Physical Therapy Archives - Competitive Edge

Do I Have Piriformis Syndrome or Sciatica?

People often come to us asking: “Do I have piriformis syndrome?” It’s a surprisingly common question from just about anyone who experiences back pain that radiates down one (or both) of their legs. When you search these symptoms online, most results will come back with the same list of terms: sciatica, a herniated disc, or… Continue reading Do I Have Piriformis Syndrome or Sciatica?

What Causes Tight Ankles? How to Improve Your Ankle Mobility

When you’re dealing with restricted movement, there’s often more to the story than what’s going on at the site of limitation, pain, or injury… This is because functional movement is hardly ever exclusive to just one part of the body. Biomechanical or physiological processes connect all your tissues and structures, so when an issue presents… Continue reading What Causes Tight Ankles? How to Improve Your Ankle Mobility

The 8 Phases of Walking Gait: What Ideal Walking Form Looks Like

From the moment you start taking those first, wobbly steps as a child, and all the way through navigating your daily, adult life — walking is an essential part of your movement. It’s an innate ability of ours, and an everyday activity that we take for granted. We assume that we’ll always be able to… Continue reading The 8 Phases of Walking Gait: What Ideal Walking Form Looks Like

What Causes Hip Impingement, and How Do I Fix It?

Femoroacetabular impingement sounds daunting at first — as do most other diagnoses with intimidatingly long names. Which is why most people shorten it to “FAI” or “hip impingement” instead. Regardless of what you call it, FAI is a relatively common diagnosis, especially in a world of desk jobs and sedentary lifestyles. The problem being: even… Continue reading What Causes Hip Impingement, and How Do I Fix It?

Building a Functional Core: The Best Exercises for Your Core Training Progression

The core is a perpetual focus in the world of exercise. However, while countless athletes have added core workouts into their training, not everyone knows all the specifics that go into a true core training progression. Part of the issue is that many people only associate the core with their abdominal muscles, when in reality,… Continue reading Building a Functional Core: The Best Exercises for Your Core Training Progression

The 10 Best Exercises for Improving Shoulder Mobility

Last month, we reviewed some of the basics behind shoulder joint anatomy and mobility. And in dissecting all its complex structures and wide range of motion, we established just how versatile the joint is and how much it contributes to our everyday movement. However, in order to capitalize on the full range of movement, we… Continue reading The 10 Best Exercises for Improving Shoulder Mobility

Building a Functional Core: The Muscles Involved and How to Engage Them

Whenever someone talks about their core, what’s the first thing you picture? Probably that ever-coveted six pack, right? While you wouldn’t be wrong in envisioning that ideal set of abs as the core, you also wouldn’t be entirely correct,either. There’s much more to the core than what you see on the surface. While “core” often… Continue reading Building a Functional Core: The Muscles Involved and How to Engage Them

The Importance of Shoulder Mobility (and How to Assess It)

We often take the shoulder for granted; from movements as simple as a shrug to a high velocity baseball pitch, the shoulder is a wildly capable joint essential to our everyday movement. (It actually has the greatest range of motion of any joint in the body!) What’s unfortunate is that we don’t always acknowledge how… Continue reading The Importance of Shoulder Mobility (and How to Assess It)

Why Do I Have Pain Behind the Knee? Common Diagnoses and Prognoses

The knee is a highly complex joint built up of multiple bones, muscles, tendons, and other tissues. And because there are so many (literal) moving parts, it’s extremely common for people to experience different kinds of pain in and around the knee joint. Many individuals experience pain directly behind the knee, but they often receive… Continue reading Why Do I Have Pain Behind the Knee? Common Diagnoses and Prognoses

Pain After Knee Surgery: Quadriceps Avoidance (What It Is and How to Correct It)

Knee pain and injury can happen during anything from high-intensity sports to many everyday activities — the knee is, after all, a pretty fundamental part of our movement. And depending on the severity of the injury that occurs, sometimes the safest solution is to opt for surgery. While surgical procedures aren’t anyone’s favorite option,… Continue reading Pain After Knee Surgery: Quadriceps Avoidance (What It Is and How to Correct It)

Tag: Physical Therapy