As a physical therapist, my wheelhouse resides in the mechanics required for motion. The number of contributing factors to a patient’s issue can be many. Keeping this in mind allows us to make better decisions together, and with enough time, solve the problem.

The most difficult part of being a physical therapist is asking a patient to recognize the importance of taking their health into their own hands. It requires making themselves a priority in a world that insists everything else comes first.

Slowness implies an abundance of time. Time is a fundamental resource we are all searching for, one that we want more of, yet we spend less time doing the things we want to do.

Your standard, run of the mill, physical therapy clinic will typically assess your range of motion at your first visit, and maybe once or twice more during your episode of care. What if that range is changing and in order to make better decisions we need to monitor those changes more closely? When I go to a tailor, he takes measurements every time I see him, why shouldn’t your physical therapist?

Movement is a complex topic. It has a number of variables that impact the outcome, some of which we can track and interpret, others of which we cannot. At the heart of movement are simple rules, these rules compound and eventually lead to the complexity of motion as a whole.

Like all aspects of pain, issues at the knee are complex. I have reduced the treatment options down for the sake of this post, however these strategies can be useful. Finding a person that is a specialist in movement related issues can be of tremendous benefit, as they may be able to assist in identifying potential causes and they can coach you in your return to where you want to be.

Our ability to regulate input and output requires effort, and effort requires energy. We all have a limited supply and examining how you are spending that energy can have tremendous benefits.

The most effective way to get the most from your exercise regimen is to determine the desired outcome, select activities that promote that particular change and reassess after a sufficient period of time.

Adaptation is something that we, as human beings, have developed a remarkable ability to do. Despite ever-changing environmental conditions, we find a way to thrive.

Every client has unique needs that require thoughtful solutions, and the context of those needs is always changing. We must be adaptable in our approach, fluidly altering our plans as needed.

Research from several decades ago, circa mid-1960s, revealed that muscles do not stretch very much. Their elastic qualities are minimal, and this makes sense if they are the force producing agents we need to move things.

The health care system no longer values depth of understanding and long-term relationships. It has developed a model that defines success by capital gained, not by positive outcomes.

All too common is the trip to your healthcare provider of choice, a quick X-ray and advice to rest, take some sort of medication and wait. The advice comes from a place of uncertainty, and the solution requires a more customized approach.