Click HERE for pain-prevention tips for teachers.

Click HERE for pain-prevention tips for bus drivers.

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Despite all of these benefits, most Americans don’t get enough. According to the Department of Health, 80% of Americans don’t meet the recommendations for physical activity. This is impacting our health. About half of American adults have a preventable chronic disease. The good news is that exercise has a positive impact on seven of the ten most common ones. That leads to the question:

Are you getting enough activity?

Here are the current guidelines:

• Preschool-aged children (ages 3 – 5) at least 3 hours of physical activity daily
• Children and adolescents (ages 6 – 17) at least 60 minutes of activity a day
• Adults 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity weekly, and muscle-strengthening activities on at least 2 days
• Older adults (ages 65 and older) Same as the adults above with additional components added such as balance training

If you’re falling short on physical activity, you may not think of your PT as someone who can help, but you should!

Physical therapists have extensive training in anatomy, physiology, and movement science. They can get anybody moving! Here are some great times to choose a PT to help with your fitness:

• You’re recovering from an injury or surgery.
• You have pain or limitations that affect your movement.
• You have a chronic condition that affects your fitness, like arthritis.
• You need help improving your balance or preventing falls.
• You want a personalized program that addresses specific weaknesses or imbalances.

Your PT can work with your physicians and medical team to ensure your workouts are safe. As you progress, they can also work with professionals like strength coaches or personal trainers to take your fitness to the next level.

With your PT’s guidance, you can address limitations, prevent injuries, and design a personalized program that keeps you motivated and moving towards a healthier you.

References

1)      Building motivation and sustainability into the prescription and recommendations for physical activity and exercise therapy: The evidence, Physiotherapy Theory and Practice, 25:5-6, 424-441,

10. DOI: 10.1080/09593980902835344

2)      The physical therapist’s role in physical activity promotion. British Journal of Sports Medicine 2009;43:99-101.

99. https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/43/2/99.citation-tools

3)      Improving Adherence to Exercise: Do People With Knee Osteoarthritis and Physical Therapists Agree on the Behavioral Approaches Likely to Succeed?.

397. Arthritis Care Res, 70: 388-397. https://doi.org/10.1002/acr.23297

4)      Periodization and physical therapy: Bridging the gap between training and rehabilitation

1. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1466853X1500067X

Articles/Content:

1)      Physical Activity Improves Your Health and Quality of Life

1. https://www.choosept.com/video/physical-activity-improves-health-quality-life

2)      Home Exercise From a Physical Therapist

1. https://www.choosept.com/video/home-exercises-floor-mat

3)      Tips to Avoid Overtraining

1. https://www.choosept.com/health-tips/tips-avoid-overtraining-injuries

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Here is an overview of some ways that PT can help you:

1. Prehab Rehabilitation
Pre-surgery rehabilitation, or “prehab,” can help kick start your recovery process with the help of expert Phoenix Physical Therapists. Prehab therapy is designed to strengthen the body before surgery. The stronger you are before surgery, the easier it will be to meet your goals. Some patients have great success controlling pain and improving mobility with prehab PT.

2. Prevent Injury
Physical therapy can be used as a form of preventative care. Learn proper techniques for stretching, running, and more to prevent injuries and even improve your athletic performance.

3. Improve Strength, Mobility and Balance
Physical Therapists understand movement in the human body. They can provide you with useful stretches, exercises, and proper posture techniques
to prevent everything from neck pain, carpal tunnel, knee pain and more. You can use physical therapy to improve your overall body mechanics for everyday activities and exercise.

4. Manage Aging
Physical therapy can have many benefits for seniors. It can be used to address pain, osteoarthritis, balance, and fall prevention while also helping seniors maintain their independence. A Physical Therapist will assess all the contributing factors and develop exercises to address specific issues.

5. Treatment for a Disease or Condition
Physical Therapy can be used to treat a variety of diseases and conditions. Many Physical Therapists complete advanced training to specialize in
treating patients with specific conditions. Patients can benefit from physical therapy for pelvic floor pain and dysfunction, type 2 diabetes, headaches, and neurological conditions such as Parkinson’s disease and multiple sclerosis. Physical therapy can also be extremely helpful in recovering from illnesses like COVID-19. A customized program is created for each patient to address their specific condition, pain and goals.

6. Work-Related Injuries and Recovery
Your employer or doctor may refer you for physical therapy for a variety of reasons. Employers often partner with a physical therapy practice for workers’ compensation related injuries as well as pre-employment screening, work conditioning and hardening and functional capacity evaluations. Physical therapy can help you return to work safely and efficiently.

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How Pediatric Physical Therapy Works

Pediatric PT sessions are all about play! Therapists use games, activities, and exercises tailored to a child’s specific needs and interests. This might involve:

• Building Strength and Coordination: PTs can help children improve their balance, agility, and muscle control with fun activities such as walking like animals, going through obstacle courses, or playing games. The skills learned in these activities are essential for everything from moving through the world to keeping up with friends.
• Addressing Developmental Delays: Physical therapy can be a game-changer for children who are experiencing delays in reaching milestones. PTs can help identify what’s holding them back, then help them develop the skills they need to progress towards the next milestones.
• Recovering from Injuries: Just like adults, young athletes can get hurt. PTs help kids heal and regain strength and flexibility so they can return to their favorite activities safely.
• Managing Chronic Conditions: Children with conditions like cerebral palsy or muscular dystrophy can benefit from physical therapy to manage their symptoms and improve their overall function and well-being.

Benefits Beyond Movement

Physical therapists play an important role in promoting physical activity and general health. But the benefits of physical activity go beyond that. By improving movement and coordination, PTs also help children with:

• Self-Confidence: As kids gain strength and independence, they start to meet their goals. This helps with confidence, impacting all areas of their lives.
• Pain Management: PTs can teach children techniques to manage pain and discomfort, improving their overall quality of life.
• Socialization: Children use gross motor skills to play and participate in games with peers. Better gross motor skills help children develop social skills and build friendships.

If you think your child might benefit from physical therapy, talk to your pediatrician, or give your PT a call. They will assess your child’s needs and create a personalized plan to help them reach their goals!

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In high school comparable sports, females have a higher concussion rate than males. Female athletes have also been shown to experience more post-concussive symptoms and have a greater recovery time as compared with males.

Signs of a Concussion

Concussion symptoms usually appear within minutes of the injury, but some symptoms may take several hours to occur. Anyone with a suspected injury, especially from a sports-related impact, should be examined for a concussion or a spine injury. You do not need to have lost consciousness to have a concussion.

If you suspect your child has suffered a concussion, they may exhibit the following symptoms:

• Headache or a feeling of pressure in the head.
• Nausea or vomiting.
• Balance problems, dizziness, or double or blurry vision.
• Sensitivity to light or noise.
• A sluggish, hazy, foggy, or groggy feeling.
• Confusion or problems with concentration or memory.

You also may notice, or they may express, that they are “just not feeling right” or are “feeling down.”

What to Do If You Suspect a Concussion

• Cease play or immediately remove the athlete from play.
• Get examined as soon as possible by a licensed health care provider. This can include an athletic trainer, physical therapist, or physician.
• Rest for 24-48 hours, and then begin a gradual return to activity that starts with a walking program. Gradually work your way up to walking 30 minutes per day. Note: When starting a concussion recovery program, walking is generally safe even if you experience a slight increase in symptoms. Completing an early supervised exercise program has been shown to improve recovery.
• Limit screen time during the first 48 hours. You may resume screen time after 48 hours as long as symptoms do not increase significantly.
• Return to school after 2 to 3 days. Studies support a return to school in this time frame with accommodations if needed.
• Get good nighttime sleep. This is important for recovery, and you may need more nighttime sleep in the early days after a concussion. Try to avoid daytime napping to keep a normal sleep-wake cycle.
• Stay close to an adult after a suspected concussion. A child or athlete should not be left alone after the injury.
• Monitor symptoms closely. If they worsen, seek an evaluation in the emergency room to determine if a more serious brain injury exists.

Sometimes concussion symptoms persist for longer than 7 to 10 days. If so, a physical therapist can assess symptoms and treat lingering issues by guiding you through a safe and personalized recovery program.

Physical therapists are movement experts who improve quality of life through hands-on care, patient education, and prescribed movement. To find a Phoenix Physical Therapy location near you, click here.

Article courtesy of APTA.

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That’s why we’re going to give you our best tips to help you keep your schedule on track.

PLAN

Some of what makes the summer months challenging is planning around your schedule and other important obligations. To work through this, we advise planning ahead.

We’re not just talking about appointments on your calendar, either (although those are important). Here are some things to think about planning ahead:

Your PT appointments

Your schedule is busy during the summer, and so is your PT’s. Plan and schedule your appointments in advance. You’ll get the times and days that work best for you, and you’ll already have your PT appointments in your calendar to plan other things around.

Your exercise

Hopefully, you have a regular time to exercise. With schedule changes that come in the summer and with children being out of school, your schedule may change. Think about when you’re going to exercise ahead of time and you’ll stay consistent.

Your diet

Healthy eating often gets out last when you are busy with other obligations. Putting low quality fuel into your body won’t help you feel better. Think about planning what you’re going to eat ahead of time. We’re not saying to skip every summer treat offered to you, but maybe think about which ones you really need to have, and which ones you can skip in advance. It makes saying “no thanks” to tempting foods easier.

We’re realistic. We understand that life isn’t the same during the holidays as it is during the rest of the year. That’s part of what makes this time of year special! With that in mind, our next set of tips focuses on making modifications to help you get through the holidays successfully.

Your PT Plan

Even when you planned your PT appointments out well in advance, you might have run into some challenges that arise. Talk to your therapist about how you might be able to modify your plan of care through the summer to make it all work. Maybe you’re going to PT three times a week and now you can only come twice a week for a week or two. If you can share this in advance with your PT, you can work together to come up with the best plan possible.

Your exercise

Exercise is so important that it made our list twice. Now that you know when you’ll exercise, you might have to modify your routine to make it fit. Again, we recommend talking with your PT to see what you can do. Maybe your home exercise program can be modified so you can do everything in the kitchen during downtime when cooking. Maybe you can reduce the number of exercises to focus on maintaining the gains you’ve made until things settle down.

Your schedule

In your planning in advance (see how important it is?) you might have found that your normal routine wasn’t going to work. If your PT appointments or exercise time is usually right after work and you’ve now got commitments, maybe you can move them to the morning before work. Be flexible and consider temporarily modifying your schedule and your routine to make it work better during the summer. You can always go back to your previous routine after.

The summer is a fun and exciting time of year, but keeping up with your health and your physical therapy is so important to your overall wellbeing. With some planning and flexibility, you can stay healthy, survive the summer months and move into the fall feeling your best!

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If you or someone you know needs shoulder replacement surgery, knowing what to expect can help you have a better outcome.

Here are four things to know:

1. Managing pain after surgery.

You can expect some pain after shoulder replacement or any major surgery. Your pain should decrease as you heal. Most people report barely noticeable to mild pain after they have fully recovered from shoulder replacement surgery through targeted physical therapy. Many people report a great improvement from the pain that they experienced before surgery.

Work with your physical therapist to learn positions and exercises that reduce pain and help you heal. Work with your surgeon and pharmacist to understand how to safely use pain medications after surgery. If your surgeon prescribes opioid medications after surgery, it is important to have a plan to decrease their use in a timely manner.

Research shows that taking prescribed opioids before surgery leads to worse pain management after surgery. Consider weaning off these medicines prior to surgery with the supervision of your health care team. This can help with your pain management after surgery.

2. An initial need for help and assistance.

You can expect to be in a sling for a few weeks. You will not be able to use your arm for anything except prescribed exercises. Your PT will teach you specific exercises to promote healing.

Consider having ready-to-eat meals that are easy to prepare. You may want to set up things at home that you need regularly at an easy-to-reach level. Button-up shirts are easiest to wear while you cannot lift your arm.

Let your friends or family know that you are having major surgery, so they can support you while you recover.

3. Difficulty sleeping.

Initially, sleep may be difficult after surgery but can improve with good habits. Good sleep habits, also known as sleep hygiene, include:

• Avoiding large meals and caffeine before bedtime.
• Limiting or avoiding alcohol.
• Avoiding nicotine.
• Removing electronic devices from the bedroom.
• Having a regular set bedtime.

Finding a well-supported position also will be important. Talk with your physical therapist about positions to keep your shoulder protected while you sleep.

4. Improved mobility and function.

Physical therapy is a critical part of recovery after shoulder replacement surgery. Before surgery, a physical therapist can help you improve your shoulder and upper back movement to keep your shoulder as strong and mobile as possible until the time of surgery.

After surgery, a hospital physical therapist will educate you about what precautions to take when you go home and what movements to avoid during the initial healing phase. They also will teach you how to get in and out of bed while protecting your shoulder.

After discharge, continuing physical therapy is very important to ensure your safe recovery. Your physical therapist will work with you to progress your exercises at the right times in the healing process. They will help you get back your range of motion, improve your strength and function, and eventually help you get back to your everyday activities, job, or sport.

Be sure to tell your physical therapist your goals, so both of you can focus on what is important to you.

Physical therapists are movement experts who improve quality of life through hands-on care, patient education, and prescribed movement. You can contact a physical therapist directly for an evaluation. Find a Phoenix Physical Therapy location near you.

Article courtesy of APTA.

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