Episodes

June 4, 2015: Falls are one of the leading causes of injury for older Americans, and vestibular system disorders are a leading cause of balance problems, which often lead to falls. In this episode of Move Forward Radio, a physical therapist describes not only how our vestibular system works but also how problems with the vestibular system can be treated through physical therapy. He also discusses how vestibular rehabilitation is a rapidly evolving, even being offered to elite athletes who rely o...

May 21, 2015: Spinal stenosis is a degenerative disease that causes a narrowing within vertebrae of the spinal column that results in pressure on the spinal cord. And while it may sound like a serious problem in need of an invasive medical procedure (such as surgery), a recently published study in the the Annals of Internal Medicine suggests that surgery should be considered only when other more conservative treatments, such as physical therapy, fail. In this episode, we’ll talk to one of the au...

May 7, 2015: The third leading cause of death in the United States is stroke. And those fortunate enough to survive a stroke often face problems with mobility, speech, balance, weakness, and memory loss, among other symptoms. Fortunately, depending on the severity of the stroke and the health of the individual – many of these side effects can be effectively treated by a physical therapist. In this episode of Move Forward Radio, a physical therapist addresses all aspects of strokes, including des...

April 23, 2015: Spring is the season when many Americans head back to the golf course and discover that their clubs aren’t the only things that have been gathering dust all winter. For all its quiet nonchalance, golf is still an athletic activity, and hitting a bucket of balls for the first time in months has a way of reminding a golfer about all of the different body parts that are activated in a single swing. Having a repeatable swing is key to having a good golf game. But with that repetition...

April 9, 2015: According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1 in 68 children in the United States have been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, or ASD. Boys are five times more likely than girls to have ASD. And even though ASD can be diagnosed by age 2, many children aren’t diagnosed until after age 4. One thing children with ASD have in common is that their disorder can be treated by a range of therapists who have individual specialties but overlapping goals. In this episo...

March 27, 2015: At Brooke Army Medical Center in Texas, physical therapists often see patients who have suffered a mild traumatic brain injury or concussion in the line of duty. Sometimes the concussion is the result of an explosion in combat. Other times, it might be due to a fall or collision during training. Lt Col Tony Cromer Jr, suffered a concussion due to a more common workplace hazard, when his head was slammed by an opening door. The effects of that workplace accident, including headach...

March 12, 2015: Because pregnancy is a core element of the life cycle, it’s easy to take for granted. A woman becomes pregnant, gestates the developing child for approximately 9 months, gives birth and then moves into motherhood. But the naturalness of pregnancy can cause even the most of athletic of mothers to overlook the inherent physical trauma involved. During pregnancy and childbirth a woman’s body goes through profound changes in a relatively brief period of time, even in the healthiest o...

February 26, 2014: In today’s landscape of technology, the image of playtime for children has changed, making sedentary activities far more common. With tablets in hand, children have easy access to video games, social media, and other television programming; and less inclination to play outdoors. Sedentary activities are fine in moderation, with a healthy amount of physical activity to balance it out. It’s imperative that adults encourage kids to put down the iPad and to pick up their feet for ...

February 11, 2015: February is American Heart Month. Each year in the U.S., 1 in 4 deaths are caused by heart disease, making it the leading cause of death for American men and women. Also, approximately 720,000 Americans will have a heart attack each year – an alarming number that sadly isn’t surprising when one considers that almost half of Americans have at least one of the three key risk factors for heart disease: smoking, high blood pressure, or high LDL cholesterol. In this episode a physi...

January 29, 2015: Conversations around physical disabilities often focus on what a person can't do. Adaptive sports turn that line of thought around by celebrating and exploring what people with disabilities can do. These days, adaptive sports combine a no-limits mindset with rapidly improving technology, resulting in people without legs skiing down a mountain, and people with spinal cord injuries swimming, and people with severe arm impairments participating in archery, and so much in between a...

January 15, 2015: The beginning of a new year often brings resolutions, and getting fit is always one of the top resolutions. So how will people be getting fit this year? According to a recent survey, an increasing number of people are doing body weight training, high-intensity interval training, or yoga. Those are just 3 of the top 20 items identified in the American College of Sports Medicine’s worldwide survey of fitness trends for 2015. In today's episode, a physical therapist and certified ...

December 22, 2015: Marybeth Smith was serious about her commitment to lose weight. Inspired by watching the Biggest Loser competition on television, she was motivated to stick to a self-designed exercise program at all costs. With a mantra of "no pain, no gain," she, at first, brushed aside the blisters on her feet and the knee pain she began to experience during her treadmill workouts. Soon her knee pain was so great, she couldn't exercise or perform regular daily activities. In this episode, M...

November 20, 2014: Andrea Parada ran her first marathon in her 40s, pain free. Months later, she could hardly get out of bed, get dressed, or brush her teeth without debilitating pain. Andrea had suffered a herniated disc in her lower back. Initiatially, she had hoped it would get better on its own, but a few months later, after trying multiple treatment options, she worried that surgery may be her only option. Not only did she want to return to a pain free life, she wanted to run marathons agai...

November 6, 2014: An athlete with a torn anterior cruciate ligament faces a daunting rehabilitation challenge, with or without surgery. A significant amount of physical therapy is likely to be involved to regain strength and range of motion. But the athlete's body might not be the only thing that could benefit from treatment. Their thoughts and emotions could need rehabilitation as well. Recent studies suggest that fear of reinjury is commonly cited among knee injury patients who don't return to...

October 24, 2014: America's obesity epidemic provides staggering statistics, most alarming are those affecting children. In the United States, 68% of adults are estimated to be overweight, with 36% falling in the obesity category. Roughly 16% of children age 6-19 are estimated to be obese, and so are at least 10% of children age 2-5. Approximately 325,000 deaths in the U.S. each year are attributed to obesity, which can contribute to an array of other health problems from cardiovascular disease ...

October 9, 2014: People everywhere experience the transformative effects physical therapy can have on their daily lives. In fact, as experts in the way the body moves, physical therapists help people of all ages and abilities reduce pain, improve or restore mobility, and stay active and fit throughout life. But there are some common misconceptions that often discourage people from visiting a physical therapist. In celebration of National Physical Therapy Month during October, the American Physic...

September 18, 2014: Choosing Wisely is a national campaign to promote conversations between health care providers and patients about utilizing the most appropriate tests and treatments, and avoiding care whose harm may outweigh the benefits. The American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) joined the campaign, initiated by the American Board of Internal Medicine Foundation, and created a list of "5 Things Physical Therapists and Patients Should Question." In this episode, two physical therapists...

September 10, 2014: According to the American Childhood Cancer Organization, approximatelyt 13,400 children between the ages of birth and 19 years of age are diagnosed with cancer each year in the United States, and approximately one quarter of them will not survive the disease. September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, during which supporters of the fight against childhood cancer are encouraged to wear gold ribbons. One of the many who will "go gold" this month is Roya Giordano, whose 13-y...

August 28, 2014: For many kids, getting through the school day is only as challenging as the educational material. But for some with special needs, simply navigating to and through the classroom is a challenge in and of itself. Available to help them are health care professionals such as physical therapists. In this episode, a school-based physical therapist discusses her role working in schools and treating children with disabilities related to conditions such as muscular dystrophy, Down syndro...

August 15, 2014: Hit by a car while riding his bike at the of 14, Tim Haitz was critically injured, spending days in a coma, weeks in the Intensive Care Unit, and months in traction. He didn't stand and bare weight for almost 10 months after his accident. After the accident, his life as he knew it had changed. Never properly rehabilitating his injuries, he went on to live a life of dysfunction and pain. It wasn't until his late 30's when he began to work with a physical therapist that his life w...

August 5, 2014: By the time Linda Cook took her 10-month old son Evan to his 4-month check-up, she was convinced he had scoliosis. Evan was having trouble breathing, he was losing strength and range of motion, and he had a noticeable hump around his ribs. Tests confirmed that Linda was right. In this episode, Linda discusses what a rare condition infantile scoliosis is, what it's like to be part of her son's physical therapy team, and the big gains her little patient is making. Evan's pediatric ...

July 17, 2014: Back pain is common, but for Barbara Jones, it created a domino effect that affected her whole body. As a teenager, she had rod fusion surgery to address a severe case of scoliosis. Years later, she had back surgery again to address symptoms of degenerative disk disease. In this episode, she and her physical therapist discuss how these conditions didn't just affect her back, but her whole body. She had severe tightness throughout her whole body that affected her mobility and abili...

July 3, 2014: As many Americans look to maintain healthy and active lifestyles up to and through their retirement years, some are finding their knees are struggling to keep up. Wear and tear can lead to osteoarthritis, which can lead to debilitating pain. And increasingly, people are turning to knee replacement surgery to help solve this problem. In this episode, orthopedic surgeon Brian Burnikel, MD, and physical therapist Jackie DelGiorno, PT, DPT, OCS, discuss what patients face when they ele...

June 19, 2014: With warmer weather and summer vacation here, parents are looking for ways to keep their children active over the summer. The American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) and its Section on Pediatrics are encouraging the whole family to get involved in physical activity with its "Summer Fit Family Challenge." In this episode, physical therapist Joe Schreiber discusses the importance of keeping kids active, and how the "challenge" helps families achieve the 60 minutes or more of mo...