Physical Therapy Blog
What’s the Difference Between Acupuncture and Dry Needling?
Clinician inserts long, filiform needles into specific points along your body to help reduce pain, increase motor function, and/or improve your overall health. Are we describing acupuncture, or dry needling? Can’t tell? Well don’t be surprised, most people don’t...
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Learn to be a Health Consumer
Let’s face it, Americans will continue to face rising healthcare costs. Whether measured relative to its population or economy, the United States spends by far the most in the world on health care. (Mark Pearson, OECD) The U.S. spent $8,233 on health per person in...
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Sleep: The Body Mechanic’s Workplace
At the end of a difficult day, sleep is a welcome release. Ever wonder why babies sleep so much? I always thought it was because they don’t have a job. Reality is that sleep is vital to growth and development. The value of sleep continues in adulthood. A good night’s...
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Painful Lies – Resource Guide for Pain Recovery
Pain is an opportunity. An opportunity to listen to your body as you determine which challenges are worthwhile ventures. Pain forces you to live in the present. You can wait for it to disappear, much like a shipwreck survivor awaits rescue. Or you can begin the...
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Alaska’s Opioid Epidemic
As recent as 2012, Alaska’s opioid overdose death rate was greater than double the rate in the United States (10.5 vs. 5.1 per 100,000 persons). Understanding how severe this epidemic has grown, Governor Bill Walker recently signed into law House Bill 159 in effort to...
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Regenerative Medicine: A Physical Therapy Perspective
All of us have experienced the self-healing properties of the human body. Often times, a few bumps and bruises in our youth are simply part of life. The process of human growth and development involves complex cellular activity which fosters growth and tissue...
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Diagnosed with Fibromyalgia? Go See Your Muscle-ologist.
What! You have never heard of a muscle-ologists? As peculiar as this sounds, it amazes me that there is no such thing as a “muscle doctor.” Think about it, there is a doctor for nearly every major organ. A heart doctor is a cardiologist. A skin doctor is a...
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Interested in a Career in Physical Therapy? Here’s what it takes.
According to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics, the projected growth in employment for physical therapy over the next 10 years is approximately 34%. This is much higher than the national average of 7%. With the excellent job outlook and high rate of employee...
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Jaw Dropping Strategy to Eliminate Jaw Pain
There is some pain which we can just "grin and bear it," and then there is the unrelenting type of pain. Those that have experienced chronic jaw pain can relate to the latter. One of the most frequently used joints in the body, the jaw or temporomandibular joint...
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Hope for Pelvic Pain
If there were any taboo subject related to chronic pain, it would have to be in regards to pelvic health. Many clients (both women and men) have a difficult time bringing up pelvic floor issues as they are often regarded as embarrassing or irrelevant. The fact of the...
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Eat Your Way to Strong
Northern Edge Physical Therapy promotes the principles of mobility and strength to guide exercise prescription. Our clients realize real success when the exercise is geared towards restoring tissue nutrition and balance throughout the kinematic chain. Our goal behind...
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Living With Pain vs Painful Living
Pain is a multidimensional sensation which requires a multifaceted approach. Simply put, pain is a powerful force. Pain is initiated at receptors in the periphery (nociceptors) and its real potential is harnessed by neurons within the central nervous system. For...
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Dry Needling is an effective treatment for Acute Neck Pain
A recently published randomized clinical trial suggest that a single session of Trigger Point Dry Needling decreases neck pain intensity and widespread pressure sensitivity, and also increases active cervical range of motion in patients with acute mechanical neck...
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What’s the difference between a Chiropractor and Physical Therapist?
It's almost second nature for therapists to become defensive when a client claims 'Isn't PT the same as chiropractic?' But the reality is that these professions are both involved in the treatment of pain and injury. The difference is in their education, philosophy,...
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Whiplash
Whiplash is an acceleration and deceleration injury to the neck. It is the most common non-fatal injury from a motor vehicle accident AND it can occur at speeds as low as 5 mph!! Symptoms of pain and stiffness can occur a few hours or days post-accident and can last...
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Low-Level Laser Therapy (LLLT)
A recent study demonstrated the benefits of low-level laser therapy (LLLT) for patients struggling with knee osteoarthritis. Laser therapy was effective in reducing joint pain and improving function. LLLT is a safe and effective method to stimulate improved joint...
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Keith Poorbaugh
I started my physical therapy career at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN. This was quite an accomplishment or just pure luck for a guy that exited the military with more dreams than marketable skills. But the most important thing I learned in the military was to hit...
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