AzOPT’s physical therapists are highly-educated, licensed health care professionals who help our patients reduce pain, improve mobility and restore function. When health problems make it hard to move around and do everyday tasks, we help you move better and relieve pain. Our goal is to prevent expensive surgery and reduce the need for long-term use of prescription medications and their side effects. We can also help improve or restore your physical function and your fitness level.
Understanding Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome: Causes, Symptoms, and Treatment Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome (PFPS), often referred to as “runner’s knee,” is a common condition characterized by pain in the front of the knee, around or behind the patella (kneecap). It affects people of all ages and activity levels, but it is particularly prevalent among athletes, especially those…
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Aquatic Therapy in Arizona for Knee Osteoarthritis Relief Are you or a loved one struggling with knee osteoarthritis (OA)? While OA is a progressive, irreversible condition that may eventually require surgery, starting physical therapy early—especially aquatic therapy in Arizona—can significantly delay the need for surgical intervention and improve quality of life. Why Physical Therapy for…
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5 Benefits of Strength Training to Prevent Osteoporosis in Postmenopausal Women Osteoporosis is a condition where bones become fragile and brittle, making them more susceptible to fractures—especially in the spine, hips, and wrists. This condition is a major health concern for postmenopausal women, largely due to decreased estrogen levels after menopause. One of the most…
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Goal Setting For Success Do you wonder where you will be in five years? Have you thought about your main objective in life? What is it you want to achieve by the end of every day? Successes in various aspects of our life are often driven by the goals we establish. Goals lead us to…
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What is Kinesio Taping? Kinesio taping is a therapeutic technique that uses elastic tape to enhance the function of various tissues and physiological systems. By applying the tape in different ways, it can produce unique effects to aid in recovery and improve movement. Kinesio tape can be applied at any stage of treatment, including acute,…
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The Importance of Stretching for a Healthier Lifestyle Stretching and flexibility are key components of a balanced fitness routine, yet they are often overlooked. Stretching helps expand the range of motion in your joints, allowing them to function more effectively, and promotes blood flow to your muscles, aiding in tissue repair. Adding regular stretches to…
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The Hidden Benefits of Plyometrics Training We all know the benefits to staying healthy through exercise. However, knowing what specific exercises are needed to accomplish our goals is often challenging. A quick online search is overwhelming, with results varying from cardio to lifting weights to body weight and stretching exercises. It’s confusing to figure out…
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Poor Posture and Pain: What Comes First? Posture refers to your body as it aligns in space and how the alignment of each body part in relationship to one another and your environment is influenced by your joints. While your posture can be influenced by pain and poor posture can contribute to pain, posture is…
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Who are Physical Therapists The American Physical Therapy Association defines a physical therapist as “a licensed doctor who works with multiple patient populations impacted by disease, injury, and movement dysfunction.” Clear-cut and forward, this definition does not fully explain how a physical therapist specifically can help you. To do this, we need to break it…
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Mastering Foam Rolling Whether at the gym, CrossFit, or even AzOPT, you have seen someone laying and rolling around on a cylindrical shaped piece of foam. Foam rolling has become an extremely popular and effective self-massage technique. To understand why, let’s discuss the basic structure of our muscles and tissues. Our muscles are surrounded by…
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