The picture I included is from a few years ago while my wife and I were hiking one of my favorite hikes, Table Mountain Trail. It was also the most challenging hike I had been on at the time. It was a 10+ mile hike with a steep incline to the top of Table Rock …
One of the first big hikes I was ever on was with a group of co-workers. I was new to the area, and was invited on this hiking trip. I was told that it was a long hike, but it was easy with not a lot of incline involved. This adventure began with about a …
Summer Adventures Are Right Around The Corner… But, Are You Ready? Read More »
Low back pain is one of the most common injuries and cause of disability in the country! According to an article by the bureau of labor statistics, in 2016, back injuries made up 38.5% of all musculoskeletal workplace injuries (https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2018/back-injuries-prominent-in-work-related-musculoskeletal-disorder-cases-in-2016.htm?view_full). That’s probably why I get asked all the time, “How can I do ________ with …
“I’ve had ______ pain for a long time. I’m not sure that physical therapy can help.” “I thought I had to just live with _____ pain.” “I’ve had ______ pain for months. I had given up hope that it would ever go away.” I hear things like this all the time. People suffering from an …
Balance, cramps, knee pain, and more… ways that I found a hiking stick to be helpful on a long hike. Recently my brother-in-law and I embarked on our first backpacking trip. We spent 3 days and 2 nights out in the Sawtooth wilderness hiking about 21 miles with about 3,200 foot elevation gain. It was …
Balance, Cramps, And Pain… A Hiking Stick Is More Than Just A Stick. Read More »
If you know me, you probably know that I love 80s and 90s action movies. Is the acting sometimes suspect? Yes. Are the scenes usually over dramatic? Yes. Are they generally corny? Yes. Do I still love them? Yes!! One of the classic sagas from that era is Lethal Weapon. As you may be familiar …
With Halloween just wrapping up, my mind drifted thinking about everything involved with the holiday. Kids dressing up in costumes, running up to doors saying trick or treat, getting scared, and getting fun treats. Sometimes you end up getting tricked (like getting a toothbrush instead of that king sized candy bar). Sometimes you may even …
At Switchback Direct Physical Therapy, we hear people describe their pain or injury in a number of ways. This is really important to us, and we encourage this, because it helps us to understand the pain they are feeling so we know how best to help them. A person’s perception of their pain is just …
Whether or not you should hike, or do any outdoor adventure, with pain should be dictated by the level of pain. While you may need to stop some activities (until the injury can be healed), generally you should not stop moving all together. Oftentimes, pain is caused by weakness in certain muscles or a lack …
A lot of people experience pain in their low back, buttocks, hip, and even down their leg. When the pain follows this pattern it usually indicates some problem with the sciatic nerve, often referred to as sciatica. For some people, this means pain when standing or lying down, and for others sitting down can make …