Smith Performance Center Blog​

Your Trusted Physical Therapy and Strength Training Blog for Injury Rehab and Pain Management

Welcome to the physical therapy blog from Smith Performance Center—your source for expert guidance on injury recovery, pain management, strength training, and sustainable health habits. Whether you’re managing chronic pain, recovering from surgery, or building long-term fitness, our team shares actionable strategies backed by clinical experience and real-world success. Stay up to date with new posts on rehab phases, movement progression, exercise programming, and the science behind making healthcare work for you.

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The 5 Big Problems Facing Clients with Pain and Injury Who Want to Get Back to an Active Lifestyle
By defining the problem, you know where to start during rehab and developing an active lifestyle. Once you know your problem, you can focus on what needs to solve it.
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The 8 Reasons All HHP Clients Go Through a Movement Assessment
There is an entire area of research devoted to what behaviors keep people moving and what makes them stop. Keeping people active is not simple and there are numerous reasons why a person will stop. The purpose of the movement assessment is to figure out issues that will stop you from moving.
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7 Signs Your Heel Pain Is Not Coming From Your Plantar Fascia
As a general rule, you will be diagnosed with plantar fasciitis if you have heel pain. I have not seen a patient reporting heel pain that was diagnosed with anything other than plantar fasciitis for the last 5 years. This is not the only structure on the bottom of the foot that can cause pain.
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Understanding Vestibular Issues
When it comes to dizziness and balance issues, few areas of physical therapy are as fascinating and misunderstood as vestibular rehabilitation. Dr. Alex Griffis, PT, DPT, sheds light on common conditions like Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV) and the surprising role of vision and proprioception in maintaining balance. With techniques like habituation training, he helps patients regain control over their symptoms. If you’ve been struggling with unexplained falls or dizziness, discover how a multi-layered approach at Smith Performance Center can help you regain confidence and improve your quality of life.
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Diagram showing energy capacity, physical capacity, and tissue capacity and how under-fueling and fatigue affect performance in active adults

Fatigue in Active Adults: Why You’re Tired Despite Exercising and Eating “Healthy”

Ryan looked at his watch. It was 2 pm. The fatigue washed over him, like it seemed to every afternoon. Adjusting to sit more upright, he drank the remains of his energy drink.  His normal response to crushing fatigue was just to push through.  Ryan exercised with a busy work schedule. He ate what seemed like a balanced meal and drank water, but he did not feel more invigorated or awake, especially in the afternoon. In his mind, this was aging and something to get used to. Why “Doing Everything Right” Still Leaves You Exhausted If you’re an active adult, fatigue can feel inevitable. Your life is filled with responsibilities that do not care about your energy level. You push through work, family, and stress

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A circular diagram illustrating the “Hamstring Tightness Doom Loop.” It shows how stretching the hamstrings provides brief relief through nervous system inhibition, but leads to post-stretch soreness, increased tightness, and a repeated cycle of stretching that worsens sensitivity.

Why Your Hamstrings Hurt After Stretching (and What’s Really Going On)

Stretching is supposed to make your hamstrings feel better—looser, lighter, more flexible. So why are you experiencing only temporary relief at best—and often feel even more sore after stretching? There’s a deep cultural belief in the power of stretching to reduce pain, improve mobility, and prevent injury. The support for those claims is, at best, inconsistent or non-existent. 1,2 If you’ve found this article, you’ve likely noticed a pattern yourself: every time you stretch your hamstrings, they get worse. At Smith Performance Center, we see this pattern constantly. The sensation of “tight” hamstrings is rarely about flexibility—even in those with limited motion. We hear people complain of tightness in tissue disorders that actually cause more motion than normal.  More often, it’s a protective signal that

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