Health & Wellness by Total Care Physical Therapy, p.c.
Health &Wellness The Newsletter About Your Health And Caring For Your Body
WHEN TO USE ICE & HEAT FOR PAIN RELIEF When you’ve just sprained your ankle or pulled amuscle, all you want is some pain relief. If painkillers are handy, you probably pop a couple of them. If not, you ask for some ice - or was that heat instead? To sort out this confusion, let’s see what they really do. Both ice and heat relieve pain and help recovery. How to use ice
Ice is useful when you want to reduce swelling. For example, your ankle balloons up after a sprain. This is because blood and fluid collect rapidly, making it both painful and stiff. At this point, an ice pack helps to close off those tiny vessels. The blood flow slows down. Small nerves become numb, so the pain reduces. The muscles also relax. The inflammatory reaction is slowed down. As a result, your ankle is less swollen and painful. Ice packs are very useful in bruises, strains and joint swellings. Use them for any acute swelling, over the first 24 to 48 hours (except back strains). Ice helps later too, while exercising the limb. Our friendly physical therapists can show you how to make movements less painful and more flexible by using an ice pack just before or during exercise. How to make an ice pack Wrap a plastic bag of frozen peas or ice cubes in a thick cold wet towel. Place it on the injured part. Check after a fewminutes tomake sure the skin is not red, an early sign of frostbite. Generally, icing for 15 to 20minutes is enough. Repeat every 2-4 hours. Our physical therapists will help use ice properly for healing and pain relief. How to use heat Heat packs, bottles or infra-red lamps can be very useful if you have a muscle spasm or 48 hours after
injury. Icing a muscle spasm contracts the muscle fibers, so they would hurt intensely. On the other hand, heat improves the circulation, soothes and relaxes the muscles by carrying away toxins and bringing in healing oxygen. Heat can comfort a back or neck strain, especially if it has been persisting for some time. When you use a heat pack, wrap it in a towel and check the temperature so it doesn’t burn the skin. When not to use heat Don’t use heat if you have a painful, red or swollen joint. This increases circulation so that fluid collects, worsening the swelling and stretching or compressing the nerves and surrounding healthy tissue. This makes it still more painful. You’d be better off icing it. When to use neither heat nor ice Whether you use hot or cold packs, be aware that you can damage your skin and deeper tissues by careless use. Don’t use it if you have an open or infected wound. If the circulation or sensation level is poor, as in diabetes, ice and heat could cause the skin to break down, get infected and worse.
Health & Wellness The Newsletter About Your Health And Caring For Your Body
BACK PAIN & DIFFICULTY WALKING “Did You Know You Can Walk Away Back Pain?”
Inside:
• 9 Things That Stifle Your Stride
• Healthy Recipe
• Relieve Leg Pain In Minutes
• Patient Success Spotlight
Happy With Your Experience? We would love for you to share your story of success with others! Please visit www.TotalCarePT.net and click on to get started!
Did you know that the way that you walk may be causing your back pain? Many people use mechanically incorrect movements while walking that cause long termwearand tearon theirbodies.TotalCarePhysicalTherapy‘s experts are trained in treating walking disorders and will help teach you corrective walking techniques. By changing the way you walk, it is possible to eliminate and prevent back or any other types of lower extremity pain. On a daily basis, you walk more than any other physical activity and your gait has a large impact on your overall physical abilities. We can help you discover if something with the way you walk may be the reason that you are having pain. You walk over a million steps in a year Your gait involves many body structures all interacting together to produce your walking style. It is as natural as breathing, and if any of your six (two ankle, two knee, two hip) weight-bearing joints are not in correct alignment, you may be at risk for structural pain. One minor walking error repeated
millions of times can do an incredible amount of damage to your back, muscles,nervesand joints.Thiscanalsoeventuallycausepainandarthritis. In addition to improper gait, another major cause of back pain is poor core strength -- specifically, weakness in the abdominal muscles. A person’s pelvis is held in place by numerous muscles, including the abdominals, hamstrings, gluteals, and hip flexors. An imbalance or weakness in these muscles can lead to pelvic misalignment, causing the pelvis to tilt forward or backward. A forward tilt of the pelvis leads to a sway back which can change the way a person walks. In addition to abdominal weakness, a lack of strength in the gluteals and hamstrings can lead to forward pelvic tilt. While the abdominals stabilize the pelvis by pulling upward on the front, the gluteals and hamstrings offer stability by pulling down on the rear of the pelvis. Exercises must be completed to strengthen both the abdominals and gluteals. In general, an extensive walking program provides the gluteals with a very solid workout if the individual is walking with correct gait.
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“Bend On One Knee... Do You Feel Any Pain?
9 THINGS THAT STIFLE YOUR STRIDE Problems with walking increase as we age and are a leading cause of falls and disability in older adults. At least 20% of adults over 65 have problems with walking. This increases to 50% in adults 85 years old and older. Most of these problems with walking are associated with other underlying issues. Problems with walking are not a direct consequence of getting older. Rather, they are the effects of other conditions that become more common and severe with age. Common risk factors for severe problems with walking include advanced age (older than 85) and multiple chronic disease conditions such as heart disease, arthritis, dementia, stroke, hip fracture, or cancer. Common conditions that contribute to walking problems include the following: 1. Back pain 2. Joint pain and arthritis 3. Diseases of the muscles or bones 4. Poor fitness 5. Problems after orthopedic surgery or stroke 6. Low blood pressure and heart disease 7. Parkinson’s disease 8. Vision or balance problems 9. Fear of falling
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Healthy Recipe
Honey Garlic Shrimp Ingredients • 1/3 cup honey • 1/4 cup soy sauce (reduced sodium) • 1 Tablespoon minced garlic • optional: 1 teaspoon minced ginger
• 1 lb medium uncooked shrimp, peeled & deveined • 2 teaspoons olive oil • optional: chopped green onion garnish
Directions 1. Whisk the honey, soy sauce, garlic, and ginger (if using) together in a medium bowl. 2. Place shrimp in a large zipped-top bag or tupperware. Pour 1/2 of the marinade mixture on top, give it all a shake or stir, then allow shrimp to marinate in the refrigerator for 15 minutes or for up to 8-12 hours. Cover and refrigerate the rest of the marinade for step 3. (Time-saving tip: while the shrimp is marinating, I steamed broccoli and microwaved some quick brown rice.) 3. Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Place shrimp in the skillet. (Discard used marinade.) Cook shrimp on one side until pink-- about 45 seconds-- then flip shrimp over. Pour in remaining marinade and cook it all until shrimp is cooked through, about 1 minute more.
Patient Success Spotlight
Refer A Friend
“I’ve been going to Total Care PT for several months and I love it. When I walk through the door I’m always greeted with a friendly smile. It has a great atmosphere that can’t be found anywhere else. Every patient gets one on one attention that myself and every customer desires. Everyone at Total Care PT is truly dedicated to get all of their customers healthy and are willing to do what it takes. Whether it’s letting me finish what I have to do even if my hour has passed or getting calls on weekends just to check in with how I’m doing. I was even given bands to use at home to help me recover quicker. They also are very accommodating as I have a tight schedule but they seem to always find a way to fit me in. Indubitably, Total Care PT is the total package and I couldn’t be happier with their efforts to get me healthy.” - Jeffery S. Total Care PT is the total package and I couldn’t be happier.
Do You Have Friends Or Family Unable To Do The Following:
Who Do You Know That Needs Our Help? � Move without pain � Bend and move freely � Balance confidently & securely � Sit for long periods comfortably � Walk for long distances � Live an active and healthy lifestyle If you know someone suffering with aches and pains, give the gift of health! Just pass along this newsletter and have them call us directly to schedule an appointment. When they call have them mention your name to receive your gift card. • Cost Effective • Non-invasive • Safe & Natural • State-of-the-art Facility Features of Physical Therapy: DO YOU HAVE BACK PAIN?
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Relieve Leg Pain In Minutes Try these stretches if you are experiencing leg pain. HAMSTRING STRETCH Stand with one leg on a medium sized stool as shown. Keeping your back straight, slowly lean forwards from the hips Helps Relieve Leg Pain
Mention This Coupon To Receive A FREE BACK PAIN ANALYSIS
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