Go to Top
Life's Work PT

Life's Work PT Blog

How to Relieve Neck Pain: 5 Things You Need to Do

By Sandra Stryker
April 6, 2018
0 Comments

Neck or cervical pain is among the top five causes of disability and pain worldwide. If you have persistent neck pain, you are not alone. The World Health Organization estimates that 332 million people worldwide suffer with neck pain. As most of the world’s population is living longer, spinal pain (including neck) and headaches have moved up the ranks as one of the most prevalent and costly health conditions. The good news is there’s a lot you can do to relieve your neck pain. In fact, there’s a lot you can do to get rid of neck pain altogether. In …Read More

Proper Computer Posture to Cure Your Annoying Desk Pain

By Sandra Stryker
March 20, 2018
0 Comments

Do you spend a lot of time in front of a computer at work or at home? A recent study published by Microsoft revealed that U.S. workers spend an average of 7 hours per day on a computer, more hours than they sleep at night! In addition, 85% of workers report discomfort at their computer. The most common complaints are neck, upper back, shoulder, wrist and hand pain. It should be no surprise that HOW you sit at your computer has a tremendous bearing on your comfort. Proper computer posture can make all the difference in whether you have a …Read More

Physical Therapy Facts: Top 10 Things to Know About Pain

By Erin Courtney
March 6, 2018
0 Comments

Why do we feel pain? What is our body telling us? Learn 10 facts about pain and how physical therapy can help treat it. 1. Pain is a protective device. Things shouldn’t hurt for no reason. In a healthy body, pain is a sign that something is wrong. It’s a signal from your brain that there is something that needs attention. You wouldn’t ignore a check engine light on your car, so treat pain the same way. 2. Pain doesn’t give specifics. It doesn’t tell us what is going on in the tissues of the body. Our bodies’ pain system …Read More

The Value of Physical Therapy vs. Other Treatments for Musculoskeletal Pain

By Sandra Stryker
February 27, 2018
0 Comments

In prior blogs, I’ve talked about the value of having a good physical therapist on your health care team. I’d now like to be specific about the actual costs and benefits of having musculoskeletal physical therapy compared to other common treatments. Musculoskeletal Pain or Disorder Musculoskeletal pain or disorder is an injury to the bones, muscles, ligaments, tendons, spinal discs, fascia or other soft tissue. Musculoskeletal disorders are extremely common and very costly. According to the Centers for Disease Control: Musculoskeletal disorders are the most common reason people over the age of 50 become disabled (reduced quality of life). Musculoskeletal …Read More

How Physical Therapy for Headaches Can Improve Your Life

By Sandra Stryker
February 21, 2018
0 Comments

Did you know that headache pain is the third most common pain complaint world wide? Not only are headaches common, they can also be very disabling, leading to a decreased quality of life. Many people do not realize that physical therapy for headaches is one of the best, most effective treatments available today. According to the International Headache Society, there are 14 primary and secondary headache disorders. For example, some headache pain is caused by migraine disorder, neck trauma, head injury, jaw disorders, neck dysfunction and tension type pain. Physical therapy for headaches is effective for several of these types. …Read More

What Are Different Types of Lumbar Disc Injuries? | Life’s Work PT

By Sandra Stryker
February 15, 2018
0 Comments

Lower back or “lumbar” pain is the most prevalent and costly musculoskeletal condition worldwide. In the United States, we spend as much on the treatment of lower back pain annually as we do on the treatment of ALL cancers. Worldwide, lower back pain is among the leading causes of disability, and a top reason for why people give up work and other critical life activities. The good news is that most lumbar pain and types of lumbar disc injuries are treatable with physical therapy. This blog focuses on lumbar disc injuries, and describes the types of lumbar disc injuries as …Read More

Do I Sit Too Much? How Often You Should Exercise & Be Active

By Erin Courtney
February 6, 2018
0 Comments

Did you know the average office worker sits up to 13 hours a day? Our society is built around sitting – at your desk, in your car, and in front of the television. Doctors and researchers have been warning us about the dangers of prolonged sitting for years; prolonged sitting is associated with higher risks of diabetes, heart disease, obesity, cancer, depression and pain. An expert even described sitting as “more dangerous than smoking; it kills more people than HIV and is more treacherous than parachuting. We are sitting ourselves to death!” The more we learn about how dangerous to …Read More

If an Exercise Pill Existed … You’d Take It!

By Sandra Stryker
January 30, 2018
0 Comments

For the last 25 years, the benefits of exercise have been well-known to mainstream America. Exercise is effective in fighting the effects of aging, improving cardiovascular health, and reducing the rates of cancer, diabetes, obesity and dementia. In addition, exercise helps with many mood disorders including depression and anxiety. So, if it keeps us thinner, younger, happier and healthier, why don’t we do it?! If there was an exercise pill, you’d take it! The truth is that most western cultures prefer to take a pill rather than do something like exercise for health benefits. According to the Centers for Disease …Read More

How Long Will I Live? The Sitting Rising Test Predicts Longevity

By Sandra Stryker
January 23, 2018
0 Comments

The Sitting Rising Test: What is it? Did you know that an inability to easily get yourself up and down from the floor is a sign of premature aging and even death? The Sitting Rising Test, developed by a Brazilian physician, predicts the risk of death in the next 5 years. Several follow-up studies have validated its sensitivity. In 2016, researchers at the University of Pittsburgh published a study where they followed 2,002 people ages 51-80 over an average of 6.3 years. At the beginning of the study, each volunteer was asked to perform the Sitting Rising Test. In other words, …Read More

Lower Back Pain and 3 Ways to Prevent It

By Sandra Stryker
January 16, 2018
0 Comments

Lower back pain is extremely common. 80 percent of Americans will experience lower back pain at some point in their life. Back pain is the second most common reason we visit our primary care doctor, and why many of us miss work and life activities. Total costs of lower back pain are more than $100 billion annually. Though very painful, the source of lower back pain is often a result of overuse, aging and stress to bones, discs and joints. Here’s the good news if you suffer from lower back pain – physical therapy is very effective in treating it. …Read More