I recently coordinated continuing education on treatment of the shoulder for physical and occupational therapists at HealthReach Rehab. My final contribution to the courses was evidence-based treatment of rotator cuff tears. The rotator cuff is a group of four muscles at the shoulder, named supraspinatus, infraspinatus, teres minor, and subscapularis. The most commonly torn muscle is the supraspinatus. The main function of the rotator cuff is to add stability to one of the most unstable joints at the shoulder. Read the rest of this entry »
Archive for category Orthopaedic (Bones)
Rotator Cuff Tears
Jun 11
Joints allow us freedom of movement; without them we lose our ability to stay active, mobile, and independent. Walking, squatting, biking, reaching, hiking, stooping, lifting, sitting, running… all impossible without the ability for joints to move freely, stay stable, and work together. As important as they are to living an active life, are we really taking as good of care of them as possible? In physical therapy sessions, I get asked about my recommendations for good joint supports and braces. Looking for a good joint support? Why not start with your muscles? A joint’s stability is maintained by its joint capsule, cartilage, ligaments, tendons (end points of muscles), and the muscles. Research hasn’t found a way to replace cartilage yet; ligaments can be repaired, but this requires surgery. There is no way to strengthen or tighten a joint capsule. So what does that leave? Read the rest of this entry »
Did you know that what you do when you aren’t moving will affect how you move later on? Our body responds to the stresses placed on it everyday and adapts. The sustained positions we put ourselves in may contribute to certain inflexibilities and a loss in joint range of motion. Inflexibility and a loss of joint range of motion eventually impairs how we move and our ability to do certain tasks as well as we could. There are several times when we may be in one position for a long time: sitting, standing, sleeping, lounging… and muscles and joints will adaptively shorten and stiffen based on these positions. Think about the times during the day when you are in one position for a long time. For many of us it may be sitting due to increased use of the computer for work and life. If you work in a profession that requires lots of sitting, Read the rest of this entry »
We are almost through February, and I have to say, this Wisconsin winter hasn’t been that bad. Anything compared to the snowmageddon of the northeast is better, and I know I’ve been thankful that it hasn’t been as bad as the past two years. Though I may be from Louisiana, this transplant knows we aren’t out of the woods yet, at least until June. Each year I see patients with snow shoveling and related injuries, typically of the lower back, neck, and shoulders. Many times these injuries could have been avoided Read the rest of this entry »
Whether ’tis nobler to suffer the strains and pains of prolonged stretching, or to take arms through dynamic warm ups and replace them. This post will not end as a Shakespearean tragedy, for there is not a plague on either form (static or dynamic) of stretching. Recently, a group of therapists at our clinic got together to discuss evidence surrounding the topic of stretching.
Our meeting was inspired by questions from patients regarding our opinions on stretching regimens. Static stretching, holding a muscle in a lengthened position for at least 20 seconds for a low number of repetitions, has been widely touted in the past for improving flexibility and preventing injuries. Dynamic stretching, bringing muscles into lengthened positions without holding and performing several repetitions, which resembles more of a warm-up, has fallen into favor as the pre-sport regimen of choice to improve performance and prevent injuries. O Research, O Research, wherefore art thou Research? Read the rest of this entry »
