Health Blog Category: Physical therapist
Natural Pain Relief: Solving Your Aches and Pains Without Harmful Drugs
The United States is a highly medicated society. We have hundreds of over-the-counter pain-management drugs at our disposal, and doctors routinely write prescriptions for heavier pain relievers, including the opioid drugs that have recently become a national epidemic.
Fortunately, there is an alternative solution: physical therapy. If you’re tired of suffering from chronic pain and you don’t want to risk the side-effects of harmful drugs, we can help you achieve safe, healthy, and long-lasting pain relief.
Read full blogSpeed Up Your Recovery Time With Pre-hab
If you have a surgery coming up, you are likely aware of the rehab you’ll need afterward. Post-surgical rehabilitation is a crucial part of the recovery process, as it helps patients get back on their feet and regain their full range of function.
What most people don’t know if that pre-surgical rehabilitation – or “pre-hab” – can help speed up your recovery time even more. While rehab is physical therapy following surgery, pre-hab is the process of working with a physical therapist to prepare your body for surgery.
Read full blogTreat Your Sciatica Today With Physical Therapy
Sciatica, also referred to as “lumbar radiculopathy” is a pain that typically radiates from the lower back. The sciatic nerve extends from the lumbar spine through the area of the buttocks, making it the largest nerve in the human body. When this nerve becomes irritated, pain ensues, and it is usually felt in the lumbar area and behind the thigh. The pain can also radiate to the lower limbs, making it difficult to bend or walk.
Read full blogDON’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 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 blogHow Long Should Physical Therapy Take?
How long will physical therapy take is a common question asked by many patients. The problem is, there is no easy answer to this question. Each person is different, and thus an individual’s rate of healing is also different. In some cases, it may take one person a week to complete a particular exercise, but with another person with the same injury, physical therapy maybe two to three weeks for that same exercise.
Read full blogTo Rest or Not to Rest?
To Rest or Not to Rest?
The old school mentality for initial recommendations after back injury described a period of bed rest for recovery time. This however, is no longer viewed as beneficial in the healing process as proven by current research. If there is no physical intervention, the muscles of the back can become weak from inactivity, delaying recovery time.
Advance Physical & Aquatic TherapyCurrent studies recommend gentle back stretching and continuing with current day to day activities with modifications to alleviate strain on the back region.
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