Loudoun County, Va. — Tis the season for good food, time with family, giving thanks, celebrations and traveling. I love this time between mid-November and the end of the year. However, with so much packed into a span of several weeks, it can be tough to keep your fitness goals on track, especially if you are spending hours in the car or on a plane traveling from one place to another. A few years ago, when I lived in Florida, I spent a lot of time around the holidays at Southwest International Airport, either the Atlanta or Charlotte airports for…

Loudoun County, Va. — Many people – parents and coaches in particular – believe that the earlier a child specializes in one sport, the greater their chances are to reach the elite level. According to the National Collegiate Athletic Association, 480,000 out of 8 million (6%) of high school student-athletes move on to compete at the collegiate level, with roughly 3% being offered an athletic scholarship. People used to believe early specialization was a key factor is succeeding at the elite level, but that opinion has been debunked. Dr. Neeru Jayanthi of Loyola University did a study of 1,200 youth athletes…

By Brittany Pullen MA, ATC [twitter-follow screen_name=’@toCME4PT’] (October 26, 2016) — Do you ever experience pain or discomfort while working at your desk? Do you experience headaches, eye strain, shoulder, neck or back pain while sitting at your workstation? If you answered yes, then your office may have some shaping up to do. What exactly is ergonomics? Ergonomics is defined as “an applied science concerned with designing and arranging items people use so that people and things interact most efficiently.” How do we apply ergonomics to our everyday workplace settings? Safety first! Ergonomic safety is all about fitting the job to the…

Loudoun County, Va. — It’s extremely hot outside, you’ve been exercising for an hour-and-a-half, your muscles are weak, your shirt is drenched, you’ve recently noticed a minor headache and you’re beyond thirsty. Do you reach for your water bottle filled with water or do you grab a bottle of one of those flavorful sports drinks? The water versus sports drinks debate has been a topic of discussion for many years. There are a multitude of opinions because there are different circumstances in which one choice trumps the other. For instance, if you exercised for less than 60 minutes at a low-intensity…

By Loudoun Sports Therapy Center [twitter-follow screen_name=’@toCME4PT’] (September 28, 2016) — You have a football game tonight, a math test tomorrow you have yet to study for, a history project due Monday and your grandma is coming into town this weekend. Sound familiar? Yes, this time of year is exciting and busy, but it can also be hectic. As your sports schedules, homework assignments and daily activities ramp up, so can you stress level. It’s also important to listen to your body and know when you are pushing it too hard, and there are some simple and natural things you can…

By Loudoun Sports Therapy Center [twitter-follow screen_name=’@toCME4PT’] (September 14, 2016) — Michael Phelps’ return to swimming during the Olympics was majestic. His performance attracted a lot of attention and with good reason. But something else that got people buzzing were the perfectly round bruises on his body. You probably saw tweets about them, heard broadcasters talking about them and might have even read some articles that surfaced about those bruises. So what were they and what caused them? It’s called “cupping,” and it’s an ancient Chinese medicinal practice. What is cupping? Cupping was first used as a method to draw out…