One of the most counterproductive things you can do with knee pain is stop loading the knee entirely. It feels like the safest option: rest it, avoid anything that hurts, and wait for it to heal. But patellofemoral pain doesn’t usually improve with complete avoidance. In many cases, removing all load actually reduces the knee’s […]
Knee Pain: It’s Not About Bad Exercises, It’s About Capacity Read More »
If you’re a runner with pain in the back of your heel or along the inside of your ankle, it’s unlikely that anything is structurally damaged. In most cases, the issue is a tendon that has been asked to handle more load than it is currently adapted for. The two most common sources are the
Runner Heel Pain: Why It’s Usually a Load Problem, Not Damage Read More »
If you’ve been told you have biceps tendonitis because of pain in the front of your shoulder, the diagnosis is likely using outdated terminology. Tendonitis implies that inflammation is the primary problem. However, research, including a well-known 2015 paper, suggests that biceps tendon pain is usually not driven by inflammation. Instead, it’s most often the
Your shoulder pain probably isn’t “tendonitis,” and that distinction actually matters. Read More »
Quadriceps tendinopathy is often treated as an inflammatory condition, but that’s one of the biggest reasons people struggle with persistent pain. Many people spend weeks or months icing the knee, resting completely, and avoiding activity, only to find that their symptoms never truly improve. If you have pain right at the top of your kneecap
Why Your Quad Tendon Isn’t Healing: The Real Mechanism Behind Quadriceps Tendonopathy Read More »
For years, greater trochanteric bursitis has been the go-to diagnosis for pain on the outside of the hip. More recent research tells a different story. If you’ve been told you have hip bursitis, prescribed anti-inflammatory medication, and advised to rest and ice the area, only to have the pain return, there’s a good chance bursitis
Lateral Hip Pain Is Usually Not Bursitis Read More »
A pinched nerve in the neck, or cervical radiculopathy, isn’t actually a nerve being squeezed like a garden hose. The process is much more complex, and understanding what’s really happening can completely change how you approach recovery. Your cervical spine contains seven vertebrae with soft discs between each bone. Your spinal cord runs through this
A Pinched Nerve in Your Neck Is Probably Not What You Think It Is Read More »
If heel pain after rest is your most recognizable symptom – that sharp, stabbing pain with your first few steps out of bed, you’ve probably been told it’s because your plantar fascia tightens overnight and tears slightly when you stand up. That explanation sounds reasonable, but it almost certainly isn’t what’s happening. A more likely
Why Your Morning Heel Pain Is Worse After Rest and What That’s Actually Telling You Read More »
Frozen shoulder is one of the most misunderstood conditions we see in physical therapy. Many people expect it to improve quickly, and some treatment approaches push the shoulder too aggressively, which can actually make symptoms worse. If you’ve been diagnosed with adhesive capsulitis, or your shoulder has become progressively stiffer and more painful over the
Patellofemoral pain is one of the most common causes of knee pain, but it’s also one of the most misunderstood. The term sounds complicated, but it simply refers to pain at the joint where the kneecap meets the thigh bone. If you feel a dull ache behind or around your kneecap when squatting, climbing stairs,
That Grinding, Cracking Feeling Behind Your Kneecap Is Probably Not What You Think It Is Read More »
Proximal hamstring tendinopathy is one of the most commonly missed causes of hip pain. Because sitting often makes it worse, many people assume the pain is coming from a tight muscle or a vague hip problem rather than the hamstring tendon. As a result, they stretch more and rest more. Unfortunately, those strategies rarely solve
Proximal Hamstring Tendinopathy: Why Sitting Makes It Worse Read More »
