In this interview, Dr. Elizabeth Dalrymple, lead physical therapist at Activcore, talks with Gail Turner-Cooper, the founder of Align Health coaching, about taking control of your personal health by making small, sustainable changes to your diet and lifestyle.

Have you ever heard of the Squatty Potty? Advertised as the Original Bathroom Toilet Stool, the Squatty Potty was invented in 2010 by the Edwards family. After dealing with constipation themselves, they were told to try squatting to pass their bowels. This gave them the idea of the Squatty Potty. Now you are probably wondering: why would squatting help with passing stools? Let’s get an understanding of how digestion and bowel mechanics work.

Studies have confirmed that standing for long periods of time, a routine part of a police officer's job, causes back pain. While 62% of police officers suffer from low back pain, only 9% experienced low back pain before joining the force. These statistics show us that low back pain can unfortunately be one common and negative side effect of being a law enforcement officer.

Many physical therapy clients ask their PT about certain diet types or nutritional supplements. Although physical therapists receive some background education about nutrition during their course of study, it is outside of our scope of practice to recommend specific dietary changes or meal plans. As a profession we do strive to be aware of different types of diets, as well as the molecular biology of how food breaks down in our body, which affects our ability to perform physical activity. We are also aware of how nutrition can affect tissue healing which is why we address the topic as an overview for our clients to understand its importance in their recovery.

Mother Nature has her own timeframe for when you’re going to heal. You can, however, get out of Mother Nature’s way and set your body up for optimal healing by providing the right conditions. Having helped thousands of patients over the past decade heal from a variety of injuries, traumas and surgeries, I have distilled the top 8 ways to facilitate the healing process...

Many people walk into our physical therapy office with injuries from sports or exercise classes where they participate in activities that are too advanced for them. A main example of this is when people participate in High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) exercises. Now, don’t get me wrong, I think that HIIT is a great form of exercise. There’s actually very few forms of exercise I don’t approve of. The exercise isn’t the problem, it’s the individual’s preparedness for it. Do they have the prerequisite strength and motor control for those fast paced movements.

I get this question a lot from patients, but also from friends, relatives, friends of friends, etc. There is so much information out there, often conflicting, it can be paralysis by analysis. I think most of us are aware of the adage, “sitting is the new smoking.” I don’t want to spread a fear of sitting. Awareness would be a more useful term for me to use. Here’s a potential surprise for some folks out there. Sitting might provide relief for some spinal conditions... yes it’s true.

Your mother always told you breakfast was the most important meal of the day! Well, my version of this has become: “Win the morning and your back will feel better all day.” My sister taught yoga for several years, which worked out for me well. I got to tag along and take her classes for free! When she taught in the mornings, she would often say, “your spine is most honest with you in the morning.” I would wholeheartedly agree.

June is Men’s Health Month. In the past, our blog has featured articles on men’s sexual health that have mostly focused on pain with sexual interactions. However, what if you don’t have pain with sexual interactions, but you are left troubled or dissatisfied following sex and/or intimacy? Would this issue be categorized as a sexual dysfunction?

Have you ever asked a friend “How do you know you’re doing a Kegel correctly?” and they’ve suggested practicing by stopping the flow of urine while you’re on the toilet? It is true that in order to stop the flow of urine, you have to utilize the contraction of your pelvic floor muscles. However, this is not a good idea to put into practice.