Ask the Therapist: How Does Nutrition Affect My Physical Therapy? Often time’s patients will ask if the food they eat before and after their physical therapy appointments will affect their rehabilitation results. Regardless of whether you are healing from a surgery, recovering from a sprain, or managing chronic pain – yes, the food and drink…
Physical Therapy and Management of Osteoarthritis by Taylor Rock, DPT AzOPT Goodyear Doctor of Physical Therapy Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common form of arthritis and affects roughly 32.5 million adults in the US. It is commonly referred to the “wear and tear” arthritis or degenerative joint disease (DJD). OA occurs when cartilage within the…
The 411 on Massage Guns by Nick Travers, DPT AzOPT Doctor of Physical Therapy Have you recently turned on a sporting event and seen an athlete on the sideline with a massage gun? Maybe you have watched the thousands of slow motion videos on social media. Regardless, massage guns, which are a form of percussive…
Back Pain During Pregnancy It is not uncommon to experience back pain during pregnancy. In fact, 50-80% of women will experience some type of back pain during their pregnancy. Back pain can occur anytime during the pregnancy but becomes more likely later in the pregnancy, as the weight of the baby increases. As the baby…
When Can I Return to My Sport/Activity? Whether you are participating in a highly competitive sport league or having fun with friends, activities are important to you and your overall health. However, injuries happen all the time that could limit your ability to participate. Many of you may even undergo orthopedic procedures or attend physical…
What is the Importance of a Home Exercise Program? Now that you have completed your initial evaluation, your first step to feeling better, functioning better and living better is complete. Your physical therapist and you have developed a plan of care that will get you back to doing what you need and love to do…
Using Blood Flow Restriction to Maximize Physical Therapy Results By Rina Ishii, DPT AzOPT Goodyear Physical Therapist Blood Flow Restriction (BFR) training is a method of physical training in which you restrict blood flow to a limb or limbs via a tourniquet while exercising or at rest. By restricting blood flow to a specific area,…
What Causes Jaw Pain? by Jeffrey Landram, DPT AzOPT Buckeye Doctor of Physical Therapy If you were asked to name all the joints in the human body, odds are you might forget about the joint that allows the jaw to move! This joint is called the temporomandibular joint, or TMJ for short. Although it is…
Is Physical Therapy Right For Me? Who are physical therapists? Physical Therapists are trained to find the biomechanical dysfunctions that cause pain and assess physical movements to make sure pain never occurs. In other words, as highly trained healthcare professionals (most have a Doctoral degree), physical therapists will examine you and make a treatment plan…
Injury Prevention for the Performance Athlete (Dancer) by Taylor Kitkowski, DPT AzOPT Glendale Doctor of Physical Therapy In the world of sports, performance athletes, or dancers, are often overlooked. However, dance requires high levels of physical demands in addition to maintaining a lean body type. These factors make young dancers more susceptible to injuries. Dance…
