All posts in Health Tips

5 Tips To Stay Active This Winter

5 Tips To Stay Active This Winter

Well, it’s that time of the year again. The Christmas tree has been taken down and New Year’s party preparations are in full swing. Along with the New Year’s celebrations typically come New Year’s resolutions – this is a time for us all to pause and reflect on our lives and things we want to do better in the upcoming year. Inevitably the most-made resolution is to “lose weight” or “be more healthy” – but rarely do people come up with a concrete plan on how to make that happen. One of the best ways to improve your fitness is to increase your daily activity and make this change permanent. I know sometimes it’s difficult to get in some activity in the winter months, but it certainly doesn’t have be! Today on the Fit Stop Blog one of our exercise specialists, Jared Beckstrand, PT, DPT, is sharing 5 of the absolute best ways to increase your daily activity even when the weather outside is frightful! Keep reading for more!

More

5 Most Common Types Of Hip Pain

5 Most Common Types Of Hip Pain

In our Fit Stop clinics one regular complaint that we hear from our patients and gym members is related to hip pain.  Whether it occurs in the front, the side, or the back – it’s amazing how debilitating pain in this area can be! One would think that issues in this area should be fairly straight-forward to rehabilitate.  However, given the multiple muscles, tendons, joints, and bones that are located in this area this pain can actually be quite tricky to diagnose. Today we have one of our orthopedic specialists, Toby Bluth, PT, DPT, here to discuss the 5 most common kinds of hip pain as well as the most likely cause of that pain. Keep reading for more!

More

6 Essential Tips For Cold Weather Running

6 Essential Tips For Cold Weather Running

Never miss a single health tip from the Fit Stop!
Like our Facebook page right here!

All too often we hear from patients “well – winter is here. It looks like it’s time for me to hang up the running shoes for another year.” In fact, nothing could be further from the truth! If done correctly, the winter months can still be an excellent opportunity to get out and get in some great time on the jog trail. Today one of our running specialists, Jared Beckstrand, PT, DPT, shares 6 essential tips to ensure healthy and successful cold-weather running! Here we go…

More

10 Tips To Avoid Holiday Weight Gain

10 Tips To Avoid Holiday Weight Gain

Did you know that the average American gains 5 pounds between November and December? With the parties, the appetizers, the drinks, and all the delicious holiday desserts, it’s no wonder that “Holiday Weight Gain” is a very real thing. Well today we’re combating holiday poundage and taking back our health on the Fit Stop Blog! We have one of our fitness experts, Jared Beckstrand, PT, DPT here to discuss 10 simple tips you can try out this year to stay fit and active through the holidays! Try them out! Keep reading for more…

More

Heat Or Ice For Pain?

Heat Or Ice For Pain?

Be sure to follow Fit Stop on Facebook to stay caught up on all our health advice and tips!

Should I put heat or ice on my injury?

We’ve all heard that you’re supposed to put ice on an injury. We’ve all heard that heat can help, too. But which one is it? And how do you know? As physical therapists, this is a question that we answer all day long from our patients, so today we wanted to share this knowledge with you! One of our sports injury experts, Jared Beckstrand, PT, DPT is here to answer your questions about the implications for heat vs ice when it comes to injury management. Keep reading for more!

More

Best physical therapy treatment

Best physical therapy treatment

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

How Often Should I Exercise?

How Often Should I Exercise?

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

How to treat a rotator cuff tear

How to treat a rotator cuff tear

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

How to fix chronic pain

How to fix chronic pain

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

10 Exercises To Get Ready For Ski Season

Be sure to follow Fit Stop Physical Therapy on Facebook!

best-exercises-for-ski-snowboard-season-physical-therapy

Are you ready?

The weather has definitely taken a turn here in Utah! Like the fall leaves the temperatures are dropping as winter is fast-approaching. In fact I woke up the other day and, while driving my 8 and 6-year-olds to school, noticed there was some snow up on the mountain tops. They perfectly summed up my feelings about the upcoming season when they literally replied in unison… “SNOW!!! Dad can we go skiing?!?!”

While there may not be enough white stuff to shred just yet, we know that it is coming! Are you ready?! Some of the most-common injuries we encounter through the winter are skiing/snowboarding related. Fortunately, many of these injuries can be avoided with the proper strengthening in key muscle groups of your legs, hips, and core. Today on The Fit Stop Blog, one of our outdoor recreation specialists, Jared Beckstrand, PT, DPT, is sharing 10 of the best exercises you can do to get ready for the upcoming ski/snowboard season. Get started right now to ensure an entire season of fun, healthy shredding!

More