Physical Therapy

Osgood-Schlatter Disease: How Long It Lasts, How It’s Treated, and How to Get Back to Sport

Written by Dr. Josh Funk, DPT Osgood-Schlatter disease is a self-limiting growth-plate irritation just below the kneecap, and here’s the part that matters most: your child usually does not have to wait it out on the sidelines. The old advice was rest until the pain stops, which could mean months or longer. Current best practice…

Read More »

Growth Plate Injuries in Young Athletes: Little League Shoulder, Osgood-Schlatter, and Sever’s

Written by Dr. Josh Funk, DPT If your young athlete has shoulder, knee, or heel pain, there’s a good chance it’s one of three common overuse injuries: Little League shoulder, Osgood-Schlatter, or Sever’s. They show up in different places but share one root cause, a growing skeleton under repetitive load. Each is an irritation of…

Read More »

knee running injury sports rehab

Why Does My Knee Hurt When I Run?

Written by Dr. Josh Funk, DPT It depends, and that’s the honest answer worth trusting. Knee pain could be a variety of different conditions, and it isn’t typically the result of one cause. The three most common culprits in runners, runner’s knee, patellar tendinopathy, and IT band syndrome, sit in different places and behave differently….

Read More »

physical therapy for shoulder pain

Can Physical Therapy Fix Shoulder Pain Without Surgery?

Written by Dr. Josh Funk, DPT For most shoulder pain, and many rotator cuff problems, yes. Physical therapy is the first-line treatment for the majority of shoulder issues, and for a lot of them, conservative care produces results comparable to surgery. Surgery is reserved for specific cases, not the default. I know this one personally….

Read More »

ACL Rehab Knee Test Knee pain physical therapy

How Long Does ACL Recovery Take? Usually 9 to 12 Months, But the Calendar Isn’t the Answer

For most people, returning to sport after ACL reconstruction takes 9 to 12 months. That’s the honest range. But the date is the least useful part of the answer. Recovery is governed by meeting objective criteria, not by hitting a number on the calendar, and a knee can feel fine while still being measurably weaker…

Read More »

Dynamic and Static Stretches for the Hip, Knee, and Ankle

Training and competition put repetitive stress on the same structures over and over. The hip, knee, and ankle absorb most of it, which is exactly why they are usually the first areas to get chronically tight. The physical therapy team at Rehab 2 Perform put together the stretching routine above to address all three, and…

Read More »

Can Physical Therapy Fix Back Pain Without Surgery? For Most People, Yes

For the large majority of low back pain, yes. Most low back pain is non-specific, which means it isn’t caused by something that needs a surgeon, and clinical guidelines point to active, conservative care like physical therapy as the first move, not surgery. The principle we treat by is simple: Modify is better than Rest….

Read More »

Do You Need a Referral to See a Physical Therapist? In Maryland and Virginia, You Don’t

In Maryland and Virginia, you do not need a physician’s referral to start physical therapy. Direct access laws let you book an evaluation and begin treatment on your own decision. So when you’re dealing with pain or an injury, you can go straight to the licensed expert who treats it, without an extra doctor’s visit…

Read More »

rehab 2 perform physical therapy vs. personal training - kettlebell squat

Physical Therapy vs. Personal Training: The Difference, the Overlap, and Why You Might Want Both

A physical therapist is a licensed healthcare provider, a Doctor of Physical Therapy, trained to diagnose and treat injury, pain, and movement problems. A personal trainer holds a fitness certification and coaches people toward strength and performance goals. The difference is scope: a physical therapist can treat a medical issue, a trainer builds fitness. But…

Read More »

How Do You Return to Sport Safely After Injury? Inside One Athlete’s Comeback at 46

Returning to sport safely after injury comes down to rebuilding in the right order instead of rushing back to where you were. At Rehab 2 Perform, that means working through Movement Health, our defining clinical framework built on three pillars: Competency (do you move well), Capacity (can you handle load), and Conditioning (can you repeat…

Read More »