Derek Miles is a residency trained physical therapist currently working at Stanford Children’s Hospital as the Advanced Clinical Specialist in the rehabilitation department. He worked at the University of Florida prior for 10 years in sports medicine treating a variety of athletic injuries from overuse to post-operative. He is involved in the peer review process for academic journals and has spoken at national level conferences within the physical therapy profession. If not treating patients or in the gym Derek is likely either cooking some form of meat or reading books related to various random topics. He occasionally brews a pretty good American Pale Ale as well.
This article will focus on non-traumatic pain on the outside of the elbow, often called “tennis elbow”. Although we discuss athletes who develop pain while lifting weights, the overall approach applies to anyone with this issue. This type of elbow pain often results from overuse and requires a combination of training adjustments and setting appropriate […]
Have you ever been told you have “tendonitis,” golfer’s elbow, tennis elbow, or jumper’s knee? Tendonitis is a common concern among those who engage in physical activity and sports. However, both the diagnosis and the usual advice for management are often confusing and leave folks struggling to return to their desired activities. If you are […]
As a physical therapist, I have found that the meniscus is often blamed for people experiencing knee pain. Many people are aware that a meniscus can be damaged or “torn”; this raises questions about whether it is the cause for knee pain, and what should be done about it. In this article, I will discuss […]
What approaches come to mind when thinking about rehabilitation after an injury? Many people imagine visiting an outpatient physical therapy clinic and receiving various treatment modalities like ultrasound, needles, cups, taping, or scraping painful areas. Others might think of low-level “physical therapy exercises” like clamshells lying down on a mat or light band-resisted activities. For […]
Pain in the hips and low back are common reasons people visit doctors and physical therapists. These professionals are often tasked with identifying a cause for the pain. Unfortunately, in many cases their explanations are unjustified, oversimplified, unhelpful, or simply wrong. In this article we will discuss a common explanation for pain in these regions: […]
You rolled your ankle, whether it be in a pick-up basketball game, stepping awkwardly off the platform, or performing your best interpretive dance of Kenny Loggins’ “Danger Zone”. The ankle is now swollen, painful, and you are wondering what to do next. This article will provide a guide to return to doing the things you […]
Spondylolysis or spondylolisthesis are two intimidating words that are often described as representing a “broken back”. These aren’t words anyone wants to hear when experiencing back pain. Doctors and physical therapists often provide complicated and ominous-sounding explanations, such as a “fracture of the pars interarticularis”. From the start there is so much complexity in this […]
So you’re experiencing pain in your heel. It’s especially painful when you take your first few steps out of bed in the morning and limits your usual activities. This article will explain what is going on, why it may have developed, and what you can do to feel better. We will provide actionable steps to […]
The efficacy of placebo in enhancing performance is as well established as it is multifactorial. Geers 2014 This presents a paradox of a placebo being an inert substance, yet still having an effect on performance. A movement has recently transpired to move away from the term “placebo effect” and toward “contextual factors” to address apparent […]
Today we’ll be wrapping up our hip pain series with the familiar topic of osteoarthritis, and summarize some practical take-home points at the end (see previous parts 1 ,2, 3, and 4). For an in-depth discussion on osteoarthritis in general, we have a full-length article here, but this article will focus specifically on the hip. […]