By fitstoppt 16 Nov, 2015 Advice, FAQ, Fitness, Health Tips, Injury, Pain Management, Physical Therapy feel better, health, how to, physical therapy, PT, rehab, strength Four keys to maximize your physical therapy visits to recover faster and more completely!
For over six years now, I have been practicing physical therapy (PT) at the Fit Stop in our Heber City location. I love my job. I think that we as physical therapists have one of the most important and gratifying jobs out there. We are able to play a pivotal role in decreasing pain and improving our patient’s function and quality of life in a very safe and non-invasive way. One of the best aspects of my job is being able to see my patients get better. The majority of musculoskeletal injuries out there respond very well to PT treatment. However, sometimes it doesn’t quite work out that way. Sometimes, a patient does not improve as much as he/she hoped. This can be very frustrating for both therapist and patient, especially since nowadays the cost for care is generally quite expensive for the patient. Most patients have significant deductibles that need to be paid off before their insurance will even pay a dime for the PT. Then, even after the deductible is met, ever increasing co-pays can deter a patient from even seeking care in the first place. Considering these factors alone, it is understandable that a patient could get discouraged if progress with PT is not perceived to be meeting expectations.
So what can be done to give you the best chance possible of reaping maximum benefit from your PT? From my experience over the last few years, successful PT patients generally share a few of the following common characteristics…
More By fitstoppt 12 Nov, 2015 Advice, Exercise, FAQ, Fitness, Health, Health Tips, Wellness advice, education, exercise, frequency, health, healthcare, how often, tip One of the questions that we often get asked as physical therapists is “how often should I workout”? Most of the time this question comes from patients/people who are either just starting to workout or else have desires to start to workout more regularly. Well today one of our fitness specialists, Jared Beckstrand, PT, DPT is sharing his thoughts about exercise frequency – what’s the recommended amount of activity you should be getting and how often should you be working out. Keep reading for more…
More By fitstoppt 04 Nov, 2015 Advice, FAQ, Health, Healthcare, Injury, Pain Management, Physical Therapy, Running, Workout achilles, home, pain, physical therapy, rehab, tendinopathy, tendon, tendonitis, treatment Be sure to follow The Fit Stop on Facebook for all your health and rehab needs!
Achilles Tendonitis (AT) is a relatively common pain in the Achilles tendon, the major tendon that connects the heel bone to the calf muscles. As with any term that contains the suffix “itis”, AT indicates inflammation of the Achilles tendon. This condition can affect anybody, but is most common in active populations (runners) who have experienced some sort of increase in training intensity or duration. It has been reported that 50% of runners will experience AT at some point in their life. Repetitively pushing off from the ball of the foot over miles of training can definitely cause some pain and inflammation. If you’ve been running or playing extra hard lately, have a pain in the heel or lower calf area that has been lingering for more that a few days, and is quite tender when pushed on, you probably have the dreaded AT. So, what now? Well, you are in luck, because today on the Fit Stop blog Toby Bluth, PT, DPT is breaking down Achilles tendonitis: what it is, why you get it, and steps you can take to help it to feel better! Keep reading for more!
More By fitstoppt 02 Nov, 2015 Advice, Exercise, FAQ, Health, Health Tips, Healthcare, Injury, Physical Therapy, Shoulder Pain best, injury, options, pain, physical therapy, rotator cuff, shoulder, treatment As a physical therapist, I enjoy hearing the different terminology for the rotator cuff (RC): “I think I tore my rotor cup” is one of my favorites. However, the thought of a torn rotator cuff is never amusing and with good reason conjures up fear and worry. In today’s post here on the Fit Stop Blog, our shoulder specialist – Toby Bluth, PT, DPT – is discussing the rotator cuff. What is it? Why is it so important? And finally, what should be done if you suspect or have been told that you have a torn rotator cuff?
More By fitstoppt 28 Oct, 2015 Advice, Back Pain, FAQ, Fitness, Health Tips, Injury, Knee Pain, Low Back Pain, Pain Management, Physical Therapy, Shoulder Pain, Strength Training, Wellness advice, chronic, decrease, faq, injury, management, pain, physical therapy, PT, treatment We’ve all been there before. You have an injury that, for some reason, is hanging around a lot longer than it should. You’ve “tried everything” including ice, ibuprofen, rest/taking time off, and every rub/salve/pain patch you can find, and yet your pain persists. What gives? How come you just can’t heal like when you were younger (we get that question A LOT!)?? Well chances are you’re doing a lot to treat the SYMPTOMS of your pain, but nothing to address the CAUSE of your pain. Today one of our specialists, Jared Beckstrand, PT, DPT, is discussing why you might be hurting for longer than necessary and what you can do to start to feel better. Keep reading for more!
More By fitstoppt 14 Oct, 2015 Advice, At Home, FAQ, Fitness, Health Tips, Healthcare, Injury, Pain Management, Physical Therapy, Wellness injury, neck, pain, physical therapy, rehab, rehabilitation, treatment What a pain in the neck!
At some point in life, your neck will likely cause you pain. Neck pain is right up there with pain related to the low back as far as how common it is. According to some sources, the burden placed on the economy because of neck pain, is second only to low back pain. In fact as many as 54% of individuals have experienced some neck pain in the past 6 months. Once this neck pain comes, it is very likely to stay for a long time and to come back again after it has initially resolved. So you can see that neck pain truly is a pain in the neck for a lot of people (including myself). My job as a physical therapist is a physically active job, requiring physical exertion at times that puts a bit of stress on my upper back and neck. By the end of my work week, I go home with a pretty tired, and sometimes outright painful neck. So what is the deal? What is typically causing our neck pain and why is it so common after all?
More By fitstoppt 12 Oct, 2015 Advice, Exercise, FAQ, Fitness, Health Tips, Physical Therapy, Running, Weight Loss, Wellness cardio, enhance, exercise, fitness, how to, increase, strength, workout Ever felt frustrated with your lack of results from exercising?
Did you know that as physical therapists we do a lot more than injury rehab? While pain is the most common issue that we treat, oftentimes people will come to us looking for exercise advice as well. Frequently we hear a story similar to “I’ve been working out for a couple of months now and at first the progress was great. However recently the results have started to slow down. Any idea why?” If you’ve ever felt this way you’re not alone! Luckily, we have the solution! Today one of our exercise and activity specialists,
Jared Beckstrand, PT, DPT, is sharing 6 ways that you can enhance your workout efforts and start seeing great results again!
By fitstoppt 02 Oct, 2015 Advice, FAQ, Health, Health Tips, Healthcare, Injury, Pain Management, Physical Therapy, Tips, Wellness healing, injury, physical therapy, PT, recovery, rehab, rehabilitation As physical therapists we frequently see patients who are recovering from some kind of surgery. Knees, hips, shoulders, backs, and necks are among the most popular post-surgery issues that we work with. In the United States joint related surgeries are increasing at a rapid rate. For example, according to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), in the USA between the years 2000-2010, total knee replacement surgery (TKA) rates doubled. In fact, the TKA is the most common inpatient surgery being performed nowadays. From shoulder surgery (which is the most common in our clinics), to knee and back surgery, there certainly is a time and place for these surgeries. However, the cost, time away from work for recovery, and risk associated with these surgeries is significant, and I often remind my patients of these factors when considering surgery. Most of the time, my patients seem pleased with the outcome of their surgery. However, as the obviously biased PT that I am, I often wonder – could this surgery have been avoided using conservative physical therapy? Well today, I am going to answer that question.
More By fitstoppt 04 Sep, 2015 Advice, FAQ, Health, Health Tips, Low Back Pain, Pain Management, Physical Therapy back, back pain, best, bulged disc, herniated disc, low back, pain, sciatica, stenosis, treatment As physical therapists, the most-common injury that we hear about in our clinics is back pain. In fact statistics show that as many as 9 out of 10 people will experience significant back pain in their lives. Whether you’re 22 or 82, chances are that if your back doesn’t hurt now, it probably will one day in the future!!
While nobody is completely immune from hurting there are actually some crucial steps that you can take that have actually been proven to decrease back pain throughout our lives. Today one of our back pain specialists, Jared Beckstrand, PT, DPT, discusses 5 tips to ensure a lifetime of quality activity free from lower back pain. Keep reading for more…
More By fitstoppt 31 Aug, 2015 Advice, FAQ, Health, Health Tips, Injury, Pain Management neck, neck pain, pain, physical therapy, pillow, rehabilitation, treatment Are you a “pillow zealot”? When you go on vacation, do you have to bring your “special” pillow with you, because you just can’t sleep without it? I know a few people who fall into that category (in fact, I am married to one!) and maybe you are one of them yourself! For some people, sleep is very difficult to attain, without that special pillow.
As a physical therapist, I work a lot with people that struggle with neck pain. Usually at some point during our treatment sessions the question comes up, “What kind of pillow should I be using? Can you recommend one?” Today one of our spine pain specialists, Toby Bluth, PT, DPT, will be answering those very questions! Find out which pillow is the best for stomach, side, and back sleepers and unlock the key to your best night’s rest!
More
