By nxg Uncategorized back pain physical therapy, Physical Therapy, Physical Therapy New York, Physical Therapy New York NY, physical therapy treatment

Importance of Sleep for Recovery after Injury

In this day and era, a lot of people are having a tough time going to sleep, staying asleep, or getting enough sleep. We as human beings are trying to adapt to living with all the technology around us while at the same time dealing with the demands and stress of life, and even still living through COVID.

Sleep is important for recovery. Our brain does a lot of things during sleep that helps with recovering from mental stress as well as from physical injuries. If you get enough hours of sleep, your body releases hormones to regulate cortisol (your stress hormone) which in turn indirectly affects the way you recover. The less stressed you are, the your body is heading towards the optimal state for recovery. You will end up getting a better quality of sleep in turn and your sleep cycle will improve.

During sleep your body also releases growth hormones which helps to repair damaged tissue. Being sleep deprived will prevent this and y our recovery rate will be on the decline.

How Do I get Enough Sleep?

Stay away from technology and white light 1 – 2 hours before bedtime. It is pretty tough these days especially with all the smartphones and Netflix binge. Set up an alarm for yourself, get in the habit of turning everything off and dim the lights if you can.

You can do some reading or journaling with a yellow/orange light on. Perhaps do some reflections/meditations, or some light stretches or a nice hot bath from the hard day at work. Your body will thank you for it and you will fall asleep more readily. Dedicate the time you will go to bed to get your self at least 6 – 8 hours of sleep.

Exercise can help too but avoid it right before bed as it can keep you up. It has shown to reduce and manage your stress better, improve your cardio, and losing an extra couple of pounds will improve your insulin resistance that in turn will help you keep the weight off. The heavier you are, the worse it is for your knees and ankles, your circulatory system, your heart, and even on your mind.

Your sleep position can be important too. If you are a back sleeper, the pillow can be relatively flat as it just needs to support the curve on the neck. Get more guidelines from Physical Therapy New York, NY. Therapist will guide you.

November 24, 2021

By nxg Uncategorized back pain physical therapy, Knee Pain Physical Therapy, lower back pain physical therapy, Physical Therapy, Physical Therapy New York, Physical Therapy New York NY, physical therapy treatment

Cold Weather and Arthritic Pain

Fall is already here and you probably experienced the cold front already. This is the time that your arthritis mostly flares up because of the temperature. So what can you do? There is actually a lot you can do for yourself to help manage your pain and to reduce the frequency of arthritic flares.

The first thing would be your diet. The holiday season is here and your guilty pleasures of eating processed meats and foods high in sugar will definitely get in the way of being pain-free. You don’t have to avoid it completely. Enjoy the day that you are celebrating with your family.

What you can do is limit your intake of these types of food because they will increase the inflammatory response in your body that will cause those flare-ups. Know when to hold back and eat more leafy greens and foods that won’t cause inflammation and your efforts will add up.

The second would be the most obvious – staying warm. You will want to layer up, especially around the area where you get the attacks. If you have it in your extremities, especially in your hands, it is important to wear gloves made for arthritis which provide compression that increases blood circulation. It is also important to keep a hot pack handy a few minutes a day to keep the area in constant circulation and warmth for a smoother joint movement, to feel better.

Another way is to get some sunlight. During this season, the morning comes late and the sun goes down earlier. Perhaps you are just staying inside because it’s so cold. Chances are, you may not be getting enough of the sun to get the daily vitamin D that you need. Low levels of vitamin D have been associated with more flare-ups as well as lower tolerance to pain.

You can take vitamin D supplements but also adding at least 20 – 30 minutes of a daily brisk walk can be highly beneficial to you. As mentioned previously, you get your vitamin D naturally as well as getting cardiovascular activity in your walk which increases your circulation, temperature, and muscle tone.

The next thing is, you guessed it, exercise. As mentioned earlier, exercise will help strengthen the surrounding muscle around the joint. This puts less pressure on the joint and therefore, fewer flare-ups.

In physical therapy, you will be taught exercises that will help target the muscles surrounding your specific joint. It’s important to be taught the exercises in the correct way, or preferably in a modified way to meet your current conditions.

Perhaps you have less range of motion or have other underlying conditions that get in the way of performing an exercise. Speak to your physical therapist about the exercises that you can do. They can not only help with your exercises but provide some manual therapy, tissue work, and stretches to relieve the stiffness in your body to optimize your body for exercise and maintain or increase your level of fitness.

You may need to visit more frequently in the beginning, but as you get better you can probably go in once a while to relieve the stiffness as well as update your exercise program to either modify or advance into it as you get stronger. One thing to note is that you can also incorporate yoga and pilates to help.

Yoga will help with the flexibility and toning of the muscles and pilates strengthens the muscle, bone, as well as joints. Get in touch with your Physical Therapy New York, NY for an evaluation and find out what your best options are today.

July 23, 2021

By nxg Physical Therapy back pain physical therapy, Knee Pain Physical Therapy, lower back pain physical therapy, Physical Therapy, Physical Therapy New York NY, physical therapy treatment

How to Fix Your Rounded Shoulders?

If you work or play long hours in front of the computer, the desk, or on the phone, chances are you may have rounded shoulders. The problems that can arise from this can be headaches, shoulder pain, back pain, or even nerve pain.

How Can I Fix My Rounded Shoulders?

Through exercise!

Prepare to get on the floor with a rolled-up towel. For these exercises, you will lay down face down with the rolled-up towel underneath your forehead.

– T’s: You will spread your arms to form a T with your torso. Lift your thumbs towards the ceiling and raise you arms up and down. Squeeze for a good second at the top and come back down. Perform 10 – 20 reps, 3 – 5 sets. Start with low reps and work your way up.

– Y’s: Same way but with your arms forming a Y with your torso. Lift your arms up and down towards the ceiling with a good second at the top and come back down. Perform 10 – 20 reps, 3 – 5 sets.

– W’s: Form a W. Lift your thumbs up and down with the ceilings. Perform 10 – 20 reps, 3 – 5 sets.

– I’s: Start the same with your arms straight up next to your ears moving your arms up and down. Perform 10 – 20 reps, 3 – 5 sets.

– Swimmers: With just your arms, start with palms facing down with arms next to your ears. As if you are swimming, wave your arms towards your hip, with both hands ending up behind your lower back, palms facing towards the ceiling. Then return to starting position. Perform 10 – 20 reps, 3 – 5 sets.

– Alternating arm and leg: Start on your hands and knees. Extend your right arm forward next to your ear and at the same time extend your left leg until it’s straight. Hold for a good second. Repeat on the other side. Perform 10 – 20 reps, 3 – 5 sets.

– Shoulder Shrugs: Just as it’s stated, you will stand with both arms on your sides at a relaxed position and raise it up to a shrug. Then come down to the relaxed position in a controlled manner instead of dropping them straight down. Perform 10 – 20 reps, 2 – 5 sets.

– Shoulder Retraction: Start with elbows bent at your sides. You will extend your arms forward, then bring them back so your hands are by your side, right underneath your chest level. The motion is like performing rows with a cable machine or as if you are skiing. Remember to retract your shoulders when you pull back – imagine there is a pencil between your shoulder blades and you are squeezing it in place. Perform 10 – 20 reps, 2 – 5 sets.

– Open Book: Start by laying down on your back with your knees bent. Then turn to the left. Your knees should still be bent, with your left leg and left arm on the floor. Your left arm should be in front of you extended out. Your right arm should lay on top of the left arm, palms touching each other. Then slowly turn your arms out towards the right as if you are turning a page. Do this nice and slow to feel the motion and stretches. Perform 10 reps. Next, turn on your right and repeat the same thing you did with the left, 10 reps. Do this 3 – 5 sets.

– Pec stretch: At the doorway, have your forearms touching the doorway, elbows bent at 90 degrees. Step forward with one foot. You will feel a stretch on your chest. Hold this position for 20 – 30 seconds. Perform 3 – 5 reps. Note: if your doorway is too big, you can do this one side at a time. If you are using your right forearm on the edge of the doorway, then use your right foot to step forward.

Do these exercises every day. You should start to see some improvements little by little. Remember, it can take a long time depending on how long you’ve had shoulders and how flexible you are.

If you experience any sharp pain during or after exercise, stop and consult your doctor first. There could be other underlying issues that need to be addressed first. Otherwise, you may need supervision by a physical therapist of Physical Therapy New York, NY to modify the exercise or manipulate the joints and muscles to get the right results.

July 23, 2021

By nxg New Age Blog ActivateGlutes, Glutes, Knee Pain Physical Therapy, Physical Therapy, Physical Therapy New York NY, Physical Therapy Queens, physical therapy treatment

How to Reactivate Your Glutes?

Glute Amnesia is the inability to contract or activate your glutes. Having inactive glutes can lead to back, hip, and/or knee pain. One of the reasons why that it can occur is because of the lack of the right muscles in the area.

There is tightness in certain back and hip muscles, and weakness in the deeper core and glute muscle group. This can lead to problems in your lower back and hip area, commonly known as Lower Cross Body Syndrome.

The hamstrings become the dominant muscle in movement, leading to tight or restrictive hip flexor muscles – which in turn can lead to knee and low back pain because of the muscles connected to them.

Hamstrings can become dominant because of prolonged periods of sitting and other various reasons. This will interfere with developing the glute muscle – as both glutes and hams are primary drivers of any hip extension action – e.g. squats, deadlifts, lunges, step-ups, pelvic bridges, hip thrusts, etc. When you remove glutes from the equation you end up overworking the hams.

If your hamstrings are tight or short, they will limit hip joint mobility. The compensation pattern we see as a result of this tightness is the toe-touch pattern – which is when more movement is forced to come from your lower back instead of a hip extension.

You can combat dominant hamstring by ham lengthening movements before moving onto gluteal activation exercises which allows increasing the range of motion in your hips for optimal gluteal exercise.

1. Hams Stretch: You can begin by laying down on your back. You can grab a towel or a belt around one foot and lifting that leg until you feel a stretch. You can hold this for 20 – 30 seconds, 3 – 5 times.

2. Choose exercise that will create strength and/or stability in a greater range of motion

3. Active Leg Lower – great for stimulating hams length while simultaneously causing you to engage your core to provide better pelvic stability

4. Perform at a Doorway: Lay down face up w/ one leg leaning straight up against the wall while the other legs go out through the doorway but start with the leg bent. Extend the bent leg straight down on the floor to start. Then lift the straightened leg towards the other leg. It may not reach all the way.

There are other exercises you can do to increase gluteus activation. Consult with your physical therapist of Physical Therapy Queens, NY to find out if you have glute amnesia or other conditions.

They will have a better understanding of how your body works, release any other tightness in the area that you may not be able to do take care of by yourself through manual therapy, and will modify exercises to fit your body’s need.

$Colles fracture$ February 9, 2021

By nxg New Age Blog colles's fracture, Physical Therapy, Physical Therapy New York, Physical Therapy Queens, physical therapy treatment

Physical Therapy for “Colles’ Fracture”

What is “Colles’ Fracture“?

A Colle’s fracture is a break in one of the bones of the forearm near the wrist. The fracture can occur if you fall with an outstretched hand, with the end of your radius bone breaking and getting pushed toward your inner wrist. This fracture is one of the most common but most challenging outpatient fracture. This is most common in people with osteoporosis or elderly women.

Common Signs of a Colles’ Fracture

If you have suffered trauma to your wrist or have fallen onto your hand or wrist, you may have a Colle’s fracture. Common signs and symptoms of a wrist fracture or Colles’ fracture include:

– Pain and swelling in the arm, wrist or hand

– Bruising

– Decreased mobility in the wrist

– Visible lump on the back side of your forearm

Initial Treatment

If you suspect you have a Colles’ fracture, you should seek medical attention right away. Otherwise, it may result in serious complications with permanent loss of arm and hand function.

Because of the pain and swelling that occurs with a fracture, you may wish to put ice on your wrist and hand until you get to your doctor or emergency room.

It is important to have the fracture reduced. Your doctor situates the broken bone or bones manually in the correct position so that appropriate healing can take place. Another option is to have a surgical procedure call open reduction internal fixation (ORIF) when the case is severe.

Once it’s been reduced, it must be immobilized with a cast or a brace and may be required to wear a sling. You may need to visit a physical therapist to learn how to properly wear your sling. It is essential to keep the bones immobilized so that proper healing can take place.

How Can a Physical Therapist Help?

After about four to six weeks of immobilization, your doctor may remove the cast and be referred to physical therapy. The physical therapist will evaluate your strength, function, range, pain and swelling. If you had an ORIF procedure, the therapist will assess your surgical scar tissue.

Your physical therapist will develop an appropriate plan to improve the impairments and functional limitations that you may have. Your PT may prescribe a specific exercise program after your Colle’s fracture such as:

– range of motion exercises for the hand, wrist, and elbow

– strength exercises that focus on hand, wrist and elbow.

– various treatments and modalities to help decrease the swelling and pain.

– scar tissue massage and mobilization to help improve the mobility of your scar

You should notice that your mobility, strength, and function are improving while your pain and swelling are decreasing after a few weeks of physical therapy. While the fracture should be fully healed six to eight weeks after injury, you may still be limited for up to 12 to 16 weeks.

A Colles’ fracture can be a scary experience as you will have limitations in your basic abilities as well as your recreational activities. Physical Therapy Queens, NY can help you improve your functional mobility to ensure you can quickly and safely return to normal activity.

By nxg Knee Physical Therapy Knee Pain Physical Therapy, NY, Physical Therapy New York, physical therapy treatment, Reduce knee pain

Physical Therapy Treatment: Most Effective for Knee Pain

The knee is the most generally injured joint in the body. Knee pain is no fun, it can be a result of overuse, traumatic stress or other passionate diseases such as osteoarthritis. Damage to the knee can create a loss of action, reduced muscle control, and impaired strength and endurance loss of the muscles that assist the knee.

Most of the knee injuries can be treated conservatively with rest, ice, mobilization, and physical therapy. Treatment of Physical Therapy New York, NY can help ease pain and avoid long-term pain. Here are important physical therapy techniques for knee pain accurate from the doctor’s office and the doctor himself — no appointment necessary!

Here are four Physical Therapy techniques for knee pain straight that will reduce your knee pain.

Strength Training

While it might show counter-intuitive to complete strength training activities while experiencing knee pain, stimulating the muscle is really one of the best things you can do to reduce knee pain long-term.

These basic exercises can be done daily as part of physical therapy for the knee pain regimen. Perform just a few repetitions at first and add more as the muscles strengthen.

Stretches

In the body, knee is one of the most complicated joints. Constituted of an intricately related combination of bones, muscles, ligaments, and tendons, the joint is badly predisposed to injury.

Thankfully, physical therapy treatment can help patients to recover from most injuries. If your doctor has advised you to do physical therapy for knee pain, try these four times.

Balance Exercises

The knee is a significant part that is used in standing, sitting, walking, and basically every other form of movement. Balance is a necessary and beneficial part of these everyday versatility tasks.

Knee pain can reduce your balance, and therefore your capacity to make these basic movements. Thus, balance activities are essential features of physical therapy for knee pain.

Heat and Ice

Heat eases muscles and greases the joint. It also helps to reduce stiffness and eases muscle fits. Until, ice decreases inflammation, injury, and pain from activity. Find which works for you, or alternate between the two!

The aim of physical therapy treatment for your knee is to reduce current injury, learn abilities to avoid damages and expected pain, and recover optimal use of your leg. It sounds like a much better choice than giving up anything you enjoy!

By nxg New Age Blog back pain relief, lower back pain, lower back pain physical therapy, Physical Therapy New York NY, physical therapy treatment

4 Ways to Manage Lower Back Pain with Physical Therapy

When you have an idle lifestyle, there are many difficulties that you might suffer. Lower back pain problem is one of the most basic issues, which can be excruciatingly sensitive. Thankfully, some easy activities can offer relief. Whenever you do them consistently, several exercises can provide you long-term release from regular lower back pain.

According to a study by the American Physical Therapy Association, approximately two-thirds of Americans experience low back pain, but only 37% seek help from a professional for pain release. And still, there are easy ways essentially anyone can determine constant lower back pain without operation or pain killers medicines.

Stretching

Exercise and right stretching of the tissues in the lower back, stomach, bones and legs is important for those with low back pain. Both exercise and stretching help in managing a normal variety of plan, and give relief for tissues due to lack of treatment, or those that fit because of tissue sensitivity or unsuitable condition.

Exercises for Movement Control

Movement control exercise aims to retrain the spine’s tissues to maintain and control the spine into different ranges of action and regular daily exercises. Many patients with both important and resolute low back pain have used poor movement patterns that present a big part in their current.

Manual Therapy

Manual therapy can be effective for the therapy of joints that lack sufficient versatility and range of action in certain musculo-skeletal conditions. This condition can create trouble, pain, and an adjustment in function, position, and action. Manual physical therapy includes replacing versatility to strong bones and decreasing muscle tension in order to restore the case to more normal movement without effort.

Education

To get relief from lower back pain, patients have the right education for back pain and it’s related therapy. Some portions seem to improve a person’s risk of increasing low back pain. These involve smoking, obesity, older age, physically strenuous or inactive work, female sex, job objection, job-related stress, and mental health problems such as stress or panic.

These ways will surely help you to manage your lower back pain. If you want to know more about physical therapy treatment, please do visit the clinic of Physical Therapy New York, NY. Expert and experienced therapists will guide you and suggest you proper exercises.

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