No matter what type of physical activity you partake in, it is possible for injuries to occur. Whether you enjoy taking walks at night, playing sports on the weekends, or hiking your neighborhood trails, it is important to prevent an injury before it has the opportunity to happen.
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OUTSMART A FUTURE INJURY HOW YOU CAN HIT A HOME RUN IN ACTIVE INJURY PREVENTION
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How You Can Prevent Injuries • Patient Success Spotlight Inspiration Corner • Complimentary Workshop
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OUTSMART A FUTURE INJURY H OW Y O U C A N H I T A H O M E R U N I N A C T I V E I N J U R Y P R E V E N T I O N
No matter what type of physical activity you partake in, it is possible for injuries to occur. Whether you enjoy taking walks at night, playing sports on the weekends, or hiking your neighborhood trails, it is important to prevent an injury before it has the opportunity to happen. Perhaps the most common injury that people endure from physical activity is an overall feeling of soreness, caused by overusing muscles, tendons, and ligaments. A certain degree of soreness may occur in the days following exercise and this is completely normal. However, when muscles, tendons, or ligaments are over-stretched or strained, they experience minor damage in the form of microscopic tears. This typically occurs when completing an exercise that the body is not used to, increasing the intensity of an exercise too rapidly, or exercising for the first time after a prolonged period of rest. The soreness may linger for a few days but usually goes away on its own. However, the severity of the damage determines how long the body will need to recover. For more information on how you can prevent severe injuries, contact Athletic Advantage Physical Therapy today. What Are Some Common Injuries? AtAthleticAdvantagePhysicalTherapy,our licensedphysical therapists can guide you through individualized exercises, coordination drills, and sport-specific activities, in order to prevent future injuries from occurring. Many injuries occur due to muscle imbalances, poor biomechanics, asymmetry of the body, and history of a previous injury. Some of themostcommonly sustained injuries includesprains,strains, and tendinitis, but not all injuries fit into such a specific category. Many people think “sprains” and “strains” are synonymous; however, they have one distinct difference. SPRAINS occur when a ligament is stretched beyond its limits or torn, while STRAINS occur when a muscle is stretched beyond its limits or torn. Tendons are tissues that
connect muscles to bones, and ligaments are tissues that connect bones to one another. Sprains and strains can both range from mild to severe, and even mild ones may take up to 6 weeks to heal. When they become more severe, braces or surgical correction may be necessary. This will require a longer recovery time, up to 8 weeks or longer, and physical therapy treatments will likely be prescribed. It is important to note that it is in your best interest to have a physical therapist make sure a sprain or strain is fully healed before returning to your normal level of physical activity, as it is common for old sprains and strains to develop again in the future if they have not been properly rehabilitated. The term TENDINITIS simply means that there is inflammation in a tendon. The cause of this inflammation, however, is not as simple. There are several reasons why tendinitis may occur, but whatever the case may be, we know that it has developed as a result of unnecessary amounts of strain. For example, tendinitis surrounding the shoulder may be a result of an irregularity occurring in the neck. An abnormality of the biomechanics, neural signal, or muscular influence from the spine will almost always affect surrounding structures. Movements in the shoulders are altered as a way to compensate, causing increased strain on the tendons. The origin of the tendinitis can be corrected with physical therapy interventions. Physical therapists are trained at a doctorate level to perform thorough examinations that identify the source of an injury, so that skilled interventions may be utilized and return the patient to the activities they love. Want to learn more about how you can prevent common active injuries? Call us at (214) 383-0623 or visit our website at aaphysicaltherapy.com.
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HOW YOU CAN PREVENT INJURIES
While it is always a wise decision to consult with a physical therapist, there are some tips you can implement into your personal life as well, in order to decrease your risk of sustaining an injury. These include: Stretching This is one of the most important ways to prevent injuries. There is an optimal length for each individual muscle in your body. It is important tonotonlymaintain this length,but also to maintain a symmetrical length from left toright.Forexample,decreased lengthof the left hamstrings versus the right creates an asymmetry in the lower body which will causecompensatedmovementsand leaveyou predisposed to injury. It is also important to keep inmind the inverserelationshipbetween flexibility and stability. Excessive flexibility is not always a good thing if there is a lack of strengthandstabilitysurroundinga joint.This is a balance that can be found with the help of a skilled physical therapist. Warming Up and Cooling Down As important as this topic is, it is often misunderstood. Before exercising, it is important to perform a dynamic stretching routine. DYNAMIC stretching involves moving throughout a variation of end range positions. STATICstretching,on theotherhand, involves OUR SERV I CES • Aquatic Therapy • Trigger Point Dry Needling (TDN) • Concussion Therapy • Dance Injury Rehabilitation • Electrical Stimulation • Instrument Assisted Manual Therapy • Joint Mobilization • Kinesio Taping • Low-Level Laser Therapy (LLLT) • Manual Therapy • Therapeutic Exercise • Vertigo Treatment
holdingpositionsatendrange foranextended period of time. Static stretching should be reserved for after activity, never before. Static stretching is effective over time at increasing muscle length, but it may create slight instability within joints to a degree that is unsafe before exercise. Progressing Activities Appropriately It is importanttoconsistentlytrainandpractice for any physical activity you’d like to try. Start small inthebeginningandbuildup fromthere. For example, if you aren’t used to running but you’d like tocompletea5k,don’tstartoffwith 3-mile runs. Begin with a half mile and slowly build up. When you push your body past its current limits, youmake yourself more prone to injuries because your body is not prepared forthe increasedphysicaldemands.Aphysical therapist can help you understand the limits of your body and can create an exercise plan for you to reach your specific goals. Quality Over Quantity When exercising, we usually try to reach a certain number of repetitions when lifting weights or reach a certain speed on a run. What is more important, however, is the qualityofyourmovements. Ifyouhavereached your goal speed when running a mile, does this really mean much if your form is off?
Compromising thequalityofyourmovements will also compromise the health of your body over time. If you are unsure about the quality of your exercise routine, ask your physical therapist to recommend changes if needed. What Should I Do Now? If you are suffering fromaches and pains, you thinkyoumayhavesustainedan injury,oryou’d like to learn more about injury prevention, contact Athletic Advantage Physical Therapy today at (214) 383-0623. One of our dedicated physical therapists would be happy to meet with you for a consultation and discuss how our different programs can help you remain active and pain-free! “If people knewwhat he went through simply to get on the floor this year, people wouldn’t believe it. There’s a guy named Cody that comes in 3 times a week with needles and sticks them all through Dirk’s body. Cody would leave and Dirk would say, ‘You know, I feel really good now.’ The stuff that he went through to get on the floor should be unbelievable motivation for all of us to get out of bed earlier every day and make more of our lives. ” – Rick Carlisle, Head Coach of the Dallas Mavericks Watch Rick Carlisle’s full interview online with FOX Sports Southwest at: youtu.be/oNLa8vJOFOg
DIRK NOWITZKI INSPIRATION CORNER
21 YEARS OF NBA | DALLAS MAVERICKS • MVP 2007, NBA champion 2011, 14-time All- Star, 12-time All-NBA Team member, and 1st non-American player to receive the Naismith Legacy Award • Known forscoringability,versatility,accurate outside shooting, and trademark fadeaway jump shot
ME E T THE T EAM
KIRSTEN TRAPP DPT Physical Therapist
Dr. Kirsten Trapp is our newest physical therapist at Athletic Advantage. She specializes in spinal evaluation and treatmentandholdssevenmanual therapy certifications.Sheutilizes triggerpointdry needling along with manual skills and therapeutic exercises to optimize patient outcomes and reduce pain. Dr. Trapp is a
PAT I E N T S U C C E S S S P O T L I G H T
member of the American Physical Therapy Association and is an advocate for the#choosePTmovementwhichemphasizes theuseofphysical therapy over opioid usage whenever possible. Born and raised in Plano, Texas, Dr. Trapp received her Bachelor of Science degree in Kinesiology from Sam Houston State University in 2014. After receiving her bachelor’s degree, she worked as a member of the Athletic Advantage team for two years before attending graduate school. She furthered her education at The University of St. Augustine in Austin, Texas to become a Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) in 2018. Kirsten grew up dancing, both competing as part of a junior company and in her high school dance teams. Throughout her undergraduate career, Kirsten competed as a member of the Orange Pride Dance Team, winning three National Championships with the National Dance Alliance (NDA) in Daytona, Florida. Dancing, a desire to help others, and an interest in the biomechanics and etiology of musculoskeletal dysfunctions are what drove her to become a physical therapist. “Providing quality care through a strong patient, therapist relationship is of the utmost importance in my practice. I take the responsibility of guiding my patients through the journey of improving their mobility and functional capacity very seriously. I want to help my patients lead a more active lifestyle. I utilize the most up to date evidence-based approach to evaluate and treat inorder toaddressandprevent further injury foreach individual.”
“I would like to personally thank Cody and his team for the support throughout high school. This team was a major part of keeping me healthy on and off the court.
Working on different techniques prevent a lot of injuries like the constant ankle sprains and knee pains I used to have in the past. With the knowledge and guidance I received from Cody, I will continue to work on strengthening and exercising the parts of my body that use to give me lots of problems while playing basketball in college. I recommend Cody Johnson for preventive treatment and if you are experiencing pain or constant problems due to sports, etc. He was a true lifesaver to me while playing basketball!” - J. W. REGISTER FOR OUR FREE ARTHRITIS WORKSHOP JUNE 6TH, 7-8PM AT THE CLINIC Is arthritis pain keeping you from the life you love? Know a friend or family member who is also suffering? Come to our Free Arthritis Workshop to learn tips and tricks that you can use to find relief and overcome your pain. Call us today at (214) 383-0623 to register now! First three who call and sign up will WIN a free lacrosse ball, a great tool helpful in increasing mobility, loosening muscles, and reaching trigger points.
Key Specialties & Certifications • Spinal Evaluation & Manipulation
• Upper Extremity Evaluation & Manipulation • Lower Extremity Evaluation & Manipulation • Myofascial Manipulation • Advanced Lumbar & Thoracic Spine • Advanced Cervical & Upper Thoracic • Functional Analysis-Pelvic & Hip
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