Make Vertigo, Vertigone!
To understand vertigo the most important thing to be able to understand the anatomy of the vestibular system. This system consists of three semicircular canals located in the inner ear on the right and left side of your head. This is why vertigo is commonly referred to as an “inner ear issue.” Within these canals are a system of hairs, fluid, and crystals. As we rotate our head, these three structures work simultaneously to let your head know where it is in space. For example, if we turn our head to the left, the fluid within our vestibular system on the left and right will activate the hairs and crystals and let your brain know that you are turning to the left. As you can guess, when this system doesn’t work properly, it can lead to some nasty side effects that are debilitating to living a healthy lifestyle. It’s important…
BJJ: Ankle Sprains
Hello everyone, and welcome to our second blog post about injury management and jiu jitsu. Today’s post will focus on ligament injuries, their occurrence, diagnosis, and recovery. Here’s the sitch (that’s what the cool kids say… right?): You’re rolling at the end of practice, and unfortunately you get caught in a submission, for the sake of this story let’s say it’s a straight ankle lock. You’re convinced you can tough out the submission and find a way out. Only too late do you realize you need to tap out in order to prevent a serious injury. Now you’ve left practice, and the adrenaline has worn off only to find that your ankle is in severe painand it hurts to put weight into your foot. Well, what’s likely happened is you’ve suffered a sprain to your ankle. For the sake of this blog, we will assume that you have gone to…
BJJ: Start Your Training Right
Hello everybody, my name is Dr. Josh Hammaker, PT, DPT. I am a physical therapist at Full Range Physical Therapy in West Chester and I am a purple belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (I am pictured on the right). This will be the first of a series of blog posts related to Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and injury management. My hope is that through these blog posts, I can combine my 20 years of grappling experience through wrestling and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu with my background as a physical therapist to provide helpful information on improving your health while performing Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ). For the first post of this series, I will discuss the importance of performing exercises before training or activity to improve your mobility and flexibility. In BJJ, you can often find yourself in awkward positions that place stress on your body. One of the best ways we can…
Dancing and Performing Arts Physical Therapy
Some sports, such as football, baseball, hockey, golf, etc…, are always in the spotlight and are commonly recognized to have injuries and specific programming to return the field. Then there are other sports, list gymnastics, cheerleading, dancing, and the performing arts, that we don’t hear much about regarding injuries and their specific needs when returning to competition and/or performing. Perhaps it is the grace of the performance that doesn’t allow us to see the struggle behind the beauty? Or simply the magic of showbiz that takes us somewhere special, forgetting that the performers are people that get injured, have aches and pains, and require consistent training to maintain their superb stamina and level of fitness. But who is a resource for these athletes and performers? A physical therapist with the experience and passion for the intricacies that are requires day in and day out to be flexible yet strong, soft yet…
Powerlifting for Older Adults
What is Powerlifting? Powerlifting is a sport that involves performing three weight lifting movements (Squat, Bench Press, and Deadlift) during a competition. A competitor’s goal is to lift the maximum amount of weight for one repetition while maintaining strict technique. Three judges assess technique during each movement to maintain consistency among competitors. Powerlifting is essentially the ultimate test of full body power and strength. The Common Misconception: What is the first thought that comes to mind when you think of powerlifting? Do you envision a muscle-bound man, maybe with the bulky physique of a young Arnold Schwarzenegger? Or do you think of the current, sixty-seven year old, lower muscle mass version of Arnold Schwarzenegger? Both answers are correct. The athletes at powerlifting competitions actually range in various degrees of age, gender, and body weight. At any given event, a spectator could witness any scope of variability among lifters. For…
Movement Based Medicine
In a time when we are hurt, we get a rush of emotions, including fear, anxiety, hesitation, anger, depression, and many more. It is a unique feeling because we are not quite sure what to do, what we did to cause it, and what is happening internally. As physical therapists, we pride ourselves on being able to evaluate a condition by assessing symptomatic responses, weakness, range of motion deficits, and other tests and measures. But what happens when the physical therapist gets injured? This past week was eye opening. As the owner of a physical and occupational therapy practice, an advocate for the rehab professions, a McKenzie Certified clinician, and passionate practicing clinician, the tables turned, and I was the injured. This wasn’t the first time, but it was the worst time. Tuesday morning started with a tweak, ended much worse. Wednesday began with a failed running attempt but I continued…