Tag Archives: LBP

Clinic Spotlight: PT & Me Therapists

March 23, 2017 Teresa Stockton - Blog, General Information

This month we are featuring stories from some of our PT & Me therapists. We asked them how they got into the awesome world of physical therapy and what they enjoy about it. These are their stories…

Name:
Kelly Wilson, PT, DPT at University Physical Therapy – 8 locations conveniently located throughout the New River Valley in Virginia

Why did you chose physical therapy as a career?
I took an anatomy class in high school with a teacher who absolutely changed my life. I could not get enough of the curriculum and wanted to learn more about how we work and how we can make ourselves better. I stayed after school one day to ask how I could learn about this topic forever. My teacher suggested that I look into physical therapy. I started shadowing a PT in my hometown and loved it! I was hooked!

What is your favorite thing about going to work each day?
I get to work with the absolute best people on the face of the planet.

Name:
Lea Ann Rumlin, PT, Clinic Owner at DeKalb Comprehensive Physical Therapy – Lithonia, Georgia

Why did you chose physical therapy as a career?
I had an opportunity to observe a PT in high school and found it was very interesting. I thought it was cool to observe a diverse variety of ailments in people.

What is your favorite thing about going to work each day?
I’ve been doing physical therapy for a long time, but it still feels new. I feel blessed to have the opportunity to help people.

Name:
Wendy Richards, MSPT, DPT at Port City Physical Therapy – Portland, Maine

Why did you chose physical therapy as a career?
I wanted to be in a helping profession. Growing up in rural Maine most of the careers were either in healthcare or nursing. That is why I was drawn to physical therapy. I especially liked the stroke patient rehab and spinal rehab aspect of it. Helping people with paralysis was especially fulfilling.

What is your favorite thing about going to work each day?
I enjoy working in a team environment. Working in an outpatient climate and helping patients to get better. Being able to resolve their limitations and improve their lives.

Name:
Jocelyn Zolna-Pitts, PT, Director at Metro Spine & Sports Rehabilitation – Chicago, Illinois

Why did you chose physical therapy as a career?
It combined my interest of medicine with sports. I was always interested in medicine and helping others.

What is your favorite thing about going to work each day?
The daily satisfaction of watching people get better. The challenge and variety of problems patients face and solving their problems through critical thinking with them. I enjoy the fact that you get to play every day at work and it’s a lot of fun!

Seeing a Physical Therapist After an Accident

March 7, 2017 Teresa Stockton - Back, Blog, Neck

Anyone who has been involved in an accident and is now struggling to cope with a resulting injury should seriously consider visiting a physical therapist. The documented benefits of physical therapy are numerous, and in many cases physical therapists are able to greatly improve their patients’ quality of life. Whether you are mildly hurt or are suffering from a long-term debilitating injury, read on to learn what physical therapy is, which types of accident injuries physical therapists commonly work with, and about the numerous benefits of physical therapy

What is Physical Therapy?

Physical therapy is a type of rehabilitation aimed at bringing injured patients back up to their optimal level of health via various treatments and exercises. Physical therapists create patient specific plans designed to enable the patient to perform their daily tasks at the highest possible level of function. While a physical therapist will set different goals for different patients, common goals of therapy include:

Improving physical function and movement
Decreasing/managing the patient’s pain
Preventing re-injury
Increasing the patient’s strength, endurance, range of motion and flexibility

Wondering how physical therapy helps achieve these goals? While different therapists may approach these goals in slightly different ways, physical therapy programs rely mostly on progressive exercises and manual therapy in order to reach a patient’s goals. For example, a therapist will generally start you out with simple stretches and gradually work towards more challenging exercises tailored to suit your injury, limitations, and recovery goals. Additionally, manual therapy, such as soft tissue mobilization and joint mobilization, can help decrease a patient’s pain, reduce swelling, and restore motion.

Accident Injuries that Physical Therapists Commonly Work With

While physical therapists are well equipped to assist patients with minor as well as serious injuries, many people who visit a physical therapist in Houston do so because of a long-term debilitating injury that they suffered as a result of a boat, truck, or car accident. For example, physical therapists commonly work with patients who have been involved in an accident and are suffering from:

Back and neck pain
Arm and shoulder pain
Leg and knee pain
Foot and ankle injuries
Hand injuries
Decreased range of motion

The Benefits of Physical Therapy

Individuals who are injured in an accident often find that attending physical therapy improves their well-being in a number of different ways. While each case and each patient are different, the benefits commonly associated with physical therapy include:

Pain Management: Many people who are injured in an accident attend physical therapy primarily in order to reduce or eliminate the pain caused by whiplash, disc herniation, fractures, and other injuries. The therapeutic exercises and manual therapy techniques utilized by physical therapists are often able to help reduce a patient’s pain and allow them to rely less on pain medication.
Can Help Avoid Surgery: In some circumstances physical therapy has been known to help a patient avoid having surgery altogether. This can be beneficial as surgeries sometimes involve a lengthy recovery, not to mention the inherent risk of undergoing the surgery itself.
Quickens Recovery: Individuals who attend physical therapy after an accident often recover much faster than they otherwise would have. Additionally, these individuals also tend to ultimately achieve better range of motion and muscle strength than those with comparable injuries who did not attend rehab.
Helps Prevent Chronic Pain: People injured in car accidents often suffer from chronic pain and other symptoms long after the accident occurred. Additionally, some car accident injuries, if left untreated, will worsen over time. Fortunately, accident victims who promptly attend physical therapy tend to experience much less chronic pain than they otherwise would.

Of course, if you have been injured in a wreck due to another person’s negligence, you may wish to speak with a car accident lawyer for help. Indeed, an attorney can help advocate on your behalf to ensure you receive the compensation necessary to pay for your recovery.

No Turning Back: Reduce Back Pain with These Spine-Stabilizing Exercises

February 2, 2017 Teresa Stockton - Back, Blog

We take so many things about our bodies for granted. They feel good, we go about our daily activities and we never think about the complex mechanisms at place. That is until something goes wrong. Take your back: it serves as stabilizer, flexor, movement and relaxor too. But unfortunately, back pain troubles many of us — about 8 in 10 people in their lifetime will experience back pain. But you don’t have to rely on pills to relieve symptoms or even countless trips to a doctor. Exercises offer a proactive approach to reduce back pain, and this graphic can help with ideas.

PT News

January 24, 2017 Teresa Stockton - Blog, PT News

This Month in PT News. Featuring articles from PTandMe partnering clinics!

1. Simple Steps to Starting a Weight-Training Program
Written by the Therapy Team at The Jackson Clinics – Middleburg, VA

One of the challenges of weight training is determining how much effort to put in for the most benefits. Read more

2. Sit Up Straight! Avoid Sitting with Bad Posture
Written by Megan Russo, PTA at The Center for Physical Rehabilitation – CPR – Grand Rapids, MI

Do you ever find yourself sitting in a slumped position while at work or driving in the car? Read more

3. Minimizing the Risk of Ski Injury
Written by the Therapy Team at The Jackson Clinics – Middleburg, VA

If winter weather has you prepared to hit the slopes, be sure to take the necessary precautions to keep yourself injury-free this season. Read more

Work Related Stress & Increased Risk Zones: Part 1 of 2

January 10, 2017 Teresa Stockton - Blog, Industrial Rehab

INCREASED RISK ZONES
All Risks Increase with Duration, Frequency and Magnitude.

• Excessive Force

• Repetition of Activity (Can irritate tendons and increase pressure on nerves)

• Awkward Posture (Can compress nerves and irritate tendons)

• Sustained Static Posture (Can restrict blood flow and damage muscles)

• Unsupported Positions

• Motion (Increased speed or acceleration when bending / twisting, can increase the amount of force exerted on the body)

• Compression (Grasping sharp edges like tool handles, can concentrate force on small areas of the body, reducing blood flow and nerve transmission, and damaging tendons and tendon sheaths)

• Inadequate Recovery Time (Overtime, lack of breaks, & failure to vary tasks)

• Vibration of Tools (From vibrating tools, can decrease blood flow, damage nerves, and contribute to muscle fatigue)

• Whole Body Vibration (From driving trucks or operating subways, can affect skeletal muscles and cause low-back pain)

• Effects of Temperature (Cold temperatures can adversely affect a worker’s coordination and manual dexterity while Heat stroke can be very serious as when the body becomes unable to control its temperature, it rises rapidly, the sweating mechanism fails, and the body is unable to cool down.)

• Environment (Slip/Fall hazard-Uneven Floor Surfaces)

• Material Handling Guidelines:
Weight Loading over 50lbs
Lift Speed greater than 5/minute
Vertical Lift Exceeds 3ft
Carry over 1 minute
Sustained Push/Pull over 30 seconds
Static reach holding tasks over 1 minute

Part two of our Work Related Stress & Increased Risk Zones can be found here

Sources:
1) Ergonomics: The Study of Work, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Safety and Health Administration, OSHA 3125, 2000 (Revised)
2) T. R. Waters, “Manual Materials Handling”, in: Physical and Biological Hazards of the Workplace 2nd. Edited by P. Wald and G. Stave. New York: John Wiley and Sons, 2002.
3) Ergonomics and Musculoskeletal Disorders, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention/ National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) © Fit2WRK 2015 R.Gagne

Elf Injuries and How PT Can Help: Part 3 of 3

December 21, 2016 Teresa Stockton - Blog, General Information

It’s that time of year, when we check in on Santa’s helpers to see if they can use some physical therapy. With their heavy lifting and high demand job they’re always experiencing injuries. Our new elf friend Ziggy, is the perfect patient for PT.

Previously…

Ziggy was at one of PTandMe’s partnering physical therapy clinics awaiting the arrival of one of our trusted physical therapists.
Our therapist first performed some stretching techniques on Ziggy to help relieve his aches and pains (Don’t worry Santa said it was okay to touch our “elf on the shelf” friend).

Then so more stretching techniques to help out our little friend…

Now the therapist has Ziggy doing some pulls ups on our wonderful clinic’s pull-up bar to help Ziggy get back to working shape.

Time for deep tissue massage on Ziggy’s aching back…

Thanks to the great physical therapy Ziggy got at our wonderful PT & Me clinics he is now ready to lift all the toys into Santa’s sleigh just in time for the holiday!

THE END.

See Ziggy’s complete physical therapy experience here!

Special thanks to Action Physical Therapy, in Houston, TX, for accommodating the demanding work schedule of Santa’s elves. Click Here for more information about Action Physical Therapy.

Elf Injuries and How PT Can Help: Part 2 of 3

December 16, 2016 Teresa Stockton - Blog, General Information

When we last left off…

Ziggy was at one of PTandMe’s partnering physical therapy clinics.
He first had to check in with our friendly and helpful receptionist.

Then Ziggy warmed up on one of our many clinic’s treadmills to help strengthen his aching back.

Now Ziggy is awaiting the arrival of one of our trusted physical therapists, who will provide him with stretching techniques and exercises to help relieve his back pain.

To be continued…

See Ziggy’s complete physical therapy experience here!

Special thanks to Action Physical Therapy, in Houston, TX, for accommodating the demanding work schedule of Santa’s elves. Click Here for more information about Action Physical Therapy.

Safe Lifting Practices: Back Injury Prevention

November 8, 2016 Teresa Stockton - Back, Blog, Industrial Rehab

Whether you are getting ready for a move, or need to lift things at work, it’s important to use safe lifting practices. Don’t end up with a hurt back – use these tips to keep yourself injury free.

• ESTABLISH A BASE OF SUPPORT: Use a wide, balanced stance with one foot in front of the other. Make sure that you have firm footing and that your feet are a shoulders-width apart. This staggered stance gives you the stability of not falling over and being able to secure the load.•

• KEEP YOUR EYES UP: Looking slightly upward will help you maintain a better position of the spine. Keeping your eyes focused upwards helps you keep your back straight.

• GET A GOOD GRIP: with your palms and make sure you have an adequate hold on the object. Be certain you will be able to maintain a hold on the object without having to adjust your grip later. You can use gloves to help maintain an adequate grip, but don’t rely on gloves because they can desensitize the fingers and make you unable to feel the object.

• LIFT GRADUALLY WITH YOUR LEGS: without using jerky motions. By using your leg strength, your chance of lower back injury is greatly reduced.

• TIGHTEN YOU STOMACH MUSCLES: as you begin the lift and keep you head and shoulders up.

• PIVOT DON’T TWIST: Move your feet in the direction of the lift. This will eliminate the need to twist at the waist.

• WEIGHT: A lighter load normally means a lesser risk of injury. The weight of the object should be within the capacity of the person to handle safely.

• HANDLING: It is easier to pull or push a load than it is to lift, put down or carry.

• KEEP THE LOAD CLOSE: Holding a 20 lb. object with your hands 20 inches from the body creates more compressive force on your low back than holding it 10 inches away. This is because the muscles in your back have to work to counterbalance the weight when it is further from the body. As the compressive force on your low back increases, so does the risk of muscle strains, ligament sprains and damage to the disks in the spine.

• FREQUENCY: The more times a load is handled, the more tired the muscles become, making it easier for the person to be injured.

• DISTANCE: The farther the load has to be moved, the greater the risk of injury.

• DURATION TIME: Where the job involves repetitive movements, reducing the time spent on handling will help to ensure the movements are not causing unnecessary strain.

• FORCES APPLIED: Forces should be applied smoothly, evenly and close to the body. Forces exerted should be well within the capacity of the person, and the person should maintain proper posture.

• NATURE OF THE LOAD: Loads that are compact, stable, easy to grip, and capable of being held close to the body are much easier to handle.

• TERRAIN: Rough ground, steep slopes, slippery and uneven floors, stairs and cluttered floors make moving a load awkward and increase the chance for injury.

• ENVIRONMENT (CLIMATE & LIGHTING): If it is too hot, too humid, too cold or the lighting is inadequate, the capacity to work safely is reduced.

• CONDITION OF THE WORKPLACE: Safe and comfortable working conditions, with adequate space to perform the task, and tools and equipment that are well-maintained, make their job safer.

• AGE/GENDER: Young and old workers alike may be at an increased risk of injury from manual materials handling activities. Ensure abilities of employees are in line with functional job requirements.

• TRAINING: Proper training for the specific task is vital to reduce injury.

• TEAM LIFTING: If one person cannot lift or move a heavy, large or awkward object safely, organize a team lift. Team lifting reduces the risk of injury, reduces fatigue and makes the task much easier.

• RAISE/LOWER SHELVES: The best zone for lifting is between your shoulders and your waist. Put heavier objects on shelves at waist level, lighter objects on lower or higher shelves.

• AVOID LIFTING FROM THE FLOOR: Lifting from the floor can greatly increase your risk of injury for two reasons. Firstly, it is difficult to bring objects close to your body when picking them up from the floor, especially large objects where your knees can get in the way. Secondly, your low back must now support the weights of your upper body as you lean forward, in addition to supporting the weight of the item you are lifting. Lifting the same 20lbs from the floor more than doubles the amount of force on your low back when compared with lifting is from waist height. Even a one pound object lifted from the floor increases you risk of injury if you use a bent over posture.

• GET HELP WHEN YOU NEED IT: Don’t try to lift heavy or awkward loads on your own. Even though the muscles in your upper body may be strong enough to handle the load, the muscles, ligaments and disks in your lower back may be injured because of the additional forces they have to withstand. Get help from a co-worker, and whenever possible, use a cart, hand truck or other mechanical device to move the load for you.

PROPER LIFTING TECHNIQUE

IMPROPER LIFTING TECHNIQUE

POSTURE

GOOD POSTURE

BAD POSTURE

McKenzie Method: Diagnosis & Treatment

November 1, 2016 Teresa Stockton - Back, Blog, Manual Therapy

MECHANICAL DIAGNOSIS PHASE:
This system is based on the symptomatic and mechanical responses of patients to various repeated movements or static loading forces(that is a mechanical evaluation). It allows the classification of patients into broad, rather than tissue-specific, categories and thus leads to the formulation of treatment. Rather than seeking to make a diagnosis, which is the identification of a disease by the means of its signs and symptoms, The McKenzie system concentrates on syndrome identification. A syndrome is a characteristic group of symptoms and pattern responses characteristic of a particular problem. The system is now widely used to classify and treat patients with mechanical disorders.

PHYSICAL EXAMINATION PHASE:
• Explanation of problem to patient and reason for required exercise program
• Time scale
• The appropriate loading strategy, or strategies needed to manage the condition demonstrated to and practiced by the patient.
• The repetitions and regularity of exercise program explained to patient
• The expected pain response explained to patient

ASSESMENT PHASE:
• Symptomatic diagnosis
• Mechanical Diagnosis

PATIENT MANAGEMENT PHASE:
• Patient education component of management
• Information about the problem itself
• What patients can do to help themselves
• Information about tests, diagnosis and interventions
• Active Mechanical Therapy component:
• The specific exercises should be demonstrated to the patients, they should practice these, the expected pain response should be explained, as well as any warnings against lasting aggravation of their condition and as necessary progressions and alterations should be given.

This information was written by Hamilton Physical Therapy Services, L.P., an outpatient physical therapy group with five locations in Mercer County, New Jersey since 1978. Their modern state-of-the-art facilities are equipped to offer patients an excellent opportunity to reach their optimal functional abilities. Managed and operated by physical therapists mandates that patient care is our number one priority. For more information click here.

Common Football Injuries

August 9, 2016 Teresa Stockton - Blog, Sports and Fitness

Football is one of the most popular sports played by young athletes, and it leads all other sports in the number of injuries sustained. In 2007, more than 920,000 athletes under the age of 18 were treated in emergency rooms, doctors’ offices, and clinics for football-related injuries, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. Physical therapy can provide specific treatment to a number of specific football injuries. Here are a few injuries that can happen during a football game or practice:

KNEE INJURIES
Knee injuries in football are the most common, especially those to the anterior or posterior cruciate ligament (ACL/PCL) and to the menisci (cartilage of the knee). These knee injuries can adversely affect a player’s long-term involvement in the sport. Football players also have a higher chance of ankle sprains due to the surfaces played on and cutting motions.

Physical therapy treatment for knee injuries may include:
• Exercises to help promote recovery. Specifically, therapists will design a program to strengthen the whole leg as well improve its range of motion.
• Balance exercises to allow the return to daily activities (including work and sports) while decreasing the risk of falls and reinjury
• Hands-on treatment to keep the knee joint from becoming stiff
• Ice and vasopneumatic pressure to reduce swelling and pain

SHOULDER INJURIES
Shoulder injuries are also common. The labrum (cartilage bumper surrounding the socket part of the shoulder) is particularly susceptible to injury, especially in offensive and defensive linemen. In addition, injuries to the acromioclavicular joint (ACJ) or shoulder are commonly seen in football players.

Physical therapy treatment for shoulder injuries may include:
NON-SURGICAL
Most labral tears will respond well to non-surgical treatment and may be just one component of a multi-factored pathology of the aging shoulder. Physical therapy will typically address a labral tear from the biomechanical approach of improving the motion and reducing the repetitive injury. If the inflammation and mechanical stress on the structures can be reduced then the tissue has a chance to heal.
SURGICAL
If the athlete has had surgery to the shoulder, the therapist will follow a specific protocol to apply just the right amount of strain on the shoulder to keep it safe after surgery. A sling may be recommended in the early stages but the therapist will get the arm moving with assistance within a relatively short period of time. Physical therapists will give instructions on how to provide varying levels of assistance to the arm for motion in safe planes in front of the body, and eventually throughout the entire range of motion. Once the tissues are healed, the therapist will begin to put resistance on the support structures in order to improve the mechanics of motion and reduce the risk of another injury.

CONCUSSIONS
Football players are very susceptible to concussions. A concussion is a change in mental state due to a traumatic impact. Not all those who suffer a concussion will lose consciousness. Some signs that a concussion has been sustained are headache, dizziness, nausea, loss of balance, drowsiness, numbness/tingling, difficulty concentrating, and blurry vision. The athlete should return to play only when clearance is granted by a health care professional. It is recommended that players go though a concussion baseline test before the start of the season. Results from baseline tests (or pre-injury tests) can be used and compared to a similar exam conducted by a healthcare professional during the season if an athlete has a suspected concussion. More information here.

Physical therapy treatment for concussions may include:
EVALUATION: The physical therapist will take time to talk with you and perform a thorough examination of your condition.
THERAPY: The physical therapist will plan a treatment program suited to your individual condition, which will involve exercises for your balance, vision, inner ear and more in order to restore brain function.
TEACHING: Physical therapists will spend time reviewing information with you regarding your diagnosis and progress as well as answering your questions. This empowers the patient to make a lifelong impact on their health.
RETURN TO SPORT: Physical therapists are uniquely qualified to guide you towards a safe return to sport. A therapist can guide recovering athletes through a stepwise protocol to keep patients symptom free, and to prevent serious, life-threatening conditions associated with a second head injury due to early return to football.

OVERUSE INJURIES
Low-back pain, or back pain in general, is a fairly common complaint in football players due to overuse. Overuse can also lead to overtraining syndrome, when a player trains beyond the ability for the body to recover.

Physical therapy treatment for overuse injuries may include:
Pain-relieving techniques (such as ice) and decreasing or modifying painful activities. This diagnosis often occurs from muscular tightness or weakness which causes posture to get out of alignment. A physical therapist will educate and assist in proper stretching and strengthening exercises for the back. They may perform hands on, manual therapy techniques to further increase joint flexibility. The final phase of rehab will involve strengthening during functional activities and education to prevent the injury from recurring.

RESOURCES:
U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission
www.cpsc.gov

Stop Sports Injuries
www.stopsportsinjuries.org

REFERENCES:
Preventing Football Injuries. http://www.stopsportsinjuries.org/STOP/Prevent_Injuries/Football_Skating_Injury_Prevention.aspx