Anterior cruciate ligament, or ACL, surgery is a major operation that will require a great deal of rest and active rehabilitation. ACL surgery will immobilize you for a time, requiring crutches to keep weight off your knee joint. Movement is...
The seven bones in your neck are known as your cervical spine. Cervical fusion occurs when two or more of these bones join together, either through natural wear and tear or due to a surgical procedure -- usually performed to relieve neck pain,...
Stress fractures are small cracks in any of your body's bones, including those in your lower spine. Of the several kinds of stress fractures affecting the lower back, some respond to physical therapy. It’s a natural impulse to tackle your...
Finding the strength to begin physical therapy after experiencing a broken bone in the leg can be a difficult challenge. Knowing what is necessary to keep a mending bone in the best possible shape for recovery requires a few steps to ensure it...
Your shoulder is prone to injury due to its flexibility and many moving parts. Injuries, especially severe ones, may require surgery to repair. Following surgery, it is vital to complete a physical therapy program. You can start your physical...
Your Achilles tendon connects your calf muscle to your heel bone, and when this tendon becomes inflamed, it is a condition known as Achilles tendinitis. This condition is typically caused by overuse or activities that strain the calf muscles and...
A bulging lumbar disc is a painful and debilitating condition. Also known as a pinched nerve or a ruptured disc, a bulging lumbar disc can be caused by an injury in a contact sport such as football, a car accident or an awkward twist in everyday...
Tendinitis, or tendonitis, is the inflammation of a tendon. It is more commonly known as tennis elbow, but it can impact any tendon in your body as a result of overuse or an injury. Treatments are available to alleviate pain associated with...
Tendinitis is a condition characterized by irritation or inflammation in bands of connective tissue called tendons, which join your muscles to their associated bones. If you develop this condition, certain forms of exercise or physical therapy...
A fracture of the 5th metacarpal bone usually occurs from hitting a hard object with a closed fist, according to the 5th Metacarpal Fracture website, earning the nickname "the boxer's fracture." Athletes who use their hands are at high risk for...
Aquatic physical therapy is physical therapy treatment involving low- to zero-impact exercises, done in the pool. The warm water during aquatic physical therapy helps the body heal faster, and decreases pain, stress and tension. Aquatic physical...
Neck pain is extremely common and caused by various injuries, strains and medical conditions. Treatment will depend on the cause of the pain. The least invasive types of treatments are usually tried initially. Medications are often prescribed as...
A disorder that affects the muscles, joints and tendons, fibromyalgia's main symptom is pain. Patients with fibromyalgia can also experience fatigue, depression, memory problems and irritable bowel syndrome, which includes diarrhea, constipation...
Partial knee replacement is when surgeons replace half of the knee joint with an artificial device. A small percentage of patients with osteoarthritis, in which the joint degrades, are eligible for this procedure. It is designed to prevent the...
Spondylolisthesis is a spine condition where a vertebra slips out of place and places pressure on the nerve and vertebra below it. It can be congenital, or as a result of arthritis or trauma. Many people that have it do not feel pain, but the pain...
If you have suffered a stroke, you may feel helpless, afraid, and anxious to resume your normal life. Unfortunately, it may take some time for you to regain some of the coordination and control that you had prior to the stroke --- but improvement...
The musculoskeletal disorder scoliosis causes the spine to curve sideways. According to the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, up to 5 children out of every 1,000 develop scoliosis that requires treatment. For...
Little League elbow is the name given to the condition caused by repetitive motion that affects the joint of the elbow in the point at which the upper arm bone, the humerus, meets the two forearm bones, the ulna and radius. According to the...
Knee replacement surgery, in which the damaged sections of your knee are replaced with metal parts, is necessary for people who've developed knee problems like arthritis caused by wear and tear or age, or as the result of an injury. This surgery...
Everyone knows that exercise is good for you, but researchers are now discovering that exercise can help to reduce the damage from radiation treatments on the brain and aid recovery, according to a study by Duke University published in the October...
A broken leg is painful, and depending on the severity of the break, may be completely debilitating for the injured person. Breaking a leg causes pain, difficulty with movement and possible deformity. For most people, a broken leg requires...
The knee joint provides cushioning and flexibility to play sports and to perform many different types of activities. The cartilage of the knee, the meniscus, is found between the bones of the upper and lower legs and the kneecap as they intersect...
Your foot contains a number of ligaments that attach one bone to another. When you stretch the ligaments beyond their normal limits and partially or completely tear the ligaments, you have an ankle sprain. Every day, around 25,000 Americans sprain...
Normal wear and tear that occurs with age can cause a degenerative process all along the spine including the cervical, or neck area. The spine is made up of vertebrae, which have disks in-between them. With age, these disks can lose their fluid,...
The stability ball, often called a Swiss or fitness ball, got its start as a tool for physical therapy and rehabilitation in Switzerland in the 1960s. Strength training your abdominal muscles with a stability ball allows a greater range of motion...
Advances in shoulder surgery have reduced recovery and rehabilitation times significantly. Most surgeries can now be performed arthroscopically, through a few small holes, resulting in less trauma to surrounding tissues. It is still likely that...
Physical therapy involves manipulating and working with the body to help relieve pain, gain strength and increase range of motion. Patients who are recovering from such procedures and conditions as chronic pain, knee and hip replacements, broken...
Exercise balls, also called Swiss balls, got their start in the 1960s for use in physical therapy and rehabilitation. The large inflatable balls, made from heavy-duty elastic PVC, come in a variety of sizes from a number of manufacturers. Choose a...
Hemiplegia is paralysis on one side of the body. It usually includes your arm, leg and possibly the face of the affected side. If a brain injury occurs on the right side, the left side of the body is affected. A left-side brain injury affects the...
Physical therapists love the plank abdominal exercise because it keeps the body in one long kinetic chain. Learn how to do planks to strengthen ab muscles with tips from a fitness trainer in this free core exercise video.
Osteoarthritis, also known as degenerative joint disease, is a condition wherein joints become inflamed and painful as cartilage wears away and stiffens. Learn more about osteoarthritis including treatments and symptoms in this medical video.
