Southwest Orthopaedic Physical Therapy Information Headquarters

When a patient begins rehab, one of the first questions I hear as a physical therapist is "how long is this going to take to get better?". After 23 years of practice,it has become evident that there are many variables involved. Below are 5 of the top factors that determine the speed of healing and the progress of rehab after injury or surgery.

Growing pains are a very common complaint in young children and adolesents. Approximately 4-50% of all children and adolesents from the age of 5 to 14 years have complaints of some type of growing pains. Growing pains are usually a result of rapid growth. Inflammation can occur around the site of tendon insertion. The tendon will also pull on the growth plate, causing inflammation and pain. "Bone" aches and pains are common in the evening time and when the child is trying to sleep. Young athletic children will also experience increased pain during times of increased activity. Common causes of growth related pain in young athletes is Osgood-Schlatter Disease and Sever's Disease.

Low back pain caused by improper lifting is a common occurance in the work place and home enviornment. Maintaining a health back througout life can be achieved by carefully paying attention to your lifting technique and regular exercise for good phyiscal fitness and strength. Follow these 10 simple steps to help avoid pain caused by lifting.

Do you have a really cool phone that you can not seem to put down? Do you text more than you call? Does it start to hurt after you text for a while?

Shoulder Impimgement syndrome is a collective term that is a result of the shoulder acquiring tendinitis, bursitis or both. It is characterized by shoulder and/or arm pain when raising the arm and causes problems with arm function. Your PT can help you relieve the pain and treat your shoulder as well as teach you how to prevent shoulder problems from returning.

Imagine this...you are on a beach with the sun shining down on you. You can feel the warmth of the rays and you can smell the salt water. You lay on the sand and close your eyes. You can hear the sounds of the waves as they crash onto the shore. You can feel a warm light breeze and can feel the warmth of the sand coming from below your body. Take a few deep breaths and feel the senses that are taking over your entire body. You feel your body relax and a sense of calm and peace wash over yourself as you enjoy all the beauty a perfect beach day has to offer.

We have all heard that drinking water is very important. During the winter months with the colder weather, we tend to not drink enough and can quickly become dehydrated. Over half of all Americans are chronically dehyrated and most of us even mistake our bodies need for thirst as hunger.

The human shoulder can do incredible things.It allows us to perform any and every overhead activity. It is the foundation of the upper limb that allows our hands to perform highly skilled activities such as paint, play a musical instrument, or accurately throw a ball.In this article, I would like to point out some characteristics that make the shoulder joint truly unique.

 Friends, family, and patients all ask me what to use on their aching back. What to use on their sprained knee. What to use after surgery and for how long, and how many times per day. In this article, I hope to shed a little light on these questions.

A recent survey by Lands' End Direct Merchants found that more than 96 percent of children ages 8 to 12 will carry a backpack to school this year. Of those, nearly one-third will carry their backpack improperly. Similarly, another study found that the average child carries a backpack that would be the equivalent of a 39-pound backpack for a 176-pound man, or a 29-pound backpack for a 132-pound woman. This significant amount of weight can cause your child to experience back, neck and shoulder pain. Keep these tips in mind as you are purchasing your child’s backpack this year.