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The most common sports injury in physical therapy right now

As fall sports kick into high gear, it’s no surprise that we’re seeing an increase in soft tissue injuries at our Bethesda and McLean physical therapy clinics. This trend is particularly noticeable among athletes involved in sports like football and soccer, where dynamic, multi-directional movements are essential. These activities often lead to soft tissue injuries, especially in the hip region, making physical therapy a crucial component of an athlete’s recovery and injury prevention strategy.

A physical therapist in the wild! 3 of my personal upper body warmups

Incorporating overhead pressing exercises into my weight training routine is something I really enjoy, but I often find them a bit challenging.

My overhead mobility isn’t as good as I’d like it to be, and a significant reason for that is my stiff chest. I have a mild case of pectus excavatum, commonly known as bowl chest. This condition causes the sternum-the bone at the center of the chest-to remain depressed, creating difficulties during overhead movements.

This made physical therapist, Dr. Sneh, sad

Dr. Sneh, a great sports physical therapist and proud Minnesota native, is an avid Minnesota Vikings fan. This year, the Vikings drafted their quarterback of the future, JJ McCarthy, and the excitement among their fans is palpable. McCarthy has shown promising performance so far in the preseason—a time when rookies often struggle to find their footing.

Unfortunately, following his most recent preseason game, reports emerged that McCarthy had sustained a knee injury that would require surgery to repair a torn meniscus.

I commend the Vikings’ approach to handling McCarthy’s injury, as it offers valuable insights into how we should approach injuries in high school athletes.

Natural selection and the Olympics

Recently, my wife and I went on a family vacation with the whole crew—my parents, brother, sister-in-law, niece, and nephew. While watching the Olympics, we found ourselves captivated by the swimming events, which brought back memories for my mom of my old swim team days.

I swam competitively until I was about 12, and I decided to retire while I was still on top (in hindsight that may have been a bad choice considering how much time I spent in physical therapy as a result of football injuries!).

What we can learn from polyglots

My wife’s grandfather greeted me in Spanish the first time I met him. Later, he made some comments to my wife, mother-in-law, and father-in-law in Spanish. My in-laws claimed he wasn’t saying anything about me, but my wife thought it was too funny not to tell me what he said. At that moment, I decided that I was going to learn Spanish and wouldn’t stop until I could chat with him.

Sadly, he has since passed, but now my in-laws can’t make jokes in front of me without me knowing anymore!

I thought of this story while reading Dr. Adam Grant’s new book, Hidden Potential.

Meet our newest Performance Physical Therapist, Dr. Renee Beck!

I am thrilled to introduce you to the newest member of the Cohen Health and Performance team, Dr. Renee Beck. Dr. Beck is a native of the DMV area and is not someone to mess with! With over ten years of martial arts experience, she has achieved the rank of second-degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do. This discipline and dedication translate seamlessly into her approach to physical therapy.

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