Back To Action_ Improve Posture Quickly and Easily

It is no surprise that our bodies change as we get older. Beginning at about age 30, our bodies lose lean muscle mass and bone density making it harder to maintain a healthy weight. Changes in the cartilage and cushioned discs between the spine actually force us to begin “shrinking” as we age. In fact, it is common to lose one-half inch of height every decade after your peak height due to these changes.

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

Don’t Miss Out On Special Moments Due to Pain How to improve posture quickly & easily...

Watching a confident person walk into a room, what is the first thing you notice? Their hair? Their outfit? Or something we like to call, “The way they carry themselves.” That undeniable, but undefinable “carriage” is what often defines our first impression not only of a person’s health, but their intelligence and mental clarity as well. (continued inside)

Inside: •3 Easy Ways To Improve Your Posture • Practice News • Relieve Back Pain In 60 Seconds • 2 Exercises To Help You Feel Better

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

HOW TO IMPROVE POSTURE QUICKLY & EASILY... | 2 EXERCISES TO HELP YOU FEEL BETTER | PRACTICE NEWS

Posture and Aging It is no surprise that our bodies change as we get older. Beginning at about age 30, our bodies lose lean muscle mass and bone density making it harder to maintain a healthy weight. Changes in the cartilage and cushioned discs between the spine actually force us to begin “shrinking” as we age. In fact, it is common to lose one-half inch of height every decade after your peak height due to these changes. As a result, our posture naturally changes as we age to accommodate all of these factors. How to improve posture quickly & easily... Don’t Miss Out On Special Moments Due to Pain

back pain and carpal tunnel syndrome. All of those times your mother told you to “Stand up straight,” or “Stop slouching,” she was trying to help you not only feel more confident, she also wanted you to be healthier as a result. Even though you cannot stop the hands of time or quit performing repetitive tasks, there are simple ways you can improve your posture quickly and easily. Call us today to speak with a physical therapist, or come on in for a consultation.

Postural changes, in turn, affect joint pain, balance and gait resulting in the characteristic poor posture so common in older people. That’s not to say that improving posture is exclusively an older person’s job. Poor posture can contribute to a host of health problems in every adult such as digestive problems, high blood pressure, chronic pain, and balance problems. Posture also affects the way you perform repetitive activities. Sitting slouched over a keyboard at work or stooped over while performing a repetitive task in a manufacturing plant can contribute to chronic

PATIENT SUCCESS SPOTLIGHTS They are friendly and always asked me how I felt before and after treatment. The team at Back To Action provides an awesome support system on the road to recovery.

“I came to Back To Action for therapy due to a neck injury. Steve and his staff always made me feel welcome. They are friendly and always asked me how I felt before and after treatment. If I had questions, the staff would always answer them. I would recommend Back To Action to all who need treatment for any injuries that may occur. Thank you!” - Cynthia Longoria

“The team at Back To Action provides an awesome support system on the road to recovery. From start to finish, their goal was to get me better than what I was before my injury I would most definitely recommend them to anyone who needs that “extra” help to get better!

- R. Gamboa

Look inside to learn more about our programs to say goodbye to aches and pains and return to a pain-free, active lifestyle! www.back-to-action.com

3 Easy Ways To Improve Your Posture

1. Work on Alignment. Great posture is all about training the body to remain in positions that put the least amount of strain on the muscles and joints. Consider how you spend the majority of your time during the course of a day. Are you sitting in a chair at work? Lifting, bending, squatting, or stretching? Do you do certain tasks over and over? How is your posture each time you do these things? While sitting, this means that all three curves of the back should be present with your weight evenly distributed on both hips. Correct lifting positions involve keeping your back straight and bending at the knees and hips. While standing, you should be able to draw a straight line from your head to your feet that touches your spine and runs through your hips. Wearing proper footwear fitted with custom orthotics designed for your work environment can help you maintain your posture while you perform basic tasks over the course of the day. 2. Core Strength is Paramount. The best way to improve your posture is to strengthen your core muscles. Your core is not only your abdominal muscles but also your stabilizing muscles that connect to your pelvis and spine. These muscles control how you bend, twist, walk, run, stand, and lift. Strong core muscles help you remain upright as you age and can even help prevent injury to your back. But a strong core is not born of hundreds of sit-ups or crunches. These muscles are best worked through slow, controlled, weight bearing movements. Yoga, Pilates and weight training exercises are all ideal ways to strengthen your

stabilizing muscles without having to lay on the ground. 3. Physical Therapy. Physical therapy is not usually the first thing that comes to mind when you are considering ways to improve your posture. Most of the time, people visit their physical therapist after surgery or an injury but forget that these practitioners are experts at helping patients develop, maintain or restore function to their bodies. This includes helping patients find their ideal posture for all of their daily activities. Patients who go to PT for neck, shoulder or back pain are often surprised to discover that their problems stem from poor posture. The therapist will assess the ways they sit, stand, walk, and work and begin helping the patient find ways to minimize stress on their body. These may

include balance and strengthening exercises or even recommending changes to the work environment that would promote proper posture. Our bodies, like any machine, are subject to the forces placed upon them. Our posture can either magnify those forces on our joints and muscles or minimize them. Proper posture helps you look better and feel better, but it also helps your body function the way it should as you walk, run, jump, sit, stand, or even lay down. Fortunately, you do not have to tackle perfecting your posture on your own. Your physical therapist can help you find ways to correct your body’s posture that are specific to your needs. Contact us today to begin standing tall once again.

2 Exercises To Help You Feel Better

STRENGTHENS BACK MUSCLES

IMPROVES POSTURE

PRONE BACK EXTENSION While lying face down, slowly raise your chest upwards and off the ground. Then lower slowly back to the ground. Repeat 10 times.

QUADRUPED ALT. ARM & LEG While in a crawling position, slowly draw your leg and opposite arm upwards. Your arm and leg should be straight and fully out- stretched. Do this 8 times then alternate.

PRACTICE NEWS: Keeping Our Community InMind!

Brownsville. Back To Action Brownsville PT and staff started the new year right with a great fitness activity. We joined the valley community during the 35th Annual LongestCauseway10KRun&5KFitnessWalkandhada wonderful timecrossing theQueen Isabellabridge from Port Isabel toSouthPadre Island.Wesupport thePortOf Brownsville Chamber Of Commerce with their activities ofpromotingahealthy lifestyleandpartof theproceeds from thisfitnesseventgoes to theirscholarshipprogram. We wish to invite you to the upcoming 3rd Annual Brownsville Community & Senior Health & Wellness Expo 2019 which will be held on a Wednesday, the 6th of February 2019 at the Brownsville Events Center, #1 Events Center Blvd., Brownsville, TX 78526. Join us as we celebrate the American Heart Month and let’s learn about living a heart healthy lifestyle with all FREE educational information, screenings along with funactivitiessuchasZumba,CountryLineDancing,and Bingo all day long. Plus get to win door prizes every 30 minutes, get to be trained by physical trainers, get your questionsansweredbydoctorsandaphysical therapist from Back To Action Physical Therapy. See you there. Eagle Pass. As the end of the year is approaching we would like to take this time to wish all of our patients and their familiesaveryhappyholidayseason.We thank you foryourcontinuedsupport throughout theyearand for entrusting us to help you get “back to action!” We are closing out another successful year and have our local providers, patients, and community to thank for that. We hope that 2019 brings all of us health and new opportunities of growth. We celebrated the holiday season with our staff and spouses at our annual Christmas party. We had a night of great food and fun at Sage Steakhouse. We also

donated a variety of snacks to help students from The Chick-fil-a leadership group of Eagle Pass High School fulfill their service project of the month.They wanted to host a luncheon for local service men/women coming home for theholidays.30servicemenandwomen from all branches of the military were invited to a luncheon and were given care packages with snacks and other useful items to thank them for theirserviceandsacrifice. Harlingen. We would like to take this opportunity to welcome all of our WinterTexan friends back to the Rio GrandeValley. Wehavebeenbusyatcommunityevents this month so hopefully we were able to see many of you. We were at the All Valley RV and Outdoor Show from 01/10-01/12/19, followed by the Winter Texan Appreciation at Casa de Amistad on 01/21/19. We were then at Fun-N-Sun RV Resort on 01/24/19. We enjoyed meeting all of you and hopefully we were able to successfully answer all of your questions. Inothernews,wewould like to thankJoeyVasquez (10 years)andJoeyFlores (2years)for theirhardwork. They each celebrated anniversaries with us this month. We appreciateall thatyoudo tokeepBack toActionflowing as smoothly as possible. Del Rio. Happy New Year from Back to Action! Del Rio startedouttheyeargettingBacktoActionwitha5k!Kristi Reyes, PTand several of the employees took a little trip tovisitourneighborsup the road inBracketvilleand join them for theirfirstannualHealthExpoandColorRun5k. Many of us make resolutions for the New Year which often end in failure and disappointment. Don’t let it get you down! It’s never too late to start over! You owe it to yourself to take the time to get active, eat healthier, and takecareofyourself!Here’s toahappyandhealthy2019!

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