From Resolution to Routine: How to Stay on Track With Fitness Getting in better shape is one of the most common New Year’s resolutions—and one of the hardest to stick with. Motivation is great at the start, but real progress comes from consistency over time. The good news: you don’t need a perfect plan to…
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…
How Electrical Stimulation Can Support Desensitization in CRPS Recovery Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) is a chronic pain condition often developing after injury or surgery, but not always, and is characterized by persistent pain, hypersensitivity, and changes in skin color and temperature. A hallmark symptom is allodynia, where non-painful stimuli cause significant pain. Desensitization techniques…
Swimming with Shoulder Pain: What You Need to Know Swimming is a fantastic full-body workout, but if you’re experiencing shoulder pain in the pool, you’re not alone. Shoulder injuries account for a significant portion of swimming-related pain, often referred to as “swimmer’s shoulder.” Understanding the specific range of motion (ROM) and rotator cuff demands placed…
Squats – The Ultimate Functional Strength Exercise Typically, knee arthritis (osteoarthritis or OA) is characterized by reduced articular cartilage on the femur and tibia bones that make up the knee, and can lead to increased bony formation. Inflammation is usually associated and present at the knee when this occurs. The good news is, strengthening, flexibility/stretching,…
Why Physical Therapy Is More Than Just a Massage Some patients come to physical therapy with the expectation that their treatment will primarily involve massage. It’s not uncommon for first-time visitors to ask, “When will I get my massage?” or to believe that a massage alone will resolve their pain. While massage therapy can provide…
Patient of the Month: Colton’s Journey to Confident Walking and Running At AzOPT, we love celebrating the hard work and progress of our patients—and this month, we’re excited to recognize Colton as our Patient of the Month. When Colton first came to AzOPT Gilbert in May, he was recovering from bilateral calf surgery (gastroc lengthening).…
Sore? “Who Cares!” Achy? “No problem.” Stiff? “No big deal.” We…are Weekend Warriors, athletes, Crossfitters, exercisers! If we did not like to “feel the burn,” we would still be working out at a local gym using elliptical machines and machine weights. But when the feeling goes beyond the burn and enters into pain, or even…
Physical Therapy Decreases Fall Risk in Older Adults The risk of falling as we age tends to increase, as do the consequences of falling. Conditions such as sarcopenia (loss of muscle strength and mass), neuropathy, arthritis, low blood pressure and cognitive decline can all increase our risk of falling, and if someone falls one time,…
