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No Time for Exercise? Make Time for Movement.

Don’t have time for exercise? Perhaps, say physical therapists, it’s time to reframe what true exercise looks like.  After all, exercise doesn’t require a gym, special equipment or a high intensity. Down to its core, exercise is simply movement, and despite being busy, most of us have plenty of time to move around every day.  The key, […]

Can Exercise Ward Off Cold and Flu Symptoms?

As cold and flu season approaches, so does the season of illness prevention.  From getting flu shots to adding a little extra Vitamin C to our diets, prevention often becomes a focus for those concerned with getting sick, missing work and/or school, and optimizing the joy of their upcoming Holiday Seasons.  It’s based on this […]

I Stand Corrected! 5 Common Fitness Myths

When only one in three adults get the recommended amount of physical activity their bodies need each week (according to the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness & Nutrition), it’s difficult for we as physical therapists to find fault when an individual is making an effort to exercise … even if the effort’s slightly misguided.  But since October is National Physical Therapy Month, […]

Philadelphia Health: 6 Physical Therapy Myths during National PT Month

PHILADELPHIA, PA – October is National Physical Therapy month, a time when physical therapists like Chris McKenzie of Philadelphia not only celebrate their profession, but also educate others about the role physical therapy plays in improving the health and vitality of their patients … and of health care in general.  While a physical therapist’s roles are both broad and diverse, McKenzie says several […]

Save the RICE for First-Aid, Not Healing & Recovery

For decades, the standard and recommended response to an injured muscle, tendon or ligament was to “apply RICE,” an acronym that stands for a protocol of rest, ice, compression and elevation.  Yet these days, according to Philadelphia physical therapist Chris McKenzie, the application of RICE as a treatment for these sports-type soft-tissue injuries isn’t 100 percent supported by science.  […]

5 Exercises for Improving Balance & Preventing Falls

When we’re young, falls are treated as teaching opportunities. “Get back on your feet, brush yourself off and keep moving toward your goals,” we were told. But as we age, falls take on a much greater significance. When someone of advanced age falls, they tend to suffer greater distress to their health as well as […]

To Stretch or Not to Stretch? Tips for Optimizing Flexibility

Many have grown up with the understanding that, whenever you’re about to work out, compete or otherwise push your body, it’s important to stretch immediately before the activity in order to prevent injury and perform your best.  Yet, despite these long-held beliefs – and perhaps surprisingly – there’s little evidence to support this theory.   Today’s evidence suggests that there’s no connection between injury prevention and stretching – static, or reach-and-hold-type stretching – before a workout. Performance-wise, there’s also no […]

Concussion Symptoms can Improve with Managed Exercise, Physical Therapy

With high school sports starting up soon and NFL training camps in full swing, concussions are certain to ramp up within the mainstream consciousness.  And, while talk will often point to conventional wisdom which states that “time and rest” are the best and only options for recovery from concussion, Philadelphia physical therapist Chris McKenzie says that studies now suggest managed […]