Are you suffering from weak ankles? Are you always rolling or spraining your ankles? Are you battling with foot/ankle tendon injuries? Try these exercises to improve your foot and ankle strength and stability.

Summers in Missoula continue to get warmer & for many that means setting the alarm earlier for their workouts. However, research shows that heat training can be very beneficial in preparation for races & overall exercise performance. Perhaps hitting snooze & moving your exercise plans to a warmer time of day, isn’t such a bad idea! Learn more about what heat training is, its benefits, & how to get started below.

Whether you enjoy biking, camping, hiking, or trail running, summer is the best time of year to live in Big Sky country and enjoy the outdoors. Here at Sapphire PT, we work with a lot of patients who have running-related pains and one of the most common is the IT band.

As runners, we are constantly on the lookout for the next great shoe, hoping to find the Holy Grail of running shoes. I am guilty of owning an embarrassingly large number of running shoes. While each pair serves a different function, I am still waiting for the shoe which does it all.

Manual muscle testing has been a standard clinical measure used to assess muscle forces since the early 1900s by Lovett and Wright.1,2 Originally developed in response to polio’s impact on muscular strength in children, this grading system has since been cultivated to allow physical therapists the ability to subjectively assess and grade muscular strength for the sole purpose of identifying areas of weakness and limb asymmetries in all ages.1 Research has also produced functional standards to help assess strength without needing a doctorate degree. One of the quickest and easiest tests to perform is the single leg calf raise.

We gravitate toward running because of many wonderful benefits. To name a few, running maintains heart/ lung/muscle/ tendon/ bone density health, and that’s just the body. Running also helps improve mood, reduces stress (boosting the immune system), and gives us a great connection to the community.

Join us in welcoming Sam Van De Velde, Exercise Physiologist to the many talented services available in the Sapphire Physical therapy building. From testing, coaching, to strength training, Sam is here to support you in your athletic endeavors from novice to expert.

When we have surgery or have a common orthopedic injury, there are typically protocols and guidelines for physicians and physical therapists to follow to determine the best plan of care moving forward. However, when it comes to recovering after having a baby, there are little guidelines and research to help guide the recovery process.

The wonders of the human foot go beyond the 28 bones, articulating joints, and over 100 tendons and ligaments. The foot contains four layers of muscle responsible for toe and foot motion and stability. Regardless of the type of shoe you put on your foot, the foot itself is designed to absorb impact and propel us over ground and over a variety of terrain. One mechanism unique to the human foot is the windlass mechanism. The windlass mechanism is an ingeniously engineered feature which warrants our appreciation and understanding.