South Valley PT_Runners High

Is your runner’s high being stifled by pain in your shins or legs? Do they tend to throb after your daily jogs, or ache simply after moving quickly to catch up with someone? If so, you may be experiencing shin splints. Shin splints, also medically referred to as “medial tibial stress syndrome,” occurs when there is excessive stress on your shinbone and its surrounding tissues. These tissues connect your muscles to your bones, and when they become inflamed, it can become painful. They are most common in runners, due to the stress of impact that the shins face while running; however, shin splints can present themselves in anyone whose lifestyle includes substantial physical demand.

Health & Fitness The Newsletter About Your Health And Caring For Your Body

CORRECT YOUR SHIN SPLINTS WITH PHYSICAL THERAPY

INSIDE:

• How Physical Therapy Can Help • Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)

• Patient Success Spotlight • Relieve Pain In Minutes

Is your runner’s high being stifled by pain in your shins or legs? Do they tend to throb after your daily jogs, or ache simply after moving quickly to catch up with someone? If so, you may be experiencing shin splints. Shin splints, also medically referred to as “medial tibial stress syndrome,” occurs when there is excessive stress on your shinbone and its surrounding tissues. These tissues connect your muscles to your bones, and when they become inflamed, it can become painful. They are most common in runners, due to the stress of impact that the shins face while running; however, shin splints can present themselves in anyone whose lifestyle includes substantial physical demand. Shin splints can be painful and debilitating toward your daily life, but physical therapy can fortunately help alleviate the pain and correct the condition. To speak with someone about how physical therapy

can help fix your shin splints, call our office today!

• HIP MOTION. This can be related to sport or general gait, in which the hips move through a greater range than what is typical. This is common in sports such as dance, gymnastics, or cheerleading, but can also be due to an abnormality in the way one walks. • IMPROPER SHOES. Wearing shoes that are ill- fitted or that don’t provide proper arch support can increase your risk of shin splints. • LACK OF STRETCHING. If you complete a run or workout without warm-up and cool-down stretches, your muscles and tissues can become irritated, increasing your risk of shin splints. • GENERAL WEAKNESS. If you have weak ankles, hips, or core muscles, you may be at a greater risk of developing shin splints. This can be corrected through strength training exercises.

There are many common causes of shin splints, including, but not limited to: • PREVIOUS INJURY. If you have had a foot, leg, or shin injury in the past, your risk of shin splints may be heightened. • SPORTPARTICIPATION. Some sports have a higher risk of shin splints than others, especially those with high levels of running and/or jumping. • BODY MASS. If you have a BMI greater than 20.2, your probability toward developing shin splints may be higher. • OVERPRONATION. This is also referred to as the act of flattening the arches of one’s feet while standing, walking, or running. A flat arch creates a greater risk of shin splints.

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Try these movements if you are experiencing pain. Relieve Pain In Minutes

LUNG E Start by standing with feet shoulder-width-apart. Next, take a step forward and allow your front knee to bend. Your back knee may bend as well. Then, return to original position, or you may walk and take a step forward and repeat with the other leg. Keep your pelvis level and straight the entire time. Your front knee should bend in line with the 2nd toe and not pass the front of the foot. Repeat 10 times on each leg.

STRA I GHT L E G RA I S E While lying or sitting, slowly raise your leg, keeping your knee straight and your toes pointed outward. Hold for 2 seconds, then slowly lower your leg to the starting position. Repeat 6-10 times with each leg.

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Always consult your physical therapist or physician before starting exercises you are unsure of doing.

Does Your Friend or Family Member Need Physical Therapy? Tell Them to Check Us Out!

Do You Have Friends Or Family Unable To Do The Following? • Climb stairs without pain • Bend and move freely

If you know someone suffering with aches and pains give the gift of health. Refer them to South Valley Physical Therapy today. Pass along this newsletter or have them call us directly for a Pain Relief Consultation.

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• Balance confidently and securely • Sit for long periods comfortably • Walk for long distances • Live an active and healthy lifestyle

How Physical Therapy Can Help

As noted above, the causes of shin splints are vast, but your physical therapist can help you figure out the root of the problem. He or she will complete an extensive evaluation process with you, noting your painful areas and testing the abilities of your current physical motions. This may include anything involving stretching, flexibility, gait, mobility, and range of motion. From there, your physical therapist will create a treatment plan based on your needs. Treatment plans for a specified shin splint condition may include, but are not limited to: • MANUAL THERAPY. Hands-on massage of the painful area and its surrounding areas, in order to ease stress off of the injured tissue. • LIGHT EXERCISE. These exercises can serve several functions. They can be used to increase the strength and/or range of motion of the hips, arches, or shins, in order to decrease overpronation and stress on the lower leg. They can also be used to stretch the muscles around the shin, in order to reduce inflammation. This may also include single-leg exercises, such as squats, reaching, or heel raises. • MODIFIED TECHNIQUE. Sometimes, shin splints can be a result of poor technique with gait or sports. Your physical therapist may work with you to modify your take-off/landing techniques, or your leg and foot control while walking or running. • TAPING/COMPRESSION. Your physical therapist may suggest taping the affected area (arch of foot or leg muscles) to promote healing and compress the affected muscles.

• ICE. Ice healing may be prescribed, in order to decrease pain and inflammation. Depending on the severity, your physical therapist may suggest icing multiple times a day. • FOOTWEAR SUGGESTIONS. Your physical therapist may provide you with supportive or orthotic footwear suggestions, which may help speed up your shin splint recovery and decrease the risk of them in the future. • REST. An important part of your physical therapy treatment will be rest, although you will also be participating in important stretching and light exercises with your physical therapist. Your physical therapist may suggest taking a short break from the activity or exercise that aggravated your shin splints until you are healed. At South Valley Physical Therapy, we are dedicated to assisting you in your healing journey, and making it as comfortable for you as possible. If you believe you may be suffering from shin splints, give us a call today. We will help you get back on your feet in no time! Sources: https://ptandme.com/7-ways-physical-therapists-treat-shin- splints/ https://www.moveforwardpt.com/SymptomsConditionsDetail. aspx?cid=2490a5b7-f185-44ed-a6b1-5518984c902d https://www.webmd.com/ fitness-exercise/shin-splints#1

Practice News

PATIENT SPOTLIGHT

CATHLEEN JONES Cathleen has been a patient at South Valley Physical Therapy for 6 separate surgeries. The first 2 were successful partial knee replacements. After she had 3 failed rotator cuff repairs, she decided to find out what else could be done for her shoulders. You can imagine by this time she was quite frustrated, Cathleen appreciated that Tom and his staff were always so positive and encouraging during her rehab! Then she found Dr. John Costouras, he specializes in reverse shoulder replacement. Cathleen had her surgery on September 26, 2019 for her left shoulder. It has been successful, and her spirits are up, so much so that she’s scheduling her right shoulder! As always Cathleen will attend therapy at South Valley. She feels the PT is very good and appreciates that the office and equipment are clean, and the staff is always helpful. Cathleen states the best thing about therapy is that she now has the ability to hold and love on her new grandson Andrew! She’s independent again and can drive, do light gardening, housework, and she’s able to attend church functions again. Her favorite part about attending SVPT is how confident and comfortable she feels with the staff. She has had Tom as her chief therapist and always felt like he explained everything very clearly. He always answered all her numerous questions and always provided alternative ways to do everyday chores and activities. We asked Cathleen why she felt people should choose SVPT and her answer was... as soon as you walk in the door you are greeted by the front office staff. They answer all your questions and help with all administrative matters with kindness. The “family” at South Valley makes you feel very comfortable, yet they maintain confidentiality with other clients. I would recommend anyone needing physical therapy to go check out Tom and his staff at SVPT! Thanks, Cathleen, for your continued support of SVPT. We know patients have many options for physical therapy and we value the trust you put in us!

• Track weight loss • Track muscle mass gains/losses • Measure caloric intake levels Only $25 Full Body Composition Analysis GET THE INFORMATION YOU NEED TO FEEL AND LOOK YOUR BEST!

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For scheduling and pricing questions please email patientrep@svpt.net

We want to not only help our patients, but we love to give back to our community. Discover our events, recipes and goings on.

Patient Referral Program Do you want to take advantage of our Patient Referral Program but don’t have a card handy? Just clip this card from the newsletter, add YOUR name and phone number and give it to a friend or family member. For every new patient you refer we will give you your choice of a gift card to the movies (good for 2 admissions), $20.00 for coffee or tea at Peet’s or a $25.00 gift card for Le Boulanger. Remember--each patient you refer must bring in a referral card and be a NEW patient to the clinic. South Valley Physical Therapy Would Like To Say Thank You! Thank You!

CALL TODAY! 408-365-8400 Fax: 408-365-8417

Name: Phone:

For scheduling and pricing questions please email patientrep@svpt.net

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) Has your mood darkened with the shorter days and longer nights of fall and winter? If you’re like many people, getting less sunshine and being less active this time of year can contribute to feelings of sadness and apathy that may be associated with Seasonal Affective Disorder (or SAD). The good news is that regular exercise can help boost your mood and guard against symptoms of seasonal affective disorder. GET PROFESSIONAL HELP FOR SAD IF YOU NEED IT: Although lack of sunlight and activity often are culprits of seasonal affective disorder, genetics and hormonal changes also may contribute to the condition. If exercise alone doesn’t improve your mood and your sadness persists for more than 2 weeks, schedule an appointment with one of our physiotherapists. We will provide you with techniques in addition to exercise to manage stress.

EXERCISE AND SEASONAL AFFECTIVE DISORDER: According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention, 14 percent of people in the United States experience SAD (also known as seasonal depression). But research shows that many people can manage or avoid SAD with 30 to 60 minutes of exercise and 20 minutes of exposure to sunlight each day. In addition, data show exercisers have lower rates of recurrent depression compared with study participants who do not exercise. These figures emphasize the importance of exercising throughout the winter, especially if your goal is health and well-being as well as a trim waistline. • Arrange your schedule to start and end later or earlier so that you can exercise outside after sunrise or before sundown. • Get outside to walk, jog, run, snowshoe, or cross country ski. The exposure to sunlight can help increase your vitamin D levels and elevate your mood. • Enlist the services of a personal fitness trainer. Many people find meeting with a personal fitness trainer helps them stick with their exercise routine. Personal fitness trainers also can help vary workouts to keep them interesting and effective Try the tips for maintaining your winter exercise routine this winter:

References: Rosen LN, Targum SD, Terman M. Prevalence of seasonal affective disorder at four latitudes. Psych Res. 1990. 31;131-144. Rosenthal NE. Winter blues: everything you need to know to beat seasonal affective disorder. New York, NY: Guilford Press; 2006. Blumenthal JA, Babyak MA, Doraiswamy PM, et al. Exercise and pharmacotherapy in the treatment of major depressive disorder. Psychosom Med. 2007;69(7):587-96. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention. CDC Features. Insufficient sleep is a public health epidemic. www.cdc.gov/features/dssleep/. Accessed November 1, 2016. Centers for disease Control and Prevention. Alcohol and Public Health. Frequently asked questions. http://www.cdc.gov/ alcohol/faqs.htm. Accessed November 1, 2016.

841 Blossom Hill Road, Suite 103 San Jose, CA 95123

CALL TODAY! 408-365-8400 Fax: 408-365-8417

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Thomas Sawhill, P.T. Physical Therapist, CEO

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