Have you ever purchased shoes and when you get them home, no matter what type of socks you wear, you feel like the shoe isn’t tight enough?

What’s really annoying is when you feel like your heel keeps slipping out.

When you were in the store, you didn’t think it was a big deal but now that you’re home you can stand feeling like your shoe doesn’t fit right.

You might even consider taking the shoes back.

While it is true that you might have purchased too big of a shoe size, it is also true that it could just be the way you are lacing your shoe laces.

Here is a quick little video that can solve the problem of your heel slipping up and down or out of the shoe:

https://youtu.be/YRsS1eFUg5s

If you have narrow feet or if you have wide forefeet (the front part of your foot) combined with a narrow heel, then lacing your shoelaces like I demonstrate in the video could save you a lot of frustration!

I use this technique on almost all my lace-up shoes and guess...

I recently had a patient ask me where a flu shot should be administered. This may seem like an odd question since I am a Doctor of Physical Therapy and not a family physician. However, the reason she asked is because she had received another type of shot 2 weeks prior and her left shoulder had been painful since. She was due to have a flu shot and was concerned that her shoulder would be re-aggravated.

With flu season quickly approaching and because my patient asked me about this, I felt compelled to address an unfortunate situation that has occurred at least 3 times in recent years. I have cared for patients who received a flu shot only to discover shoulder pain within minutes to hours after the injection. Their pain persisted and ultimately resulted in a trip to the orthopedist and a prescription for physical therapy.

Flu shots are typically administered in the meatiest or thickest portion of the deltoid muscle of the upper arm. However, on rare occasions, the person administering...

This is a common question I get asked, especially when a teammate or the news reports on a high profile professional athlete tearing their ACL (anterior cruciate ligament in the knee).

Anytime an injury hits close to home, people become instantly aware that they could be at risk for injury too. It can be a little scary because sports are supposed to be fun. No one plays a sport and thinks they will get injured. In fact, most of the time people think that getting injured will never happen to them.

This is a myth. Injuries do happen and they can happen to you, your son, your daughter, and even your spouse. 

Let’s look at some facts to show that while ACL injuries seem like a very common occurrence, the incidence of ACL injuries is low compared to the number of athletes participating in sports.

• According to ncaa.org, “nearly 8 million students currently participate in high school athletics in the United States.” ...

Have you ever felt like the room is spinning around you?

I’m not just talking about feeling a little lightheaded because you stand up too quickly.

I’m talking about no matter whether you are sitting or standing, eyes opened or closed, lying on your back or lying on your side - none of that matters because the room is spinning and it won’t stop.

You feel like you are on a never ending merry-go-round and can’t get off.

If it is really bad, you feel like you are in a house of mirrors and you can’t tell where the floor and the wall start and stop.

If you have ever experienced the room spinning like this, then you have suffered from vertigo or dizziness.

Why do you experience vertigo?

Here’s a few reasons why people with vertigo might see me in my physical therapy office or via online video chat:

• Whiplash
• Post-Concussion
• Headaches
• Migraines
• Medication Side Effect
• BPPV (Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo)
• Stress
• Blood Pressure Issues
• Dehydration
• ...

If you google “natural pain relief”, you will be inundated with a countless number of commercial products, supplements, herbs, etc. You could have your own small pharmacopeia of over-the-counter remedies. 

The question is do any of these products actually work?

Besides natural pain relief options, you have the option of prescription medications. With the rise in opioid use and abuse, many physicians are a bit more stingy with prescribing pain medication and many patients are shying away from wanting to even start them. Unfortunately, there are still too many people dependent on both prescription and over-the counter medications to mask their pain - whether it be physical, psychological, or emotional pain that grips them.

What happens when the prescription medications no longer work or the physician stops prescribing them?

Many people turn to alcohol and/or illegal substances to self-medicate. What starts out as one drink turns into another and another and another....

As I write this blog, I am reminded that September 6th is National Read A Book Day.

Have you held a book in your lap and after reading it for awhile, tried to look up but felt a “kink in your neck”?

Or, maybe your son or daughter stayed up late cramming for an exam and then complained about a “kink in their neck” the next morning?

In my own personal experience, I have awakened with a “kink in my neck”.

Why does this happen?

One of the most common reasons the “kink in the neck” occurs is because of muscle imbalances. 

What’s out of balance?

Stand up wherever you are right now.

Stand and move your chin to your chest to look down at your feet. Do you feel a pull in the back of your neck?

Imagine standing or sitting in this position for 1 hour. The muscles in the back of your neck would get nice and stretched but the muscles in the front of the neck would get nice and tight. 

When someone is reading for awhile and...

I recently requested my hair stylist to cut my hair shorter into a pixie cut. Of course, when she did that, all the sun-kissed summer blonde hair quickly floated to the floor. My kids kindly pointed out that my hair was grayer than before.

At this point, some of you might be thinking their truthful words might hurt my feelings.

No Way!

My graying hair is symbolic; it means I’ve been through stuff! I am seasoned!

At 45 years young, I feel great! I exercise. I eat healthy 80% of the time. I have better relationships with my friends because we’ve been through the highs and lows together.

When you look in the mirror, I hope the face looking back at you shows joy and contentment.

If not, why not?

It’s not too late. I’ve seen 30 somethings in worse shape than 70 somethings.

Perhaps the gray hairs that reflect in the light are a bother to you. Maybe you dye your hair so you can ignore them until your next coloring appointment.

Age is a number and it is also a...

Ever seen someone at the gym with a red face grimacing as they try to push a weighted bar into the air during the bench press? 

Have you ever strained to lift just a few more reps during the bicep curl and find yourself holding your breath to get that last little bit of motion?

Myth: Holding your breath helps you lift more weight

Truth: Breathing correctly helps you lift more weight

When physical exertion increases, it is natural for people to hold their breath. This is known as the valsalva maneuver. Your body wants to do this.

The problem is that it is not efficient and can increase your risk of back pain.

When you are doing strength training or resistance training, you will be more efficient if you inhale as you lower the weight and exhale as you lift the weight.

For the bench press:

• Exhale as you push the weighted bar into the air
• Inhale as you lower the weighted bar towards your chest

For a bicep curl:

• Exhale as your lift up the weight
• Inhale as you lower the...

My family and I have spent A LOT of time at the waterpark this summer. We have the sun tans to prove it. And, yes, we used sunscreen!

Our girls love climbing up the steps to slide down some really big water slides. The inflatables they carry up of those steps are bigger than they are but they don’t seem to care as they laugh going through massive water chutes and tunnels.

As soon as they come out of one slide, they are on to the next.

Or, they want to go to the pool wearing their goggles and swim, do underwater flips, and underwater handstands.

Next, they are jumping up against the waves in the wave pool! Talk about a core workout - try standing your ground when the next wave comes. It takes a lot of strength to not move!

Sure, they rest a little in the lazy river but then they get bored, they start running through it!

All this time, guess who is chasing after them, supervising, and laughing right there with them?

Me!

Sometimes we go for just a couple of hours. Other days we...

If you have ever awakened with your arm asleep, you know the weirdness of not feeling your hand and arm. You see your arm but you can’t feel it - it’s like it’s not even there.

Gradually, you feel the numbness fade as it is replaced by tingling. Within seconds to minutes, your full sensation returns and you can use your arm again.

Imagine if the numbness and tingling came and went, or worse - it never went away.

I had a patient (let’s call her Nancy) come into my office complaining about numbness and tingling in her forearm, wrist, and hand. It was so bad that “I can’t grip anything anymore and I keep dropping little things like paperclips at work. It’s so bad in the morning too because I wake up with my fists clenched - my hands are tingling so bad I could scream.”

Nancy was an office worker who spent 6 hours per day at her computer. She had been doing this type of work for over 20 years.

As I evaluated her, I discovered that she had...