Woman Working Out

Need a Little Help Getting Active? Try Physical Therapy

You know that regular exercise is crucial to living a healthy lifestyle. The CDC recommends adults aim for 150 minutes of moderate activity a week–about 22 minutes a day, so you don’t have to toil away in the gym for hours. But hitting those numbers can still be a challenge, especially if you struggle with persistent pain or limited mobility.

That’s where physical therapy at Atlanta Human Performance Center comes in. We’re movement experts who understand all the impairments in your musculoskeletal system that can keep you from living the active, healthy lifestyle you crave. From pain management to maximizing your athletic performance, we’ll help you meet your exercise goals.

Here are just a few of the ways we can help you get healthier. Ready to get started? Call our clinic today!

Elbow Pain

We Can Reduce Pain and Restore Mobility

Many orthopedic conditions and injuries can make regular exercise feel difficult (if not impossible).  Osteoarthritis, herniated discs, tennis elbow–all can make you feel like it’s easier just to sit this one out. In reality, though, all these conditions (and others) benefit from regular exercise.

Dealing with persistent pain or limited mobility? Our Doctors of Physical Therapy offer several options for pain relief, including several manual therapy techniques, such as soft tissue manipulation, joint mobilization, or myofascial release. We use these techniques as the first step in preparing your body for regular movement.

We’ll also show you targeted, tailored exercises to reduce pain in the affected area. Joint pain often stems from muscular imbalances or postural impairments that stress the impacted joint, leading to discomfort and setting you up for more serious injuries. Strength training will help reduce your pain and get you moving again.

We Can Let You Know If You’re At Risk for an Injury

Did you know you don’t have to wait until you’re in pain to visit the team at Atlanta Human Performance Center? We’re in the business of preventing injuries, not just treating them–and we can help you enter into a new workout plan without fear!

Our comprehensive physical evaluations test the following:

  • Muscle strength and endurance
  • Overall mobility
  • Biomechanics, which looks at how your body’s systems work together to get you moving
  • Balance and fall risk
  • Posture
  • Walking patterns
  • Functional movements that you might perform for work, hobbies, or recreation

During the screens, we’ll look for potential impairments that might cause injuries down the line and suggest corrections to address them–before they become a problem.

For example, let’s say that you want to take up running after some time away. During your assessment, we noticed that you tend to bend forward at the waist when jogging. This habit means that every time your foot hits the ground, you cause more impact in your feet than necessary, which could, eventually, lead to an injury. 

By catching the form mistake now–and working with our Doctors of Physical Therapy to correct it–you lower your chances of suffering a knee injury (which could prevent you from exercising altogether).

Woman Running

Start the Journey to An Active Lifestyle Today!

No matter your needs, the Doctors of Physical Therapy at Atlanta Human Performance Center will help you get active in a way that works for you. Call us to schedule your initial consultation!

Pre-Run Banana Peanut Butter Energy Bites

Ingredients:

  • 250 g natural peanut butter
  • 180 g rolled oats
  • 15 mL maple syrup or honey
  • 5 mL vanilla extract
  • 2.5 mL ground cinnamon

Directions:

  • In a large bowl, mash the bananas until smooth.
  • Add the peanut butter, maple syrup or honey, and vanilla extract. Stir until well combined.
  • Mix in the rolled oats, cinnamon, and salt until evenly incorporated.
  • Refrigerate the mixture for 20–30 minutes to firm up slightly.
  • Roll into bite-sized balls, approximately 20–25 g each.
  • Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

How to Enjoy:

April Word Scramble

Exercise of the Month

BRIDGING
Man Starting to Run

Are you looking forward to starting running again after a long winter? At Atlanta Human Performance Center, our therapists understand running injuries, and we will make sure you run pain-free this spring!

Runners are often misled into believing unproven solutions to avoiding pain and injury. Not many people know that the number-one risk factor for runners to sustain an injury is having had an injury in the last 12 months.

The other most common risk factors are:

  • Running experience of 0–2 years
  • Restarting running after extended rest
  • Overtraining (i.e., more than 40 miles per week)

To ensure you can get back to running or increasing your mileage without pain or injury, start with an injury evaluation and a biomechanical assessment to identify any factors that could contribute to pain or injury. 

Our therapists will take a thorough history to understand your training schedule, previous injuries, and overall health status. We use this information to create an individualized program to alleviate pain and get you back to running without limits.