What are PT exercises?

Have you ever heard any health and fitness professional say that they offer physical therapy, physiotherapy or PT exercises? It’s common to hear non-physical therapists like chiropractors, personal trainers, and even athletic trainers say that they offer and can provide “PT exercises”. The truth of the matter is, there are no such thing as “PT exercises”. The only exception is when a patient who is seeing a physical therapist says they have completed their “PT exercises”. I allow this exception because I understand the patient means they have completed the exercises their physical...

Physical Therapy and Concussions

Concussions have been a hot topic in the sports medicine community for the last few years, and has really been brought to the forefront due to the recent publicity from the NFL. However recently, I’ve learned there are still a lot of misconceptions about concussions and concussion management. The medical community has changed best practices for concussion management a lot in the last few years, from mandatory concussion protocols in some sports to help detect concussions and protect athletes to the rehab (yes rehab is a vital tool to helping an individual recover from a concussion). Unfortunately...

How to Choose the Right Physical Therapist?

(www.pruept.com) Picking the right physical therapist is extremely important to ensure you get the best care for your needs. Before we get into picking the right PT, I want to make sure everyone reading this knows that as a patient you have a choice in who you can go see when it comes to your physical therapy needs. While physicians are a great resource, they likely are unfamiliar with all the physical therapists in your area. Most patients that are referred to physical therapy by a physician will trust their physician’s recommendation and go see that physical therapist. It’s important to understand...

Exercises for Rock Climbers

Our Cary NC Physical Therapists Provide Elbow, Wrist and Hand Exercises

6 Physical Therapy Myths

Physical therapy is a great profession. We get to build lasting relationships with our patients, and unlike other professions, we get to be there when someone is seeing changes in their condition or functional ability. However there are quite a few myths and misconceptions about physical therapy that I think need to be addressed. 1. Anyone Can Do Physical Therapy This is a myth that patients and even some healthcare professionals believe because they don’t fully understand exactly what a physical therapist does. Only a licensed physical therapist can perform physical therapy. Physical therapists...

Low Back Pain, Think Physical Therapy

Low back pain is one of the leading causes of doctors’ visits and missed time from work. It’s estimated that 80% of the people in the United States will seek medical care for low back pain at some point in their lives, and there are likely more that have pain, but don’t seek treatment. So if you are having low back pain, you are certainly not alone. Unfortunately low back pain may not only hurt you physically, but seeking a diagnosis and treatment can hurt you financially as well. Save Money with Physical Therapy A recent study of 841 adults seeking medical care for low back pain showed...

Dealing with Headaches?

Headaches are one of the most common complaints patients seek medical care for. If you are someone who suffers from frequent headaches you know how frustrating it can be. Patients often try medication, dietary changes, and other medical interventions to try and relieve symptoms. Headaches can be caused by a variety of different factors, and what you may not know is that physical therapists can treat certain types of headaches without the use of pharmaceuticals. Different Types of Headaches Tension Headache A tension headache is often describe as a mild to moderate pain in a patients head that...

4 Common Overuse Injuries from Cycling

Cyclists, like many other athletes are susceptible to a variety of injuries. Most of these injuries can be managed without having to take too much time away from your bike, and even better, most can even be prevented with a little help from a physical therapist or personal trainer. Like runners, cyclists often train very hard at their craft, but this time commitment to their sport often does not leave time to address the other important aspects of becoming a better, and healthier athlete. Aspects of a total fitness routine like mobility, flexibility and strength training can sometimes be neglected...

3 Ways Physical Therapists Use Ice to Treat Injuries

If you bang your knee on a table, sprain your ankle on the basketball court, or are dealing with post-operative soreness, what is one of the first things your reach for to relieve your pain? ICE!. Ice is a popular modality to help treat injuries because it helps relieve pain. Physical therapists will often recommend ice as a way to supplement your rehab process. At our Cary NC physical therapy clinic, we also think that it’s important to teach our patients how to use ice efficiently at home, so we don’t have to spend a lot of time in clinic performing a treatment technique that the patient...

5 Things to Look for in Your Personal Trainer

Whether you are starting to exercise for the first time, are looking to spruce up your current training program, or maybe you just completed physical therapy and are looking to continue your recovery a good personal trainer can play an important role in your health and fitness. However, with so many different personal trainers out there, it can be difficult to pick the right one for you. So the physical therapists and personal trainers at our Cary NC physical therapy practice got together to help you simplify the process. Here are 5 questions you should consider when selecting a personal trainer....