Category Archives: Upper Body

Why Does My Neck Hurt When I Wake Up in the Morning?

Answering: Why Does My Neck Hurt When I Wake Up in the Morning? Waking up with a stiff, achy neck can be a frustrating start to your day. You might wonder why your neck feels this way, especially if you didn’t notice any discomfort the night before. Morning neck pain is common, but knowing its […]

Strengthening the Rotator Cuff After Surgery

When rotator cuff surgery is needed, the surgeon has to take into consideration whether or not fatty infiltration has occurred. Ideally, the surgeon can perform the surgery at an early enough stage before fatty infiltration becomes an issue. What is fatty infiltration? Sometimes, when the rotator cuff tendons have significantly pulled away from the bone […]

Continuing Pain After Carpal Tunnel Surgery

Even after undergoing surgery for carpal tunnel syndrome, some patients are still bothered by occasional tingling and numbness in the affected hand . Carpal tunnel syndrome involves the median nerve, which runs down the forearm, through the wrist and into the hand where it provides feeling and power to the palm, thumb and middle fingers. […]

Core Training to Relieve Lower Back Pain

After the common cold, lower back pain is the second most common reason for visits to the doctor. Although lower back pain is easy to recognize, its causes are many, varied and often unclear. Thus, one of the greatest challenges facing physical therapists is to match the suspected cause of the pain with the best […]

When It Feels Like More Than a “Cold Shoulder”

Because your shoulder provides the greatest range of motion of any joint in your body, it is more susceptible to a wide variety of injuries, including rotator cuff tears and a condition called “frozen shoulder.” Some common reasons for shoulder pain include overuse and repetitive motion, sudden trauma and degeneration due to aging. Symptoms of […]

Treating a Brain Aneurysm with Coiling

A brain aneurysm, also known as a cerebral or intracranial aneurysm, can be a frightening diagnosis for a patient and his or her family. It means that a wall in a brain artery has a bulging weak spot. As blood flows past, thinning of this spot can increase, and a break—like an overfilled balloon popping—can […]

Slapping Down a SLAP Tear

If you participate in sports that involve a repetitive overhead motion, such as baseball or weightlifting, you may be prone to developing a SLAP tear or SLAP lesion. SLAP, which stands for “superior labrum anterior to posterior,” refers to the ring of cartilage that surrounds the shoulder joint. While repetitive shoulder motions often lead to […]

Helping You Shoulder the Burden

Because so many joints, tendons and muscles come together at the shoulder to create a wide range of motion, the shoulder is vulnerable to multiple conditions that can cause pain. The most common source of pain in the shoulder is the rotator cuff. Depending on your situation, the pain may be treated with decompression surgery, […]

Spinal Fractures: Symptoms, Treatments, & The Power of Physical Therapy

Understanding Spinal Fractures If you have lingering back pain that becomes worse with prolonged sitting, you may have a spinal compression fracture. Though this sounds alarming, it is much more common than people realize, affecting approximately 700,000 Americans every year. The good news: in most cases, it can be treated without surgery. The Impact of […]

Whiplash: Cruising Down the Road to Recovery

You have probably seen those commercials: a somber-looking accident attorney asks if you have been in a car accident, then starts droning on and on about the many physical problems that can result. Even the most minor fender bender, he tells you, can result in years of pain and suffering―usually due to a condition called […]