Why you should never skip leg days—and how to use them to train for life-long vitality — What are the most important physical markers of health as we age? Researchers and doctors often ask this question. I have to consider it daily in the clinic as a physical therapist. The marker most often cited and supported is gait speed. How fast we walk is one of the…

I met another person who was caused unnecessary harm — “I saw your story on LinkedIn about posture…are you serious?! Poor posture isn't the reason I have pain?” As I was leaving a graduation party for our 2020 and 2021 orthopedic residency classes (COVID delayed the former), I met one of my colleague's wife and this was the opening to…

How much longer are we going to ignore decades of research? — The posture nonsense is getting out of control. While preparing for a residency lecture this week, I came across an article on posture written by a physician. It was hard to contain my frustration. “Sitting badly or standing in a slouched position stresses your lower back, weakening and damaging an…

A physical therapist addresses misconceptions around intensity, soreness, and pain — “No pain, no gain” might be the worst phrase ever uttered in the gym. Asking the question, “Is it soreness or pain?” is a close second. At the end of the day, both pain and soreness are unpleasant. Attempting to delineate between the two is meaningless for most of us…

Osteoarthritis is a common concern and one of the leading causes of pain and disability in older adults. The pain contributes to a large reduction in physical activity participation, resulting in atrophy (loss of muscle) and weakness. To break this vicious cycle of physical decline, physicians and physical therapists often…

Lessons from a recent study in patients with hip arthritis — Are weakness and atrophy a cause of pain or a result of pain? It can be both but I find clinicians tend to focus on the former (I certainly used to), blaming a patient’s pain on their weakness. If someone is in pain, their activity level tends to drop. If…

How to reduce and prevent work-related pain — How important are posture and ergonomics for workplace safety? Well if we take a step back and look at the relationship between posture and pain, we find many of the claims made by the media, doctors, and physical therapists lack support in research. Posture is not something we should be…

New research compares progressive and nonprogressive exercise — Hypertension is a common issue I encounter in the clinic. While medication can control blood pressure, it does nothing to correct the root cause and fix the issue. Lifestyle change is required to truly tackle hypertension. This largely falls in the diet and exercise buckets. Very briefly on the former…eat…

A simple answer from a physical therapist — There is no such thing as the best exercise. Let me be clear, this does not mean all exercises achieve the same benefits or that any exercise can be used to achieve your fitness and wellness goals. Exercise promotes a variety of physiological benefits, including but not limited to improvements…