Diabetic neuropathy is a type of nerve damage associated with diabetes. It results in damage to the nerves in a person’s feet, legs, and eyes, and to the nerves that control bodily functions, such as digestion, blood pressure, and heart rate. Diabetic neuropathy can lead to serious complications, including ulcers, infection, and limb loss. Continue reading
GRANDMA’S MASHED POTATOES
Thanksgiving wouldn’t be complete without delicious mashed potatoes to pass around the table. This recipe comes in from our friend Phyllis and it’s sure to become a holiday favorite.
The ASTYM System is a therapy approach that addresses problems such as scarring, fibrosis, and degeneration that occur in soft tissues. These problems may develop as the result of trauma, surgery or overuse. The System is effective for new injuries as well as chronic, nagging conditions.
The ASTYM System uses instruments along the surface of the skin to locate these problem areas and start the body’s healing process. As the body heals, exercise and activity help guide the healing which allows you to return to activities without pain and limitation. The success of the ASTYM System is documented for a wide variety of diagnoses and many times it helps patients where other treatments have failed. The ASTYM System is used in settings ranging from therapy clinics to hospitals to industrial rehabilitation. This proven treatment helps countless patients every day.
Is This New?
The ASTYM System has been used in clinics by rehabilitation professionals since 1996. Thomas L. Sevier, MD, guided the clinical, scientific and outcomes research used to develop the System and document its remarkable effectiveness.
What Can You Expect?
• Clinicians certified in the ASTYM System will use the instruments to treat not only painful areas but also other problem areas that may contribute to your condition.
• During treatment, you may feel areas that are “rough” or “bumpy.” These are the areas that need to be addressed.
• Over the course of treatment, you will notice that as these rough areas smooth out, your pain will decrease and your function will increase.
• Following treatment, you may notice some bruising and soreness to touch in areas that were rough. This shows that the body is addressing the abnormal tissue through the natural healing process.
• You will receive a custom-designed stretching and exercise program to help your body rebuild healthy tissue and allow you to return to an active lifestyle.
• Most patients experience a significant change in their symptoms in the first 3-4 visits.
What’s Different About the ASTYM System?
• It demonstrates success when other approaches have failed.
• It often decreases the need for surgical intervention.
• It provides maximum results with a minimum number of treatments.
• It has high patient compliance.
• It often enables patients to stay on their job or stay in their sport.
• It is supported by scientific research, substantial clinical experience, and an extensive outcomes database.
Diagnoses that Respond Well to the ASTYM System
Patients who are experiencing pain, loss of motion and/or loss of function following surgery, injury, cumulative trauma disorders, and chronic irritation/tendinitis often benefit from the ASTYM System. Some of the clinical diagnoses which have responded well to this treatment are:
• Trigger finger
• Carpal tunnel syndrome
• Lateral epicondylitis
• Medial epicondylitis
• DeQuervain’s tenosynovitis
• Wrist sprains
• Shoulder pain
• Plantar fasciitis
• Chronic ankle sprains
• Achilles tendinitis
• Shin splints
• Patellar tendinitis
• Hamstring strains
• IT band syndrome
• Post-surgical scarring
• Post-surgical fibrosis
• Hip pain/trochanteric bursitis
• SI and low back pain
• Most forms of chronic tendinopathies
• Soft tissue changes associated with degenerative arthritis
HOME INSTRUCTIONS
Stretching
• Perform the stretches you have been taught at least 4 times per day.
• Stretch before and after aggravating activities and when you hurt.
• Hold your stretches for a minimum of 30 seconds.
• Stretch to the point of pull but not pain.
Activity
• Be as active as possible unless your physician instructs you otherwise. Let pain be your guide.
• If your injury has prevented your participation in certain activities, work your way back into them as your pain allows.
Icing
• You may occasionally ice for 15-20 minutes at a time if you are uncomfortable.
• Ice before bed if you have discomfort that disrupts your sleep.
• Place a damp washcloth between your skin and the ice.
Hydration
• Proper hydration is important in the healing process.
• Drink plenty of water throughout the day.
Men’s health is on the forefront this month as many guys get out their mustache combs in an effort to raise money.
What statement below is NOT true about the Movember Foundation: Continue reading
Dizziness and disequilibrium are second only to low back pain in frequency of occurrence in the adult population. Balance and Vestibular deficits are a major medical concern, and the resulting effects of an untreated balance disorder can be devastating. Continue reading
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
WHAT IS PHYSICAL THERAPY?
Physical Therapy (PT) is the treatment of disorders with physical agents and methods such as therapeutic exercises, mobilization, electrical and light modalities to assist in rehabilitating patients and restoring normal function after an illness or injury. Physical therapy is a necessary tool to bring a patient back to their full physical potential. Physical therapy care focuses primarily on the rehabilitation of motor skills, range of motion, strength, flexibility, balance and coordination. Physical therapy also focuses on teaching preventative measures to patients in order to prevent further injury and pain.
Continue reading
This Month in PT News. Featuring articles from PTandMe partnering clinics!
1.Is Technology A “Pain In The Neck?”
Written by Robyn Smith, Director of Sports Physical Therapy Services – The Center for Physical Rehabilitation
Technology is everywhere. Computers, video games, smart phones, ipods, ipads, and tablets. You name it – it’s all at our fingertips. Read More
2. Keep The Tingle Out Of Your Arm
Written by the Therapy Team at The Jackson Clinics Physical Therapy
One of the main nerves in the arm, the ulnar nerve runs from the neck to the hand. At various points along this path, the nerve can become irritated or compressed, causing tingling in the elbow, wrist, hand or fingers. Read More
3. Massage Therapy – A Relaxing Way To Promote Health
Written by the Therapy Team at Oregon Spine and Physical Therapy
If you are wondering what does massage has to do with your health, think again… Several studies and research have confirmed the beneficial effects of massage. Read More
OSHA Estimates totals for foot and hand types of injuries annually at 320,000 hand and finger injuries, 70,000 eye injuries, 70,000 head and face injuries, and 110,000 foot and toe injuries in 1987. Close to 30% of the total injury base. Sharp or heavy falling objects are the primary sources of foot injuries. So how does one go about avoiding workplace hazards for feet and hands?
To help you get started we have listed out some of the common injuries and actions that lead to workplace injuries of the hand and foot. This is by no means complete as there certainly could be burns or lacerations or multiple levels of sprains/strains in either body area in addition to those noted.
One’s feet provide support and movement. Yet, the 26 bones in the human foot can be easily damaged. According to the BLS, 40 laborers suffer disabling injuries to their feet and toes every day. These injuries account for 8.5 percent of all lost-time injuries in the construction industry.
The hands are an extremely important part of the body and can be damaged in a matter of seconds, leaving a Laborer permanently disabled. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), Laborers suffer over 8,600 disabling hand injuries each year, accounting for roughly 18 percent of all disabling injuries.
In addition to hand and arm injuries that are caused by an accident, many common injuries are caused or worsened by repetitive stress.
These ailments include:
Understanding what the injuries are is the first step in prevention. If you are looking to put protocols in place to help team members avoid workplace hazards for feet and hands, please reach out to a physical therapy clinic that specializes in industrial rehabilitation. They can work with you to improve the safety of the workplace and the employees.
As the warmer weather comes to an end we may just now be seeing the emphatic group of athletes who push their bodies to the limits. Some push too hard and too fast while others endure countless episodes of micro-injury that slowly breaks down their system. You guessed it – Runners.
For those of us in the medical profession that have the pleasure of working with the running population, we know that they can sometimes be the most challenging group to work with. That being said they also provide us an opportunity to play a tole in preserving a very important piece of their quality of life. Whether it’s a novice runner who just “got the bug” or an experienced runner who knows of nothing else but to run, they all have something in common: recognizing what they are doing to their body!
In the orthopedic community we see mostly micro-trauma and repetitive use injuries in the form of tendinitis, bursitis, muscle strains and joint pain. During the running season we do our best to control the situation by advising rest, stretching, ice, etc; but what else can we do when eliminating the source of trauma is not a plausible answer? One solution is to speak their language. How do you run? Running is natural, we just learn how to do it and most runners have never been coached how to run properly, Even very efficient runners can have biomechanical faults that lead to increased stress in any one area. A good rehab program would consist of:
Often overlooked is the form they take when running. There is bountiful information to by learned by watching the way someone moves. A single flaw in running mechanics is magnified a thousand times with each foot strike. If we can’t stop someone from invoking trauma to their body, we can teach our runners how to make it less traumatic in the first place.
This is where a video gait analysis comes in handy. A video gait analysis enables us to zoom in on targeted areas and see what is actually going on at various joints. With plenty of normative data and efficient runners for comparison, physical therapist can provide different perspectives for patients. By slowing down a sequence of strides frame by frame we can not only focus on several links in the chain at once, but we can show runners exactly how their actions are impacting their body. We can also show them targeted angles and body positions which shows runners a side of themselves they are unable to see otherwise.
Formulating a productive plan of care in rehabilitation can now include very specific exercises and technique modification. When added to traditional treatments of common running injuries the overall outcome is enhanced and often more timely. If you are running in pain – ask your physical therapist for a video gait analysis.
Written by the therapists at Plymouth Physical Therapy Specialists.
Lately, it seems as though this simple principle has become increasingly difficult to understand. Ask a group of healthcare professionals how to stretch, and you are likely to get varying responses. This is in part due to the fact that stretching is ‘personal’. By that, we mean that each unique individual has different requirements to maximize ‘their’ benefit from stretching. This individualization of routine is largely influenced by age, health, exercise profile, and injury history. A good program will encompass both dynamic (actively moving a joint through the range of motion required for a sport) and static stretching (holding a stretch with no movement). Below, we will give an example of dynamic stretches for runners, followed by running and finishing with static stretching.
Pre-run, a good dynamic routine will incorporate sport-specific movements. The program below targets the major muscles of running. Remember to start slow with small movements, focus on form, and pick up the speed/increase the range of motion as the exercises get easier. A good dynamic warm-up lasts approximately 10 minutes:
POST-RUN A good static stretching routine will target the major muscles of running including the calves, hamstrings, and hip flexors. For maximum benefit from static stretching, hold each stretch for a minimum of 30 seconds and not more than 2 minutes. Repeat for each side of the body, and complete at least one stretch per muscle group on a consistent basis. This is just one example of a sport-specific routine that we can develop. Our professionals’ knowledge as movement scientists coupled with our understanding of the complexities of the sport, position us uniquely to design, develop, and individualize comprehensive stretching routines.
The article above provided by Plymouth Physical Therapy Specialists
