Last month we dove into hyper-mobility in swimmers. On the other end of spectrum, are those swimmers that are very stiff. There is, of course, a wide spectrum between hyper-mobility and stiffness, and as mentioned previously, one end is not necessarily preferable to the other end of the spectrum. Stiffness varies from tightness in that tightness is a limitation of …
The latest volume of ‘Orthopaedic Physical Therapy Practice’ featured an article titled, ‘Management of Hypermobility in Aesthetic Performing Artists: A review.’ The article breaks down joint hypermobility in performing artists and offers gems on how to manage hypermobile clients from a PT’s point of view. Needless to say, it got me thinking. In my nearly 20 years of coaching swimming …
The thoracic spine is made up of the 12 vertebrae that your ribs connect to. The way these vertebral bodies are shaped lend themselves specifically to rotation, but maintaining good range of motion with flexing and extending your spine is essential for a variety of other areas of the body. We’re all familiar with the rounded back, forward head posture …
The thoracic spine is made up of the 12 vertebrae that your ribs connect to. The way these vertebral bodies are shaped lend themselves specifically to rotation, but maintaining good range of motion with flexing and extending your spine is essential for a variety of other areas of the body. We’re all familiar with the rounded back, forward head posture …
A recent article on healthline quoted nearly $134 billion dollars spent out-of-pocket (this figure does NOT include money spent by insurance companies) on back and neck treatments in the US between 1996 and 2016, more than was spent on managing either heart disease or diabetes. Suffice it to say that back pain is a problem in the US – in …
Updated: Apr 1, 2022 5 Functional Movements That Will Help Decrease Your Risk of Sports Injury A big part of my job in helping my clients get out of pain is understanding what level of fitness they were at before they got injured or started feeling discomfort. Knowing this information not only helps to set goals, but gives me an idea …
According to the Aspen Institute, 73.4% of teenagers participated in some form of organized sports in 2020. That equates to more than 21 million teenagers participating in sports ranging from cycling to swimming, track and field to wrestling. Soccer and basketball maintain their stronghold as the most popular sport for teen-aged participation, but the COVID-19 pandemic has provided a pretty …
When swimmers have pain, it is most often in the shoulder. This is usually the result of the thousands of overhead repetitions that occur with the hours of practice often required for age group athletes. With overuse comes fatigue and this can lead to lapses in a swimmer’s ability to maintain good swimming technique. Additionally, swimmers will have excessive flexibility …
I have been a swim coach for nearly 20 years. Before I started coaching swimming, I was a pretty high level competitive swimmer. I have been a physical therapist for just about 10 years. I work predominately with high school aged athletes (as a coach and PT), though I also see adults of all ages and younger kids. I work …
Shin splints. You know, that dull, achy soreness over the inside part of your shin that is worse when you pull your toes toward your nose, but generally goes away if you’re not exercising (though you may notice it a bit when you’re just walking around). The bane of many a new runner. People often experience shin soreness when they …
