When we talk to people about physical therapy we find a common misconception that physical therapy is for people recovering from a surgery. We do work with people after surgery but I would like to fill you in a few of the areas we help people that you may not be aware of.
Back Pain – We have a variety of techniques to treat all kinds of back pain. We can relieve the pain and strengthen the back to keep the pain from returning.
Arthritis – Arthritis pain can be effectively managed through physical therapy.
Weight Loss – Physical therapy is a great place for people to receive exercise guidance; especially those that are obese and unable to safely participate in traditional exercise routines like jogging or even walking.
Balance and Walking – We do a lot of work helping people reduce their risk of falling down. By improving balance and strength people are able to walk independent of canes or walkers.
Children’s Developmental Issues – During the developmental process from infancy to adulthood there are a number of physical complications kids may run into. Physical therapy can help kids overcome these hindrances.
Injury Prevention – In physical therapy we devote a lot of attention to helping our patients reduce their risk of future injuries. Frequently we will help our patients develop a home exercise program that will ensure their body is able to keep up with their regular activities.
This is just a few of the areas physical therapy deals with but there are many more. If you or some one you know is dealing with physical pain or limitation, physical therapy is likely to be a good option for you.
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Quick Exercise Bouts
Let's face it, we're all very busy and finding time to exercise is a challenge. This fact has led to hundreds of books, videos and infomercials insisting that all it takes is just a few minutes a day (5,8,10 etc.) to achieve your fitness goals. These advertisements show people that look incredibly fit and imply that all they did was an 8 minute routine a few days a week. I hate to burst your bubble if you have already gone out and purchased some of these workout videos but these claims just aren't true.
The U.S government and various exercise organizations and associations have research based recommendations that directly conflict with the idea that just a few minutes is enough for your health. Their guideline is to participate in 30 minutes a day of moderately intense activity on most days of the week. Following this guideline will help prevent diseases like obesity, diabetes and heart disease.
If you can't handle 30 minutes or more right off the bat that's fine. You can start small and gradually work your way up. Start with 10-15 minutes and progress as you feel comfortable. Getting started is always tough but if you can commit and get to the 30 minutes a day at least 4 or 5 days a week, you won't be disappointed with the results you'll experience.
The U.S government and various exercise organizations and associations have research based recommendations that directly conflict with the idea that just a few minutes is enough for your health. Their guideline is to participate in 30 minutes a day of moderately intense activity on most days of the week. Following this guideline will help prevent diseases like obesity, diabetes and heart disease.
If you can't handle 30 minutes or more right off the bat that's fine. You can start small and gradually work your way up. Start with 10-15 minutes and progress as you feel comfortable. Getting started is always tough but if you can commit and get to the 30 minutes a day at least 4 or 5 days a week, you won't be disappointed with the results you'll experience.
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Enjoyable Exercise
Exercising doesn't have to be torture! It is ok to have fun while you exercise!
Most people would probably say "oh I know" to these statements yet when you ask them about their exercise routine it sounds about as fun as going to work on a Saturday.
Here's a few ideas to make your exercise experience more enjoyable.
Play sports - when you're playing a game of basketball or tennis or whatever sport you like best, you're not really thinking about fat burn, heart rate, treadmill pace, and all those exercise related things. You're thinking about the game and enjoying yourself.
Sport specific training - Go out and shoot hoops, practice dribbling a soccer ball, run some football pass routes, go to the batting cages.
Go dancing!
Take your walks or jogs in a park or on the beach.
Wrestle with your kids or chase them around in a pool or on land.
Take some friends out to the park and have a tug-o-war, play dodgeball, or play freeze tag.
Don't try to write off my suggestions and claim they are for young people. Since when can older people not go out dancing or play a game of freeze tag?
All it takes is a little creativity and your torturous exercise sessions can become the highlight of your week.
Enjoy!
Most people would probably say "oh I know" to these statements yet when you ask them about their exercise routine it sounds about as fun as going to work on a Saturday.
Here's a few ideas to make your exercise experience more enjoyable.
Play sports - when you're playing a game of basketball or tennis or whatever sport you like best, you're not really thinking about fat burn, heart rate, treadmill pace, and all those exercise related things. You're thinking about the game and enjoying yourself.
Sport specific training - Go out and shoot hoops, practice dribbling a soccer ball, run some football pass routes, go to the batting cages.
Go dancing!
Take your walks or jogs in a park or on the beach.
Wrestle with your kids or chase them around in a pool or on land.
Take some friends out to the park and have a tug-o-war, play dodgeball, or play freeze tag.
Don't try to write off my suggestions and claim they are for young people. Since when can older people not go out dancing or play a game of freeze tag?
All it takes is a little creativity and your torturous exercise sessions can become the highlight of your week.
Enjoy!
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Some Current Fitness Trends
The following are some of the top fitness trends that are sweeping the country. Some are new styles of exercise while others have been around for a very long time but are experiencing increases in popularity.
Boot Camps – These classes are based on military style training. In a boot camp class you can experience great cardiorespiratory results and strength benefits. These classes also feature great variety so it is hard to get bored with the workouts. Many participants appreciate the constant attention from the instructor as it provides strong motivation and encouragement. There is some risk of overdoing it in this class so it is important for participants to pay attention to their body and stop if any pain is experienced.
Interval Training – Interval training is a practice of alternating between high and low intensity during exercise. Something like running is a great place to incorporate intervals. The basic method would be to do some light jogging and periodically work in short sprints. This is a great way to experience high calorie burn and improve fitness level quickly. Success requires strong self-motivation capabilities.
Dance workouts (Zumba) – There is a big variety of these dance-based classes including hip-hop, salsa, and even ballet. Typically these classes create a high-energy party atmosphere that participants really enjoy. The class relies heavily on maintaining dance rhythms and some intervals to promote calorie burn and cardio benefits. If you lack some natural rhythm these classes may be challenging but often you can find beginner classes to help you learn the basic moves.
Pilates – Pilates is all about slow and controlled, low impact workouts that primarily help with core stabilization and spinal alignment. People at all fitness levels can participate in pilates with proper instruction. Keep in mind that pilates is anaerobic so it is not a high calorie burn compared to most of the other exercise options in this list.
Individual and Group Personal Training – One on one fitness planning is a great way to ensure the exercises you are doing are best suited for your needs. Use of a trainer is a great way to incorporate strong accountability into your exercise, and to make sure your workouts are safe and effective. Just make sure the trainer you choose to work with really knows what they’re doing.
Traditional Yoga – Yoga is often found to be very relaxing but beyond that it can provide great benefits to flexibility and contribute to developing muscle tone. There are yoga classes and instructors that cater to all fitness levels but advanced classes can be very challenging so it is important to keep it very basic when you are first starting out.
Stability Balls – Workouts using a stability ball are great for strengthening your core. A pretty good variety of exercises using the balls have been developed but ideally you would probably want to incorporate these exercises into a broader routine. It can be very challenging to learn proper form and make sure you get a good workout using the ball so it is best to have some one experienced give you some training.
Cross Training (CrossFit) – The CrossFit model involves short, high intensity workouts with a heavy emphasis on using your own body weight for resistance. These workouts typically don’t require a lot of equipment and are excellent for targeting the whole body. These workouts are not ideal for “unfit people” or beginners due to their high intensity levels and the potential risk for injury.
Active Gaming – Video game developers have turned their attention toward fitness and have created a wide range of exercise games to play in your own home. These games are fun and fairly easy to do for long periods of time. Keep in mind that the real activities are much more beneficial than the interactive video games but for those of you who like video games anyway it doesn’t hurt to incorporate a little bit of exercise.
Fusion Fitness – This is a practice of combining two or more types of exercise for example, cycling and stretching. This is a great way to get variety in your workouts and improve your overall fitness level. Just be mindful that some workouts don’t necessarily mix well and it is important that whoever is leading these workouts be very familiar with all of the ones being combined.
If you are looking for some variety in your exercise I encourage you to check out a couple of these. I can’t emphasize enough that you definitely need to have some one train you on these different workouts so that you do them properly and don’t hurt yourself. If you’re willing to give them a try you might find some great new elements to add to your exercise routine.
Boot Camps – These classes are based on military style training. In a boot camp class you can experience great cardiorespiratory results and strength benefits. These classes also feature great variety so it is hard to get bored with the workouts. Many participants appreciate the constant attention from the instructor as it provides strong motivation and encouragement. There is some risk of overdoing it in this class so it is important for participants to pay attention to their body and stop if any pain is experienced.
Interval Training – Interval training is a practice of alternating between high and low intensity during exercise. Something like running is a great place to incorporate intervals. The basic method would be to do some light jogging and periodically work in short sprints. This is a great way to experience high calorie burn and improve fitness level quickly. Success requires strong self-motivation capabilities.
Dance workouts (Zumba) – There is a big variety of these dance-based classes including hip-hop, salsa, and even ballet. Typically these classes create a high-energy party atmosphere that participants really enjoy. The class relies heavily on maintaining dance rhythms and some intervals to promote calorie burn and cardio benefits. If you lack some natural rhythm these classes may be challenging but often you can find beginner classes to help you learn the basic moves.
Pilates – Pilates is all about slow and controlled, low impact workouts that primarily help with core stabilization and spinal alignment. People at all fitness levels can participate in pilates with proper instruction. Keep in mind that pilates is anaerobic so it is not a high calorie burn compared to most of the other exercise options in this list.
Individual and Group Personal Training – One on one fitness planning is a great way to ensure the exercises you are doing are best suited for your needs. Use of a trainer is a great way to incorporate strong accountability into your exercise, and to make sure your workouts are safe and effective. Just make sure the trainer you choose to work with really knows what they’re doing.
Traditional Yoga – Yoga is often found to be very relaxing but beyond that it can provide great benefits to flexibility and contribute to developing muscle tone. There are yoga classes and instructors that cater to all fitness levels but advanced classes can be very challenging so it is important to keep it very basic when you are first starting out.
Stability Balls – Workouts using a stability ball are great for strengthening your core. A pretty good variety of exercises using the balls have been developed but ideally you would probably want to incorporate these exercises into a broader routine. It can be very challenging to learn proper form and make sure you get a good workout using the ball so it is best to have some one experienced give you some training.
Cross Training (CrossFit) – The CrossFit model involves short, high intensity workouts with a heavy emphasis on using your own body weight for resistance. These workouts typically don’t require a lot of equipment and are excellent for targeting the whole body. These workouts are not ideal for “unfit people” or beginners due to their high intensity levels and the potential risk for injury.
Active Gaming – Video game developers have turned their attention toward fitness and have created a wide range of exercise games to play in your own home. These games are fun and fairly easy to do for long periods of time. Keep in mind that the real activities are much more beneficial than the interactive video games but for those of you who like video games anyway it doesn’t hurt to incorporate a little bit of exercise.
Fusion Fitness – This is a practice of combining two or more types of exercise for example, cycling and stretching. This is a great way to get variety in your workouts and improve your overall fitness level. Just be mindful that some workouts don’t necessarily mix well and it is important that whoever is leading these workouts be very familiar with all of the ones being combined.
If you are looking for some variety in your exercise I encourage you to check out a couple of these. I can’t emphasize enough that you definitely need to have some one train you on these different workouts so that you do them properly and don’t hurt yourself. If you’re willing to give them a try you might find some great new elements to add to your exercise routine.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Snack Idea
Try some nuts! Almonds, Cashews, Walnuts, Hazelnuts... Whichever you like best!
Nuts can be very good for you when it comes to heart health, here's why:
Nuts help lower your LDL cholesterol level.
Nuts are rich in Omega-3 fatty acids which for some reason seem to help keep your heart from developing any dangerous rhythms that can lead to heart attacks.
Nuts contain L-arginine which is a substance that is thought to help the health of your artery walls making them more flexible and less likely to have clotting occur.
All nuts contain fiber, which can help you lower your cholesterol, feel full so you don't eat quite as much, and it is believed that fiber can help prevent diabetes.
Nuts also contain vitamin E. It is not known for certain but some researchers think that vitamin E can help stop the development of plaques within your arteries that can restrict blood flow.
Plant sterols are also found some nuts. These sterols help lower your cholesterol and are often added to other food items but they are naturally in nuts.
Nuts are very fatty and while it is healthy fat compared to most snacks you don't want to over due it. Try working nuts into your diet with just maybe a handful a day and use it to replace a less healthy snack you might be considering. Also keep in mind that you can cancel out the heart healthy benefits of the nuts if you cover them in things like salt, sugar, or chocolate.
Nuts can be very good for you when it comes to heart health, here's why:
Nuts help lower your LDL cholesterol level.
Nuts are rich in Omega-3 fatty acids which for some reason seem to help keep your heart from developing any dangerous rhythms that can lead to heart attacks.
Nuts contain L-arginine which is a substance that is thought to help the health of your artery walls making them more flexible and less likely to have clotting occur.
All nuts contain fiber, which can help you lower your cholesterol, feel full so you don't eat quite as much, and it is believed that fiber can help prevent diabetes.
Nuts also contain vitamin E. It is not known for certain but some researchers think that vitamin E can help stop the development of plaques within your arteries that can restrict blood flow.
Plant sterols are also found some nuts. These sterols help lower your cholesterol and are often added to other food items but they are naturally in nuts.
Nuts are very fatty and while it is healthy fat compared to most snacks you don't want to over due it. Try working nuts into your diet with just maybe a handful a day and use it to replace a less healthy snack you might be considering. Also keep in mind that you can cancel out the heart healthy benefits of the nuts if you cover them in things like salt, sugar, or chocolate.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Who needs physical therapy?
"I thought physical therapy was where you go after you have surgery."
It is! But there are hundreds of other reasons to go as well!
We hear people say this all the time and we are thrilled at the chance to explain to them everything we can do to help people.
Rather than wait for this statement to come from you I figured I would let you in on some of the less commonly known things that we can do.
Take a look at dictionary.com's definition of what we do:
Physical Therapy - the treatment or management of physical disability, malfunction, or pain by exercise, massage, hydrotherapy, etc., without the use of medicines, surgery, or radiation.
This is a good summation but let me give you some more specifics that could be helpful to you and people you know.
We can help:
Back pain - Don't just accept the fact that your back hurts on a regular basis. This is not normal and you should not have to live with it. We can help eliminate the pain and teach you what you can do to make sure it doesn't return.
Walking and Balance - As people get older they start to feel off balance and sometimes have dangerous falls. The common response is to rely on a cane, walker or wheelchair, but that doesn't have to be your response. We can help you improve your balance and reduce your fall risk so that you can maintain full independence and require no walking aids.
Obesity - If you aren't obese or overweight, I bet you at least know some one who is. At physical therapy we can help you exercise safely and effectively under the supervision of our staff.
Wounds - If you are suffering from a wound from surgery or any other cause we can help clean and care for it on a regular basis to make sure that it heals and closes properly.
Heart conditions - If you have had a heart surgery or are at risk of needing one we have programs to help you recover and improve your cardiovascular system. You will be closely monitored by our staff to ensure your safety and that you are getting the results you and your cardiologist want to see.
All this on top of what you already new about therapy! I know, it is shocking how much we can do for people if they are willing to come see us.
It is! But there are hundreds of other reasons to go as well!
We hear people say this all the time and we are thrilled at the chance to explain to them everything we can do to help people.
Rather than wait for this statement to come from you I figured I would let you in on some of the less commonly known things that we can do.
Take a look at dictionary.com's definition of what we do:
Physical Therapy - the treatment or management of physical disability, malfunction, or pain by exercise, massage, hydrotherapy, etc., without the use of medicines, surgery, or radiation.
This is a good summation but let me give you some more specifics that could be helpful to you and people you know.
We can help:
Back pain - Don't just accept the fact that your back hurts on a regular basis. This is not normal and you should not have to live with it. We can help eliminate the pain and teach you what you can do to make sure it doesn't return.
Walking and Balance - As people get older they start to feel off balance and sometimes have dangerous falls. The common response is to rely on a cane, walker or wheelchair, but that doesn't have to be your response. We can help you improve your balance and reduce your fall risk so that you can maintain full independence and require no walking aids.
Obesity - If you aren't obese or overweight, I bet you at least know some one who is. At physical therapy we can help you exercise safely and effectively under the supervision of our staff.
Wounds - If you are suffering from a wound from surgery or any other cause we can help clean and care for it on a regular basis to make sure that it heals and closes properly.
Heart conditions - If you have had a heart surgery or are at risk of needing one we have programs to help you recover and improve your cardiovascular system. You will be closely monitored by our staff to ensure your safety and that you are getting the results you and your cardiologist want to see.
All this on top of what you already new about therapy! I know, it is shocking how much we can do for people if they are willing to come see us.
Friday, January 30, 2009
Dealing with Stress
In my previous post I listed a bunch of different negative effects stress can have on your life. I’m sure you were able to relate to at least a couple of them. That being the case the big question is “what can be done about stress?”
Let’s take this in two parts, what is causing the stress and what will help alleviate it. First, you need to pin point the things that are stressing you out. This is pretty easy and you may find that you have a pretty long list once you really start thinking about it. Common culprits are things like: life changes, your environment, unpredictable events, family, work, social, fears, uncertainty, attitude, and unrealistic expectations. These are pretty broad so take some time to grind down to some of the specifics that really stress you out. Hopefully just thinking about them doesn’t cause you too much stress.
Secondly, now that you know the causes you can plan for reducing the stress. A handful of common stress relieving methods are: exercise, relaxation techniques, building healthy relationships, plenty of sleep, and counseling. I know these may not sound as specific or practical as you might like them to be, but you need to customize the actions to your specific stressor. For example, if you get to work everyday at 8:00 and right away your boss is on your back stressing you out, and you can’t get out to exercise or for some counseling until you get off work at 5:00 then you might need to develop a little bit more effective plan. You should have a good idea of the things that relax you and take your mind of things you don’t want to think about, those need to be incorporated into your stress relief plan.
Additionally I’d like to say that simply having a stress relieving response to every stressor is not quite enough. In some cases you may need to find a way to stop certain stressors from occurring. If you have a friend that stresses you out every time you interact with them something isn’t quite right with that relationship and it should be addressed. I’m not saying avoid your friends or end the relationship but maybe you could talk it out and resolve whatever is making the friendship stressful.
There’s a lot to say about stress and I don’t want to try and accomplish too much in a blog post. Just remember, there are professionals out there who are trained to help you with this stuff and for your health’s sake it is worth it to seek their assistance.
Let’s take this in two parts, what is causing the stress and what will help alleviate it. First, you need to pin point the things that are stressing you out. This is pretty easy and you may find that you have a pretty long list once you really start thinking about it. Common culprits are things like: life changes, your environment, unpredictable events, family, work, social, fears, uncertainty, attitude, and unrealistic expectations. These are pretty broad so take some time to grind down to some of the specifics that really stress you out. Hopefully just thinking about them doesn’t cause you too much stress.
Secondly, now that you know the causes you can plan for reducing the stress. A handful of common stress relieving methods are: exercise, relaxation techniques, building healthy relationships, plenty of sleep, and counseling. I know these may not sound as specific or practical as you might like them to be, but you need to customize the actions to your specific stressor. For example, if you get to work everyday at 8:00 and right away your boss is on your back stressing you out, and you can’t get out to exercise or for some counseling until you get off work at 5:00 then you might need to develop a little bit more effective plan. You should have a good idea of the things that relax you and take your mind of things you don’t want to think about, those need to be incorporated into your stress relief plan.
Additionally I’d like to say that simply having a stress relieving response to every stressor is not quite enough. In some cases you may need to find a way to stop certain stressors from occurring. If you have a friend that stresses you out every time you interact with them something isn’t quite right with that relationship and it should be addressed. I’m not saying avoid your friends or end the relationship but maybe you could talk it out and resolve whatever is making the friendship stressful.
There’s a lot to say about stress and I don’t want to try and accomplish too much in a blog post. Just remember, there are professionals out there who are trained to help you with this stuff and for your health’s sake it is worth it to seek their assistance.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Understanding Stress
You are probably pretty familiar with stress because you experience it on a regular basis. You know you don’t enjoy stress and its negative effects on your life but you can’t seem to escape it. You have probably come to an understanding that you just have to live with it and hope you get through it. This is a common response but it is not made in the best interest of yourself and your health. Check out this long list of physical, mental and behavioral issues that can result from stress and see if you can relate to any of them:
Physical: Headaches, chest pain, pounding heart, high blood pressure, shortness of breath, muscle aches, back pain, clenched jaw, grinding teeth, upset stomach, diarrhea, constipation, increased sweating, tiredness, sleep problems, weight gain or loss, sex problems, skin breakouts.
Mental/feelings: Anxiety, restlessness, worrying, irritability, depression, sadness, anger, mood swings, job dissatisfaction, insecurity, confusion, burnout, forgetfulness, resentment, guilt, lack of concentration, negativity.
Behavior: Overeating, under eating, outbursts of anger, drug use, excessive drinking, increased smoking, social withdrawal, crying spells, relationship conflicts, decreased productivity, blaming others.
Your body has its methods of reacting to stress in order to protect you from perceived threats. Constantly being in a stressed state will mess you up bodily and mentally because your “fight or flight” reaction system is always on. This long-term activation of the stress response system results in over exposure to stress hormones like adrenaline and cortisol disrupting your body’s processes and increasing your risk of serious health problems.
All this is to say that simply trying to live with excessive stress is not the way to go. Ideally you want to be able to manage the stress in your life. By understanding what stresses you out you can take action to reduce the duration and severity of stress, as well as incorporate healthy relief activities into your daily life.
In my next post I will discuss common stressors and in what ways you can manage your stress so that your health risks are reduced. In the mean time, try to get a grasp on what stresses you out on a regular basis so that you can begin to formulate a plan to manage those stressors.
Physical: Headaches, chest pain, pounding heart, high blood pressure, shortness of breath, muscle aches, back pain, clenched jaw, grinding teeth, upset stomach, diarrhea, constipation, increased sweating, tiredness, sleep problems, weight gain or loss, sex problems, skin breakouts.
Mental/feelings: Anxiety, restlessness, worrying, irritability, depression, sadness, anger, mood swings, job dissatisfaction, insecurity, confusion, burnout, forgetfulness, resentment, guilt, lack of concentration, negativity.
Behavior: Overeating, under eating, outbursts of anger, drug use, excessive drinking, increased smoking, social withdrawal, crying spells, relationship conflicts, decreased productivity, blaming others.
Your body has its methods of reacting to stress in order to protect you from perceived threats. Constantly being in a stressed state will mess you up bodily and mentally because your “fight or flight” reaction system is always on. This long-term activation of the stress response system results in over exposure to stress hormones like adrenaline and cortisol disrupting your body’s processes and increasing your risk of serious health problems.
All this is to say that simply trying to live with excessive stress is not the way to go. Ideally you want to be able to manage the stress in your life. By understanding what stresses you out you can take action to reduce the duration and severity of stress, as well as incorporate healthy relief activities into your daily life.
In my next post I will discuss common stressors and in what ways you can manage your stress so that your health risks are reduced. In the mean time, try to get a grasp on what stresses you out on a regular basis so that you can begin to formulate a plan to manage those stressors.
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