Could Alterations in the Gut Microbiome Mediate Chronic Pain in Patients with Fibromyalgia?

Fibromyalgia (FM) is an intriguing medical condition, characterized by chronic, widespread musculoskeletal pain, fatigue, sleep problems, gastrointestinal disturbances, and alterations in mood and cognition. It affects 2-4% of the adult population, and is especially prevalent among women (although this has been recently challenged) (1).  There is no cure for FM, nor a single treatment that […]

Can Exercise Help Build a Healthy Gut Microbiota?

A new branch of medicine is quickly emerging from the growing evidence of the link between the gut microbiota – the complex set of microbial populations living within our gastrointestinal tract- and human health. In a recent blog, I discussed how nutrition shapes bacterial communities in the gut, and how dysbiosis -the loss of bacterial […]

Can a High Fat Diet Improve Physical Function in Multiple Sclerosis?

Nutrition impacts our health in multiple ways, and the current epidemic of obesity and diabetes provide direct, overwhelming proof of how poor nutrition can precipitate disease. Not surprisingly, research is showing that dietary habits and lifestyle also influence the course of neurological conditions such as multiple sclerosis (MS), where other environmental and genetic factors seem […]

Take Chronic Pain Treatment to the Next Level with Nutrition

In the spring of 2016, when the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released new guidelines questioning the safety and effectiveness of prescription opioids for the treatment of chronic pain, the organization specifically mentioned exercise and physical therapy as treatment options that “may actually work better” than off-abused painkillers. Since then, a steady stream […]

How to treat pain with nutrition in physical therapy practice

Not a single week goes by without media outlets advertising the newest drug or medical procedure to treat pain. Pharmaceuticals and invasive interventions are effective first-line choices to treat acute pain. However, most don’t provide long term relief. The biomedical model focuses on treating symptoms without addressing the root cause, such as poor nutrition, sedentary […]

Nutrition and Physical Therapy: Improve Outcomes and Your Practice

In this article, we’ll discuss the value of combining nutrition with physical therapy, and how together, they will optimize patient outcomes and transform your practice. As physical therapists, we’re always talking about links. The kinetic chain is the perfect example, by describing how subtler mechanics may influence knee pain in a client with patellofemoral syndrome. […]