Professional Care. Natural Pain Relief Solution

N E W S L E T T E R

AFRAID OF TAKING PAIN MEDICATION? PHYSICAL THERAPY IS THE NATURAL PAIN RELIEF SOLUTION INSIDE: WHY PT IS BETTER THAN RX • PATIENT SUCCESS SPOTLIGHT STAFF SPOTLIGHT • NOW OFFERING PERSONAL TRAINING • BASEBALL PRIDE

EAST PATCHOGUE • 191 PATCHOGUE YAPHANK ROAD • EAST PATCHOGUE, NY 11772 • P : 631.775.0971 RIVERHEAD • 806 EAST MAIN ST • RIVERHEAD, NY 11901 •P : 631. 591.0838

WHY PT I S BE T T ER THAN RX

It’s important to remember that not every prescription is bad or dangerous, and that you don’t have to “suck it up,” refusing all painkillers. But there are specific conditions under which the CDC recommends trying physical therapy first: • The pain has persisted for three months. After the 90-day mark, pain is considered chronic, meaning that painkiller use would also hit the dangerous 90-day mark. This can certainly lead to addiction. • The source of the problem is in the knees, back or hips, or stems from fibromyalgia. Physical therapy has proven especially effective in these situations.

• The “risk vs. reward” question tilts more heavily toward “risk.” There are certainly diseases which cause intense pain and for which opioids help patients to function, or at least to remain comfortable. But when the condition could be better managed with physical therapy or other treatment, as opposed to addictive pills, the “reward” of taking the painkillers doesn’t merit the risk. Are you wondering whether your pain should be addressed with PT first? We will give you a thorough evaluation for your specific condition. Should our trained staff determine that physical therapy can make a real difference in eradicating your pain, we’ll give you an honest timetable and a safe strategy to avoid prescription painkiller overuse.

PAT I ENT SUCCESS SPOTL I GHT

Following an accidental gunshot wound to her right leg in June of 2017, 19-year-old Kaitlyn Antulov was faced with several options to choose from when it came to the decision about her leg. Two of those options were either possible amputation or knee fusion, which was an option that was highly recommended by her surgeon, Dr. Nicholas Divaris of Stony Brook Orthopaedic Associates. Dr. Divaris felt that choosing to move forward with the knee fusion would provide Kaitlyn with the best quality of life for her future. After much consideration, Kaitlyn would choose to move forward with the procedure which took place in December of 2017. After Kaitlyn’s halo was removed in June of 2018 and the procedure to add the plates for fusion to her knee in August, Kaitlyn began her new journey with Professional Care Physical Therapy to learn how to walk again. Kaitlyn’s positive attitude and determination have been a true asset to her rehabilitation, and in less than a year, working alongside her team of ProCare Physical Therapists, we are thrilled with her progress! In a short period of time, Kaitlyn went from a wheelchair and walker to now walking with the aid of a cane in a public setting. She can even

move freely without the use of assistance during her rehabilitation visits in addition to her home. Kaitlyn now 21, is working as a volunteer EMT for Bay Shore-Brightwaters rescue ambulance in addition to taking classes at Suffolk Community College to become a full-time paramedic. The future looks bright for young Kaitlyn and we at Professional Care Physical Therapy are honored that she made the choice to become part of our ProCare family! “Everyone that I have worked with at Professional Care PT has been super friendly and helpful towards my rehabilitation. I never felt pressured to do more than what I was comfortable with and my team of therapists helped me to regain my confidence and stability to walk again.”

-Kaitlyn Antulov

STAFF SPOTL I GHT

Dr. Brooks Comeno celebrates 8 years with Professional Care Physical Therapy!

Dr. Brooks Comeno, PT, DPT, FMS, FMT, SFMA, Clinical Director

Dr. Brooks Comeno, PT, DPT, FMS, FMT, SFMA began his journey with Professional Care Physical Therapy & Rehabilitation in April of 2011. In just a few short years, Brooks would be promoted to Clinical Director of our Riverhead, NY location.

PROFESSIONAL CARE PT & REHABILITATION NOW OFFERS PERSONAL TRAINING

Dr. Comeno, a native of Windsor, New York, tore his ACL during a high school basketball game and it was during his rehabilitation from his injury where he became interested in the field of physical therapy. After high school graduation in 2003, Dr. Comeno would spend the following four years earning his Bachelor of Science degree in Cellular and Molecular Biology at Binghamton University, graduating Cum Laude in 2007. In 2010, he graduated from Stony Brook University with his Doctorate in Physical Therapy as a member of Alpha Eta, the health science’s honor society. He completed clinical affiliations in orthopedics, acute care, as well as pediatrics. While there, Dr. Comeno won Stony Brook University’s Clinical Excellence Award, given to the student exemplifying excellence in clinical decision making, patient care, and professionalism. Since graduating, Dr. Comeno has worked in outpatient orthopedic physical therapy. He maintains certifications in Body Balance For Performance golf training, Fascial Movement Taping, as well as in the Functional Movement Screen. Dr. Comeno is currently a Guest Lecturer and Clinical Instructor of Health Sciences at Stony Brook University where he helps students gain knowledge in the field of Physical Therapy, specifically assisting in the Advanced Therapeutic Exercise course of the Doctoral Physical Therapy curriculum. During his time with Professional Care Physical Therapy, he has developed and implemented multiple sports performance and injury prevention programs for several local area high school teams with successful results. Dr. Comeno takes great pride in making connections with his patients, learning more about them as individuals in order to tailor treatments to their specific lifestyle. Dr. Comeno also enjoys being able to give back to the community in the form of participating in and supporting local area 5k races and their causes, organizing Toys for Tots toy drives, and Relay for Life to help raise awareness and funds for the American Cancer Society. Dr. Comeno enjoys practicing sports medicine and athletic performance training with both collegiate and high school athletes with shoulder, elbow, knee, hip, and lumbar spine injuries. At the same time, he also has a strong interest in generalized orthopedics, balance, vestibular, TMJ, and post-operative conditions as well.

• WEIGHT TRAINING • AEROBIC TRAINING • BODY SCULPTING • WELLNESS TRAINING • CIRCUIT TRAINING • WEIGHT LOSS PROGRAMS AND MORE

ContactourEastPatchogueoffice forratesandschedule a FREE evaluation with one of our Certified Personal Trainers!

SOCIALIZE WITH PROFESSIONAL CARE! Be sure to follow us on social media to receive tips and updates or to leave a review!

BASEBALL PRIDE

Baseball season has arrived and Professional Care Physical Therapy & Rehabilitation would like to congratulate The Junior 14u NPMYAC baseball team on their Opening Day win! We are truly excited to sponsor this amazing team of young men, and we look forward to following their journey on the fields this season!

@procarePatchogue @procareRiverhead

@profcarept @procarept

ProfessionalCarePT.com

N E W S L E T T E R

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AFRAID OF TAKING PAIN MEDICATION? PHYSICAL THERAPY IS THE NATURAL PAIN RELIEF SOLUTION

Beyond extreme physical risk, over-reliance on prescription painkillers can have other detrimental effects on your health. Withdrawal symptoms can be harrowing. And while you’re still using them, opioids can lead to depression, which sets up a vicious cycle of self-medicating in order to feel better emotionally as well as physically. How Physical Therapy Counters the Problem It’s important togetrealabout thereasonpeopleseekprescriptionpainkillers in the first place -- the pain. These patients are not to be condemned for seeking relief for injuries, arthritis and other degenerative conditions, or for post-surgicaldiscomfort.At thesame time,however, it’sbecoming increasingly obvious that medications like Percocet, Vicodin, Opana and OxyContin are extremely addictive. Physical therapy,on theotherhand, issoeffectivebecause itprovidesamulti- pronged attack to pain relief. First, therapists can help lessen the immediate pain through heat or ice therapy, lasers, as well as low-pulse electronic equipment. Targeted massage and gentle stretching also eases extreme discomfort when tension or stiffness is part of the problem. In addition, physical therapy works to eradicate the actual source of your pain. So, if weak muscles aren’t supporting an aching body part, for example, your therapy will address this underlying cause. Flexibility moves can also contribute to pain relief because stiffening joints often exacerbate discomfort, or lead to over-reliance on nearby, overstressed muscles.

A simple question, should you take a pill to mask your pain, or should you try to fix the underlying cause? It seems like almost every news broadcast these days features a story about a disturbing cluster of drug overdoses, with the word “opioid” prominently featured. So why are these prescription drugs -- which after all, are legal if they were prescribed to the user -- so much in the news these days? And what can you do if you’re torn between not filling your own prescription, versus seeking relief for your very real pain? Why Opioid Overuse Matters Both opioid prescription rates and deaths from opioid overdoses have quadrupled in the last two decades. Given these identical statistics, one can’t escape the obvious conclusion: Reliance on painkillers has gotten out of hand, and the consequences can be literally fatal. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), doctors now write so many opioid prescriptions each year that it translates to one bottle per adult living in the U.S.Of the 330,000 people who died from drug overdoses in 2015, 50 percent involved prescription painkillers. Just as ominous is the discovery that people who become addicted to prescription opioids are 40 times more likely to become addicted to heroin.

A R E Y O U L E T T I N G Y O U R PA I N H O L D Y O U B A C K ? C A L L T O S C H E D U L E Y O U R A P P O I N T M E N T T O D AY !

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