Nov 19
Lower back injuries are among the most common physical maladies affecting people’s functionality and experiences in their everyday lives. The lumbosacral joint, the area of the body in which the fifth vertebrae of the lumbar spine connects to the fused vertebral bones of the sacrum, allows the body to perform complex movements. The ability to …
Nov 01
Humans perform upper and lower extremity actions daily without thinking too much about it. Starting from getting out of bed, the upper and lower body are involved in morning rituals as simple as walking to the kitchen to start a cup of coffee. More sophisticated and physically demanding actions requiring coordination and dexterity, including walking …
Oct 23
Imagine living without tables, desks, or work benches. Throw in the twist of removing an automobile that we sit down in to take us to our desired location in minutes. Just for fun, put yourself in a fantasy world where the revolution of cell phones never crossed the mind of the brilliant inventors who created …
Oct 09
“Are the first few minutes of getting out of bed just absolute hell?” my friend Kaus asked me while we were enjoying one of Model Bakery’s finest English muffins, which had been toasted and smothered in strawberry jam. Kaus and I take leisurely walks every few weeks, discussing our hobbies, traveling adventures, and current events. …
Oct 04
Walking, getting in and out of cars, going up and down stairs, or kneeling to pick up objects are common activities in our everyday lives that our lower extremities allow us to do. However, activities that seem simple enough that someone should be able to do it with their eyes closed can be cut short …
Sep 28
“That’s just bad math,” my physics professor told me as I struggled to finalize a lengthy equation for calculating potential energy in one of our laboratory experiments. “Use PEMDAS,” she chirped at me, slightly annoyed. I recalled the fourth-grade lesson on multiplying numbers of more than two digits, long division, and the introduction of the …
Sep 19
“They all put their underwear the same way,” my high school football coach proclaimed during his pre-game motivational speech. This seemingly off-topic comment, a nugget of wisdom from our leader, left my teammates and I pondering its relevance to our upcoming game against Vallejo High School. We were preparing to face a team known for …
Aug 28
“It doesn’t get much better than this,” I commented after sitting on a bench at Crane Park in St. Helena and peering out into the vineyard-laced countryside with a few of my pickleball companions. We concluded a three-hour session of playing pickleball matches, switching partners every game. For me, this was just what the doctor …
Aug 01
The ability to maintain our body’s balance throughout our everyday life activities is critically important to our productivity and functionality. Deconditioned fitness levels, recovering from a significant surgery, or the general advancement of age play a role in creating unbalanced environments. Standing up from seated or lying down positions, correcting our walking path if we …
Jul 02
“Once we get over the age of thirty, we’re pretty much diagnosed with arthritis.” These were the words of a physical therapist who mentored me during one of my many internship experiences. Arthritis appears in a multitude of presentations based on an individual’s history of injury, adherence to exercise and physical activity, or through a …
