Ever have a stabbing feeling in your heel with your first step out of bed the morning after a long hike down the Colorado Trail? The stabbing pain is the call sign of a condition commonly called plantar fasciitis. The plantar fascia is a strong fan-like band of stiff connective tissue that stretches from the […]
Chi running is a technique for running involving landing on the mid-foot with an erect posture, a forward lean from the ankles and a more rapid stride cadence. Running like this was recently compared to heel striking in the Journal of Orthopedic & Sports Physical Therapy “A Comparison of Negative Joint Work and Vertical Ground […]
I’ll be volunteering at the Durango Double Runs this weekend. Making it to the start line of these races is an accomplishment, as they are long enough to require significant preparation. If you have a pain that came up recently in your preparation, we at Rakita Tomsic Physical Therapy can help you make it to […]
I just finished a trip to Fort Collins for my nieces’ wedding, and I was reminded of how important sitting posture is for back pain prevention. Most of us must use support for the low back to maintain its arch while on a long trip. Keeping the knees lower than the hips facilitates maintaining the […]
It’s a beautiful fall day and you’re out on an awesome bike ride. Suddenly, there is this big rock and it messes with you. You find yourself on the ground, and now your shoulder hurts. Or perhaps you are on a hike or a trial run, and that same rock shows up and you roll […]
Plantar fasciitis (bottom of the foot or heel pain)is always a very painful condition, and patients have a hard time figuring out how to ease their symptoms. They read something on the Web, or talk to their friend who suggests a technique or product that ‘cured’ them. They try it and it doesn’t work for […]
After a short break from school I am back in for my second semester. It was very refreshing to not get up at 5 a.am to study every day, but to sleep in to 6 a.m.! I spent a little bit of time in the garden, which has been left on it’s own all summer, […]
Well, I survived my first semester of graduate school in my quest to earn my Doctorate degree in Physical Therapy. I (contrary to how I felt during the semester) earned straight A’s. The first semester focused on reading, understanding and interpreting medical literature, and how to use this evidence to best treat our patients for […]
Dave Rakita, co-owner of Rakita Tomsic Physical Therapy and world-class competitive triathlete, passed the Orthopedic Clinical Specialist (OCS) certification examination for the third time. The OCS certification program was established by the American Physical Therapy Association to provide formal recognition for physical therapists with advanced clinical knowledge, experience, and skills in a special area of […]
I have decided after 23 years of clinical practice to return to school. As with all professions, they evolve and sometimes attending weekend continuing education is not enough to keep up. The goal of the physical therapy profession is autonomous practice by 2020. What that means is all patients, regardless of insurance, can walk into a physical therapy […]
