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Reaching for a coffee mug. Getting dressed. Swinging a golf club. Sleeping on your side. When your shoulder hurts, even simple parts of your day can become frustrating. You may find yourself skipping workouts, lifting less, or wondering when your shoulder will feel like itself again. If you have been offered a cortisone injection for ongoing shoulder pain, you may be asking: Is there another option I can try first? At 603 PT & Wellness in Dover, NH, regenerative shockwave the

Many people feel nervous when they hear the word “deadlift.” They picture a heavy barbell. They may worry about hurting their back. Some have even been told to avoid lifting forever after an injury. But lifting is part of everyday life. You lift laundry baskets, grocery bags, garden supplies, pets, and grandchildren. Learning how to lift with strength and confidence can help you keep doing the things you enjoy. The hip hinge is one of the best movement patterns to learn. You

Does the back of your heel feel stiff when you first get out of bed? Does it hurt when you walk uphill, run, hike, or climb stairs? You may be dealing with Achilles tendon pain. This problem is common in active adults over 40. It can start after a sudden change in activity. You may have added more hills, increased your walking, started running again, or changed your shoes. Sometimes the pain begins without one clear cause. Rest may calm the pain for a little while. But rest a

Have you noticed more aches and pains since entering your 40s? Maybe your shoulder hurt last month, but now your hip, knee, or heel is sore. You may feel stiff in the morning. An old injury may suddenly bother you again. Your body may also take longer to recover after exercise. These problems are real. They may be part of menopausal musculoskeletal syndrome. Hormone changes during perimenopause and postmenopause can affect your joints, muscles, tendons, and bones. The good ne

Shoulder pain can make simple tasks feel hard. Reaching into a cabinet, putting on a shirt, sleeping on your side, lifting weights, golfing, or working in the yard may all become painful. You may have already tried ice, rest, pain medicine, or basic exercises. These steps may calm the pain for a short time. But if the pain keeps coming back, waiting longer is not a real plan. It is time to address a key source of the pain, not just cover up the symptoms. At 603 PT & Wellness

Knee pain can make everything harder. Walking. Stairs. Golf. Running. Hiking. Getting up from a chair. Even getting through a normal workday can become frustrating when your knee keeps hurting. Many people try rest, ice, medications, braces, exercises, or traditional physical therapy. Sometimes these treatments help. Other times, the pain keeps coming back. If you have been dealing with stubborn knee pain and feel like you have already “tried everything,” there may be another

Golf season in New Hampshire goes fast. By the middle of the season, you may have already played dozens of rounds, spent hours at the driving range, and taken hundreds or even thousands of swings. Your body has been putting in work too. Maybe your back feels a little tighter after 18 holes. Maybe your hip does not turn as easily as it did in May. Your shoulder may ache after a long range session. Or you may notice that it takes longer to loosen up before your first tee shot.

Gardening is a great way to stay active, enjoy the outdoors, and care for your home. But after a long day of digging, planting, or pulling weeds, your back may have a different opinion. Back pain after gardening does not always mean you hurt or damaged your spine. Often, the pain is mechanical. This means it is affected by how you move, the positions you use, and how long your body stays in one position. The good news is that you do not have to give up gardening. A few simple

Travel should be exciting. But hours in a car or airplane seat can leave your back feeling stiff, sore, or painful. Sitting for a long time places your body in one position. You may start to slouch. Your hips can become tight. Your back muscles may have to work harder to support you. If you already have back pain, a long trip may cause it to flare up. The good news is that a few simple steps can help you arrive feeling better. Why Does Traveling Cause Back Pain? Most car and

New Hampshire is home to some of the most beautiful hiking in the country. Whether your goal is your first 4,000-footer or finishing all the NH48, every hike tells a story. For me, that story started in August 2013 on Mount Washington and came full circle in September 2023 on Mount Jefferson, where I completed the New Hampshire 48 4,000-footers. Looking back at Mount Washington from the summit of Jefferson was a full-circle moment I'll never forget. Along the way, I didn't ha

During the World Cup, elite soccer players may compete in several intense matches within a short period. They sprint, cut, kick, jump, and collide with other players, then just days later, they must be ready to perform again. Most of us are not playing in the World Cup. However, many active adults in Dover, NH, and the Seacoast region still place significant demands on their bodies. Whether you're walking, running, hiking, golfing, gardening, lifting weights, playing pickleba

How Early Specialty Physical Therapy Helps Employees Stay Healthy, Productive, and on the Job If you work in construction or another manual labor job, chances are you've had back pain. Many people think it's just "part of the job." They expect to wake up sore every morning, struggle through the workday, and hope the pain goes away over the weekend. It doesn't have to be this way. Most back pain is mechanical pain, which means it comes from the way the joints, muscles, discs,

If you have jaw pain, headaches, clicking, popping, or catching in your jaw, you may have been told you have TMJ or TMD. For many people, these symptoms become part of everyday life. Eating feels exhausting. Long conversations leave your jaw aching. Exercise makes symptoms flare up. Headaches become more common. Before long, you find yourself avoiding activities you once enjoyed. The frustrating part is that many people spend months or even years trying to treat the symptoms

If you have been told your pain is something you will just have to live with, this article is for you. Many adults with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS), hypermobility spectrum disorders, and other connective tissue conditions spend years searching for answers. They see specialist after specialist, collect diagnoses, and often hear discouraging messages: "You'll always be in pain." "You need to stop doing the activities you love." "Surgery is your only option." "There's nothing e

If you are over 35, there is a good chance you have experienced this cycle: You start exercising consistently. Something begins to hurt. You are not sure if you should push through it or stop. You become worried about making it worse. Eventually, you stop exercising altogether. Unfortunately, this is one of the biggest reasons people lose strength, bone density, fitness, and confidence as they get older. At 603 PT & Wellness in Dover, NH, we work with active adults every day

Do you find yourself reaching for pain medication every week because of headaches? Maybe you've been told your headaches are caused by stress, hormones, getting older, or simply "part of life." The truth is that headaches are incredibly common, but they are not normal. At 603 PT & Wellness in Dover, NH, we regularly meet people who have been suffering from headaches for months or even years without realizing there may be treatment options available. Many people silently push

By Dr. Holly | 603 PT & Wellness – Dover, NH Most people are surprised when I tell them that my passion for movement started long before physical therapy school. Before I ever thought about becoming a physical therapist, I spent countless hours training and working with dogs. I grew up around dog shows and performance events. One of my favorite memories is sitting outside the show ring with my uncle, watching dogs move and talking about what we saw. We would discuss a dog's s

A car accident does not have to feel “serious” to affect your body. Last weekend, I was rear ended while stopped in traffic. The car that hit me was likely going less than 40 mph. At first, I thought I was lucky because the damage did not seem major. But within minutes, my neck and the muscles between my shoulder blades completely seized up. At first, I thought it was just stress from being hit. But the tightness stayed the rest of the day and into the next morning. I also de

Shoulder pain can be scary. Many people hear the words “rotator cuff tear” and immediately think: “I guess I have to stop working out.” “I probably need surgery.” “My shoulder will never feel normal again.” Thankfully, that is usually not true. At 603 PT & Wellness in Dover, NH, we help active adults recover from shoulder pain and get back to the things they love without immediately jumping to surgery or giving up activity. The good news is this: A rotator cuff tear is often

Have you ever been told: “Stop running, it’s bad for your knees.” “Don’t lift weights, it will hurt your back.” “Avoid that movement if it causes pain.” At first, this sounds helpful. But let’s be honest, if you keep stopping everything that hurts, where does it end? Do you stop exercising? Stop gardening? Stop playing with your kids? Stop doing the things you love? That’s not a real solution. That’s just shrinking your life. There Has to Be a Better Way To Treat Pain At 603