The Jaw Is A Joint Too! – How Physical Therapy Can Address Jaw Pain/Discomfort.

This post was written by Kyle Suh, SPT – Texas State University, Doctorate of Physical Therapy, Class of 2025 SCENARIO: Let’s say you are playing the game Scattergories and the category is Joints. What joints would you list on your piece of paper? Elbow? Shoulder? Knee? Hips?… probably about anything other than the jaw. Understanding the TMJ and Dysfunction The …

Prolonged Heat Exposure’s Effects on Human Health

During the summer months, it is common practice to protect oneself from the negative short-term effects of heat.  We use sunscreen to shield our skin from UV rays that can cause sunburn.  We drink fluids to maintain hydration.  And we seek out shade to prevent heat illnesses such as heat exhaustion – a condition that occurs when the body overheats …

Spring Forward Without Falling Back

Spring is in the air, and that means more than just blooming flowers and chirping birds. It’s a natural nudge to shake off the winter blues and be more active. Research that looked at the seasonality of physical activity proves this is true. Across a wide variety of countries and populations, people are most active in the summer and less …

Do You Have Chronic Ankle Instability and Not Even Know It?

Hunter Sparks, SPT – Texas State University Doctorate of Physical Therapy Class of 2024 In order to know whether or not you have chronic ankle instability, you must first know what that term means. Chronic ankle instability (CAI) is when an individual has ongoing persistent symptoms of instability, pain, and weakness following an ankle sprain injury. These symptoms can last …

PTs Know that Food Fuels Recovery

Physical therapy and nutrition are often seen as separate, but physical therapists know that they are deeply intertwined. To get the most out of therapy, especially after an injury or surgery, successfully integrating both is crucial. During recovery from an injury or surgery, the body is working to heal itself. PT activities and exercises are designed to help it along. …

Don’t Fall Off the Treadmill! Tips to Sticking with Your Exercise Program

New Year’s resolutions around fitness and exercise are incredibly popular. The excitement and hope generated by the start of the year makes starting an exercise program easy. Now that we’ve arrived a couple of months into the calendar year, staying with the new plan gets hard. Life gets busy, motivation drops, and suddenly you’re back on the couch, wondering how …

Physical Therapists Help People with Dementia Exercise Effectively

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), dementia is the seventh leading cause of death worldwide and one of the major causes of disability among older people. Dementia is a group of conditions that affect the brain, causing problems with memory, thinking, communication, and behavior. Dementia has many forms, including Alzheimer’s disease, vascular dementia, Lewy body dementia (LBD), and more.  …

Which Type of ACL Graft is Best?

Kelly Flynn, SPT – Texas State University Doctorate of Physical Therapy Class of 2024 The title of this post is misleading to a certain degree. Is there a BEST choice for an ACL graft for knee reconstructive surgery? The answer is no, but there might be a best option for you, that is different from the next guy. Let’s look …