ZPT Gazette by Zionsville Physical Therapy
ZPT Staff Springs Into April! ZPT
The Newsletter About Your Health And Caring For Your Body
April 2018
Inquiring minds want to know! Q: What types of flowers or garden do you like to plant? A: Marissa: A small herb garden. Katie: Sunflowers are my favorite to watch grow. Gardening: tomatoes, peppers, green beans, squash, cucumbers, melon, pumpkins. Elaine: potted flowers and herbs – a variety. Gardening: a few tomato plants, and frequent trips to the farmer’s market for sweet corn and all the rest. I love my perennial plants that come up yearly seemingly without my help. Christi: Tomato gardening, all varieties. “I get my love of tomato gardening frommy 87 year old father, who plants exactly 99 tomato plants each year in his garden.” Q: Favorite park for springtime visits? A: Marissa: Brown County State Park! Katie: Brown County State Park and Great Smokey Mountains. Elaine: Eagle Creek Park and Brown County State Park. Christi: my own back yard, adjacent to Little Eagle Creek. Q: What outdoor activity do you look forward to most after the winter thaw? A: Marissa: Playing lawn games. Katie: Hiking and biking. Elaine: Biking and running. Christi: Gardening. Q: What recommendations do you have for getting back into shape this spring? A: Marissa: Just start. Starting is the hardest part, but it pays off once you begin feeling more energized. Katie: Start small and (gradually) work your way up! Some activity, even a small amount or slow movements, is better than no activity. Start where you are, and go from there.
Christi’s dad with his grandson
Don’t expect great gains to happen overnight! Elaine: Get outside and find walking or bicycle paths you enjoy. Get into nature – away from the screens. Get a buddy if you like to chat or for safety. Give yourself a goal, such as a 5K walk or race for charity, or a certain distance for biking or walking. Sign up, and post the date so that you remember to train for it. (Let us know your results!!) Christi: Exercise equipment of my choice = shovel, gloves and clippers. So there you have it – spring into April with us, won’t you? “Times of transition are strenuous, but I love them. They are an opportunity to purge, rethink priorities, and be intentional about new habits. We can make our new normal any way we want.” - Kristin Armstrong
ZPT GaZette The Newsletter About Your Health And Caring For Your Body
April 2018
Dear ZPT family and friends, April! Spring! Open up nature and let it come alive again! I love this time of year, for that very reason, to watch the redbud trees pop and the daffodils bloom. This
my bloodwork done and secure that appointment. Dermatology – I can get by with check ups every other year, so I can skip that this year; but others who have sun exposure or high risk factors should be checked more often! This year I gave myself a gift of an appointment withaHealthCoachhere inZionsville,DawnParker. She already has provided an amazing tour through a grocery story with advice on how to read labels and look for the healthy choices in our food. Since I consider my food as medicine, this was so informative and gave me a great update on what I had already been reading and studying. So, what about YOU? I give you permission to claim a spring birthday and give yourself a healthy gift! Perhaps some long-overdue medical, dental or eye appointments? A check up with a ZPT Physical Therapist to make sure you are moving, balancing andagingwell?Areyouasstrongandflexibleasyou should be? How about a conversation with Elaine abouthealthy nutrition?An appointmentwithDawn Parker www.dawnjparker.com. Her Facebook page is www.facebook.com/dawnjparkerhealthcoach. Thiscouldbe theyear forsomePOSITIVEchanges. You regularly take care of your car, your pets, your other family members… what about your health? I can think of nothing more important. So many diseases and conditions can be modified, healed or prevented with appropriate physical therapy, food and lifestyle changes. I will give you my birthday as an excuse. Make the call today! To healthy living, Elaine p.s. Isaiah40:29-31: “Hegivesstrength to theweary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength They will soar on wings like eagles, they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.
INSIDE:
• Gardening Tips to Stay Pain Free • Special Event for Travelers • ZPT Staff Springs into April • Free Workshop April 21st
ELAINE MORRISON Owner
month we focus on gardening tips and specific recommendations from the experts. This is the time to plan and start that garden plot, from herbs in a pot, to flowers along the sidewalk, to a full scale vegetable garden! What do you have planned this year? Admittedly, too, there is a very important event in April to celebrate: MY BIRTHDAY! (how egotistical!) But really, when we celebrate birthdays, it can bring phone calls, cards, Facebook posts, flowers and cake! I like to reminisce a little, too. Our old photo albums show some of my early birthdays falling on or near Easter, so my mom once made a cake shaped like a rabbit, with coconut hair. Another cake was more popular: a strawberry cake with pink icing and white flowers decorating it, made from tiny marshmallows! More recently Mom has made a dinner of homemade chicken and noodles, followedbyangel foodcakewithchocolatemousse on the side. Mmmm! Another thing I typicallydo inApril, isgetmybicycle back in shape for riding season, with a check up and lubrication; I’ll charge up my odometer and figure how to use it again. I will make sure I have an appointmentsetup toseemy trusty optometristso that my ever-changing vision can be corrected and to get his expert opinion on maintaining good eye health. I always get my teeth cleaned and checked inearlyJune,so Imakesuremydentalappointment is booked. Next is an OB-GYN appointment for women’s health – another important one, so I get
Patient Success SPOTLIGHT
I resume my normal activities! “I came in with lower back pain. I couldn’t stand long enough to do simple tasks like washing the dishes. A simple trip to the store would require me to stop and rest for a while. After my PT sessions, not only could I resume my normal activities, I was able to do shoveling and other construction tasks while on a mission trip.” - Linda A.
FREE BACK PAIN AND SCIATICA WORKSHOP AT 9:00 A.M. ON SATURDAY, APRIL 21ST AT ZPT. Call to register! This is our most popular workshop so don’t delay, sign up today! Bring a friend and win a ZPT linen tote bag. Call 317.873.2033, and ask for Taylor.
www.ZionsvillePT.com
More Patient Success
Gardening with Improved Strength and Flexibility! "I have right hip mobility and pain problems that were impacting the length of time I could work pain free with adequate mobility, I have a garden design and education company. My work is often very physical. I need to maintain good flexibility and strength to be effective at my work. Elaine helped me with exercises, flexibility moves, and pain relief to address the weaker muscles, and the lack of flexibility in my right hip. I had 12 weeks of appointments and now have increased knowledge of body mechanics and movements that will hopefully allow me to continue my high level of physical activity pain free.” - Myrene B.
www.ZionsvillePT.com
GARDENING TIPS TO STAY PAIN FREE
Gardening offers the opportunity to plant spring flowers, clean out the flower beds and vegetable garden, and to plant bulbs that bloom in the spring. Spring gardening has several advantages, such as cooler temperatures and less humidity, than summer months. However, you have to take steps to protect your back from injury during gardening. 1. Warm Up First. Warm up? Yes, you should warm up before you start gardening this spring. Your low back is the most vulnerable to injury first thing in the morning. So it is important for morning gardeners to walk or move around for at least 45 minutes before starting to bend or lift outside. Just like with running or working out, you should allow your legs, trunk and shoulders to stretch before gardening, and again afterward, to decrease your risk of injury or pain. 2. Dress For The Garden. Gardening during the spring requires dressing for the occasion. In addition to wearing long pants and long sleeves, you should choose supportive footwear with skid resistant soles and entire foot coverage for protection. 3. Safety First. Choose the right gardening tools to limit the stress on your body! • Myrene Brown, Zionsville Master Gardener, suggests these specific tools: “I am a fan of soil knives instead of a trowel for digging as it is easier to maintain proper wrist alignment with a soil knife.” For shoveling, “I save my back by using a shovel with a “D” or bicycle grip handle that is sized to me in both handle height and shovel head size. I choose shovels with a step guard so I can use my legs in addition to my arms.” • Choose tools that are sturdy but not exceedingly heavy, handles that provide a comfortable grip, and tools that are efficient for each task. 4. Body Mechanics – always. Squat or kneel on one knee, keeping the spine straight. • Use hips and knees - the entire leg muscles, to lift.
• Take frequent breaks to change positions, stretch, walk and to re-hydrate. • Warm showers or baths and using your foam roller to roll out the kinks after your gardening days can be quite beneficial. Stop in the ZPT clinic if you need supplies such as a foam roller, a muscle (massage) stick, an ice pack, or some BlueRub muscle lotion. Lettuce know if you need help with your sore body….It sure beets living with pain! ( corny puns are sprouting early!)
SPECIAL EVENT FOR SNOWBIRDS & TRAVELERS
Tuesday, April 17th, from 1:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m., We will offer a Heart Wellness Event for those who were enjoying the sunny southern beaches orsouthwestdeserts,or just forgot to register for theFebruary20thevent. For our past patients (all ages) and their loved ones, ZPT is providing Heart Wellness and Fitness Testing at NO CHARGE. Your 60 minute session will include: 1. Taking your blood pressure, pulse, respiratory rate, and blood oxygen level. (no needles, no blood, just external testing) 2. Testing your balance and general mobility, using standard tests such as Berg Balance Scale and Timed Up and Go. 3. Cardio-specific testing such as the 6-Minute WalkTest or the modified Bruce Submaximal Treadmill Test. 4. Functional Movement Screening – all or part of this test for assessing strength and flexibility. 5. Heart Healthy Snacks and Recipes to take home. 6. Information regarding Cardiovascular Risk Factors and Solutions, and Warning signs for Stroke and Heart Attack. REQUIRED: registration by calling our office at 317.873.2033 OR e-mail us at ZionsvillePT@gmail.com so that we can contact you for an appointment slot. We will book these 30 minutes apart, but plan to be here for about an hour. ENCOURAGED: Sign up, BRING A FRIEND and take home a ZPT Linen Tote Bag!
CALL TODAY! 317.873.2033
www.ZionsvillePT.com
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