Explore how the body metabolizes proteins and amino acids, why protein turnover is central to muscle repair, and how physical therapy patients can optimize protein metabolism for recovery. When a muscle is injured or a tendon repaired, when a bone is healing or scar tissue is being remodeled, the body must manufacture new proteins. This…
Learn how the body burns fat through beta-oxidation, why low-intensity exercise maximizes fat use, and how fat metabolism supports physical therapy recovery programs. “Burn fat, not sugar” — a phrase often heard in fitness circles. But what does it actually mean biologically? The answer lies in a metabolic pathway called beta-oxidation: the process by which…
Learn how the Krebs cycle generates aerobic energy in the mitochondria, why it matters for endurance and recovery, and how physical therapy leverages this metabolic pathway. If you have ever wondered what actually happens inside mitochondria when you exercise, the answer lies largely in a series of eight chemical reactions called the Krebs cycle (also…
Understand glycolysis — how glucose is broken down to power muscles — and why this metabolic pathway is central to exercise capacity and physical therapy rehabilitation. Every time a muscle contracts — whether during a therapeutic exercise session, a walk in the park, or an intense rehabilitation drill — glucose is being broken down to…
Learn the difference between catabolism and anabolism, how these metabolic states affect muscle growth and tissue repair, and how physical therapy balances both for optimal recovery. The human body is never static. Even when you are sitting still, your cells are engaged in a constant, dynamic interplay of building and breaking down — constructing new…
Discover how ATP works as the body’s universal energy currency, how it fuels muscle contractions, and why ATP production is central to physical therapy and rehabilitation. Every movement you make — lifting your arm, taking a step, contracting a muscle during physical therapy — is powered by a single molecule: adenosine triphosphate, or ATP. Called…