Overhead activities like throwing a baseball are difficult. Elevating your arm to put on a sweater is a challenge. Your arm feels weak. Do these symptoms sound familiar? If so, you may have a shoulder condition that makes arm movement difficult and/or painful.
What Is Cervical Radiculopathy?
Cervical radiculopathy is the damage or disturbance of nerve function that results if one of the nerve roots near the cervical vertebrae is compressed. Damage to nerve roots in the cervical area can cause pain and the loss of sensation along the nerve's pathway into the arm and hand, depending on where the damaged roots are located.
Back pain can sneak up on you when you least expect it. One minute you're sitting comfortably in front of the TV, and the next you try to stand up, and -- ouch! -- a sharp pain radiates through your lower back.
What’s causing it? Could you have a slipped or herniated disk? Chances are you might.
Your spine is made up of 26 bones called vertebrae that are cushioned by soft disks made of a jellylike substance. These disks are what allow you to move your spine around and bend over.
Carpal tunnel syndrome is one of the most common conditions of the hand. It happens when there is pressure on the median nerve in the wrist. It can be caused by things like arthritis and fractures, but, ultimately, there can be many causes.
HERE ARE 5 SIGNS THAT YOU MAY HAVE CARPAL TUNNEL:
1. Pain
2. Numbness
3. Tingling
4. Weaker grip
5. Tendency to drop things
The spine is almost always under pressure when upright, and therefore prone to the wear-and-tear that leads to osteoarthritis.
This degenerative condition can cause minor to debilitating pain. Understanding how osteoarthritis causes back pain can help patients stop or slow the disease's progression and also reduce pain.
Osteoarthritic Changes in Vertebrae
Facet joints connect the vertebral bone. On the back of each vertebra there are two upper and two lower facet joints. Facets are small, boney projections with smooth, flat surfaces that are normally covered in protective articular cartilage. The facet joint, where two facets meet, is wrapped a fluid-filled sac called a facet capsule.
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) isn't the same as grandma's stiff joints (aka osteoarthritis). It's an autoimmune disease that causes a person’s immune system to attack their joints by mistake, causing pain and swelling and it most often shows up between the ages of 30 and 50, per the American College of Rheumatology.
RA isn’t super common among all cases of arthritis about 1.3 million people are affected by it, according to the American College of Rheumatology. But for those who do have it, it can be debilitating. Here’s what you need to know.
Knee pain and discomfort can be experienced many different ways: a dull ache, a sharp, stabbing pain, possibly accompanied by stiffness, warmth and swelling of the knee. Some people also experience weakness or locking of the knee joint, which can be a strange and discomfiting sensation and inhibit one’s ability to function.
Because the knee is such a complex and essential joint, it is important to pay attention to any type of knee pain and obtain an accurate diagnosis for the cause of the pain. Many people mistakenly consider knee pain just a normal part of aging, but a healthcare professional can often identify the cause and prevent progression of the symptoms.
Your doctor might suggest this type of treatment if you’ve had an injury or illness that makes it hard to do daily tasks.
Physical therapy (PT) is care that aims to ease pain and help you function, move, and live better. You may need it to:
If baseball is to continue to be “America’s Pastime,” we need to make sure that arm injury prevention is a number-one priority. There is no question that Little League® International is working hard to keep our young athletes healthy. From my perspective, there is no youth baseball league that has done more to promote youth baseball as a safe and healthy sport, particularly Little League’s executive staff, along with the rest of the Little League International Directors.
For years, the arm injury rates in youth baseball has been on the rise. Due to this trend, several years ago, dramatic steps were taken by Little League Baseball® to make youth baseball a safer and healthier sport. This effort has been successful in curtailing many of traumatic injuries due to overuse. However, there is much more work to be done.
Decreasing Injuries
The initial step taken at Little League to decrease arm injuries was the development of the pitch count rules, The pitch count rules were generated after long periods of study and research at USA Baseball and the American Sports Medicine Institute (ASMI).
Concussion is a traumatic brain injury that can cause lasting effects on brain tissue and change the chemical balance of the brain. Concussion may cause physical, cognitive, and behavioral symptoms and problems, both short-term and long-term. Every concussion is considered a serious injury by health care providers. If you have experienced a head injury, seek medical help immediately.
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) estimates that 1.6 million to 3.8 million people experience concussions during sports and recreational activities annually in the United States. These numbers may be underestimated, as many cases are likely never reported. A physical therapist can assess symptoms to determine if a concussion is present, and treat the injury by guiding the patient through a safe and individualized recovery program.
What Is Concussion?
Concussion is a brain injury that occurs when the brain is violently shaken. The injury can happen during rapid movement changes (such as whiplash) or when the head is directly hit. This shaking or hitting of the head causes unpredictable injury to any area of the brain, resulting in immediate or delayed changes in the brain's chemistry and function. Less than 10% of concussions involve a loss of consciousness. Depending on which area of the brain suffers injury, many different temporary or permanent problems with brain function can occur.
Physical therapists are movement experts who help people reduce pain, improve or restore mobility, and stay active throughout life. But there are some common misconceptions that often discourage people from seeking physical therapist treatment.
It's time to debunk 7 common myths about physical therapy:
1. Myth: I need a referral to see a physical therapist.
Fact: A recent survey by the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) revealed 70% of people think a referral or prescription is required for evaluation by a physical therapist. However, a physician’s referral is not required in order to be evaluated by a physical therapist. Some states have restrictions about the treatment a physical therapist can provide without a physician referral.
2. Myth: Physical therapy is painful.
Fact: Physical therapists seek to minimize your pain and discomfort—including chronic or long-term pain. They work within your pain threshold to help you heal, and restore movement and function. The survey found that although 71% of people who have never visited a physical therapist think physical therapy is painful, that number significantly decreases among patients who have seen a physical therapist in the past year.
Low back pain is the most common diagnosis seen in many physical therapy clinics, and it affects nearly 85-90% of Americans at one time or another. It is the second leading cause of visits to a doctor, after the common cold. Low back pain is also the leading cause of lost time at work, and billions of dollars are spent each year diagnosing and treating low back pain.
Low Back Anatomy
The low back, or lumbar spine, consists of five bones, or vertebrae, stacked upon one another. Between the bones are soft, spongy shock absorbers called intervertebral discs. The spinal cord and nerves are protected by these bones. Multiple ligaments and muscular attachments provide stability and mobility to the lumbar spine.
