All Posts

Key Takeaways: The diaphragm muscle plays a central role in breathing as well as stabilizing the trunk, contributing to efficient posture and movement, and triggering our relaxation response. If you have poor use of your diaphragm you may experience less efficient breathing, rib and chest discomfort with movement*, impaired core coordination, and pelvic floor dysfunction**. Diaphragm muscle control is about coordination, not force. Daily practice will make a signif

Key Takeaways: 1. Youth sports are becoming more competitive, more expensive, and more time-consuming, which excludes many children from participating. 2. A predominant model of youth sports that provides moderate to vigorous activity a few days per week at low cost may allow youth and teens to gain the benefits of sports while maintaining balance with school and other hobbies.

Key Takeaways 1. While walking doesn’t directly teach a child to speak, research shows that major motor milestones—especially independent walking—are closely connected to language development. 2. Because motor and language development are connected, delays in one area sometimes occur alongside delays in another. 3. Walking doesn’t magically cause children to start talking—but it opens the door to countless experiences that encourage communication.

If you’ve been living with pain for months or even years, you’ve probably heard things like: “Your imaging looks normal.” “Maybe you just have to live with it.” “Try this miracle supplement.” “This device will fix your pain in just two weeks!” Living with chronic pain can be frustrating, exhausting, and isolating. The good news is that modern pain science has transformed how we understand chronic pain—and that means there is hope. As physical therapists, we know that pain is

Key Takeaways: 1. Asymmetries, or favoring one arm or leg over another, can be a part of normal development. 2. Early hand or foot dominance can be a concern. If your child is avoiding using one side completely or has an early hand dominance (before age 2), speak with your pediatrician. 3. Pediatric physical therapists can help address any asymmetry concerns with targeting play-based exercises.

Key Takeaways: 1. Gas can be a normal part of development and is easily addressed with bicycle legs, knees to chest, gentle tummy massage, and tummy time. Read on for more tips. 2. If your baby has persistent vomiting, poor weight gain, blood in the stool, severe abdominal swelling, or inconsolable crying that doesn’t improve, be sure to contact your pediatrician. These symptoms may indicate something more than typical infant gas.

Key Takeaways: 1. Glutes (including the maximus, medius, and minimus) are vital for athletes as a powerhouse and stabilizer, which means they are key for both performance and injury prevention. 2. Glutes become weak and over-lengthened with prolonged sitting. 3. Simple body weight exercises, when done regularly, can help reduce and prevent hip, knee, and back pain as well as improve athletic performance.

Key Takeaways Drowning is the leading cause of death for children ages 1-4 years in the United States and near-drowning can cause devastating neurological injury. Early swim lessons is one important part of prevention along with constant distraction-free adult supervision, fencing around home pools, CPR training, Coast Guard-approved life jackets around open water, and teaching your child to ask permission to enter bodies of water.

Why Lactate Threshold Matters Even More as You Age As athletes get older, one of the biggest challenges isn’t motivation—it’s physiology. Beginning in midlife, several systems that support endurance performance start to decline: • mitochondrial efficiency • insulin sensitivity • muscle oxidative capacity • aerobic fitness But one type of training can help slow many of these changes: improving lactate threshold and lactate clearance . Lactate: A Key Part of Your Body’s Energy

Key Takeaways: 1. Lactate is a valuable energy source and you can train your body to better transport, reuse, and buffer it effectively. 2. A strong aerobic system, lactate tolerance training, active recovery, cool down, proper fuel & hydration, and sleep are all important components to optimize efficient lactate use.

Key Takeaways: 1. Quads are 4 muscles on the front of the thigh that extend the knee and flex the hip. 2. If quads are weak it often leans to anterior knee pain. 3. If quads are over-dominant it places athletes at risk of ACL injuries.

Key Takeaways 1. Triceps extend the elbow, which is essential for throwing, hitting, and pulling (swimming freestyle & butterfly) sports skills. 2. Triceps exercises include close-grip push ups, dips, and theraband triceps press downs.

Key Takeaways 1. Tummy time can be challenging due to limited head and neck control, unfamiliar positioning, reflux or gas, sensory overload, or muscle imbalances (such as with torticollis). 2. Alternatives include chest-to-chest positioning, tummy time on a lap, side-lying play, tummy time with props (towels, nursing pillows), baby wearing, and upright holding/burping positions. 3. Don't forget to start early and often! And don't practice tummy time during sleep and

Key Takeaways: 1. Leg braces, orthoses, can be helpful to assist with mobility, correct a deformity, or prevent pain and injury. 2. Different trims and components are available to tailor braces to the need of the user, best determined with the assistance of a Physical Therapist, Orthotist, and/or Physiatrist. 3. There are many brace-friendly shoe options to make brace wear easier and more convenient.

Key Takeaways: 1. Muscles are made of muscle fibers containing myofibrils. Myofibrils have actin and myosin which contract the muscles. 2. ATP powers the muscles and is only stored in small amounts, which is why rest between sets, plays, or sprints is important. 3. Muscle strength and growth is seen after 4-6 weeks, when increasing intensity is indicated. 4. A muscle strain is when muscle fibers are stretched or torn too much. Strains get better with R.I.C.E.

Key Takeaways Weight lifting helps build bone mass, which is essential for optimizing bone density in youth and maintaining bone density as we age. Women experience a larger drop in bone density due to menopause. Falls and fractures are significant cause of morbidity (disability) and mortality (death) in older age, especially among older women.

Key Takeaways 1. Listen to your body before it forces you to. 2. More isn’t always better — smarter is better. 3. Recovery is training.

Key Takeaways: 1. Aerobic and strength training exercise help boost brain performance. 2. Exercise has both immediate and long term effects on the brain including memory, attention, and "executive function" (including critical thinking).

Key Takeaways 1. Free movement is key for development in the first year, but can be difficult when juggling multiple kids or tasks. 2. Prolonged time in bouncers, swings, or walkers can be harmful for you child's development. 3. Play yards, gated space, large play mats, baby-wearing, and crib play are some alternative options that allow movement.

Key Takeaways: 1. Baseball has high repetition and asymmetrical movement patterns that place young athletes at risk for overuse injuries. 2. When a child throws repeatedly the muscles pull on bones that are still developing, the joints absorb high rotational and valgus forces, and growth plates experience stress they are not designed to handle. 3. Common injuries include: little league elbow, growth plate widening, tendon & ligament strains, labral injuries, loss o