Author: Julie Moon, Physical Therapist

  • Strategies to Ease Morning Stiffness

    Difficulty getting out of bed in the morning? Or taking longer for joints and muscles to loosen due to stiffness? The basic causes of morning stiffness are lack of physical activity, not sleeping properly and chronic conditions like arthritis. Try these strategies to loosen up: • Five minutes of movement in bed can ease discomfort.…

  • Prevent Injury When Caring for Kids

    Even for the fittest of grandparents, taking care of grandkids can really take a toll on your body. The most common areas of injury are the neck, shoulders, back and knees. Here are tips to prevent those aches and pains. If you are inactive, wrestling on the floor or walking around the zoo can have…

  • Walking on an Underwater Treadmill

    Walking on an Underwater Treadmill by Julie Moon, Physical Therapist from the Oct-Nov 2016 issue of Generations Magazine, Hawai‘i’s Resource for Life

  • Avoid Luggage Injuries

    Avoid Luggage Injuries by Julie Moon, Physical Therapist from the August-September 2016 issue of Generations Magazine, Hawai‘i’s Resource for Life

  • Lumbar Stenosis Misdiagnosis

    Lumbar Stenosis Misdiagnosis by Julie Moon, Physical Therapist from the June-May 2016 issue of Generations Magazine, Hawai‘i’s Resource for Life

  • Aquatic Therapy for Rheumatoid Arthritis

    Many confuse rheumatoid arthritis (RA) with osteoarthritis (OA), which stems from different causes and demands a separate therapeutic program. Unlike OA, RA is an autoimmune disorder that affects any age. Onset and loss of mobility may appear almost overnight. Sanchia Roberts awoke one morning in 1999 unable to move due to crippling pain. Since then,…

  • Older Adults Adapting to Limb Loss

    Statistics show that a majority of U.S. patients who require an amputation are age 65 and older. Amputation will likely intensify feelings of dependency, depression and helplessness: I’m too old now to learn to live without a limb. Who cares anyway? Who knows how many years I have to live? Limb loss is a serious…

  • Cold Laser Therapy for Pain

    Pain affects more Americans than diabetes, heart disease and cancer combined. The American Academy of Pain Management estimates that more than 100 million Americans suffer from chronic pain. Patients often explore multiple options for relief, but pain medication continues to be the mainstay of chronic pain management in the U.S. Forty years of research supports…

  • Are You Golf-Ready?

    Golf is a popular sports activity. Unlike most sports, it can be played throughout the golden years, if you can avoid injury and stay in shape. The American Physical Therapy Association says that older golfers often forget that while their passion for the game remains high, their bodies have aged. As we age, we lose…

  • Total Knee Rehab and Recovery

    The knee is the most often replaced joint in the body. Usually, total knee replacement (TKR) surgery is performed when people have knee damage and pain caused by osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis or alignment problems in the leg that make walking or performing daily activities difficult. Successful recovery requires a considerable investment of time and energy…