Explore practical guidance from Strive! Physical Therapy Centers on managing pain, improving mobility, recovering from injury or surgery, and staying active at every stage of life. Browse a range of topics covering physical therapy, hand therapy, sports medicine, balance, healthy movement, injury prevention, and more.
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Does your back hurt? That means there must be some kind of problem with your back, right? Just like a sore knee tells you something is wrong with your knee and hip pain suggests an issue with your hips. These are all reasonable assumptions, but the human body is a complex, interconnected system. One muscle group affects another,
There are many physical changes that come with aging. People often experience a loss of muscle mass, reduced flexibility, reduced reaction time, and many other undesirable side effects of getting older. Unfortunately, these changes can often lead to an inability to perform many basic tasks that younger folks take for granted, and these changes can often lead to a loss of independence.
Our backs are a central part of almost all our movement, and it can be easy to turn, twist, or bend in a way that causes pain. When this happens, it’s reasonable to think that maybe your back isn’t strong or flexible enough, but often the core is the real key. Building a strong core can help to protect your back,
Is it possible that something happening in your mind can contribute to actual physical pain? Isn’t that the sort of pseudoscientific theory you read about in a fringe magazine or hear from some self-styled “guru” on a podcast? Maybe.
Mental stress is something we all experience. We may worry about our work, our finances,
You can walk around for hours without a problem, then suddenly you encounter a flight of stairs and your knee hurts. Maybe it only hurts when going down, or maybe it hurts going in both directions. This is not uncommon, since climbing and descending stairs puts a different type of stress on your knees than other activities.
Most people have neck pain at some point, sometimes after something as simple as waking up from a night’s sleep. Many people are also familiar with what’s commonly called “tech neck”, a specific type of neck pain that follows long days of looking at a computer screen. Neck pain can accumulate over time or occur suddenly.
Do you wake up sometimes with a stiff back? Maybe feel some aches and pains after a day of work or a long drive? You’re getting older, after all, and it’s easy to feel like some minor aches and pains are just part of that process.
Back pain or discomfort is something nearly everyone deals with at some point,
A sore shoulder or an achy knee can be a problem for anyone, and nearly everyone will experience this type of pain at some point in their lives. Pain that we feel around our joints can make life difficult in many ways, interfering with our ability to work and perform many of our basic daily tasks.
Nothing ruins the start of a day quite like waking up with a sore back. If you’re lucky, it will loosen up and feel better after a little walking or stretching. Nobody wants to deal with a stiff or sore back all day, and if you find yourself dealing with this problem regularly, it may be a sign of something more than poor sleep habits.
Back pain is both very common and very annoying. Lower back pain in particular is one of the most common reasons for people to seek medical help. This is partly due to how frequently it occurs, and also due to how much it can frustrate so many of the basic daily tasks we take for granted.
Many of us have had someone in our lives who has experienced balance problems as they aged. In fact, it’s easy to think of balance problems as a regular and expected part of aging, something that we all just have to learn to live with. Eventually, we all may feel a bit unsteady when walking and find ourselves occasionally reaching for a wall or piece of furniture for some extra stability.
Many people spend at least 8-10 hours a day sitting, whether it’s in a car during a long commute, at a desk during a day of work, or on a couch enjoying a movie. Most of us realize that extended periods of sitting can lead to back pain, but it’s less well-known that prolonged sitting can affect nearly every system in the body.
We ask a lot of our shoulders, and for that reason shoulder pain is very common. Maybe you reached a little too high for something overhead. Maybe you lifted something a little awkwardly. Maybe you just slept on it wrong. A little dull ache or discomfort in a shoulder is something most of us have had to deal with at one point or another.
Anyone who has spent time outside on a hot summer day in Florida knows how oppressive the heat and humidity can be. Trying to do a little yard work, playing a pickleball game, or even making a leisurely visit to a theme park can be a completely different experience than it is during cooler months.
Modern surgery is one of the greatest examples of human ingenuity and innovation. The preparations, procedures, and recovery times for many operations have improved immensely in recent years. While these advances are great for people who need surgery, the downside is that surgery often seems like a quick and easy fix for persistent pain. The truth is that for many common orthopedic and musculoskeletal conditions,
Most of us have had the experience of “pushing through” pain or “walking it off”. Minor aches and pains are fairly common, especially as our bodies age. Nobody wants to treat a little pain like it’s a medical emergency. Are you going to take time off work for a doctor’s appointment? How much are you willing to sacrifice to deal with something that is likely minor and temporary?
Many of us have probably heard someone with chronic joint pain mention how they can feel the weather changing. They may say they can “feel the rain coming”. It’s true that many people often associate sore joints with cold, rainy weather. These same people may think that warm weather can make sore joints feel better.
Rest seems like the best way to react to pain. Tweaked your back? Rest it. Pulled a muscle? Rest it. This is the advice we’ve heard all our lives, and it’s true. Rest is an important part of recovery, but like any other good thing, there is such a thing as too much. Yes, too much rest can actually slow your recovery.
You’ve tried stretching your back, resting, medicating, and nothing seems to keep your back pain away. Maybe it’s because your back isn’t your real problem. Sure, that’s where you feel the pain, but the source of the pain may be somewhere else. In some cases, back pain actually originates in the hips, and finding a long-term solution often means treating the pain at its source,
One of the great benefits of living in the Sunshine State is the weather. It’s why many Florida residents are transplants from northern states, having moved here to escape the winter cold of the north or Midwest. Springtime can bring with it some beautiful days, even if the afternoon heat and humidity can sometimes be a bit much.
In today’s fast-paced world of demanding jobs, family and social obligations, side hustles and hobbies, it can seem like a chore to find a way to fit in time for health and fitness. While most people recognize the importance of exercise, it’s not always obvious what types of exercise we should prioritize. If you spend your days sedentary in an office chair,
