Diabetes - What's the big deal?
Well it is a big deal. The center for disease and prevention (CDC) recently reported that there is a growing incident of diabetes in this country. Currently 20.8 million Americans have diabetes and over 200,000 people die from the disease or related complications each year. In Missouri, diabetes is the 4th leading cause of death for persons aged 55 - 64 years and cost the state more than 2 billion dollars a year. There are 121,000 hospitalizations across our state and over 4,700 people die in Missouri each year from this disease.    Read more

Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes
Physiologically we know women have weaker upper extremities, always have, always will. Because of the lack of strength it is not unusual for us to injure/strain our shoulders fairly easily. If you've ever reached into the backseat to pick up a briefcase, lifted groceries out of the trunk, changed draperies, or picked up a child out of a car seat, you have the risk of a shoulder injury. There are significant injuries that can happen to a shoulder as a result of a fall.    Read more

Let me tell you what I am really good at -- Relief from Back and Neck Pain.
Thank you all for the feedback I have received from you regarding my previous articles. Its fun hearing that people are standing up taller and feeling better since reading and practicing what I have to preach. Now I want to let you know what I am really good at doing.    Read more

Every Doctor has an Opinion - But Which One is Right?
A Client asks…
"I have been to several doctors and a physical therapist (PT) and each one of them tells me something different about my back pain. One says I have a pinched nerve and should rest, one says I have a herniated disc and that I need surgery right away, and another says I should do exercises to feel better. How are you supposed to make sense out of all the different information?"    Read more

Good News for Troubled Feet
Do your feet hurt? There are a couple of things worse than your feet hurting, but not many. It makes getting through the day tough, and certainly cuts down on the fun things we do after work, such as grocery shopping, house work, laundry and chasing after the kids. One of the reasons for foot pain is plantar fasciitis. Pain from plantar fasciitis can affect both the arch and the heel of the foot. The plantar fascia is a thick broad band of tissue that runs along the bottom surface of the foot. This band of tissue can get tight and cause pain.    Read more

Questions & Answers about Physical Therapy
I have had a lot of people ask me various questions after reading the articles I have had in the Women's Journal, so I won't profess to be a Dr. Donahue, but I will commit this column to answer any questions you may have regarding topics relevant to Physical Therapy.
"I seem to get a lot of muscle cramps in my legs, why does it happen and what can I do about it?"
Muscles cramps are pretty common and there are many reasons for the cramping. Here are just some of the common reasons. Injuries can create muscle cramps. Muscle cramping can cause a "splinting" of the area to prevent movement, which prevents further injury...    Read more