to Improve Therapeutic Alliance
Introduction Individuals may be placed in an intimidate environment when receiving musculoskeletal care from a provider. Yielding positive outcomes and enhancing the overall patient experiences is highly dependent on creating a professional relationship between the patient and the practitioner. Therapeutic … Continue reading
Benefits of Swimming
Whether you are indoors or outdoors, swimming is a great way to exercise your entire body. It is the fourth most popular activity in the U.S and for good reason. Swimming can be enjoyable, but it can also provide the … Continue reading
My X-Ray Says I Have What? Words Matter.
Have you ever had an x-ray or an MRI, and you have no idea what the report means? This is something that many patients experience during their episode of care. Patients may have to undergo further imaging to help rule … Continue reading
Holiday Shopping List 2021
Are you ready for the holiday season? Not sure what to buy your friends and family? We got you covered! From exercise to physical therapy, we offer a load of products that will put a smile on a loved one’s … Continue reading
How Are My Symptoms Connected? Regional Interdependence.
Often, we find ourselves trying to find the reasons why patients may be experiencing pain. There are many factors that can influence clinical presentations and its important for clinicians to be able to recognize these variables. A thorough subjective reception … Continue reading
Time to Work Off That Thanksgiving Dinner
Thanksgiving is a holiday celebrated in the U.S that is full of great food and company. It is certainly a great time to enjoy yourself and indulge a little. Though this holiday gives us joy, it also gives us post-Thanksgiving … Continue reading
How Do We Manage Glenohumeral Instability?
Individuals with shoulder stability may have mobility or motor control issues that can put themselves at risk during functional tasks and potentially lead to progressive pathologies. It’s important to decipher the difference at a particular joint or body part to … Continue reading
Fascia Training with CanDo®
If you want to get stronger and faster while decreasing your chance of injury, then you should practice fascia training. As we discussed in our previous article “What is Fascia Training”, fascia is the connective tissue that surrounds and holds … Continue reading
What Does the Evidence Say About Treating Neck Pain? Target The Thoracic Spine.
Interventions applied to the thoracic spine and ribs may help provide more insight into how it could potentially lead to treating individuals with neck pain. Cleland et al1 introduced a study to investigate the predictive validity of how patients with … Continue reading
What is Fascia Training
As you continue to age, your body doesn’t always work as it used to. One part of your body that becomes a little less resilient is your fascia. Also known as your connective tissue, your fascia encases your entire body … Continue reading
What Are Some Other Considerations for Temporomandibular Joint Disorders?
Temporomandibular Disorders (TMD) is the result of dysfunction to the jaw muscles, joints, and other structures. These dysfunctions can lead to impairments and functional limitations affecting everyday tasks. It becomes important to recognize potential strategies to manage TMD. Treatment of … Continue reading
Sleeping on your Back to Help Sleep Issues
Having trouble sleeping? There are so many positions you could fall asleep in but sometimes it can be hard to find the right one. So many people sleep on their side, stomach, curled up in a ball or even spread … Continue reading
How Do We Manage Cervicogenic Headaches?
Cervicogenic headaches are typically unilateral headaches that occur from a multitude of factors including postural syndrome, muscular imbalances, and many more. We might to evaluate other things including workstation ergonomics, sitting, and standing postures, as well as how they perform … Continue reading
Health Training for Older Adults
Strength training and staying mobile is very important as you age. Lack of mobility as well as decreased muscle and bone density can lead to some serious injuries. Maintaining and sticking to an at-home training program can be the first … Continue reading
Goniometers: What Are We Really Measuring?
Goniometry is typically utilized in common practice among physical therapists, occupational therapists, and other healthcare professionals. Goniometry allows the clinician to be able to measure the range of motion of specific joints of the body. Measurements are generally taken as … Continue reading
How Aging Impacts Our Bodies
Getting older is a natural part of life. Unless you are Benjamin Button, we all start out young and eventually get older. At a certain point in life, aging and health concerns will start to grow. A decline in strength, … Continue reading
Should We Follow the ‘Rules’?
Clinical prediction rules are a helpful tool to help guide clinicians when managing the care of patients. The key word is ‘guide’. I find it difficult to place a specific patient into a clinical prediction tool that completely matches the … Continue reading
World Pediatric Bone and Joint Day
Every year on the 19th of October, orthopedic surgeons around the world are celebrating World Pediatric Bone and Joint Day. Shortened to PB&J Day, this special day brings awareness to children with musculoskeletal conditions such as childhood obesity. Specifically, it … Continue reading
3 Common Resistance Band Problems
2. Set Up Traditionally, placing the resistance band in the door or on the door knob is a recommended method to anchor the band. Sometimes individuals may have a challenge of setting up their exercise equipment in their home or … Continue reading
What Can Be Treated by a Chiropractor?
If you have ever had any sort of body pain, you may want to consider a chiropractor. Instead of giving you medication, chiropractors use a hands-on approach as they manipulate the spine and use other alternative forms of treatment to … Continue reading
5 Must Haves for Your Telehealth Visit
With the ongoing events of COVID-19, many people are unable to visit their respective health care provider in person. However, telehealth has been an available platform for individuals to receive high quality care. Perhaps, telehealth will be incorporated for the … Continue reading
National Chiropractic Health Month 2021
This October, the American Chiropractic Association (ACA) observes its annual National Chiropractic Health Month (NCHM). National Chiropractic Health Month is a month which celebrates chiropractic health and promotes ways it can be improved. This year, chiropractic members and doctors nationwide … Continue reading
How to Evaluate the Well-Being of Patients? Grip Strength
After sustaining an injury, one might go to seek further medical assessment by a licensed medical professional. Upon arrival to the facility, the individual may go through a battery of tests in order to determine a diagnosis, prognosis, and a … Continue reading
Why Pilates is Good for Runners
Running is one of the healthiest and most natural exercises you can do as a human being. Unfortunately, not everyone can continue to run without complaining about having aches and pains. This is where doing Pilates comes in. By doing … Continue reading
3 Important Questions to Consider for Lumbar Stabilization Training
Who needs stabilization retraining for low back pain? Stabilization exercises are typically prescribed to those who present with dysfunction with active movement screens as well as when they perform functional tasks. Stabilization doesn’t have to solely relate to those who … Continue reading
Helpful Posture Aids
Having good posture is essential to maintaining a healthy lifestyle. It helps keep your body flexible and avoids neck and back pain. Sometimes people don’t even know they have bad posture until it is too late. Thankfully, bad posture is … Continue reading
Helpful Tips for Ruling Out Fractures
Diagnosing potentially sinister pathologies can seem a little daunting and ambiguous. Thankfully, there are ways to help guide clinical decision making when you are in these situations. The use of algorithms and diagnostic instruments may be helpful to understand when … Continue reading
What Does Having Good Posture Mean?
Making sure that you have good posture is more than just about being able to stand up straight. Being able to hold your body the right way, whether you are standing or sitting, is an important part of your overall … Continue reading
A Clinical Pandemic: Burnout Syndrome
The ongoing events of the COVID-19 pandemic have certainly contributed to the rate of burnout experienced by health care workers. The volume of patients has risen exponentially and placed tremendous strain on the health care system. Prior to the pandemic, … Continue reading
Try these Exercises for a Toned and Healthy Body
Strength training comes with a wide variety of benefits that a lot of people find appealing. It can help you burn fat, improve your balance and coordination, help you sleep, and build your muscle mass. With all these benefits in … Continue reading
3 Strategies for the Initial Interview with a Patient
Initial Interview The initial interview with a patient can be a very intimidating interaction between the patient and the practitioner. A patient will be walking into the clinic and will be experiencing a variety of symptoms as well as functional … Continue reading
Advantages to Lifting Lighter Weights
The fastest way to grow muscle may not be the way you are thinking. If you think lifting heavy weights and putting them down is the best way, you may be wrong. According to a recent study, lifting lighter weights … Continue reading
What are the best strategies to become an amazing clinician and improve patient outcomes?
Welcome to the blog! My name is Eric Trauber and I am a physical therapist. I am board-certified orthopaedic clinical specialist from the American Board of Physical Therapy Specialties. I am also a Fellow of the American Academy of … Continue reading
Why you Should Exercise with Resistance Bands
If you look around your gym, you might see a bunch of resistance bands laying around. Most people look at them and are unsure how to exactly use them. These often-overlooked resistance bands are some of the most versatile exercise … Continue reading
Ways to Stretch
Flexibility plays a key part to fitness and overall health. There are a lot of stretching techniques you can practice to improve your range of motion and flexibility. Below are two short stretching exercises to prepare you for the day … Continue reading
Benefits of Stretching a Few Minutes a Day
When people think of stretching, some of them may think it is only for Olympic gymnasts or serious runners. This is far from the truth, as there are many advantages to stretching daily that even normal people can benefit from. … Continue reading
Best Aerobic Stepper Exercises
Step aerobics has all the benefits of a high-intensity workout without the need of putting stress on your joints. This activity can help you improve your overall fitness levels by building strength, burning calories, and boosting your cardiovascular health. There … Continue reading
Step Aerobics Benefits
Looking for an up-tempo way to get your heart pumping and stay fit? Step aerobics is a choreographed cardio workout that gets your body in great physical shape. Participating in step aerobics can create a sense of community as well … Continue reading
Nighttime Exercises You Can Do on a CanDo® Yoga Mat
For most people, finding some part of their day to exercise can be satisfying. You can start your day off right by exercising in the morning or blow off some stress by exercising at night. If you are looking to … Continue reading
When is the Best Time to Exercise?
Having a hard time deciding when is the best time to work out? A lot of people are usually busy throughout the day, making it hard to find time to exercise. Between having a job, chores, errands, friends and family, … Continue reading
Proprioception Exercises
Proprioception is your body’s ability to sense where it is and adapt to any sudden changes in the environment. Some people may have reduced proprioception because of age, chronic injury, or neurological disease. This can make everyday tasks harder to … Continue reading
The Importance of Proprioception
If you have ever been able to walk without looking at your feet or touch your nose with your eyes closed, you have experienced proprioception. Also known as kinesthesia, proprioception is the ability to sense and freely move your body … Continue reading
Treadmills You May Want to Consider
Ah treadmills, life’s way of being able to get a good cardio workout indoors. This fabulous invention that just allows you to run in place can be crucial to one’s cardio routine. However, with many different treadmills on the market, … Continue reading
Does Walking on an Incline Up Your Walking Game?
Do you like to walk for exercise? Walking on a flat surface is fine, however if your body is too used to this you may need to find a more challenging place to walk. If you are looking to make … Continue reading
Benefits of Over-the-Door Cervical Traction
Having chronic and debilitating neck pain can be, well, a pain. This is why some physical therapists recommend using cervical traction as an alternate form of treating neck pain. If your physical therapist determines that you can use over-the-door as … Continue reading
Why Use Cervical Traction?
Ever have neck pain that just will not go away? If you have chronic neck pain or pain in your arm stemming from your neck, your physical therapist might recommend you try cervical traction exercises. Cervical traction exercises gently stretch … Continue reading
Exercises to Build Stronger Chest Muscles
Having a strong chest is essential for doing certain functions throughout the day, such as opening or closing a heavy door. If you are willing to work on getting a stronger chest, it is important to find the right chest … Continue reading
Why Chest Exercises are Important
If you have ever looked at a strength training regiment, the most common workouts you might see included are chest exercises. Why is that? Building strong chest muscles is important not only because it will help you have a better … Continue reading
Paraffin Wax Treatment at Home
Sometimes a paraffin wax treatment at a salon or spa can be expensive. Treatments can really add up, especially if you like to use it a lot. To save money, some people turn to using paraffin wax at home. Our … Continue reading
Why You Should Use Paraffin Wax
Have you ever had a wax treatment? Paraffin wax has many different uses, from spa treatments to therapy sessions. This solid wax is made of saturated hydrocarbons which is completely colorless, tasteless, and odorless. For something that does not have … Continue reading
Stay Cool with Cold Therapy
With some warm summer months ahead, it is important to stay cool. There is nothing cooler than using some of the cold therapy products we have to offer. Point Relief® Cool-It Roller The Cool-It Roller by Point Relief® combines all … Continue reading
Keep Hydrated this Summer!
This past Sunday marked the first day of summer! Summer means going outside and enjoying the warm weather with friends and family. With all the fun the summer months can bring, it can also bring extreme heat. If you are … Continue reading
CanDo® Training Stairs
Running or walking sometimes does not come easy, especially if you just got injured or are recovering from post-surgery. With CanDo® Training Stairs, therapists can help train their patients with progressive stepping. All our CanDo® staircases feature an all-hardwood plywood … Continue reading
How to Keep on Running
Have you been going out for a run more and going to the gym less? Turns out you are not alone. Many people have shifted the way they exercise since the pandemic hit. However, with many gyms now open one … Continue reading
Workouts to Strengthen your Glutes
Strengthening your gluteal muscles can help improve your posture, enhance your exercise performance, and decrease your risk of injury. There are many exercises that focus on your glutes, so it can be hard to figure out what you should do. … Continue reading
Why A Strong Backside is Important
Do you know what is the strongest part of your body? The largest and strongest muscles in your body are not your biceps. In fact, they are nowhere near the upper body. The strongest muscles in your body are actually … Continue reading
Important PPE Items for the Workplace
In observance of National Safety Month, we thought it would be a good idea to help anyone out there who still needs education on proper PPE equipment. With the COVID-19 pandemic still a thing it is important to continue to … Continue reading
National Safety Month 2021
This month marks the 25th anniversary of National Safety Month! National Safety Month is observed annually during the month of June to help raise awareness of keeping each other safe in the workplace. With the pandemic ongoing, it is crucial … Continue reading
Ease Back Pain with the Dynair Comfort Wedge
Sitting all day long for work can become uncomfortable for anyone who suffers from back pain. The good news is you do not have suffer if you do have to sit all day. There are ways to prevent back pain … Continue reading
Easing Back into Exercise
The weather is warming up, and you know what that means. It is time to get back into exercise for that desired beach bod. After everything that has happened in 2020, you may have become a couch potato all pandemic … Continue reading
Chiropractic Tools
There is no question that chiropractors like to use tools to help ease a patient’s pain and inflammation. Chiropractors mainly focus on the musculoskeletal and nervous systems, helping people with any pain in their head, back, neck or joints. With … Continue reading
Do You Need Physical Therapy or Chiropractic Care?
At face value, both physical therapy and chiropractic care look very similar. Both disciplines are practiced by licensed professionals who handle treating pain and stiffness in the human body. However, the way each discipline goes about administering treatments can slightly … Continue reading
Choosing the Right AIREX® Mat for You?
Do you need an exercise or yoga mat? AIREX® mats are lightweight, comfortable and do not slide on the floor. You can find them in various shapes and sizes to complement the different workout routines you have. With so many … Continue reading
Exercise Mat vs Yoga Mat: Is There a Difference?
When it comes to exercise, the human body needs at least half an hour of exercise each day to remain fit and healthy. Whether that be through yoga or another form of exercise, staying in shape is the ultimate goal. … Continue reading
What Can You Do with a Dual-Handle Medicine Ball?
If you have not heard already, the CanDo® Dual-Handle Medicine Ball is the perfect tool for abdominal training, rotational movement, and strength training. However, do you know what other exercises can you do with a dual-handle medicine ball? Luckily for … Continue reading
National Physical Fitness and Sports Month 2021
Did you know that May is National Physical Fitness and Sports Month? During this annual observance, the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness & Nutrition encourages Americans to #MoveinMay. This campaign highlights the importance of staying active through sports and other … Continue reading
Use the Cuff® Weights to Build More Muscle
When it comes to building more muscle, it is important to continue to lift heavier weights. With more resistance, your muscles endure more tears in their fibers so that they can rebuild and get stronger. Performing reps until you feel … Continue reading
How to Increase Muscle Mass Fast
Do you want to get muscular? It takes time to pack on muscle mass but that should not detour you from getting physically fit. There are ways to expedite to whole muscle building process. You can get ripped and make … Continue reading
Stretching with CanDo® Resistance Bands
Do you stretch? There are various forms of stretching that allow you to choose how you want to maintain your flexibility. An opposite form to active stretching is passive stretching. This focuses more on using an external force to provide … Continue reading
What is Active Stretching?
Stretching is key to keep your muscles flexible, strong, and healthy. Being flexible helps maintain the range of motion in your joints. Without flexibility, your muscles will start to tighten, and this can become uncomfortable. To improve flexibility, a lot … Continue reading
Enhance Exercise Performance with EconoCuff
As mentioned in the previous article, caffeine can enhance your exercise performance. By consuming a small amount of caffeine an hour before you exercise, you can improve your exercise performance, burn off more fat, and have a faster recovery time. … Continue reading
Is Caffeine Good for You?
Do you know caffeine is the most commonly used natural stimulant in the world? Everyday billions of people around the world rely on caffeine to help them get through the day. Whether that be waking up in the morning with … Continue reading
The Best Tools for an Occupational Therapist
There is no doubt that occupational therapy plays an important role in peoples lives. This is thanks to both the skill and knowledge of the Occupational Therapist and the tools they use. A lot of people can recover both mentally … Continue reading
Occupational Therapy Month 2021
Occupational Therapists and their assistants are part of a vitally important profession that helps people of all ages be able to do the things they want to do using everyday activities. Every year throughout the month of April, we celebrate … Continue reading
Keep Children Moving with TOGU®
With some children still doing remote learning for school, it can be hard to get them active. Before the pandemic, children were able to go to recess and move around with other kids to release excess energy. However due to … Continue reading