Posts Tagged ‘Pain’
Understanding the Nuances of Disease, Syndrome, & Uncertainty in Musculoskeletal Pain
Disease is a particular abnormal condition that adversely affects the structure or function of all or part of an organism and is not immediately due to an external injury. Syndrome is a group of symptoms that consistently occur together or a condition characterized by a set of associated symptoms. While disease and syndrome both involve…
Read MoreUsing symptoms &/or sign modification procedure to manage musculoskeletal pain syndrome
The symptom modification procedure is a clinical reasoning process and is a common practice in the Physical Therapy profession. The symptom modification procedure involves identifying the specific movement, posture, and/or activity that reproduces the patient’s symptoms. Typically, the symptom is pain, which can be weakness, falls, or other functional limitations. Then intervening to alter the…
Read MorePath of least resistance is not always the best option – sometimes it is better to have some stiffness
There are three possible relationships between movement and musculoskeletal pain syndromes. There is either too much movement, not enough movement, or an optimal amount of movement. When a muscle tendon unit and/or joint is flexible, hypermobile, or unstable there is too much movement. When a muscle tendon unit and/or joint is stiff or hypomobile there…
Read MorePain – Movement
If pain occurs with movement, then observation and analysis of movement is required. The measurement of the symptom of pain occurs using the familiar numeric pain scale (zero to 10). 0-10 Numeric pain scale diagram. Clipart image In 1996 the American Pain Society lead a campaign to consider the measurement of pain as the 5th…
Read MoreExercise prescription – Art & Science
Exercise while not a drug can behave like one. Exercise can help in the management of chronic diseases and offer pain relief for individuals suffering from musculoskeletal pain syndromes. Like prescribing drugs, the concept of dosage applies to exercise prescription. A dose-response to exercise is not unlike drugs however the minimum dose, dose-response, and maximum…
Read MoreGait Deviations Musculoskeletal Pain Syndromes: Is there a gait deviation or cluster of gait deviations which is common across musculoskeletal pain syndromes?
Gait deviations are considered risk factors and/or causative drivers for musculoskeletal pain syndromes. There is a growing body of research showing a relationship between gait deviations and musculoskeletal pain syndromes injuries: shin pain (here, & here,) ; patella-femoral arthralgia (here); IT band syndrome; Achilles pain; plantar heel pain (here, & here). There is growing consensus…
Read MorePhysical Therapy Telehealth: It works well for some, not for others
The COVID 19 pandemic crisis has many challenges for the standard everyday health care and medicine. The pandemic resulted in a sudden increase of telehealth services. There are reports there has been an 18% increase in the number of healthcare providers providing telehealth services in response because of the pandemic. Healthcare providers and patients are…
Read MoreLow-Tech Slow-Motion Analysis – “Dance Step to Nowhere
NDeviant movement during walking contributes to the development of or compensation for musculoskeletal pain syndromes. Diagnosis and treatment occur with visual observation and analysis of gait. The use of a smartphone video facilitates the analysis of motion walking. However, there are times when less technological motion analysis is necessary. When dealing with painful musculoskeletal syndromes…
Read MoreSymptom modification of painful gait
Symptom modification procedure is common practice in the Physical Therapy profession. This procedure involves identifying the specific movement, posture, and/or activity that reproduces the patient’s symptoms. Historically diagnosis of musculoskeletal problems was based on examination which selectively provoked musculoskeletal tissues by compressing or stretching the various tissues to provoke the symptoms. This provided direction for…
Read MorePain walking/running deviant gait – self treat &/or seek expert assistance
Experiencing pain when walking or running can be a complex problem. Asserting a hypothesis is a systematic way to solve complex problems. A hypothesis is an “if-then statement” or conditional statement which can be tested, accepted, or refuted. Hypothesis: If you have pain walking and/or running, then gait analysis to determine if there is a…
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