Blog Archive
Would you believe the marvel that’s your body — the thing that propels you through life and allows you to sit, stand, walk, garden, cook, plays sports, and much more — contains a whopping 1,320 tendons? These fibrous tissues connect your muscles to your bones. Unfortunately, when tendons become inflamed, you...
Would it surprise you to learn that your body contains almost as many joints as there are days in a year? It’s true. You have an amazing constellation of 360 joints that allow you to perform everyday tasks and play all types of sports, from football and tennis to soccer...
If you’re one of the over 53 million Americans who live with osteoarthritis, the most common form of the arthritis, you understand fully how painful and life-limiting the joint inflammation that defines it can be. It seems there’s not a place on your body that arthritis misses. It can affect...
You may revel in your ability to take your dog on a long walk, play a game of tennis, or even do everyday things like climb the stairs and get in and out of a chair. Well, maybe you don’t really take joy in these abilities — until you have...
It’s not an exaggeration to say that back pain is a massive problem in the United States. It accounts for many days of missed work and is the leading cause of disability worldwide. In fact, one study found that 1 in 4 workers deals with back pain, while up to...
Your tendons are sturdy tissue cords that connect your muscles to your bones and make you mobile. When your tendons become inflamed and painful, you have a condition called tendonitis. Since your body has a whopping 1,320 tendons, any of your joints can be affected. At Empire Physical Therapy &...
Your shoulder joint is, as the saying goes, kind of a big deal. It allows you to do all sorts of things, from stirring cake batter and pitching a baseball to wielding a tennis racquet and showing off your best dance moves. This ball-and-socket joint provides the most range of...
Medial tibial stress syndrome is the medical term for shin splints, a condition that causes pain along the front or on the inner or outer sides of your legs. Shin splints are a common overuse injury in runners, dancers, and recruits in the military, but they affect many more as...
Sometimes it's challenging to pinpoint an injury in your foot because there are simply so many things that can go wrong. Even though your feet do an amazing job over a lifetime of getting you around, they’re filled with bones, ligaments, and joints, all of which have the potential for...
Unfortunately, rotator cuff injuries affect about 2 million people per year. One of the most common types of these shoulder injuries is a rotator cuff tear, which is often the result of playing sports or an accident. But the rotator cuff also degenerates from wear-and-tear as you get older. At...
Sciatica robs you of your joy for life because its symptoms can be life-altering: Severe leg, hip, and back pain and numbness, weakness, and cramping are enough not only to keep you from doing what you love, from sports to favorite hobbies. But it can also put a halt to...
It’s easy to take your ankles for granted, at least when they’re working well. They help you travel through your life, every day. Though your ankles are strong, they’re also complex joints. If you’re mobile, at some point or another, you’re going to hurt your ankles, whether that’s a strain...
It might seem illogical, but some people experience knee pain when they transition to a seated position. Why would this happen, when sitting offers your body a chance to rest? A common cause of this problem is osteoarthritis, a condition that affects about 32.5 million Americans, or 1 in 7...
Your hip, a ball-and-socket joint, transports you through life. It’s your largest weight-bearing joint and is responsible for carrying your body weight, plus anything you happen to pick up to hold or move. Your hips deteriorate for a variety of reasons, most often due to osteoarthritis, which worsens with age....
Migraines are notorious for the debilitating pain they cause, and unfortunately, they’re not short-lived. Unlike other headaches, migraines can last up to 72 hours, turning your misery into a days-long event. This can make it hard to perform well at work, enjoy social outings, or even complete daily tasks. If...
The symptoms of plantar fasciitis — a painful foot condition — are unmistakable. If the arch of your foot is killing you or you have unbelievably sharp pain in your heel, it may be plantar fasciitis, which affects some 10% of the population at some point. Our dedicated team of physical therapists, Paul...
There are some fantastic perks to working from home, including being able to work in your PJs, having an unlimited supply of your favorite snacks, and having flexibility. In fact, between 2019 and 2021, the number of remote workers tripled, swelling from 9 million to over 27.5 million. There’s one problem...
Gout is the most frequently diagnosed type of inflammatory arthritis, affecting over 9 million people. The condition is sometimes called the disease of kings, since it is brought on by a diet that includes rich foods and excessive alcohol. Centuries ago, the wealthy were the only ones who could enjoy such indulgences. The...
Your shoulder is a wonder. Since this ball-and-socket joint has a wider range of motion than many joints, it’s also prone to more frequent injury. Labral tears are one of the most common injuries we treat at Empire Physical Therapy & Athletic Rehabilitation. We can help and offer treatments that heal...
Your body is amazingly designed with built-in shock absorbers of sorts to soften the wear-and-tear on your body from movement. These include cartilage that protects your joints and bones, the discs in your back, and the plantar fascia, a long ligament that runs along the bottom of your foot, from...
Efficient blood circulation is an absolute requirement for your good health, since your blood delivers essential oxygen and nutrients to your tissues, and then carries carbon dioxide and waste away from them. When you sustain an injury or have workout-related pain, your circulation can become compromised, and pain and inflammation...
Hearing the words “knee replacement” might initially cause you dread, but this procedure is a game changer if you’ve lived with debilitating knee pain and accompanying mobility limitations. If you’ve tried a multitude of treatments for severe knee pain to no avail, your doctor may recommend total knee replacement. Once the...
At any given time, a whopping 65 million Americans say they’ve suffered a recent bout with back pain, but those who suffer with a specific type — sciatica — report that the pain can be so severe it feels like an electric jolt. Between 10% and 40% of people suffer with this specific type...
Cartilage is the primary connective tissue in your body, and the labrum is the cartilage that surrounds the rounded end of the bone nestled into the flexible ball-and-socket joints — the hips and shoulders. Unfortunately, the labrum is vulnerable to tears, which can vary in severity. Labral tears typically occur because of...
There are many painful shoulder conditions, from frozen shoulder to labral tears. But sometimes conservative treatments aren’t successful and the only option is total shoulder replacement surgery, or arthroplasty. If you’re contemplating the procedure or have already had it, Empire Physical Therapy is where you can come to heal. We’re dedicated...
When you have plantar fasciitis, you know something’s not right. The condition’s painful symptoms make mobility difficult, and even just standing. It’s no wonder that the estimated 2 million sufferers experience a lower quality of life. Fortunately, our competent and caring team at Empire Physical Therapy and Athletic Rehabilitation in New York City has helped...
Lower back pain is frustratingly common — as recently as 2017, research showed that over 7% of the population worldwide suffered from it. This translates to 577 million individuals. Aside from the pain and discomfort, those suffering from low back pain miss out on work, exercise, and their favorite leisure activities. Here at Empire...
Your shoulder joint does an impressive job of allowing you to perform a wide range of diverse movements, from throwing a Frisbee and reaching above you, to stirring a pot and shaking someone’s hand. That’s because it’s your body’s most flexible joint. Your shoulder’s many abilities also mean, unfortunately, that...
When you think about the origins of joint pain, the first condition that may come to mind is arthritis, a degenerative condition often associated with aging. Its symptoms are inflamed, painful joints that develop after decades of wear and tear. But did you know that there are a host of...
When you think about knee pain, what might come to mind is a sports injury or perhaps a fall, but did you know that gout is also a common source of knee pain? Most often, people think of gout — a type of degenerative arthritis — as it relates to...
Tendonitis is a huge pain — literally. Tendons are flexible but tough, rope-like connective tissues that connect muscle to bone and allow your limbs to move. At Empire Physical Therapy and Athletic Rehabilitation, our physical therapists, Paul LaRosa, MS, PT, and Billy Reilly, MS, PT, have ample experience offering superior...
You might have played too hard — weekend warrior style — and sustained a muscle injury in your legs, or you may just be looking for something to help you realize your leg strengthening goals. Despite the difference between these two goals, there’s one solution that’s helpful in either instance:...
Your feet deserve a big round of applause for balancing many jobs every day. They support your body’s weight and allow you to do necessary things like walk and climb stairs, and the fun stuff, including playing sports and dancing. Your feet are also amazingly complex. Just one of them...
There are many types and causes of back pain. Because of this, it can be challenging for a physical therapist to first get to the root of the pain, so they can create a treatment plan that brings real, lasting relief. But the urgency of treatment ratchets up quickly when...
Your physical therapist needs to know what your body is capable of doing. Fortunately, the Functional Movement Screen™ (FMS) does this, enabling our team at Empire Physical Therapy & Athletic Rehabilitation to spot instability and vulnerabilities in your movement patterns that not only compromise your performance in sports, but contribute...
We know that more doesn’t necessarily equal better. Many times in life, quality trumps quantity. A few bites of fine dark chocolate that you can savor, for example, are worlds better than a big bar of the lesser quality stuff, which is likely to give you a stomachache. When Billy...
Baseball may be as American as apple pie, but digging into a slice of pie involves considerably less risk of injury than pitching and sliding into home plate. At Empire Physical Therapy and Athletic Rehabilitation, our physical therapists Paul LaRosa, MS, PT and Billy Reilly, MS, PT, have special experience...
There’s absolutely nothing fun about knee pain. Every time you take a step — and sometimes even when you don’t — there it is. Whether it’s a mild nuisance or excruciating, your mobility is affected. And not too long after, your quality of life is, too. You may know someone...
It’s impossible not to get a thrill from watching the mastery of talented tennis pro Serena Williams, gifted gymnast Simone Biles, or stellar soccer player Abby Wambach. Unfortunately, just like their male counterparts, women athletes suffer their fair share of sports-related injuries, and they tend to suffer certain injuries more...
The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is a primary ligament located in your knee, and ACL tears and sprains are some of the most common knee injuries that physical therapists treat. On average, up to 200,000 Americans suffer an ACL injury each year through playing sports or accident-related trauma. Others injure...
Tendinitis is no fun. It can affect many joints and causes pain around your joint that’s typically dull rather than sharp. It’s usually accompanied by noticeable swelling and limited mobility. Your tendons are dense cords that connect your muscles to your bones, so they serve an important purpose in enabling...
Back pain is a game changer, and not in a good way. If you’re one of the 16 million adults who struggles with chronic back pain, or even if it’s a once-in-a-while thing, you know that it doesn’t just hurt. The discomfort diminishes your mood and limits your mobility —...
As the largest joints in your body, your knees take a beating on a consistent basis. They support the weight of everything above them, whether you’re taking a leisurely walk or pounding the court repeatedly in a tennis game. Knee problems manifest in countless ways, from deep interior pain within...
Nearly a quarter of all adults in the United States suffer from arthritis. If you’re one of them, you know how the pain and discomfort can diminish your quality of life drastically, curtailing your mobility and the activities you can engage in. At Empire Physical Therapy & Athletic Rehabilitation, our...
If you’re mystified by sharp pains on the bottom of your foot near your heel or a persistent burning sensation in the middle of your sole, you might be dealing with plantar fasciitis, a condition that nearly 2 million people suffer from each year. You can experience those symptoms separately...
Nothing can suck the joy out of your day like chronic back pain. If you struggle with it, did you know that there are habits you’ve developed that may be making it worse? All of us at Empire Physical Therapy and Athletic Rehabilitation work in partnership with you to not...
Because everybody — and every body — is different, we all have disparate physical points that are more vulnerable to injury and wear-and-tear than others. The challenge is that you don’t know where these spots are until something happens, like an injury that could require a lengthy recovery time and...
Lower back pain is a shared affliction around the world, especially in the United States, with about 80% of the population suffering from it at some point in their lives. It can take the form of sciatica, a pain that starts in your lower back and runs down your leg,...
If you’re frustrated because your fitness routine isn’t increasing your muscle strength as you’d like or you want to recover more quickly from an injury, surgery, or chronic condition, there’s an in-office treatment that can turn things around for you, safely and quickly. At Empire Physical Therapy & Athletic Rehabilitation,...
You may have heard the term “telehealth” quite a bit in the last few years. This care platform, which allows caregivers to make simple diagnoses and treat patients remotely through the use of audiovisual technology, has risen exponentially, particularly for patients who live in remote places. But reliance on telehealth...
The sun is shining, the temperature is starting to warm up, and you’re itching to get outside and play your favorite sport or rekindle your relationship with your running group. You hear a lot about preventive health care, but did you know that preventive measures can really up your game...
It might be hard to believe that in just one person’s body, there are over 200 bones and more than 350 joints. They work in exquisite harmony to fuel your movement, but things can go awry due to injury, repetitive motion, and simply getting older, resulting in joint pain. ...
Are you frequently getting neck pain? If so, you’re not alone, as two-thirds of people get pain in their neck throughout life. The exact cause, however, is often different for most patients. So many conditions can result in neck pain, like arthritis or cervical disc disease. Even something as simple...
What is physical therapy? Physical therapy is a specialized care that focuses on easing any injury-related pain. Most people find themselves in a physical therapist’s office in the aftermath of an injury or as a result of damage to certain parts of their bodies. Physicians will prescribe physical therapy appointments...
Nothing ends a sports season — or even a career — faster than an ACL injury. Your ACL, short for anterior cruciate ligament, is a major ligament in your knee that provides stability and support. Its job is to limit the amount of rotational movement in your knee and prevent...
Are you experiencing a dull aching pain in your shoulder? Are you finding it difficult to raise your arm for everyday activities like getting a plate out of the cupboard? If so, you may have a rotator cuff injury. Here at Empire Physical Therapy & Athletic Rehabilitation, PC in Midtown...
A sprained ankle is an injury sustained when ligaments, usually those on the outer side of the ankle, are forced beyond their normal range of motion. It can occur while playing tennis or climbing stairs in high heels. Ankle sprains vary in severity. But they need to heal properly and...
Prolonged pain in your knees can come from many causes. If you're not careful, you could even be making your knee pain worse without knowing it. At Empire Physical Therapy & Athletic Rehabilitation, located on the East Side of Manhattan in New York City, we can help you put together...
Unexplained shoulder pain can cause you to suffer during the day and make it hard to sleep at night. However, the cause of shoulder pain could actually not be located in your shoulder at all! More and more people are discovering what a referred pain diagnosis is, due to shoulder...
If you’ve ever had plantar fasciitis, you know the pain in your heel and foot can be excruciating. That first step out of bed in the morning is a sharp and unwelcome start to your day. What is plantar fasciitis? About 50% of Americans experience heel pain, and the most...
A compressed sciatic nerve gets in the way of daily activity. You feel numbness, tingling, and weakness run down your leg and even into your foot. It can be especially intense when you stand up from a time of sitting (like in the car) or after a long day of...
For those who experience lost mobility and chronic pain due to the deterioration of their hips, joint replacement surgery is a powerful way to regain control and enjoyment of their lives. With satisfaction rates over 90%, hip replacement procedures are worth the investments in time and money for many. It...
Sit around any locker room and the subject of knees is bound to come up, each tale more harrowing than the last. If you’ve sustained an injury to the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in one of your knees, how you handle your recovery can make all the difference, and return...
It’s normal for your body to feel achy and stiff following a tough workout or an afternoon of intense yard work; after all, overworked muscles tend to be sensitive and inflexible until they recover. But if normal physical activities — or even long stretches of inactivity — leave your joints...