The fall sports season is officially here in the DC area! Athletes are returning from their summer break, easing back into practices, and—unfortunately—we’re already starting to see a familiar trend in our clinics: a rise in sports-related injuries.
The idea of being “out of alignment” is a commonly held belief and often used to explain nagging pain or movement issues. But here’s the truth..
Knee pain doesn’t always shout—it often whispers. Maybe it started as a dull ache after a workout or a twinge when walking down stairs. It’s easy to brush it off, thinking some rest and ice will do the trick. And sometimes, it does. But what happens when the pain lingers longer than expected?
We recently worked with an athlete who came to us months after injuring his knee during a workout at the gym. After seeing his doctor, he was told there was nothing structurally wrong—no damage on imaging, no major red flags. The advice? Take a couple of weeks off and slowly return to exercise. Fast forward several months, and he was still modifying workouts and struggling with lingering pain and frustration. Sound familiar?
At Cohen Health and Performance, we specialize in physical therapy in Bethesda and physical therapy in McLean for active adults and athletes who want to get back to the activities they love. One of the most common mistakes we see in traditional care—yes, even among other physical therapists—is a failure to appreciate how complex the shoulder really is.
When it comes to fitness, the six-pack — those visible abs known as the rectus abdominis — gets all the glory. But from a physical therapy and spine health standpoint, it’s time we set the record straight: having a 6-pack is overrated.
