About 25,000 people sprain their ankle every day, and in most of these incidents, sports are involved. Ankle sprains represent the most common injury in sports, as they account for a whopping 45% of all sports–related injuries. But this risk varies widely between sports, with football, basketball, and soccer being associated with the highest rates […]

Every 34 seconds, one American dies from cardiovascular disease. This makes cardiovascular disease—or heart disease—the leading cause of death in the U.S. for men and women and for most ethnic and racial groups, with about 700,000 people dying from it each year. The magnitude of this problem cannot be overstated, but it’s equally important to […]

Adhesive capsulitis, or frozen shoulder, is a condition that occurs when scar tissue forms within the shoulder. This causes the shoulder capsule to thicken and tighten around the shoulder joint and reduces the amount of space for the shoulder to move within. Although frozen shoulder affects up to 5% of the population, it is not […]

Knee osteoarthritis is an extremely common disorder that involves the cartilage in a knee joint. In a normal knee, the ends of each bone are covered by cartilage, a smooth substance that protects the bones from one another and absorbs shock during impact. In knee osteoarthritis, this cartilage becomes stiff and loses its elasticity, which […]

There are few musculoskeletal conditions that can compete with back pain when it comes to sheer numbers. As one of the most common reasons for visiting a doctor, about 25% of Americans have dealt with back pain in just the past three months, and up to 80% of the population will encounter it at least […]

With New Year’s Eve just right around the corner, we thought now would be a great time to talk about resolutions. Many people see the new year as a clean slate and a fresh opportunity to start the year off on the right foot—and stay on it—over the proceeding 12 months with one or more […]

If there’s one thing nearly everyone knows about exercise, it’s that we all need it if we want to be healthy. This association is undoubtedly common knowledge by this point, but what some may fail to fully understand is just how far these benefits go. Research continues to amount that shows how maintaining adequate physical […]

Falls are the leading cause of non–fatal injuries in older adults, and the likelihood of falling increases each year as various health conditions become more common. One in three adults over the age of 65 and one in two adults over 85 will fall at least once each year, and every 11 seconds an older […]

When asked about physical therapists and what types of conditions they treat, most people probably think about ankle sprains, back pain, ACL and meniscus tears, rotator cuff issues, broken bones, and possibly sports injuries overall. While these and other musculoskeletal conditions do account for the majority of physical therapists’ patient load, the range of physical […]

In the final post of our series, we’re focusing on the wrist and elbow. The elbow is the link between the upper and lower arm, and it can be subjected to repeated stress from many daily activities. As a result, most elbow–related injuries that physical therapists treat result from repetitive stress, either from one’s occupation […]