One of the perks of living in Eugene is the easy access to many parks and trails such as Mt. Pisgah and the Ridgeline Trail. To ensure that your feet stay happy on the trails, take a look at several styles of shoes that can be worn for hiking to find your best fit for your next trail adventure. 1. Hiking Boots Hiking boots are designed with a more rigid midsole and a high cut to provide both foot and ankle support. This style of footwear is useful to wear to navigate rugged terrain and uneven surfaces which is often required when carrying a load for backpacking or exploring the backcountry. Ma ..read more

Getting quality sleep each night is important for your physical, mental and emotional health, and is vital for injury recovery and optimizing physical performance. Many of us may have difficulty with falling asleep, staying asleep or achieving good quality sleep. It is important to practice good sleep habits as better sleep has been linked to improved immune system function, improved mood and decreased anxiety. Incorporate these habits into your routine and create the ideal environment for quality, restful sleep! 1. Keep your room cool and comfortable The ideal temperature for sleep has been s ..read more

Dynamic Warm Up for Cold Weather Activities As the weather gets colder it can be hard to motivate ourselves to get outside to exercise. Exercising outside has great benefits including improved mood by getting natural sunlight and vitamin D, improved cardiovascular endurance and enjoying nature. It is even more important to do a thorough warm up during the winter months to reduce the risk of injury such as sprains and tears. A dynamic warm up routine helps to increase blood circulation throughout the body, prime the muscles for movement and raise our heart rate for the activity ahead. Here is a ..read more

With the holidays coming up, whether you’re staying local, driving an hour or two away, or travelling by plane after a long hiatus, here are some stretches, tips and tricks to help make travelling a little more comfortable. Move Your Body When travelling, we often find ourselves in small, cramped spaces or sitting in the same position for prolonged periods. Doing the following stretches can help promote blood circulation and minimize muscle aches and joint stiffness that can result from poor posture and prolonged sitting. You can perform these anywhere. When you’re standing next to your car at ..read more

Many of us are now working from home and probably spending more time on the computer. I am finding with my patients an increase in lower back and neck pain due to poor chronic posturing. The majority of people do not have a great computer desk set up for work at home. There are a couple of quick things you can check to see if you can improve your at-home workstation (or couch, island, bed, or dining table). When Using a Laptop The struggle with laptops is their general set up. The keyboard is attached to the screen, which can cause tremendous postural stress. Working from laptops can lead to a ..read more

At Endurance Physical Therapy, it is our goal to provide specific, individual, and essential care to promote healing and getting you back to your active life. We have both an obligation and a strong desire to find safe ways to continue providing treatment to our community. We have been following all of the CDC guidelines and protocols to remain open during these uncertain times, and therefore, have been able to continue treating postoperative and acute need patients for the past month. With the development of our Emergency Pandemic Response Plan, per CDC guidelines, we have opened to a wider v ..read more

The best hikes in Oregon are a diverse group! Not only do they include beautiful trails off the Oregon coast but also serene high desert landscapes. Here is a list of the best hikes in Oregon. We hope you enjoy the rich and varied views and geological wonders of this state. #1 Trillium Lake Loop Trail #761 Trillium Lake Loop Trail is a popular hike located about an hour from Portland in the Mount Hood National Forest. The whole family will love this trail! It’s a 1.9-mile loop and begins in the Trillium Lake Day Use Area. You’ll start your hike by traveling through a campground but quickly ent ..read more

An incredible amount of movement, throughout the entire body, happens as we walk. During a time of injury, many of those details get lost in the shuffle (pun intended), and compensation methods begin. A functional gait assessment helps to gauge postural stability and/or joint dysfunction after an injury resulting in gait impairment. The walking pattern (aka the gait cycle) can be broken down into different phases to see what each body region is doing at various stages. One complete cycle is from the heel strike of one leg to the next heel strike of the same leg, which includes both the stance ..read more

I like to think of myself as a good driver. That said, even the best drivers can get into a motor vehicle accident. I have taken my car into a ditch twice. I’ve been in a few fender-benders (though only one was my fault, I promise). Luckily, most of these accidents happened in my teenage years when my body was more “rubberized.” I could put my Subaru in a ditch, climb out the driver-side window, and wake up the next day with nothing to feel but loathing for upcoming weeks of inconvenience while Dad fixed my car. When I was in my early 20’s, Brandon and I were at a friend’s wedding in Washingto ..read more

It is the holiday season again, and with that comes decorating and preparations for fun family excitement! However, you must remember to be careful when doing these tasks. I think many of us have seen National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation with all the craziness of the Griswold family. No one wants to show up at Christmas with a twisted ankle or bad back! Read on for some holiday safety tips to avoid lighting your tree on fire, falling off a ladder or roof, or causing bodily harm. Common injuries around the holidays include: • Falling from a ladder, roof, or step stool • Back strains from li ..read more