The Vestibular System and Balance Balance is a complex interaction of systems. It has both internal (inside our bodies) and external components (outside). These components work together in healthy individuals to maintain or regain balance. These components also know which way is up, what direction and how fast you are moving and can make posture…
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…
I am Struggling with my Selective Eater, What do I do? It is common for families, parents, and or caregivers to have a child that is a “picky” eater. “Picky” eater may seem insensitive, so let’s call your child a selective eater. Often times parents and families may ask themselves, what in the world do…
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…
Three Household Items to Promote Grasp Development by Kristen Henderson, M.S., OTR/L Kids Place West Pediatric Occupational Therapist As a child grows and progresses with new skills, their grasp is developing as well. Adequate grasp development is important for age appropriate pre-writing and handwriting skills, manipulation of everyday items, and proper fine motor coordination.…
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…
Activities for Your Toddler that Assist Language Learning Parents can incorporate virtually anything into an activity that promotes language skill development. The key is working on a skill that your child isn’t quite able to do independently, but they can do with your help. You can work on both expressive language (using signs, sounds, or…
Core-ology For Beginners by Cassidy Cooney, PT, DPT AzOPT Goodyear Doctor of Physical Therapy Back pain is a huge pain in the butt, often times literally as well as figuratively. Most people are quick to research the cause of their back pain from a FUM/GUM (Facebook/Google University of Medicine) trained provider. There, you probably heard…
