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Showing posts from March, 2018

What are pelvic floor muscles and why they are important for you?

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What are pelvic floor muscles and why they are important for you? www.PTcares.com So you heard about the pelvic muscles training after giving birth or during the pregnancy. But what are these muscles and why you need to know about them? It doesn't matter if you are female or male. Yes. Men have pelvic floor muscles also.  : ) Researchers also suggested that correctly use of the pelvic floor muscles also help sex performance and reduce the frequency and intensity of the lumbar pain. As you can see in the above picture, there are so many muscles work together to close the openings at the bottom of the trunk.  That's the main function of these muscles--to protect your internal organs from dropping down by gravity. The pelvic floor muscles also work with diaphragm, belly muscles and back deep extensor muscles to form the "Core" muscles of the trunk, which is super important for our daily performance. Your doctor might suggest you get some core tr

What is Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome (PFPS, ) in the knee? What to do about it?

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What is Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome (PFPS, ) in the knee?  What to do about it? www.PTcares.com Anterior knee pain is one of the most common complains in an outpatient rehab clinic. It has several other names also, jumper's knee,  runner's knee, patellar tendinitis or tendinopathy. Just like other conditions, it is important to knee the mechanism of irritation associated with pain. There is a concept of primary and secondary impairments when many joints, tendons, and muscles are involved. The pain is simply a protection mechanism of our body to inform our mind that something is wrong. So the pain is not a bad thing. Don't kill the messenger, right? As I explained in the last post about the knee dislocation, the kneecap was supported by quad muscles, patellar ligament, and retinaculum on both sides. When the balance was not well maintained statistically or dynamically, the bones of the joint ---patella bone and femoral bone might rub each other with a lot of pressure

What is TMJ dysfunction or Jaw pain ? How to fix it ?

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What is TMJ dysfunction or Jaw pain? How to fix it? TMJ irritation/pain is a very common complaint after injury or MVA. A lot of my clients did not know that PT can help. So today let take a look at the TMJ anatomy and treatment options. The TMJ is a joint on the jaw allowing mouth open movements. There is an articular disc inside the joint, which could be the source of the pain after injury. Similar to other joints of our body, the TMJ might also develop into arthritis with overuse activities. Things that might contribute to the TMJ irritation: 1. Direct injury with violence, MVA 2. Chewing gum or food mostly on one side 3. Leaning on one side of the jaw with hand 4. Sleeping on the belly with head turning to the left or right side in bed 5. Chronic grinding or clenching of teeth at night 6. Excessive hypermobility of joints Tricks to check if you have a TMJ issue: 1. Open your mouth in front of a mirror and check if you jaw shifts toward sides or maintain in the ne