Physical therapy Archive

Paddleboarding is a popular water sport in which people stand or kneel on a "surfboard" and use a long paddle. It's a great stress buster, and it can help improve balance and strengthen key muscles, like those in the core, back, arms, and shoulders.

A 2023 study of more than 577,000 people found that people who said they met the guidelines for weekly physical activity had a 48% lower risk of dying from flu or pneumonia over a nine-year period, compared with people who said they didn't meet the guidelines.

Dry skin and athlete's foot affect many men. There are several treatment options for both conditions, and steps you can take to prevent them from occurring or returning.

Home workouts often lead to injuries, such as muscle strains and falls. To reduce injury risks, people should choose a well-ventilated, clutter-free space with a level floor and plenty of room to move; add safety essentials to the space, such as an exercise mat, a mirror to help maintain the proper exercise form, and a smart speaker to call for help if needed; and practice safe exercise habits, such as warming up before a workout and then stretching afterward.

Using stretchy bands (known as exercise bands or resistance bands) can be a good way to ease into strength training. Pull-downs target the muscles of the middle and lower back and the front of the upper arms.

Kettlebell swings are a simple exercise that helps improve posture and strengthens muscle groups that often do not get enough attention, such as those in the back of the thighs, the buttocks, the hips, and the lower back.

Regular exercise is crucial to keeping the circulatory system functioning optimally, which in turn is beneficial to overall health and protection from heart disease.

It's extremely rare for a child or teen to die suddenly because of a heart problem, but several conditions can increase the risk of sudden death. A policy statement from the American Academy of Pediatrics outlines four questions about personal and family health history that can help identify children who may be at risk.

There are many ways one can try to avoid constipation. For example, lifestyle remedies may help—such as increasing dietary fiber, getting regular exercise, and drinking three to six cups of water per day. If those approaches don't work, doctors recommend using fiber supplements, such as psyllium husk (Metamucil), methylcellulose (Citrucel), or wheat dextrin (Benefiber). Another supplement that might help is magnesium. When all strategies fail, it may be time to try over-the-counter medication. One option is an osmotic laxative such as polyethylene glycol (Miralax).

Guidelines recommend that men ages 65 to 75 who have ever smoked cigarettes be screened for an abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA). But other people at high risk might also consider this one-time test. These include older men and women with a family history of AAA and those with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or atherosclerotic heart disease. The screening test is simple and painless, and it costs roughly $50, which is fully covered by Medicare for men who meet the guideline criteria, as well as for people ages 65 to 75 with a family history of AAA.