EXPERT
Dr. Richard Bohannon, P.T.
Physical Therapist
Richard Bohannon, DPT, EdD, is Professor Emeritus at the University of Connecticut (Storrs, CT) and Principal of Physical Therapy Consultants (Fuquay-Varina, NC). He has also served as a faculty member at the University of Illinois and more recently Campbell University. Dr Bohannon is a licensed physical therapist with more than 40 years of clinical experience in diverse practice settings (acute care, rehabilitation, outpatient, and home-care). He was board certified as a specialist in Neurologic Physical Therapy from 1999 to 2019 and is currently a Fellow of the American Physical Therapy Association, the Stroke Council of the American Heart Association, the American Society of Neurorehabilitation, the Gerontological Society of America, and the Society on Sarcopenia, Cachexia, and Wasting Disorders. He is a prolific writer with over 500 publications in more than 50 different journals to his credit. According to Google Scholar his work has been cited more than 40,000 times with more than 300 of his papers cited 10 or more times. In 1996 he received the American Physical Therapy Association’s Helen Hislop Award for Outstanding Contributions to the Professional Literature. In 2005 he was awarded the Association's Marian Williams Award for Research in Physical Therapy and in 2008 he was honored with the Association's Jules Rothstein Golden Pen Award for Scientific Writing. Dr Bohannon is a former Co-editor in Chief of the Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics. He served as Editor in chief of the Journal of Geriatric Physical Therapy for over 10 years. Dr. Bohannon serves on numerous editorial boards and has reviewed manuscripts for more than 100 different journals. Dr Bohannon’s interdisciplinary clinical practice, research and teaching is focused primarily on the measurement, implications, and treatment of impairments (most notably muscle weakness) and activity limitations (primarily mobility) in older adult and neurologic populations.
36 years
Experience
Dr. Richard Bohannon, P.T.
- Fuquay Varina, NC
- North Carolina State University
- Accepting new patients
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working out
I cannot think of any reason you should avoid a chiropractor visit and workout on the same day. I, however, do wonder why you would need to have monthly visits with a chiropractor, READ MORE
I cannot think of any reason you should avoid a chiropractor visit and workout on the same day. I, however, do wonder why you would need to have monthly visits with a chiropractor, physical therapist or other clinician for a spinal or pelvic issue. As a clinician I see one of my primary responsibilities as helping patients gain independence in their physical regimen. Follow-up visits are meant to determine whether a prescribed intervention is accompanied by the intended changes.
I wake up with sore feet every morning. How can I treat it?
It sounds like you have plantar fasciitis. Orthotics and various apparatus that stretch the calf and arch can help- but they can be quite annoying. An alternative is to gently READ MORE
It sounds like you have plantar fasciitis. Orthotics and various apparatus that stretch the calf and arch can help- but they can be quite annoying. An alternative is to gently stretch the tissues by standing and slowly increasing the stretch to the point of discomfort. Once the pain has subsided you can get a better stretch by standing with the ball of the foot on the edge of a step. To get a better stretch you can pull your ankle and toes up while so weight-bearing.
My daughter is recovering after a paralytic stroke from Guillian Barre syndrome. How should I go about her physical therapy?
I'm sorry for your misfortune but am perplexed. A stroke is caused by a vascular lesion of the central nervous system - usually of the brain. Guillain Barre, on the other hand, READ MORE
I'm sorry for your misfortune but am perplexed. A stroke is caused by a vascular lesion of the central nervous system - usually of the brain. Guillain Barre, on the other hand, is an inflammatory peripheral neuropathy thought to be caused by an autoimmune response to infection. So, the 2 pathologies are quite different. What they have in common is a natural course/history. Specifically, both tend to improve to some degree with time. Ultimate status tends to be dependent on the initial severity of the disease. A person who is comatose after a stroke or on a ventilator after Guillain Barre, therefore, would not tend to recover as much. Whichever diagnosis is most appropriate, physical therapy by an experienced and committed therapist is certainly appropriate- at the very least for a thorough examination. The treatment that follows is likely to involve corrective and compensatory interventions.
Can physiotherapy help my husband recover from a one-sided paralysis?
Yes, physical therapy can help. The degree of benefit will depend on how the stroke affected him (eg, his perceptual status and degree of weakness), the severity of the stroke, READ MORE
Yes, physical therapy can help. The degree of benefit will depend on how the stroke affected him (eg, his perceptual status and degree of weakness), the severity of the stroke, and his willingness and ability to comply with an appropriately focused intervention.
After a slip disc when can my mom start physiotherapy?
Did she have surgery? Regardless, bed rest is rarely indicated- it puts her at risk for deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary emboli. Some therapy can probably be begun immediately- READ MORE
Did she have surgery? Regardless, bed rest is rarely indicated- it puts her at risk for deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary emboli. Some therapy can probably be begun immediately- particularly instruction in how to move with limited aggravation of pain. The initiation of other therapy will depend.
After a hip surgery, when can I resume exercise?
You should check with your physician as patient and procedural issues may dictate when certain activities can begin. That noted patients can often begin walking the day of or the READ MORE
You should check with your physician as patient and procedural issues may dictate when certain activities can begin. That noted patients can often begin walking the day of or the day after hip surgery nowadays.
I have increased twitching in the left thumb. Is that a sign of cervical disc herniation worsening?
I doubt your disk herniation is to blame for increased twitching. I would be more concerned if muscles innervated by a specifically compressed nerve root are weak or sensation READ MORE
I doubt your disk herniation is to blame for increased twitching. I would be more concerned if muscles innervated by a specifically compressed nerve root are weak or sensation is impaired. Twitches (fasciculations) that are more widespread or progressive would also be of greater concern me.
Tichard W. Bohannon, DPT, EdD, FAHA, FASNR, FAPTA
Tichard W. Bohannon, DPT, EdD, FAHA, FASNR, FAPTA
Knee replacement therapy
The time to rehab depends on what you consider a desirable outcome. The knee gets worse before it gets better. However, in the absence of complications, you should be able to transfer READ MORE
The time to rehab depends on what you consider a desirable outcome. The knee gets worse before it gets better. However, in the absence of complications, you should be able to transfer in and out of bed, walk on level surfaces, and negotiate stairs within 3 weeks. You will still have some impairments in range and strength at the knee. These will preclude the
performance of some more demanding activities- sometimes for months.
Richard Bohannon
performance of some more demanding activities- sometimes for months.
Richard Bohannon
Why can I not bend my knee without having pain?
Regarding your knee pain, I wish I had a simple answer - I do not. One likely fact is that forces in your knee increase with flexion. This could be the result of specific injured READ MORE
Regarding your knee pain, I wish I had a simple answer - I do not. One likely fact is that forces in your knee increase with flexion. This could be the result of specific injured structures or an effusion. Are the knees similar in circumference and passive knee flexion? If not, you probably have an effusion that may be resolved with repetitive flexion and extension of the knee through the pain-free range. Then I'm not there to make a sound judgment.
Blessings and best wishes,
Richard
Blessings and best wishes,
Richard
