Looking to improve your PERFORMANCE? Consider BODYQ?

A 66-year-old woman who loves to golf went to her local Physical Therapy and Balance Center to assess her physical condition. Her goal was to improve her game. Her BODYQ assessment quickly revealed the root of the problem: weak core muscles.

Because BODYQ could quickly assess her exact issue, her fitness expert could design a custom core strengthening program ideal for her needs. The Result? A month later her golf ball soared another 25 yards.

GET FURTHER, FASTER
You might be thinking that any experienced personal trainer could figure out that core strength is crucial to playing golf. While that is true in broad terms, it takes some trial and error to determine which core muscles need what. It’s not just about your abdominals-core muscles include shoulders, back and hips, too. This complex muscular network has to be balanced in strength and flexibility.

BODYQ provides Physical Therapy & Balance Centers physical thearpists and fitness experts with an unprecedented assessment tool to develop the ultimate customized exercise routines for an individuals’ specific body.

Mike Drumm, MS, CSCS, is a highly experienced exercise physiologist who specialized in strength and conditioning. He’s worked with dozens of clients at the Ft. Meyer’s Florida location. He credits BODYQ for enabling him to more efficiently develop effective exercise programs.

“It’s common for personal trainers with little medical training to need several sessions to figure out a client’s true strengths and weaknesses,” says Drumm. “With BODYQ, we know in about 45 minutes.”

Exercise programs are not only designed around clients’ goals and needs, they are also designed around where they exercise and what exercise equipment they use. For example, fitness experts could design a home-based program using hand weights and flexible tubing or the program can be based around gym equipment. “Ideally, we check BODYQ scores every six months,” explains Drumm. “That way, we can see if the scores went up or down and then further customize the exercise routine as needed.”

INVENTED BY MEDICAL EXPERTS
Several years ago, Jim Abrams, was told he needed knee surgery because of an old sports injury. He went to physical therapy, which corrected muscular imbalances. Not only was he spared from knee surgery; the process relieved decades-old back and neck pain.

That experience led Abrams to join a team of inventors who created the BODYQ system.

“A lot of people ignore aches and pains hoping they’ll go away or think it’s just a part of aging,” says Dan Deems MD, PhD, FACS. “With BodyQ we can identify looming musculoskeletal problems, correct balance challenges, and identify ailments that you can reverse so you can live a higher quality of life.”

BODYQ IS A COMPREHENSIVE SCREENING PROGRAM
BODYQ analyzes your muscle strength, endurance, flexibility,k range of motion, vision, hearing and balance in a single testing session. The results and recommendations are immediate–no need to wait for days or weeks.

BODYQ also calculates an all important baseline score. Your score is compared to others of your age and gender. It’s insightful and motivating to know how you rank relative to others.

Cheryl Rapp, a woman in her mid-50’s, has a regular routine of working out five days a week but wanted to take her fitness to the next level. She was amazed by what BODYQ revealed.

I was tripping occasionally and I just blamed it on my flip-flops,” said Cheryl, “The big surprise was that my ankle flexibility was about half of what it should have been.”

Other revelations about strengths and weaknesses inspired a whole new workout routine for Rapp. Another woman in her early 60s was looking to start a fitness program. But BODYQ showed she was a fall risk. So, she was referred to a Physical certified balance therapist with whom she could safely develop her muscles and then transition into a customized excercise program.

AN OUNCE OF PREVENTION
Many people have determined that preventative care, which includes training with a fitness expert and physical assessment with BODYQ, is ultimately less expensive and more life-enhancing than spending money on conventional medical care for preventable health problems. Whether you want to increase your energy levels, recover from injury or illness, run your first 5K, lose 10 pounds or just feel stronger, BODYQ can jump-start your efforts.

The Benefits of Exercise: Back to Basics

Posted by Said Lissone on Thursday, 14 August 2014 in Physical Therapy

Participating in regular exercise is the only way to achieve and maintain the health of our precious body, mind, and spirit. Regardless of this, we are often misguided by the supplement and beauty industry into believing that physical exercise is merely an adjunct to the products they are selling to us and profiting from. As a passionate health professional, I want to remind you of the reasons why exercise is beneficial to our overall health. Exercise causes long-term physiological adaptation including improvements in heart function, muscle strength, muscle endurance and body composition. These adaptations allow you to better perform the activities of daily life and help to maintain your functional independence as you age.

A common axiom is resistance training strengthens and sculpts our muscles. What is less widely discussed is that the tendons, ligaments and other supporting structures in our body also get stronger when engaging in this type of exercise. Additionally, the density of our capillaries increases to compensate for the increased oxygen demand of our muscles. Changes in our nervous system also occur with resistance training. These include increased neural drive resulting in more forceful muscle contractions and improved communication between our brain, muscles and peripheral sensory systems. This type of neural adaptation is the reason why exercise is so effective in improving the symptoms of central nervous system diseases such as Parkinson’s and others.

Physical Therapy Fitness

Cardiovascular exercise also induces specific physiological adaptations. The most apparent adaptation is the increased efficiency of the little engine of life, our heart. On average, the resting heart rate decreases by 10 – 15 beats per minute. Blood pressure decreases in untrained individuals who engage in regular cardiovascular exercise. The reason our heart function improves is that our heart literally increases in volume, what we call healthy cardiac hypertrophy. Invariably our heart also gets stronger. A stronger and bigger heart means that the heart can pump more blood with less effort. In essence, cardiovascular exercise is a drug-free approach to reducing blood pressure and can prevent many dangerous diseases of the cardiovascular system over time.

It is well known that cardiovascular exercise and resistance training is beneficial for people with diabetes. It improves glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity through a combination of physiological adaptations and changes in body composition. Guidelines on exercise jointly released by the American Diabetes Association and the American College of Sports Medicine say regular exercise can tame Type 2 Diabetes. These guidelines recommend at least 150 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous exercise per week spread out at least three days with no more than two days between each exercise session. Considering individual limitations, diabetes should not be an excuse to avoid physical activity.

Exercise is the magic elixir, the fountain of youth, and the panacea. Now that I have reinforced what you already knew, Saïd says, “Exercise, be healthy, and love your life!” Physical Sarasota Main Street offers PT-directed fitness training along with a modern fitness center, complete with a full line of strength and cardio equipment.

Always consult with your physician before starting any exercise program.

Falls send 1.6 millions Americans to the ER every year….Are you at risk?

Among older adults, falls are the number one cause of fractures, hospital admissions for trauma, loss of independence, and injury/deaths. People think they are supposed to lose their balance as they age but that not true. In order to maintain or strength, balance and endurance we have to use it!

Assess Your Risk

According to the National Institutes of Health, a person with balance problems may experience tripping, swaying, stumbling, dizziness, vertigo and falling. Although a person’s “static” balance may be fine when standing still or only perform a single task at a time, “dynamic” balance problems may become apparent with movement and multitasking. For example, you may feel unsteady when walking and turning your head to talk to someone. It’s important to seek help as soon as balance issues begin. The longer you wait, the worse it can get. People become fearful of falling so they limit their activities which only adds to the problem. Muscles become weaker without exercise, making maintaining balance even more difficult.

Here are some questions to better assess your state of balance:

  1. Have you changed or limited your physical activity because of balance issues?
  2. How often do you experience balance problems?
  3. Do you feel dizzy?
  4. Have you had difficulty walking?
  5. Have you fallen in the past year?

Please share your responses with your doctor!

While losing your balance can be frightening, you can regain it! Physical therapists can help restore balance but not every PT is a balance expert. 1st Choice Physical therapists take a whole-body approach. They consider whether issues with the spine, hip knee or feet contribute to imbalances, and they provide intensive personal care to help you achieve the greatest independence possible. Treatment might include:

  • Gait Training
  • Balance retraining
  • Vestibular rehabilitation
  • Fall prevention

Reduce your fall risk by staying active! Include exercises that build muscle, increase flexibility and help with balance and coordination. Call 1st Choice Physical for a FREE fall risk assessment today!

Plantar Fasciitis: Will Physical Therapy Help My Foot Pain?

One out of 10 people in the United States experience persistent pain along the bottom of the foot, a condition known as plantar fasciitis. In this country alone, outpatient clinics receive more than 1 million visits a year from people seeking help for this type of foot pain. In 2014, the Orthopedic Section of the American Physical Therapy Association published updated clinical practice guidelines  on the best treatments for patients with plantar fasciitis. The guidelines present evidence that strongly suggests a combination of manual therapy and rehabilitative exercises to help patients with this foot condition. In a more recent study published in the February 2017 issue of JOSPT, researchers reviewed the records of people with plantar fasciitis who were sent to physical therapy to determine whether this treatment lessened their pain.

NEW INSIGHTS

The researchers studied a database of 819 963 patients diagnosed with plantar fasciitis. Only 7.1% of these patients were prescribed physical therapy. Overall, patients sent to physical therapy received evidence-based treatment. These patients were given manual therapy 87% of the time and supervised rehabilitative exercises 90% of the time. The researchers found that patients who received manual therapy as part of their treatment averaged fewer visits and had a lower cost of care of $340. These results support prior studies that show faster recovery time for those who receive evidence-based physical therapy for their foot pain.

This study shows that despite strong evidence on the benefits of physical therapy for plantar fasciitis, very few patients were given this treatment. If you have foot pain, evidence suggests that physical therapy will help you recover faster and cost you less than if you do not receive this treatment. This study also indicates that physical therapists are quickly adopting the recommendations in the updated clinical practice guidelines on plantar fasciitis. Therapists’ use of manual therapy increased from 78% in 2007 to 94% by 2011, while their use of supervised rehabilitative exercises increased from 85% to 91% during this same period. If you have been diagnosed with plantar fasciitis, physical therapy offers evidence-based treatment options to help you recover from your pain.

EXERCISES AND MANUAL THERAPY TO LESSEN FOOT PAIN

Your physical therapist may offer a combination of manual therapy and exercises, which have been shown to reduce your pain. These treatment options include calf stretches (A), foot stretches (B), and hands-on therapy (C). For calf stretches, while standing with your foot straight ahead, lean forward and keep your heel on the floor until you feel a stretch sensation in your calf. Perform this stretch first with the back leg straight and then repeat it with the back knee bent. For foot stretches, while seated, grab the base of your toes and pull them toward your shin. Your physical therapist can add manual therapy to your treatment, such as the ankle mobilization shown here.

 

Do you have heel pain? Is the heel pain worse first thing in the morning or after sitting for a while? Research has supported the use of certain stretches to the foot and calf muscles, foot taping, night splints, use of foot orthoses, and hands-on manual therapy (by a licensed physical therapist) to decrease heel pain. In addition, application of cold packs and correction of certain hip/knee muscle imbalances and/or joint stiffness may help alleviate heel pain. Consult with your doctor to see if physical therapy would help alleviate heel pain and make walking more tolerable. – Dr. Alex Kranz

Running: Improving Form to Reduce Injuries

JOSPT 2015 running

Running is often perceived as a good option for “getting into shape,” with little thought given to the form, or mechanics, of running. Most people assume that running is something natural that we simply know how to do. However, as many as 79% of all runners will sustain a running-related injury during any given year. If you are a runner – casual or serious – you should be aware that poor running mechanics may contribute to these injuries. A study published in the August 2015 issue of JOSPT reviewed the existing research to determine whether running mechanics could be improved, specifically with the help of real-time visual or audio feedback. The ability to improve running form could be important in treating running-related injuries and helping injured runners return to pain-free running.

NEW INSIGHTS

Researchers reviewed 974 published studies and identified 10 high- and medium-quality studies that examined the effectiveness of visual and audio feedback for improving running mechanics. Overall, the evidence supported the use of real-time feedback. Using feedback tools, physical therapists were able to help runners (1) decrease the force with which their feet hit the ground during running, and (2) improve running form at the hips, knees, and ankles.

For visual feedback, runners watched themselves run in a mirror or viewed a video of their running while a physical therapist coached them on how to improve their form. Audio feedback consisted of verbal coaching from the physical therapist, or the use of simple tools such as a metronome, to improve running cadence. Research shows that runners can improve their running mechanics using visual and/or audio feedback training while being coached by a physical therapist. As a result of improved running form, runners may reduce their risk of injury. In addition, evaluation and correction of running form may benefit those who have knee or leg pain when running.

If you already have a running-related injury or want to reduce your risk of sustaining one in the future, this kind of supervised feedback can help. For more information on improving your running form, as well as other strategies to reduce your risk of injury during running, contact your physical therapist specializing in orthopedic and sports-related injuries.

BENEFITS OF VISUAL AND AUDIO FEEDBACK.

Evidence supports the use of real-time visual and audio feedback to improve running form. (A) The runner on the treadmill exhibits poor running form. (B) Visual feedback on the screen and audio cues from the physical therapist are used to provide the runner with the necessary feedback to improve her running mechanics.

Do you have pain or a lingering muscle or joint issue when you run?  Would you like to run more efficiently?  There is new evidence showing supervised feedback from physical therapists allow people to run with better mechanics and efficiency.  Sometimes the issue can be fixed with correction of a weak muscle group, muscle imbalance, or muscle/joint tightness.  With the warmer weather of summer upon us,  if you are having a lingering muscle or joint issue impairing your ability to run efficiently, ask your doctor if physical therapy would be appropriate. – Dr. Alex Kranz