Discover Osteopractic Physical Therapy

Discover Osteopractic Physical Therapy Dr. Anna Staehli Wiser, DPT, FAAOMPT

⚾️ Inner Elbow Pain This Baseball Season? Don’t Ignore It.Does your elbow hurt when you throw… or even with everyday tas...
05/19/2026

⚾️ Inner Elbow Pain This Baseball Season? Don’t Ignore It.

Does your elbow hurt when you throw… or even with everyday tasks?

That pain on the inside of your elbow could be coming from a few different sources:
👉 Tendon irritation (medial epicondylalgia)
👉 UCL strain (the ligament pitchers rely on)
👉 “Little League elbow” in younger athletes

💥 The common thread? Overuse and repetitive throwing

For young athletes, this often means irritation at the growth plate
➡️ Translation: they need rest, not more throwing

For older players, it may involve the tendon or ligament
➡️ Leading to pain, weakness, and decreased performance

🚨 Here’s the good news:
Surgery is NOT always the answer

In many cases, the right approach can help you recover without it:
✔️ Load management
✔️ Strength + mobility work
✔️ Dry needling
✔️ Progressive rehab

🎯 The key: address it early

The longer you throw through pain, the harder it becomes to fix.

⚾️ Bottom line:
Try the conservative route first—and give your body the chance to heal the right way.

Your nerves don’t start in your hand—they start in your neck.That means symptoms like:• Tingling• Numbness• Weakness• Lo...
05/11/2026

Your nerves don’t start in your hand—they start in your neck.

That means symptoms like:
• Tingling
• Numbness
• Weakness
• Loss of dexterity

…can actually be coming from the cervical spine, not the hand itself.

In fact, cervical spine conditions can mimic carpal tunnel syndrome or exist alongside it.

This is why a detailed exam matters.

Don’t just chase symptoms—find the source.

Hand Tingling? It’s Not Always Carpal TunnelCaption:Tingling or numbness in your hands is one of the most common symptom...
05/05/2026

Hand Tingling? It’s Not Always Carpal Tunnel

Caption:
Tingling or numbness in your hands is one of the most common symptoms I see—but it’s often misunderstood.

Many people assume it’s carpal tunnel syndrome, but the truth is that nerve irritation can happen anywhere along the pathway from your neck to your hand.

That includes:
• Neck (cervical spine)
• Shoulder region
• Elbow
• Wrist

If you only treat the wrist, you may miss the real cause.

A thorough evaluation should always look at the entire nerve pathway, not just one location.

Bottom line: If your symptoms aren’t improving, it may be time to look beyond the wrist.

Let’s talk supplements—because not all of them are created equal.Here’s what the research actually supports:🔹 Vitamin DE...
04/26/2026

Let’s talk supplements—because not all of them are created equal.

Here’s what the research actually supports:

🔹 Vitamin D
Essential for bone + muscle function (especially here in Maine ☀️)

🔹 Protein
Critical for maintaining muscle as we age

🔹 Creatine
One of the most studied supplements—helps improve strength and muscle mass

🔹 Omega-3s
May support muscle recovery and reduce inflammation

🔹 Collagen + Vitamin C
Can support tendon and ligament health when timed around exercise

Now here’s the key:
👉 Supplements SUPPORT your system… they don’t replace the work.

Without strength training, their impact is limited.

If you’re considering supplements, make sure they’re working WITH your plan—not instead of it.

If I could recommend ONE thing for healthy aging…It would be this:👉 Strength training.Research consistently shows that r...
04/12/2026

If I could recommend ONE thing for healthy aging…

It would be this:
👉 Strength training.

Research consistently shows that resistance training:
✔️ Builds muscle
✔️ Improves bone density
✔️ Strengthens tendons
✔️ Reduces fall risk
✔️ Maintains independence

No supplement comes close.

Not collagen.
Not vitamins.
Not hormones.

Those can SUPPORT your system…
But strength training DRIVES the change.

Think of it this way:
Your body adapts to what you ask of it.

If you don’t challenge it, it declines.
If you do, it rises to the occasion.

Start simple. Stay consistent. The results will follow.

Aging ≠ WeaknessAging does NOT mean getting weaker.Your muscles, tendons, and joints are incredibly adaptable—even into ...
04/01/2026

Aging ≠ Weakness

Aging does NOT mean getting weaker.

Your muscles, tendons, and joints are incredibly adaptable—even into your 50s, 60s, and beyond.

Yes, hormone levels shift.
Yes, muscle mass naturally declines.

But here’s the truth:
Your body still responds to the right stimulus.

With:
Progressive strength training
Adequate protein intake
Smart recovery strategies

You can maintain—and even build—strength as you age.

The biggest mistake I see?
People stop challenging their bodies.

Movement is medicine. Strength is protective.

If your goal is to stay active, independent, and pain-free—strength training isn’t optional. It’s essential.

Dry Needling for Chemotherapy-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy (CIPN)If you’ve undergone chemotherapy and are now experienc...
03/02/2026

Dry Needling for Chemotherapy-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy (CIPN)

If you’ve undergone chemotherapy and are now experiencing numbness, tingling, burning, or weakness in your hands or feet, you are not alone.

Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) occurs because certain cancer treatments can irritate or damage peripheral nerves. Over time, this can affect sensation, balance, and muscle function.

While medications like gabapentin or pregabalin may help reduce pain, they don’t directly stimulate nerve recovery.

This is where dry needling and electroacupuncture may help.

When a thin, sterile needle is placed near a peripheral nerve:

-Local blood flow increases
-Inflammation may decrease
-Nerve signaling can be stimulated
-The environment around the nerve becomes more favorable for healing

Adding gentle electrical stimulation to the needles can further enhance neural activation and circulation.

Research has shown that structured treatment programs (often 1–2 times per week for several weeks) can reduce symptoms and improve function in individuals with CIPN.

The earlier neuropathy is addressed, the better the potential outcome.

If you or someone you love is struggling with persistent neuropathy after chemotherapy, there may be options beyond simply “living with it.”

Shoulder pain that won’t improve with exercise?The problem might be deeper than rotator cuff musclesSuprascapular nerve ...
02/03/2026

Shoulder pain that won’t improve with exercise?
The problem might be deeper than rotator cuff muscles

Suprascapular nerve entrapment is an often-missed cause of shoulder pain and weakness.

The suprascapular nerve supplies key rotator cuff muscles that lift and rotate your arm. When this nerve becomes irritated or compressed—often from repetitive overhead activity—it can cause pain, strength loss, and poor shoulder control.

Common signs include:
• Deep or posterior shoulder pain
• Weakness with lifting or rotation
• Symptoms that don’t respond to typical “rotator cuff” treatment
• In some cases, visible muscle loss

This condition is frequently seen in swimmers, throwers, tennis players, and weightlifters.

The good news:
When identified early, physical therapy can reduce stress on the nerve, restore healthy shoulder mechanics, and prevent long-term weakness or muscle wasting.

01/24/2026

What is that cracking sound during a spinal adjustment?

Short answer: it’s not bones grinding or anything “breaking.”
It’s a normal, well-studied joint phenomenon called cavitation.

When a joint is moved quickly (as in a skilled spinal manipulation), the joint surfaces briefly separate. This creates a rapid drop in pressure inside the joint, allowing tiny gas bubbles to form in the synovial fluid — and that is what produces the audible “pop.”

Real-time MRI studies confirm that the sound comes from bubble formation, not collapse — and it’s completely benign.

Why do adjustments help pain?

Spinal manipulation doesn’t just “move bones.” It:
✔️ Stimulates joint and muscle nerve endings
✔️ Calms the nervous system
✔️ Reduces protective muscle guarding
✔️ Helps restore normal joint motion

For some joints that are stiff, irritated, or not moving well, a precise high-velocity, low-amplitude technique can act like giving a stuck drawer a quick, well-aimed nudge — suddenly, things glide again.

Important note 👇

The sound itself isn’t the goal — the neurologic and mechanical effects are.
And spinal manipulation is just one tool among many (exercise, dry needling, massage, education) used to help people recover efficiently and safely.

What is Maigne’s Syndrome?When there’s stiffness or dysfunction at the thoracolumbar junction (T12–L1), or irritation of...
12/07/2025

What is Maigne’s Syndrome?
When there’s stiffness or dysfunction at the thoracolumbar junction (T12–L1), or irritation of nearby cluneal nerves, you might experience pain that feels like low-back, hip, or SI-joint pain — but it’s not.

Typical patterns include:
• Low back or iliac-crest discomfort
• Pain over the buttock/upper hip
• Radiating ache into the lateral hip or thigh

It’s often misdiagnosed — especially when lumbar imaging is normal. But when properly recognized, targeted manual therapy and soft-tissue work can make a major difference.

Not all radiating pain is sciatica.If your ache wraps from your lower back into the side of your hip or front of thigh, ...
12/01/2025

Not all radiating pain is sciatica.

If your ache wraps from your lower back into the side of your hip or front of thigh, the real culprit may be higher in the spine — at T12–L1. That’s where small sensory cluneal nerves exit. When irritated, they can mimic lumbar or SI-joint pain.

The good news? Once identified correctly, this pattern — known as Maigne's syndrome — is highly treatable with a combination of manual therapy, posture correction, and therapeutic exercise.

Persistent “sciatica” that doesn’t behave like sciatica? It might be cluneal nerve irritation.

Address

7 Leavitt Street
Skowhegan, ME
04976

Opening Hours

Monday 8:30am - 6pm
Tuesday 8:30am - 6pm
Wednesday 8:30am - 6pm
Thursday 8:30am - 6pm
Friday 8:30am - 6pm

Telephone

+12078550715

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