Take a look at the latest edition of M3 and Me!
WEST HILLS 7230 MEDICAL CENTER DRIVE, SUITE 401 WEST HILLS, CA 91307 WEST LOS ANGELES 10474 SANTA MONICA BLVD., SUITE 435 LOS ANGELES, CA 90025
WWW.M3PT.COM / LA · 310.275.4137 / WEST HILLS · 747.888.3562 / OCT/NOV 2021
M3 AND ME
From Athlete to Therapist — How I Fell for PT MEET CHAD, OUR NEW PHYSICAL THERAPIST!
Hello everyone! I’m honored to introduce myself today. My name is Chad Sticher, a new physical therapist at M3 PT’s West Hills location. I’ve been in the field since 2015, starting as a volunteer, partly because I’ve always admired the field. Sports are my life. I love being active, especially as a kid, whether I was competing in sports and athletic events at school. But when I arrived at college, I realized I wasn’t going to reach a professional level within sports. Still, I wanted to find a career that’d keep me close to athletics and keep me motivated to stay in shape. Although I’d never gotten injured and needed physical therapy to that point, I knew friends who went through physical therapy and figured it would keep me close enough to sports. Once I started volunteering, I fell in love with the rehabilitation process and just how a person — even average people, not just athletes — can reclaim their lives through recovery. It was actually a specific patient experience that inspired me to dedicate myself to this field. In 2016, I met a patient in her mid-60s who struggled with a very stiff knee. As I helped her through her exercises, she eventually was able to pedal a bike for the very first time. Seeing the joy on her face was absolutely incredible, and I’ve never quite forgotten it since then. I graduated from physical therapy school in 2019, and I worked a yearlong orthopedic residency in Kaiser Permanente Orange County Medical Center. After finishing that residency in February this year, I discovered an opening at M3 PT and applied — it turns out it was an awesome fit! You may already get a sense of this as a patient, but the culture at M3 PT is so great. Whether you’re behind the scenes or out front, the whole practice is very patient-centered. It’s rare that a PT practice will
allow therapists to spend 45 minutes per patient, but at M3 PT, there’s no cutting corners. So many decisions are made to maximize the benefit for the patient! We have a lot of conversations about cases and best solutions, too. During meetings, I’ve been impressed by how involved the team is in discussing problems and finding constructive ways to address them. In other settings, it’s easy to push those problems aside or ignore them altogether. I really appreciate M3 PT’s direct, empathetic approach. Besides being an awesome place to work, M3 PT has helped me do what I love most about my career — help make patients healthy and happy. It’s very rewarding when I help a patient achieve or reclaim a physical milestone they didn’t know would be possible. Ultimately, I don’t fix people’s problems; I just show them how. Although some people might think that physical therapy is a “massage” that fixes everything, there’s a healthy mix of real exercises, too. We need to do specific movements, exercises, and regular analysis to ensure patients are making the right progress. Recovery milestones not only build a healthy body, but they also help with confidence, self-esteem, and fulfillment. As a therapist, it gives me a lot of joy to see that happen in someone else’s life and simply knowing I was a helpful part of that. Outside of work, I’m still an athlete! I like playing volleyball weekly with a group of friends or hanging out with my girlfriend. If I’m not exercising or playing sports, my ideal weekend includes getting a bite to eat with some good company and keeping things low-key.
Thanks for reading, and I hope I’ll catch you around at the West Hills office!
-Chad Sticher
LA · 310.275.4137 / WEST HILLS · 747.888.3562 | 1
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How Reading Fiction Can Benefit You Self-Help Books Can’t Do It All
Less Stress and Better Sleep When we read fiction specifically, we tend to disengage from the world — and that’s a good thing! Our brains can’t always be functioning at their peak capacity. We need breaks, or else we’ll stress ourselves out and negatively affect other areas of our lives. Stress tends to keep us from sound sleep, but reading fiction before bed engages the imagination, taking us away from the stresses of everyday life before we drift off. More Comfort With Uncertainty Even though many stories (particularly those portrayed in popular movies) have nice happy endings, most people would agree that life sometimes leaves things a little more open-ended. While this fact might stress out some people, researchers have discovered that fiction readers don’t need “cognitive closure” as much as nonfiction readers.
Many CEOs and other successful individuals continually espouse the benefits of regular reading. Many times, leaders read self-help books to improve their leadership skills and become more successful. This is all well and good, but even the most successful people in the world could be missing out on the unique benefits that come specifically from reading fiction. But what are those benefits exactly?
Greater Empathy When a psychologist analyzed 86
Greater Happiness Even if none of the benefits of fiction interest you, everyone wants to find ways to make themselves happy — and for many, that is reading fiction. According to one survey, 76% of participants said that reading makes them feel good and improves their lives. So, what are you waiting for? Dust off that novel you’ve been meaning to read and crack it open!
functioning MRI (fMRI) studies, he found that the same parts of the brain that fire up when reading fictional stories also fire up when we’re seeking to understand the thoughts and feelings of others. That’s because when the characters in the book we’re reading are thinking or feeling a certain way, we tend to think or feel that way with them.
What Is Whiplash Associated Disorder (WAD)? WHY IT CAN BE A VERY SERIOUS INJURY
Sometimes, people get injured in car accidents but don’t fully realize it. “I just have a little neck pain,” they think. “No need to go to the doctor.”
The Quebec Task Force (a group that did extensive study on whiplash) has created a classification of WAD severity:
0 No complaints about the neck, no physical signs. 1 Neck complaints of pain, stiffness, or tenderness only — no physical signs. 2 Neck complaint AND musculoskeletal signs (decreased range of motion and point tenderness). 3 Neck complaint AND neurological signs (decreased or absent deep tendon reflexes, weakness, and sensory deficits). 4 Neck complaints AND fracture or dislocation. Of course, fractures can be very serious in this area of your body. Your physician may perform X-rays and other diagnostics to rule out fractures. Physical therapy can be very helpful in the recovery of strength, endurance, range of motion, and management of pain. Soft collars are of little benefit, but rigid collars may be helpful in the acute stages of recovery. If you suffer from whiplash after a car accident, don’t hesitate to give us a call! A certified therapist can help your neck feel right again.
Ignoring your whiplash, however, can be a life-altering mistake.
“Whiplash” is the term that describes the sudden forward and backward movement of the head and neck that most commonly occurs during a motor vehicle accident. It can also occur during a variety of other activities such as recreational and competitive sports. (Note that a whiplash could also occur with a rapid side-to-side movement as well, not just up and down.) Whiplash or whiplash associated disorder (WAD) is estimated to cost consumers and the insurance industry billions of dollars each year. With a WAD, there can be soft tissue injury, bone fracture, and nerve damage. Because of the considerable number of structures (bone, spinal cord, brain, ligaments, intervertebral discs, muscle, joint capsules, and tendons) involved, recovery can take months or years. However, most cases of whiplash resolve in a couple months or less.
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Pilates Studio Coming Your Way
We have an exciting announcement!
M3 Physical Therapy West Hills is excited to announce the grand opening of our new mini Pilates studio!
To stay up to date with all the exciting new offers we will have for our patients, scan the QR code below to sign up for our M3 Pilates Newsletter. Our new studio will be opening late October and classes will be available for sign-up soon. Pilates is for everyone and we look forward to getting you into our Pilates studio to continue helping you move better to live better and stay active! Our studio will be open to anyone and everyone with limited spots in each class, so feel free to share with all those you want to take a class! We will be offering all different types of classes with lots of options for beginner and advanced sessions.
For more questions, please call our office at (747) 888-3562 and ask for Amanda. Be on the lookout for more exciting details coming soon.
Scan this QR code to sign up for our Pilates Newsletter!
TAKE A BREAK
SLOW COOKER SQUASH, KALE, AND SAUSAGE SOUP Inspired by BonAppetit.com
This healthy, savory soup is the perfect lunch for a cool fall day.
INGREDIENTS
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil • 4 Italian chicken sausages, sliced to bite-size pieces • 6 cloves garlic • 1 onion, chopped • 6–7 cups butternut squash, peeled and cubed
• Salt and pepper, to taste • 4 cups chicken broth • 1 tsp smoked paprika • 1 tsp Italian seasoning • 3 cups kale, chopped • 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
DIRECTIONS
1. In a large pot, heat oil over medium heat. Add sausage and cook 4–5 minutes, stirring often, then remove from the pot and set aside. 2. Add garlic and onion to the pot. Sauté 4–5 minutes. Add squash, salt, and pepper. Sauté 8 minutes. 3. In a slow cooker, combine sautéed vegetables, sausage, chicken broth, and seasonings. Cook on low heat for 3 hours and 30 minutes. 4. Open the pot and add the kale. Cook another 20 minutes, then add the red wine vinegar and stir to combine. Cook 10 more minutes, then serve and enjoy!
LA · 310.275.4137 / WEST HILLS · 747.888.3562 | 3
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10474 SANTA MONICA BLVD., SUITE 435 LOS ANGELES, CA 90025 PHONE: 310.275.4137 FAX: 310.274.1815
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INSIDE THIS ISSUE
1
How Chad Fell in Love With PT
2
The Unique Benefits of Reading Fiction
2
Got Whiplash? This Is Why It’s Serious
3
Our Exciting Announcement: Pilates Studio!
3
Slow Cooker Squash, Kale, and Sausage Soup
4
Corn Mazes Date Back to Ancient Greece?
FORMERLY KNOWN AS WILSHIRE LINDEN PHYSICAL THERAPY — SAME TEAM, NEW NAME!
A HISTORICAL LOOK AT THIS WACKY FALL TRADITION Corn Mazes Date Back to Ancient Greece?
Exploring a corn maze is a great way to get outside and enjoy the fall season with friends and family — but who came up with the idea of wandering around a corn field for fun? As it turns out, outdoor mazes are an ancient tradition, and the American corn maze of the ‘90s sprouted from the mazes of 17th-century European gardens. Don’t believe it? Here’s a quick tour of corn maze history. The Minotaur and the Maze Have you heard of Theseus and the Minotaur? This ancient Greek legend tells the story of the hero Theseus, who ventured into an elaborate maze to kill the half-man, half-bull imprisoned there. The
labyrinthine symbols have been dated to the Neolithic Age in regions as diverse as modern-day Turkey, Ireland, Greece, and India, among others” — but it’s perhaps the most famous ancient tale. If you’ve ever navigated a Halloween corn maze staffed by ghouls and ghosts, you can see the parallels! Garden Art to Get Lost In Mazes formed from bushes began popping up European gardens in the 17th century. They were a popular artistic feature of upper- class gardens in England, more for looking at than solving. One famous example is the half-mile-long Hampton Maze, which was planted in 1690 and still stands today. The Corn Maze: An American Invention Garden mazes eventually hopped the pond to America but didn’t become interactive puzzles until Don Frantz, Creative Director of the American Maze Company, came on the scene. In 1993, Frantz created the “first ever cornfield maze for private and public entertainment” to attract college kids in Pennsylvania. Today, every small-town corn maze is a descendant of his “Amazing Maize Maze.” To learn more about that wacky history, visit AmericanMaze.com.
monstrous Minotaur was known to eat heroes, and the labyrinth was known to trap them, but Theseus managed to slay the Minotaur and find his way home with the help of a string that he unspooled as he walked.
This story isn’t the first recorded example of a maze or labyrinth — according to the World History encyclopedia, “[L]abyrinths and
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