Health Blog
DON’T OVERTHINK YOUR EXERCISE: How research shows 2.5 hours of any activity a week can help you live longer
We’ve all been there. You walk into the state-of-the-art shiny new community gym and are immediately overwhelmed with what to do. Or maybe you’ve heard all your coworkers discuss this new intense cycle-zumba-pilates-boxing hybrid class they’ve started. While some of these fitness trends may be effective, all seem to be expensive and overwhelming. Luckily research shows that just 150 minutes of exercise per week can be effective at prolonging life and lowering your risk of cardiovascular disease.
Read full blogSleep Better, Heal Faster
As Physical Therapists, we focus a lot on what patients do during their waking hours (hydration, physical activity, proper body mechanics, etc). However, it is just as important to look at what we do at night in order to speed up the healing and recovery process. Sleep is a key ingredient in speeding the recovery process after injury as well as maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Here are some tips to help improve the quality (and quantity) of your sleeping patterns:
- Consistency:
Set a goal to go to bed and wake around the same times each day.
Read full blogPeople Who Exercise Together Stay Together…and Perform Better!
We always talk about the benefits of positive encouragement from a workout buddy and the benefits of socializing, but recent research actually shows the benefits may run much deeper. Exercising in groups not only strengthens social bonds, but strong social bonds actually improve your exercise performance!
A 2015 research study took groups of people and had them perform a group task after exercise together at low or moderate intensity. Moderate intensity exercising in the group environment actually improved cooperative behavior amongst the group.
Read full blogRecreational physical activity may help manage chronic low back pain
We’ve said it many times before in our previous blog posts: recovery does not have to be overly complicated! A recent study published in the Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy examined the role of physical therapy and recreational activities in lowering symptoms associated with chronic low back pain. The physical therapists provided their patients with a handful of specific exercises to manage sudden episodes of low back pain and prevent recurrence.
Read full blogInaugural Paul R Maugeri 5K to benefit The Multiple Sclerosis Research Institute
“There are 3 types of people in this world: those who watch
things happen, those that wonder what happened,
and those who make things happen” – Paul R Maugeri
On Saturday, March 24, 2018 Advance Physical & Aquatic Therapy (APAT) will be hosting the Inaugural Paul R. Maugeri 5K Run to benefit the Multiple Sclerosis Research Institute (MSRI).
As you all may know we develop deep relationships with our clients and we lost a friend that came to our clinic for years.
Read full blogHow Being a Parent Made Me a Better Physio
Almost two years ago I became a father of a beautiful baby girl. Over that time I often found myself, as any parent would, sacrificing my own mental and physical health for my child. That eventual exhaustion led to a reevaluation of my health goals. As the new year of parenting is about to begin, I wanted to share a few tips I’ve learned from watching my daughter grow and develop in her first two years.
Read full blogDebunking Myths of Low Back Pain
Introduction
A recent panel of experts co-wrote an article making the rounds on social media this week concerning some myths about low back pain. Here are some of the highlights from the article, which can be foud here:
- Back pain is common
About 84% of us will experience low back pain in our lifetimes. All ages can be affected, as well as all activity-levels. While it can be scary and painful, most people rebound nicely and resume their previous level of function.
Read full blogWhat To Do If You’re Considering Surgery
In physical therapy, we treat a significant amount of patients after surgery. We find that some patients really respond well and bounce back quickly, while others may wish they never had surgery. We wanted to provide you with a check-list of some common things we recommend our patient’s look at prior to surgery in order to best maximize their outcomes.
- Educate Yourself: It is your body, make sure you have educated conversations with your health-care team and family prior to undergoing surgery about the benefits and risks of your procedure.
Attending Physical Therapy Sessions: Why Consistent Attendance is Crucial to Your Recovery
Let’s begin with the most important questions: why is physical therapy important?
As we’ve covered in previous blogs, the answer is pretty endless and has countless research journals supporting its validity, but just few benefits of PT may include:
1. Maximizing Movement: pain-free movement is crucial to high quality of life, regardless of your age, gender, activity level or job, we all need to move pain-free.
2.
Read full blogWhat to Expect on Your First PT Visit…The Initial Evaluation
Beginning physical therapy can be very overwhelming and stressful, especially considering you’re already in pain and having difficulties with your daily activities. Here is a helpful primer on what to expect on your first therapy session—the Initial Evaluation.
- Paper Work:
Most clinics will ask you to show up a few minutes early to fill out paper work prior to meeting the physical therapist. While this can be tedious, it provides valuable information on your past-medical history, medications, and current symptoms which will guide the therapist through the interview and help the therapist ask the most appropriate questions concerning your health.
