Category Archives: PT Lighthouse

The Unique Nature of Running Injuries — Treating the “Why,” Not Just the Pain

Why Running Injuries Require a Different Clinical Lens Overview If you’ve treated runners for any length of time, you’ve probably felt this: something about these cases doesn’t quite fit the standard orthopedic playbook. The diagnosis might look familiar—Achilles tendinopathy, runner’s knee, shin pain—but the way it develops, behaves, and responds to treatment feels different. That’s […]

Cracking the Code of Low Back Pain: A Practical Guide to Smarter Categorization For Physical Therapists

How to Categorize Low Back Pain Today, the field is shifting. Rather than treating low back pain as a single entity, clinicians are increasingly using evidence-supported categorization strategies to identify meaningful subgroups—each with distinct clinical patterns, prognoses, and treatment responses. The goal isn’t to force every patient into a rigid box. It’s to improve clarity, […]

Not All Lateral Elbow Pain Is the Same: Classifying Presentations to Guide Treatment

Lateral Elbow Pain: Classifying Presentations to Guide Treatment Lateral elbow pain is one of those conditions that seems straightforward — until it isn’t. Many of us were trained to associate lateral elbow pain almost exclusively with tendinopathy of the common extensor tendon, prescribe a standard loading program, and expect steady improvement. And sometimes, that works. […]

Neural Tension in Throwers: Key Symptoms PTs Should Never Miss

Symptoms of Neural Tension in Throwing Athletes Neural tension in throwers often hides in plain sight. It shows up as vague arm symptoms, inconsistent performance, or mechanics that “just don’t look right,” even when strength and joint mobility appear normal. For clinicians working with overhead athletes, recognizing these patterns early can prevent bigger issues like […]