weight lifting, Crossfit, Fitness
Jordan Bork, PT, DPT, CSCS, CFSC
Little League Shoulder

Little League shoulder, also known as proximal humeral epiphysitis, is a common overuse injury that affects young baseball players, typically between the ages of 11 and 15. It is characterized by pain and discomfort in the shoulder joint, specifically in the upper arm bone (humerus) near the growth plate.

Little League Shoulder
Physical Therapy, Fitness, hiking, Knee
Mark Bouma, PT, DPT, OCS, COMT, FAAOMPT, CFI
Raking Leaves

Mark Bouma, PT takes readers through the areas to watch out for while raking leaves. The fall changes in the PNW is a time of beautiful color but also typically wet and heavy leaves.

Patellofemoral pain is largely a diagnosis of exclusion. There can be many causes of knee pain and it is important for your healthcare provider to properly assess your individual condition. Many individuals have anterior knee pain with prolonged sitting with flexed knees.

There are three common provocative diagnostic tests that are most closely correlated with patellofemoral joint pain:

  • Squatting

  • Climbing Stairs

  • Eccentric Step-Down Test

Research has linked several key factors that may contribute to an individual developing patellofemoral pain. These factors are not present in everybody who has symptoms, but there are often impairments in one or more of these areas found during a physical therapy exam.

Raking Leaves
Physical Therapy, Fitness, Knee, Football, Hip, Neck pain, Running
Victor Kolar, PT, DPT, CSCS, TPIc
Turkey Bowl 2023

Victor Kollar, PT takes you through the areas to think about as you get ready for your annual turkey bowl football game.

Turkey Bowl 2023
Running, Cross-Fit, Crossfit
Liam Main, PT, DPT, CSCS
CrossFit

In the ever-evolving world of fitness, CrossFit has emerged as a dynamic and intense workout regimen that captivates enthusiasts seeking a combination of strength, endurance, and functional workout. While it has gained popularity rapidly over the last decade, there is a large amount of misinformation and preconceptions regarding it as a means of physical activity.  As a physical therapist, my aim is to provide you with a holistic view of CrossFit—highlighting its benefits, potential drawbacks, and the role of physical therapy in your health journey.


CrossFit
Hip, Knee, Osteoarthritis, Running
Mandie Majerus
Bone Stress Injuries

What is a bone stress injury (BSI) and how do I know I have one? How long will it take to get me back to running? As a physical therapist who treats a lot of runners and as a lifelong runner myself, I have always had a passion for keeping runners running. The act of running can make someone’s day tick along better, can help with consistent sleep, calm the nerves and can even make a runner more fun to be around. It can be social or an act of solitude. It can be alarming for a runner when they start to experience a nagging pain that doesn’t warm up or even worsens as they run. Pain that doesn’t dissipate with a warm-up routine or is vague at first but then becomes localized or intensifies through the run can be a sign of a bone stress injury or BSI. BSI is a general term indicating mechanical load is exceeding the bone’s structural ability to withstand the load. However, BSIs occur on a continuum. One end of that continuum is a stress reaction, the other end can be stress fracture or even a full fracture of the bone. The runner recognizes this as pain that isn’t normally present. BSIs can occur for many reasons whether due to biomechanics or from a nutritional standpoint or a combination of both. As high-school and college cross-country runners prepare now for this upcoming season, they should be aware of the common causes and ways to prevent bone stress injuries.

Bone Stress Injuries

Platelet Rich Plasma

PRP

What is a Platelet-Rich Plasma injection?

Background: Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injection is a medical treatment for orthopedic injuries and conditions. PRP is a form of your own blood that has a high concentration of cells called platelets. Platelets contain substances called growth factors that have the ability to reduce some pain and inflammation and enhance your body’s ability to heal itself. A PRP injection can possibly reduce the need for surgery or procedures for some people. 

PRP injections have been used to treat a range of conditions including to treat orthopedic conditions, including osteoarthritis, tendinitis, tendon and ligament tears.

Platelets contain components that can be effective in tissue repair:

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  • Connective tissue growth factor (effective on cartilage, tendons, ligaments, bone growths)

  • Insulin-like growth factors: IGF-1 and IGF-2 (increase tissue proliferation, decrease inflammation

  • Vascular endothelial growth factor

  • Epidermal growth factor (EGF)

  • Fibroblast growth factor (helps wound healing, aesthetics)

  • Keratinocyte growth factor (helps wound healing, aesthetics) · Interleukin 8

  • Transforming growth factor beta (TGFβ)

In my case the PRP was used to treat a moderate medical meniscal tear on my left leg. This was an injury that was at the time of injection 6 months old. I had put myself through a conservative rehab regimen of originally rest, then Range of Motion work, and eventually open & closed chain strength training. A side note which I will cover in another blog are the issues that I had for the previous 6 months in compensating for the tear and pain.

The procedure is relatively quick. From check in to walking out was under 60 min. The pain level was very low in my opinion. The knee capsule does have a fair amount of nervous tissue as the wider gauge needle comes into contact with it but would likely rate this a 4/10 and only for 15-20 seconds….

I will be writing more articles on my progression & protocols that I am developing to better work more efficiently with individuals after PRP has been completed.


There are many Offices where PRP is performed:
(here are a few we work with commonly)
Lake Washington Sport & Spine
ProOrtho: Dr. Camille Clinton, MD
Dr. Ghislaine Robert, MD
UW Medicine: Dr. Rao