Southwest Orthopaedic Physical Therapy Information Headquarters

"Healthy living is a possible lifestyle for anyone, young, old, big, small, dog, cat... it's possible for anyone or anything!!! It all starts with one choice, and that is to actually get started. With enough commitment , effort, and consistency, your goals will start turning into accomplishments.

Why do we worry so much about surgical pain when we really won’t remember it anyway?

Here is a series of blogs written by SWOPT employees, Kristen, Roby and Tami. They are part of our front office staff and have put together these blogs to give an insight to what it is like to set up an appointment at SWOPT. We hope you enjoy. Leave any questions as comments and someone at SWOPT will respond.

Tennis elbow can quickly bring your tennis game to a halt. While this injury is commonly found in tennis players, it can also be found in chefs, construction workers, and painters. The reason behind this is because the wrist is constantly shifting from a flexed forward position to an extended back position. The muscles in the forearm that work the wrist also connect into the outside of the elbow. When constantly being stretched and contracted the tendons in the elbow begin to wear and tear. This causes inflammation in the elbow joint and thus creates pain when the elbow fully extends.

They come in all shapes and sizes. You can get many different colors and styles. They can be found on the street, in offices, in businesses, in homes and of course on the red carpet. They turn heads everywhere they go. They are of course high heels and they are popular for every season in every location around the world. High heels split the shoe purchasing community every day. There are some who would never leave the house without at least an extra four inches on their feet and there are some that think that four inches sounds like you would be walking on stilts. Whatever your opinion is, the pros and cons of wearing high heels will both be discussed in this article from two SWOPT employees on opposite sides of the debate.

"Isn't it great when you arrive for your doctor's appointment and the latest issue of your favorite magazine is in the lobby? I personally love it; I usually skip all the juicy gossip and head straight for my horoscope. I like to know what I'm in for because who knows, I might hit the lottery and end up on a cruise by Friday. As I'm reading I find out that my week is going to be great! I decide to go back to the cover and read what else my favorite magazine has to say about the latest celebrity news. As I read the breaking news, Jennifer Anniston and Brad Pitt are ending their relationship. I become curious because last time I heard Brad and Angelina just adopted another child. I glance at the date only to find out that this magazine is really old. I'm sad now because my horoscope is not what I read it was going to be. Now there is no cruise for me and the twenty other people I was going to take with me. Glad I didn't send out a mass text message to my family and friends to quit their jobs and pack their bags."-Tami, SWOPT employee

This is the first in a series on Understanding Pain. Please note SWOPT prides itself in our abilities to explain pain to facilitate your rehab process.

Currently 96% of professional physical therapy programs around the country are graduating students at the DPT level (Doctorate of Physical Therapy). By the year 2015 all graduates must have a DPT.

The definition of Anterior Knee Pain(ANP) is as follows: A syndrome that causes pain to be felt on the front(or anterior) of the knee on, under or around the kneecap.The pain is usually mechanical, increased by activity and decreased by rest. Sensations and symptoms vary and there is more than one tissue that can be the cause of the pain. ANP is very common in adolescents and usually begins at the beginning of a growth spurt. It can be caused by the growth spurt alone or it can be triggered by the combination of growth and sports. ANP may continue throughout the teen years and sometimes into early college.It may be chronic and it also disappears on it's own at times. Different types of injury can cause ANP such as a direct blow to the kneecap, or after a ligament injury to the knee(indirect cause).

*Please enjoy this inspiring story from one of our valued patients, Pat