Sprouting Up Therapy

02/13/2026

New Blog Post on our website. Check it out!

www.sprouting-up-therapy.com/blog-1/physical-benefits-of-exercise-for-kids

02/11/2026

02/06/2026

Weak Hips & Low Back Pain

Low back pain is very often not a primary spinal problem but a consequence of altered hip biomechanics. One of the most common patterns seen clinically is a weak gluteus medius combined with a tight quadratus lumborum (QL). This imbalance disrupts pelvic stability, alters load transfer, and increases mechanical stress on the lumbar spine during everyday movements like walking, standing, or single-leg activities.

The gluteus medius is the primary frontal-plane stabilizer of the pelvis. During single-limb stance, it works eccentrically and concentrically to prevent the pelvis from dropping on the unsupported side. When this muscle becomes weak or inhibited, the pelvis tends to shift or drop laterally. To prevent collapse, the body recruits the quadratus lumborum as a compensatory strategy. While this helps maintain upright posture temporarily, it places excessive compressive and shear forces on the lumbar segments.

As the quadratus lumborum becomes overactive and tight, it elevates one side of the pelvis, creating asymmetrical loading across the lumbar spine and sacroiliac region. This leads to increased spinal side-bending moments, facet joint compression, and uneven disc loading. Over time, this repetitive stress contributes to chronic low back pain, stiffness, and reduced spinal movement efficiency.

This imbalance also affects lower-limb alignment. Weak hip abductors allow increased femoral adduction and internal rotation during gait, which shifts the center of mass laterally. To control this deviation, the trunk leans toward the stance leg, further increasing QL activation. This trunk lean increases lumbar compressive forces and reduces the shock-absorbing capacity of the hips, forcing the spine to absorb loads it is not biomechanically designed to handle repeatedly.

In addition, altered hip mechanics reduce effective force transmission between the lower limbs and trunk. The pelvis loses its role as a stable base, leading to poor kinetic chain sequencing. As a result, even simple activities like prolonged standing, stair climbing, or walking can provoke low back symptoms due to continuous muscular guarding and spinal overload.

02/04/2026

It's World Cancer Day.

World Cancer Day is an international day observed every 4 February to raise awareness about cancer, encourage its prevention, and mobilize action to address the global cancer epidemic.

02/04/2026

To my fellow parents of children with special needs...I needed this reminder and felt the need to pass it on.

You are not alone!

As a special needs mom and physical therapist, I bring a different perspective to my care and treatment.

02/02/2026

It's the 140th year of the Pennsylvania Tradition of the Groundhog!

What does a sleepy, furry marmot have to do with seasonal change? According to fans of Punxsutawney Phil, everything! But why?

The story begins with Candlemas, an early Christian holiday where candles were blessed and distributed. Celebrators of the holiday eventually declared clear skies on Candlemas meant a longer winter. The Roman legions, during the conquest of the northern country, brought this tradition to the Germanic tribes who concluded that if the sun made an appearance on Candlemas Day a hedgehog would cast a shadow, thus predicting six more weeks of bad weather or "Second Winter." German immigrants brought the tradition to Pennsylvania; but how did Punxsutawney Phil emerge?

In 1886, a spirited group of groundhog hunters from Punxsutawney dubbed themselves "The Punxsutawney Groundhog Club." One member was an editor of Punxsutawney's newspaper. Using his ink, he proclaimed Punxsutawney Phil, the local groundhog, to be the one and only weather prognosticating groundhog. He issued this proclamation on Candlemas, and yes, Groundhog Day. Phil's fame spread, and newspapers from around the globe began to report his Gobbler's K**b prediction. Today you will find up to 30,000 in attendance and millions watching on television or streaming on the internet.

02/01/2026

February is National Awareness Month for:

American Heart Month
National Cancer Prevention Month
Congenital Heart Defect Awareness Week (February 7–14)
World Cancer Day (February 4)
National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (February 7)
National Children's Dental Health Month
Rare Disease Day February 28th

01/31/2026

It's National Inspire Your Heart with Art Day.

Art is a fun way to motivate kids to do movement. It is often thought of as fine motor for grasp and hand-eye coordination, but I frequently use it during physical therapy sessions for gross motor skills as well. I use it while doing an obstacle course to return and get a new paint color, doing splash art by practicing target practice and throwing a ball or when doing ball walkouts and working on shoulder stability and core strength to do an ink dobber picture or handprint artwork.

01/30/2026

How Can Physical Therapy Help?
Since balance issues often result from a combination of factors, you may not know what is causing the problem. This is where physical therapy can be helpful. During your initial evaluation, you will complete a balance assessment to determine what specific deficits may affect you. Once these risk factors have been identified, your physical therapist can create a customized exercise program to address them.

Physical therapy helps with other factors associated with fall risk and balance issues. If you have muscle weakness that contributes to your risk, your physical therapist can teach you exercises for strengthening and instruct you on how to perform them at home. Your physical therapist will also perform a gait assessment to see if you would benefit from using an assistive device for ambulation. If you already use such a device, a therapist can ensure you are using it correctly and, if not, teach you the proper technique.

The goal of physical therapy is to help prevent you from falling. However, there is still a risk, and physical therapy can also teach you techniques and strategies that you can use if you fall and are unable to get up off the floor by yourself.

What Else Can You Do To Prevent Falls?
Exercising to maintain strength and balance and regulating underlying medical conditions can go a long way toward reducing your fall risk. There are external risk factors as well, but here are some ideas for mitigating them:

Declutter your home to remove obstacles that could pose tripping hazards
Remove throw rugs from your home
Wear footwear with a gripping sole to prevent slips
Install a motion-sensitive night light so you can see where you’re going after dark
Install grab bars in the bathroom and be careful of slippery surfaces
Use hand railings when walking on stairs or ramps
Walk on flat, even surfaces outside as much as possible

01/29/2026

What Factors Increase Your Risk of Falling?
Most falls among senior citizens result from a combination of issues with balance, which is your ability to orient yourself in space to stay upright, and gait, which is the way you walk. Gait issues often grow out of balance issues because when you don’t feel confident about your ability to stay upright, you may make changes to the way you walk to help you feel steadier. This can happen subconsciously, so you may not even be aware of the changes.

Factors that can affect your balance and lead to gait changes include the following:

1. Visual Impairments
Cataracts, glaucoma, and macular degeneration are all examples of eye conditions that tend to affect older people and impair vision. Even normal vision changes associated with aging can affect depth perception and visual acuity. This can affect your balance by making it more difficult to see where you are stepping or detect obstacles in your way.

2. Muscle Weakness
Cataracts, glaucoma, and macular degeneration are all examples of eye conditions that tend to affect older people and impair vision. Even normal vision changes associated with aging can affect depth perception and visual acuity. This can affect your balance by making it more difficult to see where you are stepping or detect obstacles in your way.

3. Medication Side Effects
While medications may be necessary to regulate certain medical conditions, they can cause side effects that can affect your balance, such as fatigue, dizziness, and decreased blood pressure. If you have concerns that your medications may contribute to your fall risk, you should talk to your doctor about adjusting your dosage rather than discontinuing the medication.

Other underlying medical conditions can also affect your balance and fall risk. For example, trouble with the vestibular system can cause vertigo. Arthritis can cause pain in your joints, making your gait stiffer, while peripheral neuropathy can cause a poor sensation in your feet.

01/28/2026

People of all ages can experience falls, but for seniors, the risk is greater, and the effects of the fall are often more severe than in the younger population. Physical therapy can help you recover from a fall. Not only that, but if you begin physical therapy before falling, it can mitigate the risk, possibly preventing a fall from happening in the first place.

Why Are Falls More Dangerous for Seniors?
Every year falls affect approximately one-third of the elderly population. Approximately one out of five of these falls results in head trauma, broken bones, or other serious injuries. Underlying medical conditions that weaken bones, such as osteoporosis, can compound the risk of fractures or other serious injuries.

The chances of elderly people dying from a fall are greater than for younger people and have been steadily increasing since 2007. Even if a fall does not prove fatal, it can rob you of your independence.

Falls are the reason behind 40% of all nursing home admissions, and nearly half of those admitted to a nursing home following a fall live out the rest of their lives there rather than returning to their prior living situation. However, the chances of surviving a fall and returning to independent living increase by 80% when you seek help after a fall, which can include physical therapy.