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…
What is Osteoarthritis? Your primary care physician diagnosed you with Osteoarthritis and now you’re wondering, “what is that?” More importantly, what are your options? Osteoarthritis (OA) is a common condition in adults that results from the progressive wearing down of your joint tissue. This process is not to be confused with Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA), which…
Surprising Benefits of Vitamin C and Collagen Supplements for Tendon and Ligament Pain. Tendon and ligament pain are commonly seen in the physical therapy profession. Treatment of tendon and ligament injuries consists of manual therapy, exercise, and modalities for pain relief with good outcomes. However, nutrition is often neglected when encompassing the whole patient during…
R.I.C.E. – Rest | Ice | Compression | Elevation R.I.C.E. is a fundamental principle for the management of various injuries, particularly those related to soft tissues like muscles and joints. This approach is commonly employed to address acute injuries such as sprains, strains, and minor fractures. Understanding the benefits of each component provides valuable insight…
What is Pain? And How Does Physical Therapy Help with Pain Relief? What causes pain? Why am I experiencing pain? Why does some pain persist longer? If you ever asked yourself one or more of these questions, this blog hopes to provide some answers. First, let’s define pain. What is Pain? Pain is an early…
Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) What is Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy? Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy is a specialized form of physical therapy (PT) directed at treating pain, weakness, and/or dysfunction associated with the muscles within and around the pelvis (especially the pelvic floor). Currently, pelvic floor therapy is offered exclusively by Genevieve…
How Physical Therapy Treats Plantar Fasciitis Have you ever woken up in the morning with increased foot pain with your first few steps? After walking for a few feet does the pain improve? Pain when pulling or lifting toes/ankle towards your shin? Do you have tenderness and pain with pressure on your heel? If so,…
6 Stretches and Exercises to Improve Low Back Pain by Brooke Smith, PT, DPT AzOPT Goodyear Clinic Director Low back pain is often complex. There is no simple way to diagnose each individual’s root cause for the back pain. Even two people with pain in the exact same location may have different causes for the…
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…
The Importance of Hydration: Please, Drink Water! A simple fact of life is that we need three things to survive: food, air, and water. The human body is essentially made of 50% water throughout the lifespan. It varies by age, gender, and body size, but in general, we are mostly fluid. Read on to find…
