Health & Fitness Newsletter by Johnston & Elevate Physical Therapy & Sports Medicine
NEWSLETTER THE HEALTH & FITNESS
2020 you consider how the skin near a cut becomes sensitive or when you can’t put weight on the whole leg after a sprained ankle. Occasionally, the sensitivity of thenervous systembecomes themain problem, overwhelming theoriginal injury itself. This is actually amuchmore common occurrence than you might realize and often leads to chronic pain in that body region. In fact, we have evidence that shows it happens in as many as 20% of people at some point in their lifetime. There are a few other factors that can make the alarmsystem(nerves)moresensitive.These factors can result in increased pain throughout the body with seemingly no underlying reason. We often see that increases in life stress, impaired nutrition, poor sleep, even changes in the weather canmake the nerves more sensitive. You’ll often hear us ask about these factors, which can often contribute to a slower recovery. Insituationswhen thealarmsystemisoversensitive, physical therapy is often the best intervention.With physical therapy, we can skillfully and gradually desensitize the alarmsystemby slowly introducing activities,movements andsituations that don’t quite set off the alarm. This slow progression allows the alarm system to “learn” what is safe for the body and what is not. In combination with addressing other contributing lifestyle factors, we can see great success in relieving pain and as importantly, returning to activity. As always, if you are curious if we can help with new injuries, an oversensitive nervous system or nagging aches and pains, reach out! We are here to help. You can call us at either Johnston PT or Elevate PT in Ankeny.
NOTES FROM GRANT Did you know there are about 45 miles of nerves in the human body? Nerves are crucial to your daily function, just like your heart and your lungs. In fact, the nerves are the pathway by which
messages are sent throughout your body. They allow your brain to communicatewith the rest of your body and for your body to communicate signals back to the brain. Thatmeans that essentially all of your daily functions involve the nervous system. We often associate nerves and the medical field with very serious injuries (think spinal cord injuries, concussions, strokes, etc.). Many people are also awareof less severe (but still bothersome) peripheral nerve injuries. These include sciatica, carpal tunnel syndromeandevenhittingyour “funnybone” (fun fact: it’s actually called your ulnar nerve!). Of course, when treating these conditions, we address the nerves themselves, but did you know that the nerves are an important part of the pain experience for most of our patients? In fact, if it wasn’t for nerves, we wouldn’t be able to feel pain at all! Now you might think that we would be better off without it, but pain is an important component of survival! Pain is really a warning mechanism to avoid or limit bodily harm. We often refer to pain as our body’s alarmsystem, warning us of damage or potential damage. Inmost caseswhenwe experience pain or an injury, the alarmsystemin that regionof the body becomes muchmore sensitive. This is probably obviouswhen
OUR SERVICES
• Physical Therapy • Work Injury Rehab • Sports Injury Rehab
• Trigger Point Dry Needling • Education
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NEWSLETTER THE HEALTH & FITNESS
2020
Head and neck pain is not the type of pain that you can push through and deal with for too long. For one thing, chronic pain in the head or neck can be associated with certain health concerns — one that you need to deal with, not ignore. Secondly, when you are dealing with constant pain in your head or neck, it becomes difficult to concentrate. This can have a negative effect on your personal relationships, your career and more. The most common cause of neck or head pain is a muscle or joint problem. Working with a physical therapist can help you to identify the cause of the trouble and begin taking steps to correct the issue, this allows you to find relief from the pain without having to commit to long-term pain management —which often includes the use of pain medications that are potentially harmful to your health and not likely to actually correct the issue. Unlike pain medications that become less helpful the longer they are used, physical therapy provides long- term relief from pain by correcting the joint or muscle concern with targeted therapies like flexibility exercises, muscle strengthening techniques, and guided stretches that target key joints and muscles. Of course, not all neck or head pain is the same, so understanding the basics of what you are dealing with is the first step to achieving relief. LIFE DOESN’T HAVE TO BE A PAIN IN THE NECK INSIDE: • Neck Pain 101 • Relieve Neck Pain In Minutes • Patient Success Spotlight • Staff Spotlight
Whether you have pain or have been suffering for a long time, seeing a physical therapist at one of our clinics can help you return to a more active and pain-free life. Give us a call today! Head Pain 101. There are a lot of different types of headaches that you may experience, and each can be caused by its own different reason. For example, migraines can be caused by environmental factors, food allergies or even as a result of stress. There are headaches that can develop due to sinus pain and headaches that will develop when you are dehydrated. There are also headaches that will develop when you are exposed too long to loud noises. There is no singular fix for each of these different types of headaches, which is why attempting to treat every headache you experience with the same medication or singular application frequently doesn’t work. One of the most common causes of headaches that are treatable with physical therapy is radiating headaches, which are caused by stress in the joints and muscles of the neck. This causes pain to radiate from the top of the neck into the head, especially surrounding the ears. There are a lot of reasons why radiating headaches could develop, including as a result of lack of movement and stiffness in the neck. This buildup of irritation can be treated with specific physical therapy, especially through the use of massage and flexibility exercises that target the muscles in the neck.
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NECK PAIN 101
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In many situations, pain that develops in the neck can be associated with one of two major problems. The first is upper-back muscular pain that begins to radiate into the neck. The second is arthritis. Physical therapy can be used to address both types of neck pain. Cervical arthritis causes frequent aches in the neck and shoulders. This pain is generally worse when there are sudden changes in weather or at the end of the day, and while over-the-counter medication may make the pain less severe, it won’t eliminate the pain entirely, or address the structures causing symptoms. The biggest problem posed by cervical arthritis is that the pain will typically cause a loss of range of motion in the neck, which actually increases your risk of injury as a result of a sudden movement. It also often causes regular discomfort and frustration as you are not able to utilize your neck in the way you normally could. There are plenty of situations in which pain in the neck as a result of cervical arthritis grows so severe that it can cause chronic poor posture and even a reduction in height. Addressing the Core Problem. The majority of neck and head pain can be helped with one simple strategy: strength building. It frequently happens that the absolute cause of the start of a pain in the neck or head is a result of poor posture or quickened motion, and building core strength, as well as strength in the neck, can make a huge difference in your ability to handle tasks without experiencing chronic pain.
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Keep in mind that the neck and head are sensitive areas, so attempting to treat the pain at home may not be effective. Working with a physical therapist is the safe way to ensure that you are practicing positive techniques to find relief from your aches and pains. 4 8
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Call us today to schedule an appointment!
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STAFF SPOTLIGHT
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Sammie Cockerham Growing up in the country I was always outside playing, drawing, camping, riding dirt bikes, and shooting bows. My upbringing influencedme to live an active and adventurous life as an adult. I spendmy free time weightlifting, painting, rock climbing, and backpacking on the weekends. After graduating high school, I got certified as a personal trainer and coached for 2 years. Doing this made me realize how much I love helping people live healthier and happier lives. Although I am still unsure about what I want to go back to school for, I want to keep my training career alive by pursuing more coaching certifications and advancing my
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own skills as a trainer. At Elevate Physical Therapy I manage the front desk and assist our patients and the therapists. I absolutely love experiencing the healing process first hand and celebrating our patients progress on their journey to living a pain free, healthy life!.
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Education: • Associates in Science, DMACC • Group Fitness Certification • ACE Certified Personal Trainer
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www.elevateptiowa.com Play on your mobile these puzzles and find their solutions by fla n° 35089 n° 37953 n° 327735
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Patient Success Spotlight 6 2 8
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TELL US HOW WE’RE DOING BY LEAVING A GOOGLE REVIEW
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WE MAKE IT EASY TO LEAVE A REVIEW!
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Johnston Clinic
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“My golf game has never been better!” “Bryan did a super job helping me with my shoulder PT. My golf game has never been better and I am enjoying quality of life. Johnston PT is a wonderful place to go.” - J.Q. 6 8 9 6 1 3 4
INSTRUCTIONS:
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1. Open your smart phone to the camera app 2. Center the QR code above in the frame (this will take you directly to our Google Review page) 3. Tell us how we’ve done! Elevate Clinic
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Relieve Neck Pain In Minutes Try this movement if you are experiencing neck pain. http://1sudoku.com
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RETRACTION | CHIN TUCK Slowly draw your head back so that your ears line up with your shoulders. Hold for 10 seconds and repeat 3 times. 3 9 6 1
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If this exercise does not provide you relief/help, please consider an evaluation to see if we can identify the source of your pain and provide a plan to get you back to normal.
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