Avoid Injuries during your Workout…

At Fast Track Physical Therapy, we see all kinds of injuries. It is also common for people and athletes that exercise, to have a fear of getting injured. Beginners that are new to exercise, also have fears of getting injured when they finally have the motivation to start a new program. As physical therapists, we know the body’s musculoskeletal system better than anyone. Here are some tips and suggestions on how to keep the body going without it breaking down in the end.

• Warm up. It is never a good idea to workout muscles that are cold. Make sure you are warming up to increase your body’s core temperature, blood flow to the working muscles, and also to mentally prepare yourself for the workout ahead.
• Cross Train. Your body will thank you when you change up your routine by engaging in different activities. This will not only help you avoid hitting a plateau in your workouts, it will give your muscles a much needed break from the same routine, day in and day out. Plus, not only will your body benefit from diversifying your exercise routine, but so will your metabolism. Studies show that switching up your daily exercises can rev up your fat-burning.
• Be smart about your training. Just because you could do a specific exercise 10 or 20 years ago, doesn’t mean you can exercise with the same speed and energy today. Be realistic about your training and not focus on what you use to do. “Too much, too soon” can be the number one reason why injuries occur. Gradually increase your time and the intensity of your workouts to prevent those nagging injuries.
• Wear proper workout attire. If you have to think about how long ago you purchased a new pair of running shoes, then it is definitely time to head to the store. Going to a specialty store for expert advice on what shoes you should be wearing is the first step, because they can gauge what shoe fits best with your arch, gait and body weight. So many injuries come from wearing worn out shoes without any support. Your poor feet!
• Eat a balanced diet and hydrate. What you eat and drink is just as important as your workout. Not only will carbohydrates give you energy for your workout, they will replenish those glycogen stores for your recovery and for the next workout. Protein after your workout is just as important as this will help repair those muscles you just broke down. Work with a sports nutritionist to understand when, how much, and what foods you should be eating to keep you healthy and energized for your workouts.
• Add strength training and core work to your routine. Having a strong fit body is a great way to keep the injuries away. If your muscles are balanced with a strong core, then your body will not wear down or have to compensate for being weak or tight.
• Listen to your body with rest and recovery. Your body will give you the signals you need to know when to back off. If that knee is feeling a little achy, your soreness lasts for more than the recommended 24 to 48 hours, or you are just plain tired, then it is time to look over your exercise routine. Rest and recovery might be what your body is looking for. Make sure you take those rest days as your body is making actual gains during this time.
• Don’t push it. We all want to have goals, and sometimes we push ourselves out of our comport zone. But you have to make sure you are not pushing your body too much where it can’t handle it. Often times that is how injuries occur.

“Screen” Your Movements This Spring!

Let’s talk about the last time you—or someone close to you—interviewed for a new job. Chances are that the first step was a phone screen with your potential employer, and when you passed that portion of the process with flying colors, you were then invited for an in-person interview. At that stage, the employer probably asked you to answer a series of questions and to demonstrate your skills through a test or two. The process is set up in a way that narrows down the options until the most suitable candidate is found. Makes sense, right? Just as job recruiters screen applicants to find the best fit for an open position, your PT will ask you to perform a series of exercises so that they can observe and understand your body mechanics to uncover any issues or limitations. Used in combination with a full evaluation and assessment, these so-called movement screens are just one tool in identifying the most appropriate treatment or prevention program for you. But, unlike that test you may have taken during a job interview, the screen is not testing your skills or abilities, it’s simply a way of identifying how your body functions during a variety of movements. Now that spring is in full swing, it’s the perfect time of year to make an appointment with your physical therapist for a movement screen. The warmer weather means more time spent outdoors, participating in sports and other recreational activities that may be physically demanding. A physical therapy checkup that includes a movement screen will ensure that you’re physically able to engage in popular spring and summer adventures-whether it’s exploring in the woods, tending to your garden, or swimming at your family’s lake house. Physical therapists perform movement screens for a variety of reasons including:
• Identifying areas of strength and weakness

• Uncovering issues or ruling them out
• Determining readiness to begin a safe exercise program
• Improving sport performance (for both novice and elite athletes)

A movement screen is something that you can have done whether you have a nagging injury or are simply ready to kickstart your activity level after a long hiatus. Gaining an understanding of how your body performs during basic exercises, such as squats and lunges, helps your PT ensure that you can safely jump on a bike or into a pool this summer. And just like an employer screens candidates to identify the one individual who is likely to thrive on the job for many years to come, a movement screen can help you develop a lasting and fulfilling relationship with the activities you enjoy.

For some, it’s about setting goals or staying fit. For others it is about stress relief and the freedom running can provide. No matter the reason, there are many rewards.

Whether you’re training for a marathon, returning to running or just beginning, it’s important to ease into a routine to allow your body to adapt. Gradually increase distance to establish a base of fitness. After you have developed your base of fitness, you can gradually increase your speed and pace over time. Don’t set out to win your age group in your first race. This approach will likely lead you to an injury. As you prepare for a race, listen to your body. Because your muscles are adjusting to the stresses of running, you may need to take a day or two off. It’s important to try to hit training program targets, but don’t stick so firmly to a program that you ignore warning signs and injure yourself. Increasing your weekly running distance by more than 10 percent from week to week can be unsafe. Runners in their mid-30s and older should take age into consideration when returning to running or starting a regimen for the first time. Their bodies have changed, and they must make adjustments to their training routines to accommodate these changes. Take time to adjust and build your base mileage before training for a race. Ambitious goals can sometimes make you ignore pain, which can lead to injury.

Myth 1: Recovery is a break from training.

Recovery time isn’t a break from training, it is part of it. Runners, particularly those at the Master’s (40+) level, can consider taking recovery time every third week instead of every fourth week during a marathon training program. Consider using cross-training, such as the elliptical or bike, to substitute for recovery runs to give your legs a break. This allows you to rest your legs while remaining on track for a successful race.

Myth 2: Push through the pain.

Runners know how to handle pain. But how do you determine what pain is normal and what is cause for alarm? Muscle soreness that eases as you run can be normal. However, the pain you should be concerned about may have one or more of the following characteristics:

• Pain that does not subside within several hours after running.
• On a pain scale of 1-10 (10 being worse pain), pain that exceeds 3 while running.
• The onset of sharp pain.
• Pain that wakes you up at night.
• Persistent pain that worsens when you run.
• Pain that persists in the same area, every time you run.

If you experience any of the above, a physical therapist can help determine the cause of the problem and recommend effective cross-training exercises, identify when poor form may be contributing to your pain, and prescribe necessary changes in training to allow the body to repair itself.

Myth 3: You can zone out on a run.

Running can clear your mind and provide stress relief. However, thinking about your form while running can help you make subtle improvements. Listen to how you run, notice how you strike the ground. Does it sound the same on both sides, or is one foot strike louder? Notice where your foot lands relative to your body. Is it in front of you, or relatively underneath you, which is often less stressful? Recognize that as you fatigue, your form is more likely to be compromised. Usually when a runner’s form is compromised, mechanical stress increases and injury can soon follow. A physical therapist can do a running analysis for runners to help improve form thus helping to reduce injuries.

Are You A Passive Patient or an Active Consumer of Healthcare?

Think about the last time you made a big purchase. Did you go out and buy the first thing you saw? Or did you research it, learn some things, compare it to other options, and select something that was right for you? Most people tend to be educated and research large purchases like cars, or the newest iPhone. So why do we so often fail to do this with healthcare? By becoming more educated healthcare consumers, we can go from passive patients who take the first recommendation that comes from a practitioner to an active consumer who weighs options and makes choices. Here are some questions to talk through with your practitioner the next time a healthcare decision comes up.

What are the benefits or expected results?

When a treatment or procedure is recommended, the patient often assumes that it will make them “better.” But what the patient expects and what the healthcare provider expects are often two different things. For example, a patient having back surgery expects to be pain free after surgery. The surgeon probably doesn’t expect that to happen. Outcomes from back surgeries are not always the best. A large study of 1,450 patients in the Ohio worker’s comp system showed that after 2 years, 26% of patients who had surgery returned to work. Compare that to 67% of patients who didn’t have surgery. There was also a 41% increase in the use of painkillers in the surgical group.

What are the risks and downsides?

Patients want to hear about the benefits of a treatment, but they often don’t ask or care about the risks. To be an educated consumer, you need to. Going back to the back surgery study from before, the researchers found a 1 in 4 chance of a repeat surgery and a 1 in 3 chance of a major complication. These risks need compared with other treatments. In the case of back pain, physical therapy is a valid alternative with a much lower risk.

What are the alternatives?

Don’t feel bad asking about alternative treatments. If you were looking at a certain car, you wouldn’t go out and just buy it. You’d at least consider the competitors and probably even test drive them. You should look at the other options in healthcare too. Maybe the first recommendation that your practitioner makes is the right one for you, but if you don’t consider the alternatives you’ll never really know.

Why this treatment over the other ones?

This is the question where the rubber meets the road. You’ve learned about all the options, now you can see if your practitioner is balancing the risks and benefits to make the right choice for you. Staying with the back pain example, research shows that more than 40% of people who seek care for back pain will not receive a treatment of known effectiveness. Back pain is also the #1 reason for opioid prescriptions, despite a 2016 recommendation from the CDC to avoid prescribing opioids for back pain and opt for non-drug treatments like physical therapy.

What does it cost?

This last question is becoming more important as patients bear an increasing share of the cost of healthcare. That back surgery that we’ve been talking about- it’ll likely cost between $60,000 and $80,000. Consider this, a patient who chooses surgery first will spend $60,000 and have a higher risk of disability, and a higher risk of painkiller use, while risking infection, etc. An educated consumer would learn that physical therapy is a viable alternative to surgery with comparable outcomes, much less risk and lower cost. In fact, a large study of 122,723 subjects showed that people with back pain who got physical therapy in the first 14 days lowered their healthcare costs by 60%. It’s easy to see why bargain shoppers love PT!

Are You a New Year’s Resolution Newbie, Master or Flunkee?

Turning the page on the new year is a chance to wipe the slate clean—and to be better versions of ourselves. And when it comes to what we want to improve, goals that fall in the health and wellness area top all other New Year’s resolutions, such as exercise, eating healthier, or getting more sleep. There are three types of people who choose a goal from the health and wellness category as a New Year’s resolution: the resolution newbie, the resolution master, and the resolution flunkee.

Resolution Newbie. Maybe this is your first time making a commitment to your health and wellness. Good for you! Whatever your goals are, taking that first step is a big one, so you’ll want to be sure that you’re prepared for the challenge. Particularly when exercising for the first time or returning to an active lifestyle after a long hiatus, it’s important to have the proper information and tools to be successful. And that means tapping the healthcare resources available to you: Clinicians like nutritionists and physical therapists can make sure that your body is prepared to take on new challenges and work with you to a design a program that will help you achieve your goals.

Resolution Master. Perhaps you fall into a different camp: You vowed to get healthy in 2020 and you achieved it! For 2021, your resolution is to continue the work you’ve begun. After all, living a healthy lifestyle is a lifelong commitment; it’s not something you do for a while and then revert back to your former habits. As you prepare to embrace the new year, are there any small tweaks you can make to advance your goals? Maybe you’re thinking about training for and running a half marathon, but don’t know where to begin.

Resolution Flunkee. Let’s say your plan for 2021 is to get in better shape and improve your overall health, but this isn’t your first rodeo. Your 2020 resolution was similar but it’s one year later, and you’re in the same place you were on New Year’s Eve 2019. What stood in your way? Did you have a plan? Without planning ahead, you’ll find yourself staring down the year of 2021 with the same goal in mind. Maybe you made sleep a priority, which in turn helped you to make better food choices at breakfast, but by afternoon, you found yourself choosing to energize with a soda and candy bar when all you probably needed was an apple and a 15-minute walk. Take some time to think about the previous year—good and bad—and take with you what you need and leave the rest behind. Afterall, you can’t plan where you’re going without understanding where you’ve been.

Blessings in 2021!

Some health habits are instilled in us at a young age. For as long as you can remember, you made annual treks in the family minivan to both the pediatrician and the dentist. As you entered adulthood, you probably transitioned to a primary care physician, and maybe even a different dentist better equipped to address adult needs. Anytime you’ve moved or switched insurance carriers, one of your first priorities has been to track down new providers. Now, you may even choose to schedule visits more than once a year, when necessary. You probably figure that between the two healthcare professionals, all of your health needs are covered, right?

As it turns out, these healthcare professionals aren’t specifically trained to assess your musculoskeletal system, which is comprised of your muscles, bones, cartilage, tendons, ligaments, joints and other connective tissues. Then who is the right healthcare professional to ensure that these essential internal structures are working properly and helping to support, stabilize and move your body? A physical therapist.

At a yearly physical therapy “checkup” your PT will gather your medical history and observe as you participate in screenings, tests, and other assessments to establish a baseline of your physical abilities, fitness levels, and personal health. Physical therapists are educated on how your musculoskeletal system functions and are trained to identify dysfunctions before they grow into bigger problems.

To maximize the encounter with your physical therapist, it’s important to be prepared before your appointment. To ensure that you cover everything and address any issues you may be having, make a list that includes:

• • Health issues, like diabetes or high blood pressure

• • Current medications, including supplements

• • Physical fitness activities

• • New activities you’re considering

• • Health and fitness goals

The information exchange between you and your PT is critical to forming an ongoing relationship, and for ensuring that you’re functioning and moving at your best. By understanding any limitations you may have, what sports and recreational activities you’re currently participating in, and any fitness goals you’re aiming to achieve, your PT will be better prepared to make recommendations and tailor a home exercise program designed to help you achieve your goals.

Making wellness a part of your everyday life and taking steps to ensure that your musculoskeletal system is functioning at top notch can be very empowering and rewarding. Why not begin—or continue—that journey with a physical therapist? Now that you know how to prepare for a physical therapy checkup, and understand what you can expect during the appointment, the next step is to call and schedule your annual visit.

So, you’re stuck at home and not able to get out and about as usual, unless you have a home gym. It also makes it tough in general to keep up with your regular exercise routine, and that can be extremely frustrating. Look, I get it. With this coronavirus, these are unprecedented times. We are being asked to practice social distancing. I can assure you, if you are running out of closets to clean, movies to watch and had enough e-learning for one day, you are not alone.

Truth is, we need movement for our mental and physical health. It likely didn’t take much more than a weekend of social distancing for you to see that. And now that many people are mandated to stay home, we are going to have to figure out how to do this on our own for the next few weeks. Don’t fret, I got you.

Get outside for a walk, bike ride, a run, skip, whatever.

Even if you’re practicing social distancing, and as long as you’re not sick, you can continue to get outside and walk, hike, run, etc. (If you do so, make sure to maintain proper hygiene and keep a social distance). You should also be allowed to spend time outside, even if you’re sheltering in place.

Set a recurring alarm to do 10 reps of 10 exercises.

Many of our physical therapy patients are doing their home excesses at home (I hope they are anyways), but we shouldn’t stop moving just because we are at home. So, if you already have a home exercise program, it is good to set a schedule, so you stick with it.

Or, another option is to make up a routine, (ask your physical therapist or physician first!) For an idea, how about 10 jumping jacks, 10 strait leg raises, 10 push-ups, 10 squats, 10 lunges (each side), 10 glute bridges, 10 sit-ups.

If you have young kids, play with them.

They cannot sit still, as I’m sure you are aware. Play with them the way they play. They will give you a great little workout if you actually do as they do.

Challenge yourself.

Maybe you want to be able to do a certain number of push-ups or sit-ups, or you want to or be able to plank for a certain number of seconds or minutes. Now is a great time to give yourself a new little challenge that you can try to achieve every day. Chart your progress. It will also give you self-confidence as you actually watch your progress.

Shake the cabin fever, get up and move around. Your body, your mind, and likely your housemates, coworkers and the people at the grocery store will all thank you. Stay healthy, stay home, but stay moving, friends!