Southwest Orthopaedic Physical Therapy Information Headquarters

Today we feature a patient success story. Barbara came to SWOPT recently and has allowed us to use her story as an example of what can be gained by attending physical therapy. It is thanks to her and all our patients that we can call ourselves a successful physical therapy clinic. Helping people heal is what we love to do and we are happy to share her story of healing.

At Southwest Orthopaedic Physical Therapy, we see a lot of patients who enjoy running and many come to see us just to get back to running again. Running is used for overall health and wellness, to help lose weight, and as a hobby and stress reliever. For many runners, competing in marathons is something to strive to do. For the extreme in runners and athletes, the Ironman triathlon is the ultimate test of their strength and endurance. The Ironman consists of 2.4 mile swim, a 112 mile bike race, and marathon (26.2 mile) raced without a break. This seems very daunting and almost impossible even to many avid competitors. The amount of training for an event like that is almost as daunting as the race itself.

"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.

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.

While the ability to stand and function on two legs allows humans to excel at home, work, sport or play, it is also a set-up for failure at the foundation or hub of the body; the lower back.

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.

Our spine’s primary job is to act as the “tree trunk” of the body. The spine is made up of 24 bony blocks called vertebrae, stacked one on top of the other. In between each two vertebra is a disc, made out of cartilage rings. The disc acts like a rubber band to absorb shock between vertebrae, and to allow movement in every direction without damaging the bony vertebrae.

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.

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).

When you become a physical therapy patient, especially if your injury involves the lower limb, you will most likely hear the term PROPRIOCEPTION.In a nutshell, proprioception is your sense of position throughout your body.But, before we explore this exceptional phenomenon further, let me explain to you the "Nervous System 101":