Loudoun County, Va. —  Do you know what constitutes a complete warm-up? Too often, sports-related injuries occur and could have been easily prevented had the athlete thoroughly prepared their body for practices and games. So what is an appropriate warm-up? The warm-up, which typically lasts between 10-15 minutes, feeds the body. Whether it’s a run, a jog, a swim or a brisk walk, the change in activity does several things: It increases the blood supply to the muscles It increases the heart rate It begins to produce more lubrication for the smooth joint motion Now that the body is warm, the…

Loudoun County, Va. —  Plyometric exercises help improve an athlete’s power and, therefore, performance in their sport. This kind of training is known as “jump training” and requires the athlete to perform exercises that produce maximum effort with short, quick bursts. Plyometrics are measured in the number of times contact is made with the ground. For beginner athletes, the recommended number of contacts per session is 60-100 per workout. For intermediate athletes, the recommended number is 100-160 contacts per session and for advanced athletes, that number is 150-200 contacts per session. For beginners, one plyometrics session per week is ideal so…

Loudoun County, Va. —  A lot of people don’t like feet and don’t give much thought to their feet. But our feet and ankles do a lot for us. They help propel us as we walk; they help us stay level when we are hiking through the rugged mountain trails or through the shifting sands on the beach; they help us press on the gas pedal to get us through the yellow lights; they help us rise up taller so that we can look over the crowd of taller people blocking our view at a concert. These are a few examples…

Loudoun County, Va. — Pumpkin spice lattes, football games, cooler weather. Fall is a busy time of year with lots of hustle and bustle and lots of opportunities to be active – 5Ks come to mind. There are Zombie 5Ks ahead of Halloween, Turkey Trot 5Ks to celebrate Thanksgiving and plenty of other 5Ks that raise awareness about various causes. If you’ve decided to take on this physical challenge for yourself – while there is a lot of work to be donef – you’ve taken the first step and made the commitment  to try something new. Before starting any new exercise…

Loudoun County, Va. — Knee pain is something that everyone will experience at some point in their lifetime. Having knee pain can be the result of many factors and affects all ages. As physical therapists, we work with patients to educate them about their problem in addition to how it can be corrected. So don’t sweat it! We are here to help! The knee is a large hinge joint that gives you the ability to bend and straighten your knee. This movement is necessary for day-to-day functional tasks like getting up from a chair or going up and down stairs. When…

Loudoun County, Va. — A common question we hear in physical therapy is “Why do I have to strengthen my hips if I am here for my ankle?” To that we answer with this explanation: Everything in the body is connected in some way and what happens at one joint affects what happens at other joints. In this scenario, the hips control what happens at the knees and at the ankle. Ankle injuries and pain related to poor foot mechanics often stem from weakness in the hips. If your hip muscles – especially the lateral hip muscles – are weak, they…