Shots Are Common – But Should They Be? If you have knee OA in the US, you have about 50% chance of getting an injection.1 Despite exercise being the most recommended treatment for knee OA, only about 10% of people ever get referred to a physical therapist. In fact, the use of PT declined between 2007 and 2015.2 In my clinical practice, …
Knee Arthritis? Study Shows You Have a Very Good Shot at Avoiding Surgery with Physical Therapy
If you have osteoarthritis (OA), you know that learning about it and what it means for you can be confusing. Often, the x-ray is reviewed and minimal advice on how to proceed and what the outcomes mean for you are given. If you’re smart enough to ask, you might find out that about 1 in 4 people having knee replacement surgery (the …
Top 3 Things to Keep You Cycling Longer
Cycling is big in Tucson. We have the weather, the roads, and the people to make it enjoyable. Before you get out there this winter, take a look at the top three things you can do to ensure that you can rack up the miles without tallying up your aching body parts. 1 – Don’t increase your mileage too quickly. …
Is This Pain on My Bike Normal?
Is Pain Normal? Is pain normal when it comes to biking? Is it something we should just expect and “deal with?” The short answer is no. There are many adjustable components on your bicycle, and proper positioning of those components can go a long way in eliminating and preventing pain while enjoying cycling. There are well-researched ideal angles of movement and …
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 …
What Everyone With Spinal Stenosis Needs to Know: Mike’s Story
What is Spinal Stenosis? “Stenosis” means “narrowing,” and basically refers to the process of certain holes in your spine getting narrower, usually as we age. Spinal nerves, which branch and travel down your leg, have to exit from these holes in your spine. A hole getting narrow simply means the nerve has less space to move, not that the nerve is getting …
WATCH: A “5/10” to Pain-Free in 15 minutes
It’s one of the questions we get all the time. “What happens in physical therapy?” All day long in our Oro Valley clinic, we hear people say “I didn’t know this type of physical therapy existed,” or “I had no idea that this is what happened in physical therapy – if I’d known I would have come a lot sooner!” …
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 …
What Everyone Should Know About Shoulder Pain
If you’ve ever had shoulder pain, and I have, you know how it can ruin your day. It can stop you from sleeping, brushing your teeth, showering, putting on clothes, drinking coffee, driving, working, exercising, and on again. Shoulder pain is one of the most common things seen in physical therapy, but one that few people truly understand. My hope …
Learn What Can Cause Back Pain
What Causes Back Pain…and What Can Back Pain Cause? Low back pain is the most common cause of disability worldwide and nearly everyone has it at some point in their life. One of the most common things people are worried about when they get back pain is what might be causing it. This is understandable. I’ve had back pain before …