From new patient phone calls to current patients wanting to be seen for another musculoskeletal condition, one of the most common misconceptions we see in our practice is the issue of direct access. If you know that you’ll end up in physical therapy, or that you have a problem that physical therapists treat, can you just go straight to it? …
Research Sheds Light on Early Physical Therapy for Back Pain and Sciatica
Sciatica – a Pain in the Butt! If you have had sciatica, you know how painful it can be. Sciatica is kind of a “catch-all” term used to refer to pain that refers down the leg and is caused by an irritated nerve or neural structure. Most commonly, sciatica is associated with back pain. Despite how common sciatica can be …
COVID-19 is Still Here. Is Telehealth Really an Effective Option?
In March, we all retreated into our homes as the time of stay-at-home orders and quarantine began. If you’re like me, you thought, “Surely, this will all be over in a month. Everyone will do what’s in the best interest of others, and we’ll get through this – America always does!” Unfortunately, the post is being written nearly half a …
Physical Therapy First for Low Back Pain Reduces Opioid Prescriptions by 85%
Background Low back pain is really common. In fact, almost everyone has low back pain at some point in their life, and about 1 in 4 people you know have had low back pain in the past 3 months. With low back pain being so common, it’s important to have information about the best place to start care when your …
Pain Between Your Shoulder Blades: Not a “Poking” Matter
It can feel like squeezing, a dull ache, or like a hot poker getting driven into the area next to your shoulder blades. It can make it hard to breathe, hard to back the car up in the driveway, or make sitting almost unbearable. It’s effects are clear—but the cause isn’t so easy to determine. As a physical therapist, I often see …
The Forgotten Condition That Could Be Causing Your Hip Pain
Why Physical Examinations are Important Hip pain is commonly seen in physical therapy. Hip pain could impact your ability to walk, golf, twist in the car, get out of the car, get out of a chair, and so on. However, it might be somewhat surprising to find out that it can often be difficult to determine the cause of your hip pain. This …
The Crazy Thing Research is Telling Us About Spinal Stenosis
Lumbar Stenosis is a radiographic diagnosis. The word “lumbar” refers to the lower back and “stenosis” means “narrowing.” Usually, when an x-ray or MRI finds that you have stenosis, it means that the passageways for nerves in your spine are smaller. However, it is important to keep in mind that this narrowing can happen without pain. It is common to …
Neck Pain: 5 Things to Know
Neck Pain: 5 Things to Know Neck pain is one of the most common things we see in physical therapy, and especially here at The Motive. Neck pain doesn’t have to be scary or frightening or effect so many aspects of your life, but it often does. Because we believe knowledge is power, we’ve created a helpful infographic available to …
All You Need to Know About Physical Therapy Education
It’s one of the most common questions we are asked: what does it take to become a physical therapist? Few people know what PT education consists of and what separates physical therapists from other professions. Here’s a quick overview. Getting into PT school It’s not easy. Physical therapy programs are graduate programs, meaning they require the applicant to have taken …
Part III: What Do Airplane Crashes Have to Do with Unnecessary Surgeries?
The New Healthcare: A 3 Part Series I’m sure you remember it, even now. Earlier this year, a woman was sitting in her seat on a Southwest airliner, a model known as the CFM56, when the window she was seated next to suddenly burst open. She died. It was the first in-flight fatality in the 47-year history of Southwest Airlines. …
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