Do you ever experience a snapping sensation when you bend or rotate your hip?
The most common reason for the snapping is stiffness in the iliotibial band or in the iliopsoas muscle.
As you bend or rotate your hip, the stiffness of the iliotibial band will cause a snapping sensation on the outside of your hip. This is caused by the iliotibial tendon snapping against the greater trochanter of your femur. By the same token, stiffness in the iliopsoas muscle will cause a snapping sensation on the inside of your hip. This is caused by the iliopsoas tendon snapping against the lesser trochanter of the femur.
So what do you do about it? Come on in for a free screening and we will take a look. We need to get you on a stretching, strengthening and self-mobilization program in order to alleviate the imbalances that are causing the snapping.
Has your previous physical therapy NOT resolved your pain?
Does your pain keep coming back?
Well…Total Motion Release may be the answer you’re looking for.
We are now offering a completely unique approach to the treatment of pain and restrictions. It is called TOTAL MOTION RELEASE or TMR. We have been convinced through our own clinical trials that it is pretty amazing stuff…and our patients love it!
You can read a description of TMR as well as a video demonstration and an incredible video testimonial by clicking HERE.
Why Suffer through the Holidays? If it hurts, get it FIXED
OrthoWell Physical Therapy would like to share in the joy of the holidays by extending a special offer to YOU and your friends and family for a
**ONE DAY FREE EVENT**
FREE Physical Therapy Injury Screenings
FREE Pain-Relieving Deep Tissue Laser Therapy Treatment
December 7th
from 1:00-6:00
100 Cummings Center Suite 455C
**ONLY 20 SPOTS AVAILABLE**
The Free Injury Screening consists of a 30 minute one-on-one appointment with one of our expert physical therapists. Your PT will:
*Talk with you about the history of your problem.
*Take measurements to test how you are moving and how strong you are
*Will discuss the CAUSE of your pain and provide you a PLAN for successful treatment.
IN ADDITION…
Receive a complimentary Deep Tissue Laser Therapy treatment to your painful area. Read more about the benefits of therapeutic laser on our website by going to www.orthowellpt.com.
Laser therapy gets our patient BETTER…FASTER. It uses infrared light energy to stimulate chemical reactions in your cells to reduce pain and inflammation. It has been scientifically proven to accelerate the healing of damaged nerves, tendons and muscles and to increase cellular metabolism by 40%.
If you are having pain or problems with day to day activities or pain that limits your ability to work or exercise, then this is an excellent opportunity that you don’t want to miss!
Fall has arrived. Amazing colors once again. Should you stretch your hamstrings before hiking thru the fall colors? Read on to see if you should…or if you shouldn’t….
I want to share with you what my staff and I have learned to maximize your health and wellness and to keep you up-to-date on the happenings at OrthoWell. So read on and let’s keep you on track.
So what if I told you that there is actually very little research that substantiates any long lasting effects of stretching? What if I also told you that you may not even have to stretch your hamstrings to get a release of the stiffness? Would that make you stop stretching or does stretching actually make you FEEL good?
I have been practicing PT for 26 years and I can honestly say that my patients have had some pretty amazing results with the soft tissue work that we do in combination with stretching exercises. Just look at our Success Story page. If you are reading this right now, you may actually be one on them. There are some things that get our patients better that may not have a lot of research-substantiated evidence.
In a 2010 article by Wepppler and Magnusson, they point out that there is only a transient mechanical increase in length of tissue after stretching. In other words, the muscle stretch recoils after the stretch is removed. How long the stretch lasts depends on the magnitude and the duration of the stretch. So then, how hard should you stretch and why do we only hold our stretches for 30-60 seconds?
We have used the evidence gathered from the study of tissue deformation or biorheology to determine that the optimum amount of time to acquire the most dramatic “viscoelastic” elongation of tissue is between 30-60 seconds. Yes, there is a much more gradual elongation after that time but who has the time to wait…right? There was a study in 2004 by Guissard and Duchateau that showed partial maintenance of tissue elaongaton 30 days after the program when patents were performing 20 minutes of stretching 5 days per week. So yes, you reap what you sow when it comes to the time spent stretching.
The Sensory Theory of stretching means that we achieve an increase in length while stretching due to a “stretch analgesia” effect in which “it doesn’t hurt as much” so you FEEL as though you can stretch further into the range. So what is wrong with that? If you stand all day and your hamstrings are working overtime to keep you upright and stable, what happens to the tissue? It becomes “stiffer”. This may be due to scar tissue, waste products, and trigger points that form due to this constant state of contraction. Intuitively, it makes sense to perform massage and stretching to counteract these effects. However, is this the cure for the stiffness? Gary Cook, a world renowned PT, who has revolutionized the way that we that we think of functional training would say unequivocally NO!
Gary Cook claims that the “stiffness” we feel is reflexive. It is due to the stabilizing effect that our muscles need to perform on a daily basis in order to control faulty movement patterns and faulty postures. Some parts of our bodies are stabile and other parts are very mobile. For example, your lumbar spine tends to be mobile or “sloppy” as Gray Cook would say. Many people are unaware of how to engage their core or how to perform proper body mechanics to prevent stress to the lumbar spine. Our hamstrings can be the first line of defense when it comes to stabilizing the spine.
If you are unaware of how you stand, you could be placing your pelvis in an anteriorly rotated position. When your pelvis rotates forward, it places a “pinch’ or a stress on your lumbar spine. Your hamstrings will consequently contract in order to correct your alignment and “pull” your pelvis posteriorly. What happens when you squat or roll out of bed? If you are not engaging the proper core and hip muscles then your hamstrings continue to fire in order to stabilize your spine. There you have it. The viscous cycle for constant hamstring stiffness.
So how do you become more stabile? First of all, you need to become reacquainted with your core. Just doing planks may not be enough. You need to be evaluated to determine any faulty movement patterns. If you don’t correct the faulty patterns, then you are reinforcing bad habits and putting yourself at risk for injury. Gray Cook has developed Functional Movement Screens to determine exactly where your deficiencies are. In addition to this, we have put together a version of the Selective Functional Movement Screen in our clinic. Based on the results of our screen, there are many types of corrective exercises that can be instructed to get you back on track.
In conclusion, you need to realize that “stiffness” anywhere in your body could be multifaceted.- especially with your hamstrings. Does this mean that you should never stretch or massage your hamstrings? NO. Stretching can certainly make you FEEL better but you need to realize that stretching alone may not be the cure. In the words of Gray Cook
“If the body doesn’t stabilize correctly, it will figure out another way to get stability: it’s called stiffness.”
So what you THINK is causing your stiffness may NOT be the reason. We all need to think outside the box. You are guaranteed that when you come to see us at OrthoWell PT
I enjoy CrossFit because it consistently gives me a good workout. The workout ideology of CrossFit prides itself on never falling into a routine. This means every workout is something new that will not only work you out in a new way, but also help you to identify some new skill that you could improve upon. When working out with good form and responsible weight/volume, the benefits of Crossfit also translate to your functional daily activities. After a year of Crossfit I can truly say I have witnessed these benefits during my day to day activities.
As many of you have heard in the clinic I do a lot of mountain racing. This past weekend I had the luck to have a repeat win at one of the hardest races in the circuit. Check out my interview on levelrenner.com to get a little glimpse into the head of the Female winner Leslie and myself about how the race went down and up in this case.
Our wellness maintenance program is for those of you who want consistency of care after being discharged from physical therapy in order to prevent any reccurence of pain. We have three different plans the we offer that you can read about by clicking the link above.
“I would like to thank Chris, Katie and crew for the outstanding care I received after my Achilles surgery. Their knowledge, experience and attention to detail allowed me to expedite my recovery. Thank you.”
Dont forget to take advantage of our Try Before You Buy program.
We offer a FREE, no obligation injury screening for YOU, a FAMILY MEMER or a FRIEND. Just click the link below or send it to someone who may need our help.
Ever heard of tendinopathy? It is a degenerative condition that usually occurs at the insertion point of a tendon. Remember that tendons are what attach a muscle to a bone. There is a lot of evidence that chronic tendon pain is NOT an -itis or inflammation, but is actually degenerative. It is very common in your achilles, patellar, and hamstring tendons.
The latest research on tendinopathy points to the positive pain relieving effect of isometric contractions. Isometrics are sustained holds of a muscle contraction without any movement ie pushing your hand against the wall in order to contract your rotator cuff tendon. An immediate relief of pain has been demonstrated after performing a pain-free isometric contraction for 30 seconds. You could incorporate 3 reps of 30 second isometric contractions of the affected tendon 1-2x per day.
Give us a buzz to set up a maintenance appointment and we could certainly fine tune your home exercise program.
Read the abstract HERE or the actual article HERE.
If winning a total of 23 gold medals over his Olympic career is not news worthy enough, there has been a lot of buzz about the “suction cup” marks on Michael Phelps. Yes, those marks are from cupping therapy–a service that we offer at OrthoWell Physical Therapy.
Cupping therapy has been used in traditional Chinese medicine for centuries to treat injury and disease. The cups produce a negative pressure which “sucks” the superficial layers of tissue up into the cup. The effect of cupping therapy is to release and stretch stiff tissue, to increase circulation and to draw your body’s healing energy or Qi (chi) to the area. At OrthoWell, we use controlled motion in combination with cupping therapy to enhance the effect.
If it’s good for Michael Phelps, it may be good for you too. Check out our cupping video below. Just give us a buzz to feel what all the “buzz” is about.
It has been a hot summer so far…are you staying hydrated? Are you still making time to exercise? So how much SHOULD you be exercising to get the most bang for your buck. Read on….
I want to share with you what my staff and I have learned to maximize your health and wellness and to keep you up-to-date on the happenings at OrthoWell. So read on and let’s keep you on track.
I enjoy CrossFit because it consistently gives me a good workout. The workout ideology of CrossFit prides itself on never falling into a routine. This means every workout is something new that will not only work you out in a new way, but also help you to identify some new skill that you could improve upon. When working out with good form and responsible weight/volume, the benefits of Crossfit also translate to your functional daily activities. After a year of Crossfit I can truly say I have witnessed these benefits during my day to day activities.
MOUNTAIN RUNNING CHAMPION..
Matt Veiga
As many of you have heard in the clinic I do a lot of mountain racing. This past weekend I had the luck to have a repeat win at one of the hardest races in the circuit. Check out my interview on levelrenner.com to get a little glimpse into the head of the Female winner Leslie and myself about how the race went down and up in this case.
Our wellness maintenance program is for those of you who want consistency of care after being discharged from physical therapy in order to prevent any reccurence of pain. We have three different plans the we offer that you can read about by clicking the link above.
“I would like to thank Chris, Katie and crew for the outstanding care I received after my Achilles surgery. Their knowledge, experience and attention to detail allowed me to expedite my recovery. Thank you.”
Dont forget to take advantage of our Try Before You Buy program.
We offer a FREE, no obligation injury screening for YOU, a FAMILY MEMER or a FRIEND. Just click the link below or send it to someone who may need our help.
