Photo by Mary Taylor on Pexels.com By Carl Wharam, PT, DPT A high-pitched ringing sound.  A low rumbling. Echoing. “EEEEEEE”. “Choo-Choo”.  Tinnitus comes with a variety of sounds.  It can range from an annoyance to preventing people from sleeping to “Satan couldn’t make a better punishment.”  Whatever it sounds like, it’s a phantom sound that can be heard only by you in one or both ears. Many people experiencing tinnitus ask us “what causes this (tinnitus)?” and like we all dreaded in school, the answer is: “it depends”.  Tinnitus can generate from trigger points (mus ..read more

By Carl Wharam, PT, DPT 2020 was a grind–in some cases, literally!  Between the pandemic, trying to engage children in eLearning instead of Youtube or TikTok, and not to mention having life drastically altered, we have a lot of stress right now.  Stress affects the body in many ways, including preventing sleep, giving us grey hair, making us moody, and sometimes we even clench or grind our teeth. Grinding your teeth is called bruxism, which can be voluntary or involuntary and can occur when you are sleeping or awake.   Stress has been shown to be correlated with bruxi ..read more

By Caitlin Smith, MS, OTR/L, ODT Covid-19 has made working from home the new reality for many Americans. Many employees who are new to telecommuting may find staying productive and comfortable a struggle.  While many companies provide ergonomic equipment in the workplace, most employees do not have the access to the same supportive seating or adjustable monitors at home. For those who will only be temporarily working from home, there is less of an incentive to invest in expensive home office equipment. The good news is that there are many adjustments you can make to your home work setup a ..read more

Medical diagnoses don’t need much of an introduction;  you get one from your doctor when you are sick.  Examples would be influenza, diabetes, or hypertension. They describe the underlying problem that is causing your symptoms. When people feel sick, they know they need to go to the doctor and find out what’s going on to get treated. Do we treat movement the same way? If you have pain when you move, cannot do things you used to be able to – like get on and off the floor easily – or cannot do things you want to do – like go for a bike ride or pick up a grandchild – then you need to ge ..read more

By Jennifer M. Nelson, PT, DPT, DScPT Breathing is an automatic function that people often overlook and underestimate the influence it has on our lives. However, breathing plays a vital role in not only bringing oxygen to our bodies, but regulating our nervous system, general posture and mobility. The diaphragm is a dome-shaped muscles that separates the chest and abdominal cavities. When we breath in, the diaphragm contracts, and the center of the dome is pulled down, making the chest cavity larger and pulling air into the lungs. When we take large breaths in our chest, shoulder and neck musc ..read more

By Mandie Martuzzo, PT Did you know that most neck pain and headaches can be attributed to poor posture? Low and mid back pain can also be rooted in postural origins.  Wikipedia defines poor posture as “the posture that results from certain muscles tightening up or shortening while others lengthen and become weak which often occurs as a result of one’s daily activities.” The positions where you spend most of your time can lead to postural changes that then promote dysfunction and pain. For most of us, the positions we are in most frequently are those we are in at work. How you sit in you ..read more

Chances are that you probably haven’t given much thought to how your neck and back are faring in the era of the smart phone, but studies show that you most certainly should. It’s practically a reflex these days to pull out our smart phones when we’re standing in line, sitting at the airport or riding the subway. And while it’s great that we rarely need to venture beyond our pockets for entertainment, our bodies are beginning to retaliate—and mourn the pre-texting days. So, what exactly are these contemporary conveniences doing to our bodies? A surgeon-led study published in Surgical Technology ..read more

You probably already know to make an appointment with a physical therapist when you sprain your ankle or develop tennis elbow. But what if you’ve felt a slight twinge in your knee during your daily walk or noticed that your posture has changed since you accepted a job that requires sitting for eight or more hours a day? Or maybe you’ve been thinking about joining a gym to get in shape. Are these reasons to see a physical therapist? Yes! Each of these scenarios has the potential for injury. Physical therapists are experts in injury prevention and are trained to spot small problems bef ..read more

Chances are that you have heard the old dental health adage: “Floss only the teeth you want to keep.”  For many, this might have been the “a-ha moment” that helped them start a new healthy habit. What if you apply this principle to the rest of your body’s maintenance routine?  What if you stretched the muscles that allow you to perform the activities you want to keep, like reaching or squatting down? What if you performed weight-bearing exercises to maintain the strength of only a few of your more than 600 muscles or 200 bones? While this is an extreme example, it’s po ..read more

By Paula Palmer, PMA®-CPT Many people are aware that Pilates can strengthen your abdominal muscles and help you achieve “washboard abs”, but Pilates is also a great way to strengthen your entire body and improve your balance and coordination. Daily activities, such as walking, running, bending, and twisting, demand that we move with good balance and coordination.  Without it, we are prone to injuries, preventable falls, and possible joint and bone damage. A regular exercise program that includes balance training both can help you feel stronger and more ..read more