The recent snowfall in the Washington, DC area resulted in many icy sidewalks and walkways. The ways in which we reflexively move to keep ourselves from falling in these circumstances can teach us a great deal about how well or limited our ability to move is.
No matter where your mobility issues arise, it’s actually your body—more specifically, your brain—that’s intentionally causing this. You might feel tightness in a muscle, tendon, or joint, but this is simply your body’s way of creating more rigidity to better handle the physical demands you place on it regularly.
How do we know if our health care providers are really taking care of us? Are they truly addressing the root causes that brought us into their offices are they simply addressing a series of symptoms with medication and putting us on the protocol for a specific diagnosis? We are all individuals with unique presentations that require our health care practitioners to approach us as such. Unfortunately this is often not the case.
Genetics play a large role in the person that we are and the person that we become. Therefore people often attribute their pain or ailments to genetics as it simply “runs in the family.” However we are not helpless to our genetics and there are plenty of things that we can do to!
Custom orthotics are often necessary to achieve proper foot function and movement as part an optimal physical therapy plan of care. Poor foot mechanics result in increased stress to the foot, ankle, knee, hips and lower back. For some, optimal footwear can do the trick, however many others require further assistance.
Exercising in the cold weather has many health benefits. However, soft tissue injuries are more likely to occur in these instances. Performing a proper warmup is essential to decrease these risks.
