All posts by admin

How to achieve real relief from stress related headaches

March 10, 2015 admin Leave a comment

Life’s demands create stress and although some stress may be good, too much can cause health problems. Most people equate stress with high blood pressure, a heart attack or a stroke. But did you know headaches, dizziness, neck and shoulder pain can be stress-related too?

Chronic headaches, usually accompanied by extreme fatigue are almost always a sign of stress. People literally live on Tylenol and Ibuprofen for years because they constantly have a nagging headache, induced by muscle spasms from the high amount of stress in their life.

The Cause of Stress Related Headaches
Headaches can range from minor nagging pains, to full-blown migraines that knock you off your feet for a day or two. Any headache, whether tremendous pain or not, should be a warning sign you are under a lot of stress. Prolonged stress can result in muscle tension changes, making you feel stiff, achy and painful in the neck or shoulders.

Hormone production also changes with stress. Hormones also make muscles tense up, which can cause a loss of motion, pain and irritate nerves. One may feel pain in the shoulders, neck, upper back and even radiating out to the upper arms.

Most people who are under a great deal of stress complain about having neck and shoulder pain. The most intense pain usually lies directly in the back and upper sides of the neck. The pain then radiates into the shoulder area.

Real Relief
While massage helps to relieve some symptoms, physical therapy goes far beyond to evaluate and treat the root cause of your pain. Muscular tightness may have led to poor joint movement and weakness. Our expert treatments reduce pain with the added benefits of improved motion, posture correction and preventing the problem from reoccurring. Our expert physical therapists also train you in gentle therapeutic exercises to improve the physical changes from prolonged stress.

Regularly shedding your daily tensions through movement, physical therapy and physical activity can help you remain calm and clear in everything that you do. Call us today to learn more about eliminating your pain and enjoying life to the fullest

Health and Wellness

Ways to stay active in winter

February 23, 2015 admin Leave a comment

As the winter months approach, you may find yourself spending more time indoors and less time being active and mobile. This can lead to stiffness, fatigue and difficulties in accomplishing your daily activities and tasks. Despite the cooler temperatures and wintery weather, you need to keep moving and making daily efforts to be healthy. Here are some easy steps and fun alternatives to increase movement, decrease pain and increase your energy:

Plan your daily activity / exercise routine and decide to get up and get moving!
Get up from your chair every 20 minutes: Take a quick lap around work or the house.
Walk or exercise at least 30 minutes everyday: Go on a walk at lunch when its warmest outside.
Drink plenty of water: Have one glass of water with each meal or snack.
Stretch your legs, hips, spine and neck daily for 10 minutes: Make this part of your morning and bedtime routine.
Take deep breaks throughout the day: Inhale and exhale for 5 seconds each.
Do strengthening exercises at least 2-3 times a week: Try a work out video or go to a group exercise class such as yoga or Zumba.

If you find yourself in pain, aching, injured or less active than you use to, simply give us a call. Our expert physical therapists will provide a comprehensive evaluation to find the root cause of your problem, then put together a complete plan that works to get you moving, pain-free again. Call us today to see how we can help you enjoy an active pain-free life.

Arthritis Pain

How to treat arthritis pain

February 13, 2015 admin Leave a comment

When it comes to relieving your arthritis aches and pains, you may have more options than you realize. There is a lot you can do to reduce your aches and pains from arthritis while gaining more mobility and function. Arthritis pain and inflammation is what we help our patients day in and day out with. If you want to know how to relieve and reduce the pain of arthritis, try physical therapy first. Patients often experience pain from arthritis because of stiff joints, muscles and other tissues. In addition, muscles become weak, therefore not supporting the arthritic joints. Our customized treatments promote muscle strength, improve range of motion, increase mobility and ease pain. In addition, coupling your physical therapy with the following can help you live life to the fullest and get you back to doing the things you love:

1. Education and self-management
When your physical therapy is over, your therapist will have equipped you with the knowledge and exercises you need to continue progressing on your own.

2. Weight loss
Maintaining your recommended weight or losing weight if you are overweight can lessen your pain by reducing stress on your affected joints. Weight loss specifically helps ease pressure on weight-bearing joints such as the hips and knees.

3. Footwear and insoles
If arthritis affects the knee, special footwear and insoles can reduce pain and improve walking.

4. Knee braces
For osteoarthritis with knee instability, a knee brace can reduce pain. In addition, it improves stability and reduces the risk of falling.

5. Heat and cold
Many people find the heat of a warm bath, heat pack or paraffin bath eases arthritis pain. Others find relief in cold packs. Still others prefer alternating the two. Learn more about what can work best for you by talking to our physical therapists.

6. Exercise
Exercise has been proven to help reduce arthritis pain while increasing strength and function. Knowing the right kind of exercises to do is the key. Talking with our physical therapists will point you in the right direction.

If arthritis pain is preventing you from doing all the activities that you love, we can develop a customized treatment plan to reduce your pain and improve your mobility. Call us today to get started!

Useful Tips

Tips For Avoiding Injuries When Shoveling Snow

January 16, 2015 admin Leave a comment

Snow shoveling is a repetitive activity that can cause muscle strain to the lower back and shoulders. Back injuries due to snow shoveling are more likely to happen to people who may not know that they are out of condition. Following these tips can help you avoid injuries:

Lift smaller loads of snow, rather than heavy shovelfuls. Be sure to take care to bend your knees and lift with your legs rather than your back.
Use a shovel with a shaft that lets you keep your back straight while lifting. A short shaft will cause you to bend more to lift the load. Using a shovel that’s too long makes the weight at the end heavier. Step in the direction in which you are throwing the snow to prevent the low back from twisting. This will help prevent “next-day back fatigue.”
Avoid excessive twisting because the spine cannot tolerate twisting as well as it can tolerate other movements. Bend your knees and keep your back as straight as possible so that you are lifting with your legs.
Take frequent breaks when shoveling. Stand up straight and walk around periodically to extend the lower back.
Backward bending exercises while standing will help reverse the excessive forward bending of shoveling: stand straight and tall, place your hands toward the back of your hips, and bend backwards slightly for several seconds.
If you or anyone you know is experiencing back pain, consult a licensed physical therapist.

Article source: www.moveforwardpt.com

Back Pain

Why low back pain may not go away

January 15, 2015 admin Leave a comment

Low back pain is one of the most common aches and pains that causes people to see their physical therapist. Low back pain comes in different levels, from a simple achy, stiff back in the morning, to a severe and debilitating condition. By receiving treatment sooner, you can lessen the long-term damage that may result in your spine.

What causes low back pain? Typically, there are 4 main factors at work here:

Poor spinal and abdominal muscle support
Poor posture and alignment of the spine
Limited movement of the spinal joints
Lack of proper coordination of the spinal muscles

In order for your spine to be healthy and to work properly, you need to have strength, flexibility and coordination. While medications and injections can help to relieve the inflammation caused by a malfunctioning spine, they don’t fix the root cause of the problem.

Physical therapy is the ideal solution to improve spinal strength, coordination and flexibility. Best of all, once your spine is working better, we teach you how to maintain your spinal health so you don’t have to continue to suffer with low back pain. Call us today to discover how we can help you relieve your back pain and get back to doing the activities you love.