Heart disease is a systemic cardiovascular disease that can lead to serious cardiac events, such as high blood pressure, heart attack, heart failure, and heart rhythm abnormalities. Regular exercise not only can help prevent the onset and development of cardiovascular disease but also is a critical therapeutic tool to improve outcomes for those with heart disease. Physical therapy can help reduce the risk of developing heart disease and improve the function of those with heart disease through a personalized exercise program to improve aerobic capacity, strength, and endurance safely.

Check out our February 2023 Newsletter, highlighting addressing gait dysfunction with physical therapy, tips for managing swelling after injury, physical therapy for spondylolysis, and chronic knee pain causes & treatments.

A calf strain involves injury to or tearing of the muscles in the back of your leg below the knee, primarily the gastrocnemius and soleus muscles. Calf strains are common among athletes who perform stop-and-go movements with quick bursts of speed, such as sprinters, football players, and soccer and tennis players. Physical therapy can help reduce pain, restore muscle strength and flexibility, and increase the speed of recovery through a progressive rehabilitation program to prepare the athlete for a safe return to sport.

Thoracic outlet syndrome occurs when the nerves, arteries, or veins that run between your collarbone and the highest, first rib are pinched or compressed. The most common type is neurogenic thoracic outlet syndrome (TOS), in which weak or tight muscles cause the brachial plexus to be pinched and inflamed, often caused by repetitive overhead activities and heavy lifting. Physical therapy is the first line of treatment for neurogenic TOS, utilizing manual therapy, postural retraining, and targeted strengthening of the scapular muscles to relieve symptoms and improve function.

Swelling is a natural part of the inflammatory process after an injury to help protect the injured area and facilitate healing as the body sends white blood cells and supportive fluids to the injured site to repair and heal. However, prolonged swelling can limit your range of motion and negatively affect your muscular strength. It is important to manage and limit swelling with the help of a physical therapist. Check out our 7 tips to manage swelling after injury!

Mangiarelli Rehabilitation physical therapist Bobby demonstrates several gait training exercises to address gait dysfunction after a lower extremity knee injury. Gait dysfunction refers to changes in your normal walking pattern, often related to a lower extremity injury, disease, or underlying medical condition. Physical therapists are experts at addressing the root cause of your gait dysfunction and designing customized treatments to restore your gait and improve your function.

Chronic knee pain, which affects one in four Americans, can be debilitating and limit your function and mobility. Chronic knee pain involves ongoing pain, swelling, and sensitivity in the knee that lasts more than 4-6 months and can result from a traumatic injury that healed incorrectly or from medical conditions like osteoarthritis. Physical therapy can help you manage chronic knee pain long-term without the need for surgery to reduce pain and improve your mobility and function.

Boxing is a high-impact sport requiring full-body movement, coordination, agility, endurance, and power, combining upper-body power punching with lower-body footwork. Due to the high intensity of the sport, upper body injuries are common, including concussions, wrist and elbow strains, boxer’s fracture, or shoulder rotator cuff or labrum tears. Physical therapists can help boxers prevent injury through a customized strength and conditioning program and recover from and return to the boxing ring safely after injury.

Spondylolysis is a lumbar stress fracture in the pars interarticularis, the bony bridge that connects the upper and lower facet joints of the vertebrae. Spondylolysis is a common cause of low back pain in adolescent athletes, caused by repetitive loading, backward bending, and twisting of the lower back. Physical therapy can successfully manage spondylolysis in adolescent athletes, helping to reduce pain, improve strength and function in the low back, and safely return athletes to sports competition.

Snowboarding is an intense winter sport requiring excellent balance, coordination, and agility while descending packed snow-covered slopes at high speed. Due to the high speeds and momentum gained when snowboarding, injuries due to falling are common and most often involve injury to the upper body, such as wrist fractures, separated shoulders, ligament and tendon tears in the shoulder, and concussions. A physical therapist can help a snowboarder not only recover from injury and safely return to the slopes but also prepare for the snowboarding season through a targeted strength and conditioning program.

Check out our January 2023 Newsletter, highlighting tips for managing arthritis this winter, wellness program update, winter donation thank you, and meniscus tear recovery with physical therapy.

Meniscus tears are one of the most common sports injuries and most frequent knee injuries. The meniscus can tear during any movement that puts excessive pressure on the knee or pushes the meniscus past its normal rotational range of motion, such as when twisting, squatting, or making quick positional changes. Physical therapy can help those experiencing meniscus tears facilitate optimal healing, restore full functionality, and achieve complete recovery through targeted strengthening and extensive rehabilitation should surgery be necessary, for a safe return to sport and activity.

Check out our 8 tips to manage arthritis this winter. Arthritis is a progressive chronic condition that involves inflammation, swelling, pain, and stiffness in one or more joints and is the leading cause of joint pain in the United States. Winter can exacerbate arthritic pain and stiffness due to the colder temperatures, precipitation, and decreased barometric pressure. Maintaining a regular exercise routine in winter is a key component of managing your arthritis, increasing your mobility, and decreasing your pain and stiffness.

Check out our December Newsletter, highlighting addressing frailty with physical therapy, physical therapy for diabetic peripheral neuropathy, Mangiarelli Rehab on WFMJ morning news, SVDP donation drive thank you, and Catholic Charities winter donation drive.

Posterior tibial tendon dysfunction (PTDD) is one of the most common problems of the foot and ankle that occurs when the posterior tibial tendon is inflamed or torn, leading to an acquired flat foot. PTDD most often results from overuse due to repetitive loading on the tendon that causes microtrauma, inflammation, and eventually a tear of the posterior tibial tendon. Physical therapy can restore flexibility and strength in the foot and ankle, alleviate pain, and help patients return to the highest level of function.

A lateral collateral ligament (LCL) injury occurs when the ligament on the outer side of the knee is overstretched and tears, causing pain, swelling, and knee instability. The LCL, which is a thick band of tissue connecting the thighbone and shinbone, can be injured if the knee is hit on the inside, pushing the knee outward or if the knee straightens too quickly or forcefully, hyperextending and straining the outside of the knee. Most LCL injuries heal with conservative non-operative physical therapy treatment. Physical therapy can reduce LCL injury pain, restore strength and range of motion in the knee, and safely return athletes to their sport through a progressive therapeutic exercise program.

Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive neurodegenerative condition that damages brain cells, limits cognitive function, inhibits physical function, and leads to reduced functional independence. It is the most common form of dementia and develops with age, affecting 6 million Americans last year. Exercise can be extremely beneficial not only in preventing Alzheimer’s disease but also in improving symptoms of the disease and slowing cognitive and physical decline in Alzheimer’s patients.

Peripheral neuropathy is a common complication of diabetes in which nerve function is diminished or lost due to uncontrolled, high blood sugar levels. It is commonly experienced in the hands and feet and can cause feelings of numbness and tingling in the affected limbs, a loss or absence of sensation, burning or sharp pain, and increased sensitivity to touch in the affected area. Physical therapy plays a vital role in helping those with peripheral neuropathy improve and maintain function, enhance overall quality of life, and alleviate symptoms of diabetic peripheral neuropathy.

Hip bursitis involves inflammation of the bursae, the small fluid-filled sacs that provide cushioning between the hip bones and the soft tissue of the hip (muscles, tendons, and ligaments). Hip bursitis is most common among middle-aged and older adults and affects women more than men. Physical therapy can effectively treat hip bursitis, reducing pain, addressing muscle-related weakness, and helping patients return to daily activities and sports safely. A physical therapist treats hip bursitis with a combination of stretching, strengthening, and movement retraining to decrease irritation in the hip, improve strength and range of motion, resolve pain, and restore normal function.

Frailty is a common syndrome among older adults that involves loss of muscle strength, exhaustion, low levels of physical activity, and increased risk of falling. Inactivity and the subsequent sarcopenia, or a decrease in the amount and quality of muscle, is a major cause of frailty in older adults. Physical therapy can help those with frailty restore overall mobility, strength, and cardiorespiratory capacity safely through a customized therapeutic exercise, strengthening, and balance training program.