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.

Practice makes perfect… but when it comes to kids’ sports, variety may be the key to great success and less injuries.

Sports are a great way to keep your kids active, fit, and is good for teaching them teamwork and discipline. Sports are great, but there could be injuries that come along with it. In physical therapy, we see many kids and young adults with sports injuries.

The American Academy of Pediatrics reports that at least 50% of athletic injuries – mostly sprains, strains, and stress fractures- are from simple overuse. It is also possible some may have more serious injuries, such as concussions, meniscus tears, or broken collar bones. Research shows kids benefit most from exposure to multiple sports and forms of activity at a young age.

In an era of specialization, traveling teams, and year-round sports, it is easy to get caught up into focusing on just one sport. Professional athletes played a variety of sports when they were younger and believe being a multi-sport athlete contributed to their success later. Lebron James played football in his youth, and Michael Jordan played baseball and golf. 90% of first round picks in a recent NFL draft were multisport athletes in high school, and 224 of the 253 total picks were multisport athletes.

When kids are 8 or 10 years old and you give them options of sports to play, their body can get exposed to several demands as they are still growing. It is not just good for them physically, but mentally as well. Once kids reach their late teen years, then they can decide which sport to more focus on.

While variety is best for growing muscles, it is also important to rest. 1-2 days off for rest each week with at least 2-3 months off of an individual sport each year is good for your health.

Focus on skills development rather than structured competition. Less injury risk, because the body is moving/training in different ways, reduces the risk for overuse injuries. Developing fundamental skills early increases success and ultimately a love for sports.

At Fast Track Physical Therapy, we encourage parents to pay close attention to your young athlete’s complaints about aches and pains. While they could be simple growing pains, they could also be precursors of those over-use injuries.

Just because you don’t have neck pain, it doesn’t mean that the pain going down your arm does not originate from your neck. This is something that should always be screened with physical therapist, but let’s talk about what you can do at home to best help the symptoms with your shoulder, arm, elbow or hand. This also, of course, does not mean that it is coming from one of those areas, but the neck must be ruled out, especially when you have been working with a specific area and not getting any relief.

The first and easiest way for you to rule out anything, would be to move your neck around and see if it changes the pain down your arm at all. It may either reproduce it and make it worse or take it away. Be sure to check all directions, look up, down, left and right, as well as tilting to each side. You may have to move in and out of the position 10 times or hold for 30 seconds to get any reproduction or relief of symptoms. If you get a positive result from what you do and it relieves any of your symptoms, continue to do this. The reverse is also true, but either way, now you have something you can address. So why is the problem in the neck, but the pain is somewhere else?

Nerve Entrapment
When the nerves become entrapped, it is usually one of two places. The first is in the lower cervical spine, as this is where all of the nerves are that go down into the arm. The other place is between the collarbone and first rib. As all of the nerves exit the spine they travel here first before going down further. Compression at either of these joints can leave you in a world of hurt.

Joint and Disc Referral
These are more likely to be present as neck pain but can also be out more towards the shoulder blade as well, making it easier to determine what needs to be done next.

Trigger Points
The main, larger muscles of the neck can all have referral patterns outside of the neck. The good news is that there is relief. It is hard to get into too many treatment specifics, but let’s review a few of the things that generally most people would benefit from. Things such as stretches, strengthening exercises, manual therapy techniques, McKenzie spine techniques, cervical traction and postural education should reduce your symptoms and get you back on track.

If you are having pain, it is important to know where it is coming from–and a physical therapist can do just that!

There are many choices in health care. Here’s why you should see a physical therapist first:

If you or a family member are dealing with pain and aren’t quite sure who you should go see, a physical therapist might not be the first person you think of. Hopefully after reading this, it’ll help you understand why a physical therapist should be who you see first.

Physical therapists are specialists in musculoskeletal issues. Whether you are having trouble getting out of bed, picking up your kids, having difficulty reaching into the cupboards, or any other daily tasks that you’re having trouble doing, a PT can help. A physical therapist will do an extensive evaluation and give you a game plan that will help you get back to what you want to do, which is the whole point, right? A physical therapist can help facilitate your recovery by giving you the tools to be healthy for the long run, without relying on medications, injections, or surgery.

Many people know physical therapists treat backs, knees, shoulders and all orthopedic issues, but did you know a PT can also treat migraines, TMJ/TMD and vertigo? If you choose PT first, you’ll feel better faster and could potentially save money in the process! Who doesn’t like to save money? Also, in the state on Indiana, a law was passed that does not require a referral to see a physical therapist. Most people don’t know that, so we’re trying to make sure people understand they have a choice in where they want to go to get better.

I like to compare physical therapy to when something goes wrong with your car. If you need to invest in parts or get work done to keep your car running properly, why wouldn’t you do the same thing in regards to your health? There are many places you can go for an injury. Hopefully, you know now that you can choose physical therapy first!

Seek treatment now while your health insurance deductible is met, here’s why!

1. Most insurance deductibles are usually met by now:
Many patients do not plan ahead in regard to their health insurance deductibles. Most of us have met our deductibles or our max out of pocket expense, making it a very good time of the year to have things taken care of. So, whether it’s a nagging injury or another medical problem, act now before the end of the year to save yourself some money.

2. The sooner you seek treatment, the quicker you get better:
Most physical ailments, although small initially, can quickly lead to more serious problems. The human body is an amazing machine as everything works together. Although, a small problem in one area can lead to compensations in other areas of the body later on thus causing other issues. At Fast Track, we often find the sooner treatment is started, the quicker the issue resolves. For instance, if you are having a problem with your knee that causes you to walk with a limp, increased stress is placed on your hip and lower back, resulting in increased pain in those areas. If you wait too long, this problem can become worse, and it could take longer to heal.

3. You do not need to see a doctor to get treatment:
Indiana is a direct access state for physical therapy services. This means that you can seek treatment for your current ailment without seeing your doctor first. Our physical therapists are experts in treating musculoskeletal conditions and can refer you on to the appropriate doctor if needed. They will also communicate all findings and treatments to your doctor as well.

Avoid the end of the year holiday season rush!
The upcoming holiday season is often a busy time for everyone between school, work, sports, family gatherings, and shopping. This can make scheduling appointments more difficult for patients. We also experience a large rush of patients who have met their health insurance deductibles the last few months of the year, so it is important to get in while you can!

The holiday season can make life a little bit busier, so make sure to take care of yourself so you can feel as good as you should!

There are many choices in healthcare. Here’s why you should see a physical therapist first:

If you or a family member are dealing with pain and aren’t quite sure who you should go see, a physical therapist might not be the first person you think of. Hopefully after reading this, it’ll help you understand why a physical therapist should be who you see first.

Physical therapists are specialist in musculoskeletal issues. Whether you are having trouble getting out of bed, picking up your kids, having difficulty reaching into the cupboards, or any other daily tasks that you’re having trouble doing, a PT can help. A physical therapist will do an extensive evaluation, giving you a game plan that will help you get back to what YOU want to do, which is the whole point right? A physical therapist can help facilitate your recovery by giving you the tools to be successful. We want to empower you to be able to do things needed to keep you healthy for the long run without relying on medications, injections or surgery.

Many people know physical therapists treat backs, knees, shoulders, and all orthopedic issues, but did you know a PT can also treat migraines, TMJ/TMD and vertigo? If you choose PT first, you’ll feel better faster and could potentially save money in the process! Who doesn’t love to save money? In Indiana, you don’t need a physician’s referral to see a physical therapist. Most people don’t know that, so we’re trying to make sure people understand they have a choice in where they want to go to get better.

I like to compare physical therapy to when something goes wrong with your car. If you need to invest in parts or get work done to keep your car running properly, why wouldn’t you do the same thing in regard to your health? There are many places you can go for an injury. Hopefully, you know now that you can choose physical therapy first!

Chances are that you probably haven’t given much thought to how your neck and back are faring in the era of the smart phone, but studies show that you most certainly should. It’s practically a reflex these days to pull out our smart phones when we’re standing in line, sitting at the airport or riding in the car. And while it’s great that we rarely need to venture beyond our pockets for entertainment, our bodies are beginning to retaliate—and mourn the pre-texting days.

So, what exactly are these contemporary conveniences doing to our bodies? A surgeon-led study that was published in Surgical Technology International assessed the impact of surgeons’ head and neck posture during surgery—a posture similar to that of smart-phone texters—has on their cervical spines. With each degree that our heads flex forward (as we stare at a screen below eye level), the strain on our spines dramatically increases. When an adult head (that weighs 10 to 12 pounds in the neutral position) tilts forward at 30 degrees, the weight seen by the spine climbs to a staggering 40 pounds, according to the study.

How pervasive of a problem is this? According to the study, the average person spends 14 to 28 hours each week with their heads tilted over a laptop, smart phone or similar device. Over the course of a year, that adds up to 700 to 1400 hours of strain and stress on our spines. As a result, the number of people dealing with headaches, achy necks and shoulders and other associated pain has skyrocketed. Trained to address postural changes and functional declines, physical therapists are well-versed in treating this modern-day phenomenon, widely known as “text neck.”

Over time, this type of poor posture can have a cumulative effect, leading to spine degeneration, pinched nerves, and muscle strains. Scheduling an appointment with a physical therapist can help people learn how to interact with their devices without harming their spines. The PT will prescribe an at-home program that includes strategies and exercises that focus on preserving the spine and preventing long term damage.

Exercise is an important part of taking care of our spines as we age, but what we do when we’re not in motion matters, too. So next time you pick up your smart phone or curl up with a book on your iPad, do a quick check of your head and neck posture. Your body will thank you for years to come.