Most people think of heart rate or blood pressure when they think of vital signs. It is common to use numbers to quantify health and risk of disease. The American Heart Association encourages people to “know their numbers” referring to blood pressure, blood cholesterol, blood glucose, and weight. However, research is now showing the importance […]
Healthy bones can help you stay strong and active throughout your life. If good bone health is achieved during childhood and maintained, it can help to avoid bone loss and fracture later in life. For healthy bones, it is important to maintain a physically active lifestyle and eat a balanced diet with plenty of calcium, […]
Do you have stiff, achy, painful joints? You’re not alone. An estimated 54 million adults are living with this chronic condition. It is called arthritis. Arthritis steals movement. It sometimes keeps you from doing the things you love. But with a bit of effort, you can restore some movement and regain your ability to enjoy activities. […]
Pool (aquatic) exercise provides many benefits, including an ideal environment to exercise throughout the year. The buoyancy of the water supports a portion of your body weight making it easier to move in the water and improve your flexibility. The water also provides resistance to movements, which helps to strengthen muscles. Pool exercises can also […]
Aging past 50 years brings with it wisdom and perspective, but it can also mean a slow decline of physical abilities. As we age, strength, balance, and coordination can deteriorate if they are not being challenged and practiced each day. Loss of these abilities can make it difficult or painful to perform your everyday activities. […]
Studies show that 75 percent of people experience foot problems at some point in their lives. These problems are common from children to seniors, from top athletes to people with sedentary lifestyles. Loss of the “Footprint”: The human foot was originally designed to walk on natural, soft surfaces like earth and sand, instead we now spend […]
Your big toe is an important part of the body. It helps to keep our balance, bends with each step we take, gets jammed with any quick stops or twisting motion, and is under added stress when wearing high-heels. With anything that takes a beating like the big toe, occasional pain is normal and could […]
Your feet are among your most important body parts. They get you where you want to go, help you stay healthy through physical activity, and provide freedom of movement. However, it’s easy to take your feet for granted — until you have an injury or problem. Foot health is important for everyone. Most of us […]
Ahhh-swimming; that oh-so-wonderful feeling of being able to cool off on a hot day! Gliding through the water, that is 800 times denser compared to air, de-weighting us to the point where we can, somewhat, believe it brings out the child in us. And why shouldn’t it!? For most of us, we couldn’t wait to […]
When a patient makes an appointment with a physical therapist to rehabilitate after a shoulder injury, for example, it’s because he wants to get better, right? Well, yes, but what exactly does that mean? As it turns out, “getting better” means different things to different patients. To some, proper recovery from a shoulder injury means […]
