Check out our latest infographic with 8 Tips for Back-to-School Ergonomics! Carrying a school backpack can have significant biomechanical, physiological, and discomfort impacts on the wearer and can contribute to neck, back, and shoulder pain. Learn how to address body mechanics, posture, and the proper use of school-related equipment to protect students’ necks, shoulders, and backs from pain or injury with our back-to-school ergonomics tips!

Volleyball is a dynamic sport that requires a high level of repetitive overhead motion and dynamic power and control, placing a great deal of stress on the shoulders, knees, and ankles. The most common volleyball-related injuries include ankle sprains, patellar tendinitis, ACL injuries, and rotator cuff tendinitis. A physical therapist can treat each of these injuries and help the athlete regain strength, range of motion, and mobility in the injured area for a safe return to sport. Physical therapists also help volleyball players prepare for a successful volleyball season and prevent injury through a comprehensive training program.

Check out our tips to minimize your risk of ACL injury! Preventing ACL injury saves an athlete from physical trauma, an interrupted sports season, and intensive rehabilitation. ACL injuries are most common in sports that involve pivoting, landing, and sudden changes in direction. Sports medicine physical therapists can design ACL injury prevention programs for athletes that include strengthening exercises, balance and agility drills, and jumping and landing technique training

Check out our 8 tips to prevent cross-country injuries! Cross country is an outdoor endurance sport that involves running along a trail of natural terrain. The repetitive impact of running on irregular natural terrain can heighten the risk of injury in cross-country runners. Following a training regimen that incorporates cross-training and targeted strengthening plays a crucial role in preventing cross country injuries during the season. A physical therapist can not only effectively treat any injuries that occur, but also help cross country runners prepare for a successful season through a customized exercise program.

Biceps tendinitis is a common cause of shoulder pain that occurs when the biceps tendon becomes irritated and inflamed due to repetitive overhead movements. Biceps tendinitis is associated with sharp pain in the front of the shoulder. Physical therapy offers effective treatment for biceps tendinitis to manage pain and restore range of motion, strength, and mobility to the shoulder joint. Check out our infographic to learn more!

Physical therapy is the first-line treatment for herniated discs. A herniated disc occurs when the outer ring of the intervertebral disc of the spine is torn, allowing the gelatin-like core to leak which irritates and compresses nearby nerves. This can cause radiating pain, weakness, numbness, and loss of sensation in the back, leg, neck, and shoulder. Physical therapists help those with a herniated disc relieve pain and restore function through strengthening exercises, manual therapy, and posture training.

Gymnastics is an incredibly demanding sport that requires extreme strength, power, flexibility, and mobility of the entire body. Due to the extraordinary physical demands, high impact forces on the body, and rigorous training schedule of the sport, acute and overuse injuries can occur, most commonly in the ankle, knee, wrist, elbow, and low back. Physical therapists work closely with gymnasts to restore function, mobility, strength, and flexibility after an injury, ensure a safe return to sport, and prevent recurrent injuries.

A hip labral tear involves the hip labrum separating or pulling away from the hip socket. Hip labral tears can result from direct trauma to the hip joint but are most common due to repetitive stress on the hip, such as in soccer, hockey, and long-distance running. Physical therapy plays an important role in addressing hip labral tear symptoms and maximizing the hip’s strength and mobility through manual therapy, therapeutic exercise, and progressive strengthening program. 

Sacroiliac joint dysfunction involves pain and altered function in the sacroiliac joints of the pelvis and is often associated with low back pain. The sacroiliac joint absorbs shock placed on the lower body to reduce pressure felt in the lower spine. Physical therapy is an essential component of sacroiliac joint dysfunction rehabilitation, reducing pain and restoring normal pelvic symmetry through therapeutic exercise and manual therapy.

Knee pain is one of the most common orthopedic conditions that physical therapists treat and a frequent cause of chronic pain. Knee pain can restrict movement, limit muscle control in the affected leg, and reduce the strength and function of the muscles that support the knee. Physical therapists can effectively treat and address all types of knee pain, easing pain and restoring movement and function. On the blog, Mangiarelli Rehabilitation physical therapist Bobby Mangiarelli demonstrates physical therapy exercises to relieve osteoarthritis knee pain.

Osteoporosis is a common bone condition characterized by low bone density, decreased bone strength, and thinning and weakening of the bone, which lessens the bone’s ability to withstand typical forces and increases the risk of fracture. Physical therapy plays an important role in preventing and managing osteoporosis through a customized therapeutic exercise program. Check out our infographic to learn more!

Summer is peak season for both the amateur and professional golfer involving hours spent on the golf course. The golf swing is one of the most dynamic motions in sports, placing an immense amount of stress on the body. If the body is not properly prepared for the golf season, a golfer may engage in faulty swing mechanics, resulting in injury and lowered performance. A physical therapist can help you improve both the consistency and power of your golf swing and address any strength, balance, or biomechanical issues that are negatively impacting your golf swing.

Lymphedema is a condition that results in chronic swelling due to an abnormal collection of protein-rich fluid just below the skin often due to lymph vessel or node damage from cancer treatment, radiation, and surgery. The summer sun and summer heat can contribute to increased swelling and risk of infection in lymphedema patients. To prevent the worsening of lymphedema during the summer heat, check our tips to manage lymphedema this summer!

Return to sport testing is critical to ensure that an athlete is ready to return to competition and to prevent future re-injury. Return to sport testing is most commonly performed after ACL reconstruction and rehabilitation. At Mangiarelli Rehabilitation, our sports medicine physical therapists provide a thorough, evidence-based functional return to sport test for athletes of all ages. Check out our video below to learn more about the return to sport testing process after ACL rehabilitation at our clinic!

Physical therapy plays a critical role in restoring men to optimal health through treatment of a variety of musculoskeletal and health issues, including work and sport-related injuries, post-surgical rehabilitation, chronic pain, incontinence, sexual dysfunction, and TMD. June is Men’s Health Month and June 14-20 marks Men’s Health Week, a time to highlight the importance of men’s health, early treatment of disease and injury, and development of sustainable healthy habits.

Migraines and headaches can be debilitating, limiting daily activities, work, and quality of life. While neuro-vascular, nutritional, and chemical imbalances can trigger migraines and headaches, musculoskeletal dysfunction in the neck and shoulders is a common cause of headaches and can contribute to the development of a migraine. Physical therapy can ease headache and migraine symptoms, addressing the underlying neuro-musculoskeletal causes for safe and sustainable management of chronic headaches and migraines.

A sports hernia is a soft tissue injury that occurs in the groin area, involving a strain or tear in a muscle, tendon, or ligament deep in the abdominal wall. A sports hernia is often due to intense repetitive or explosive twisting movements or sudden changes in direction and commonly affects soccer, football, rugby, and hockey players. Physical therapists play a critical role in helping an athlete recover from and return to sport safely after a sports hernia.

Dance is a full-body sport and art form, demanding incredible muscular strength, flexibility, and stamina. Dancers engage in long hours of training and performance, requiring extraordinary feats of athleticism, repetitive movements, and extreme flexibility. Due to the intense physical demands of dance, dancers are susceptible to injuries of the ankle, foot, leg, and lower back. Physical therapy can effectively treat dance-related injuries for a safe return to dance, helping the dancer regain full function and range of motion, addressing muscle imbalances, improving strength and conditioning, and providing bio-mechanical analysis for injury prevention.

Multiple sclerosis is a disease of the central nervous system in which the myelin sheath surrounding the nerve cells of the brain and spinal cord is damaged. This can lead to a variety of symptoms, including fatigue, difficulty walking, coordination issues, and muscle stiffness and spasticity. Physical therapy plays a key role in rehabilitation and conserving functional abilities in those with multiple sclerosis. Check out our infographic on physical therapy for multiple sclerosis to learn more!

Arthritis is one of the leading causes of joint pain among American adults. Arthritis is a chronic, progressive condition that causes inflammation, swelling, pain, and stiffness in one or more joints. Exercise is one of the best ways to improve arthritic pain, stiffness, and decreased range of motion in your joints. A physical therapist can develop a customized and effective exercise program to improve your mobility and function and decrease pain safely.