By fitstoppt 04 Apr, 2016 Advice, Back Pain, Exercise, Fitness, Health Tips, Knee Pain, Low Back Pain, Physical Therapy, Strength Training, Tips back pain, exercise, hip, knee pain, physical therapy, strength As a physical therapist, I am in the business of prescribing exercise. It is something I do all the time – all day, every day. As a physical therapist, I am also in the business of treating pain related to the joints in the back and knees. These two joints contribute a good portion of the pain that a lot of us experience every day. At the Fit Stop, these two areas (back and knees) make up the largest portion of what we treat every day. That being said, it may come as something of a surprise, that when I prescribe exercise for these two joints, a good chunk of those exercises actually have to do with the hip joints. Does this make sense? I believe it makes a lot of sense. Today, one of our orthopedic specialists, Toby Bluth, will explain why we look to the hips when we treat back and knee pain, and share a few of his favorite hip exercises with you.
More By fitstoppt 15 Jan, 2016 Advice, At Home, Back Pain, Exercise, FAQ, Health Tips, Healthcare, Low Back Pain, Pain Management, Physical Therapy, Tips, Wellness back pain, low back, lumbar, stiff, stretch, stretches, tight Who amongst us hasn’t experienced some degree of low back pain before? Collectively it’s the most-common complaint we see in our physical therapy clinics. Luckily there’s a lot that PT can do for it, and all it starts with stretching structures that are tight and strengthening areas that are weak. Today one of our low back pain experts, Jared Beckstrand, PT, DPT is sharing 5 of his favorite stretches to help relax that tight back and alleviate some of the pain you may be experiencing. Read more below!
More By fitstoppt 04 Jan, 2016 Advice, At Home, Back Pain, FAQ, Injury, Low Back Pain, Pain Management, Physical Therapy back, back pain, best, bulged disc, herniated disc, inversion table, low back, pain, sciatica, stenosis, traction, treatment Will an Inversion Table help my Low Back Pain?
As a physical therapist, I have heard many, many very interesting treatment approaches for low back pain (LBP). We as human beings have actually gotten pretty creative in treating LBP. From the more mainstream approaches of modern medicine, to the more “alternative” approach, there is much to choose from out there. Because of the myriad of options, it can be pretty difficult to know exactly where to start, and what to focus on. Today one of our back pain specialists, Toby Bluth, PT, DPT, weighs in on one of these treatments – inversion tables. Learn the how, why, and what behind this treatment and whether or not you could benefit from it! Keep reading for more…
More By fitstoppt 04 Sep, 2015 Advice, FAQ, Health, Health Tips, Low Back Pain, Pain Management, Physical Therapy back, back pain, best, bulged disc, herniated disc, low back, pain, sciatica, stenosis, treatment As physical therapists, the most-common injury that we hear about in our clinics is back pain. In fact statistics show that as many as 9 out of 10 people will experience significant back pain in their lives. Whether you’re 22 or 82, chances are that if your back doesn’t hurt now, it probably will one day in the future!!
While nobody is completely immune from hurting there are actually some crucial steps that you can take that have actually been proven to decrease back pain throughout our lives. Today one of our back pain specialists, Jared Beckstrand, PT, DPT, discusses 5 tips to ensure a lifetime of quality activity free from lower back pain. Keep reading for more…
More By fitstoppt 17 Aug, 2015 Advice, Back Pain, FAQ, Health, Health Tips, Injury, Low Back Pain advice, avoid, back, back pain, correct, faq, healthcare, how to, injury, lift, lumbar, pain, physical therapy, posture, strength 4 Tips To Protect Your Back While Lifting and Carrying
Did you know that 9/10 people will experience some form of back pain in their lives?! As a physical therapist I have literally seen just about everything – from heavy lifting and falls to simply “I bent over to pick up my toothbrush”. Some of the most-common injuries that we encounter are a result of lifting and carrying objects. This is a frustrating situation that sets the patient back quite a bit, often resulting in missed days at work or play. The most frustrating part for me is that this situation can be avoided altogether with a little bit of education and exercise. Today one of our back pain specialists, Toby Bluth, PT, DPT will discuss proper lifting mechanics – what’s right, what’s wrong, and what you can do to avoid injury:
More By fitstoppt 03 Jul, 2015 Advice, Exercise, Fitness, Health, Healthcare, Physical Therapy, Tips advice, back pain, exercise, faq, fitness, health, healthy, physical therapy, Pilates, PT, wellness Have you ever tried Pilates? I don’t care if you’re a guy or gal, 25 or 65, all of us could stand to improve our bodies and our health! As physical therapists we often get asked, “What can I do after physical therapy to stay healthy and keep from getting reinjured?” It’s a great question that we love to hear and can have a variety of answers depending on the individual. For many patients, Pilates can be an awesome way to continue the progress made in physical therapy. Today we’re sharing our top 5 reasons we believe Pilates is an excellent choice following completion of physical therapy.
More By fitstoppt 22 Jun, 2015 Advice, At Home, Exercise, Fitness, Health, Health Tips, Injury, Pain Management, Physical Therapy, Tips, Workout active, advice, back pain, exercise, injury, pain, physical therapy, PT, wellness “My hip hurts out here on the side.”
“It feels like someone stabbing me right here.”
“I can’t do stairs; I can barely walk!”
Your hip joint is highly mobile. As with any highly mobile joint in our bodies we have structures designed to decrease wear and tear and promote lifelong movement. One of these structures is a small, fluid-filled sac called a bursa. Most of the time they perform their proper function flawlessly, but what happens when they start to hurt? Today one of our doctors of physical therapy, Toby Bluth, explains hip bursitis – what it is, how you get it, and even a physical therapy exercise program you can do at home to help it feel better.
More By fitstoppt 19 Jun, 2015 Advice, Back Pain, Fitness, Health, Health Tips, Low Back Pain, Pain Management, Physical Therapy advice, back pain, ergonomic, function, health, lifestyle, low back pain, physical therapy, PT Take a mental image of your posture right now. If you’re like most of us, you’re slouching down in your chair, back and shoulders rounded with your head forward and tilted down. While this may feel comfortably lazy, your positioning could be a major contributor to neck and back problems. But don’t despair – today is your lucky day! Read on to find out how 5 simple changes in ergonomics could help solve your neck or back pain!
More By fitstoppt 18 Jun, 2015 Advice, At Home, Exercise, Fitness, Health Tips, Healthcare, Injury, Pain Management, Physical Therapy active, advice, back pain, exercise, faq, function, health, healthy, injury, physical therapy, PT, wellness As a doctor of physical therapy, one of the simplest and yet most valuable pieces of equipment that we have in the clinic is the foam roller. This one simple tool offers numerous exercises with a myriad of benefits: increase joint flexibility, improve posture, injury prevention, and injury recovery (to name just a few!). Today on The Fit Stop Blog, I wanted to share with you my 10 favorite foam roller exercises to ascertain you enjoy a full summer of sun-filled, healthy, injury-free moving!
More By fitstoppt 17 Jun, 2015 Advice, FAQ, Fitness, Health, Health Tips, Healthcare, Physical Therapy advice, back pain, faq, function, health, healthcare, healthy, physical therapy, PT, wellness That’s it! You’ve had it! You’ve had this nagging pain for long enough and have decided it’s high time you do something about it! You go in and see your doctor who informs you that the best treatment is to “go see a physical therapist”. A physical therapist?! What is he/she going to do?! How can physical therapy possibly help my pain?! Well – you’ve come to the right place as that’s the exact topic of our post today! Toby Bluth, PT, DPT, shares some of his insight as to how physical therapy can help to treat your pain, help you feel better, and get back to participating in those things that you love doing. Keep reading for more!
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