Have you ever used Rest-Ice-Compression-Elevation ( R.I.C.E. ) to treat an injury before? If you answered yes, you’re not alone. R.I.C.E. was coined by Dr. Gabe Mirkin in 1978 as a treatment for athletic injuries, as ice provides great pain relief; it has been a standard treatment for athletic injuries and sore muscles ever since. But it turns out this may not have been the best advice after all, as both ice and complete rest have been proven to delay healing, instead of help

Introduction I’ve been an avid runner for about twenty years, someone who genuinely loves the rhythm of racing and the structure of training. Earlier in my career, marathon prep became a ritual: five days a week of running, high weekly mileage, carefully timed speed work, strength training, and tune-up races. These rituals didn’t happen in a vacuum. I was also experiencing a great deal of work stress from a demanding full-time job, often checking emails well past 9:00 PM, the

Any runner knows what it’s like to want to push yourself, whether going for a PR, longest run, multiple races in a season or any other big goal. The more you push, however, the higher the risk of injury. Injuries happen to any of us, even the ones that know how to treat them. This past August, I was in the middle of a speed workout around a loop near my house I have done a million times. On the final rep, with a minute left in the workout, my knee suddenly became really sharp

When we talk about pronation, we get a lot of concerned looks from our patients. 20 years ago, we thought this was the worst word in the world and that it only caused pain while running. But it’s actually very important for running; it’s just a matter of how much your foot pronates.  By definition, ankle pronation is the combined motions of ankle eversion, dorsiflexion, and abduction when your foot hits the ground. When pronation occurs when walking and running, your foot is

For many golfers, back pain after a round feels like an inevitable consequence of the game. But here’s the truth — it’s not bad luck, and it’s not just your age. More often than not, it’s limited mobility in key areas. When your thoracic spine (mid-back)  and hips  can’t rotate enough, your lower back ends up doing the extra work. The result? Inconsistent ball striking, loss of power, and that familiar post-round stiffness. The Power Chain in the Golf Swing A powerful, effici

A great serve relies on the coordination of your entire body to load, store, and release energy, not just arm strength. As a physical therapist for tennis athletes, I've seen many with shoulder pain from serving. While players often focus on shoulder strength for rehab, a powerful, pain-free serve also requires mobility in the ribcage and thoracic spine, crucial for efficiency and shoulder protection. Why Ribcage & Thoracic Spine Mobility Matter The ribcage and mid-back form