What is IASTM?  By Andrew Symonds SPT Instrument assisted soft tissue mobilization, or IASTM, is a skilled intervention that targets the fascia that surrounds muscles of the body. PTs use stainless steel tools to implement this soft tissue mobilization technique, and it can be used on a wide variety of locations in the body. Some of the common conditions it can be used for are rotator cuff tendinitis, patellar tendinitis, plantar fasciitis, muscle strains, and back pain. The use of these tools allows for greater penetration into the muscle when compared to soft tissue mobilization alone ..read more

Achilles SpeedBridge™ Repair – Speeding Up the Return-to-Sport By Tyler Meyers PT, DPT               Those who follow the NFL have recently become more aware of a procedure being implemented to cut down the recovery time following an Achilles rupture. Aaron Rodgers, quarterback for the New York Jets, suffered a significant Achilles injury four plays into the first game of the season. Commonly an injury of this magnitude would hold out a player for the rest of the season with the primary goal of recovery being a full return to th ..read more

By Tyler Meyers PT, DPT Prevalence in Sport and Gender               Between the sex of the patient and the sport performed, the risk for ACL injuries will vary. A study performed by Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia1 analyzed the risk of ACL injury based on sport and sex. The highest risk of injury for females is associated with basketball and soccer while the highest risk of injury for males is associated with football. Across the table it is seen that with the sports performed by both sexes, females have an inherently highe ..read more

UCL (Ulnar Collateral Ligament) Injuries in Throwers: There May Be an Alternative Option By Dr. Tyler Meyers PT, DPT               Over the last few decades, UCL injuries in throwing athletes have become synonymous with UCL reconstruction surgery (also known as Tommy John). With increasing incident rates of Tommy John surgery in all ages, it is being defined as an epidemic in sports medicine. To put it in perspective, 22-26% of all injuries in the MLB are elbow-specific with 25% of all MLB pitchers having had Tommy John surgery ..read more

By Tyler Meyers PT, DPT              AC joint background   The acromioclavicular (AC) joint is comprised of lateral clavicle and the acromion process of the scapula. This joint conjoins the scapula to the clavicle and serves as the main point of articulation that suspends the upper extremity from the trunk. The primary function of the AC joint is to allow for additional scapular range of motion on the thorax, allow for additional adjustments of the scapula to adhere to the changing shape of the thorax with motion, and trans ..read more

National Relaxation Day is August 15, 2022. Here to give Keni and the rest of us some respite from all the hustle and bustle of a Monday is the Colorado Institute of Sports Medicine (CISM), a concierge physical therapy practice! We all know it’s impossible to relax if you’re constantly in pain, stiff, or have a headache, so Dr. Lorne MacDonald “Mac” with CISM demoed how trigger point dry needling might work for you. Trigger point dry needling has been effectively reducing pain and helping patients worldwide since the 80s. Call 719-344-9497 to find out more ..read more

In a nutshell, running is one of the most popular recreational activities enjoyed by people around the world. It is unique in the fact that you are not limited to inside, outside, trail, mountain road, or grass. You can run anywhere. However, an estimated 50% of runners become injured annually with an overwhelming amount of those injuries being overuse injuries (1). So what does that mean? An overuse injury typically occurs when musculoskeletal structures such as muscles, ligaments, and/or bones are overloaded (2). Those structures become overloaded with repetitive microtrauma over a long peri ..read more

Skiing has become a popular sport in the last several years. Unfortunately, injuries have become much more prevalent in professional and recreational skiers. The lower extremities are the most common areas of injury for skiers, but head and upper extremity injuries are also common. These injuries often require proper medical management including initial assessments and treatments performed by physical therapists and other rehabilitation professionals. Many skiing injuries occur due to poor biomechanical movement patterns. This is possibly due to muscular imbalances, poor form, and pre-existing ..read more

By Dan Barraclough, PT, DPT, CSCS   Blood Flow restriction (BFR) training has been around since the early 1990’s but has gained popularity in the rehabilitation and athletic worlds more recently. This is largely due to further research on safety, mechanism, protocols and implementation of pneumatic tourniquet devices.  A physical therapist and Chief of Human Performance at the Center for the Intrepid has further advanced the research and treatment using BFR through the military, primarily from wounded solders that were returning from war with significant limb traumas and injurie ..read more

Journal Review and Further Understanding By Dr. Colleen Vierk PT, DPT, OCS ..read more