Do your hands, wrists, or forearms ache on a daily basis? Are your daily activities, such as typing or lifting, harsh on those areas? Do you tend to feel painful stings with arm, hand, or wrist movement? If so, you may be suffering from carpal tunnel syndrome.
Physical Therapy N E W S L E T T E R
COMBAT CARPAL TUNNEL WITH PHYSICAL THERAPY!
How Synergy Rehab Can Help You! • Hand Pain Workshop What Our Patients Are Saying • Meet The Staff!
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PHYSICAL THERAPY NEWSLETTER
COMBAT CARPAL TUNNEL WITH PHYSICAL THERAPY!
affecting approximately 1 out of every 20 Americans, and accounting for almost 50% of all work-related injuries. Assembly-line work is the most common source of carpal tunnel syndrome, although those who perform jobs demanding extensive use of hand tools, keyboards, or the operation of heavy machinery are also at risk for developing carpal tunnel syndrome. Certain leisure activities have also been known to lead to this condition, such as sewing, playing string instruments, or participating in sports involving racquets. Some health conditions can also lead to carpal tunnel syndrome, such as: • Previous injury to thewrist, includingstrains,sprains,dislocations, and fractures. • Fluid retention, typically during pregnancy. • Use of medication, typically steroids. • Hormone or metabolic changes, including thyroid imbalances, pregnancy, and menopause. • Degenerative and rheumatoid arthritis. • Diabetes. Surgery Vs. Physical Therapy Insomeseverecases,surgerymaybeanecessarystep inthetreatment of carpal tunnel syndrome. However, in most cases, physical therapy alone is enough to treat the condition completely. Inastudytitled,“CarpalTunnelSyndrome:PhysicalTherapyorSurgery?” published inthe JournalofOrthopaedic&SportsPhysicalTherapy,that theory was thoroughly tested. Based on the known side effects and risksassociatedwithsurgery, inadditiontotheknowledgethatover1/3 of patients are unable to return to work within 8 weeks after receiving their operation, researchers decided to test whether physical therapy treatments could be used in replacement of surgical procedures. The results were overwhelmingly positive. 100 patients with carpal tunnel syndrome were studied; 50 had received surgery, and 50 had received physical therapy alone. The physical therapy patients were treated with manual therapy techniques, focusing on the neck and median nerve, in addition to stretching exercises given by their physical therapists. After one month, the physical therapy patients hadmuch better function during their daily activities than the surgery patients, and demonstrated stronger grip strength overall. At 3, 6, and 12 months, patients in both groups showed similar improvements with function and grip strength.
Do your hands, wrists, or forearms ache on a daily basis? Are your daily activities, such as typing or lifting, harsh on those areas? Do you tend to feel painful stings with arm, hand, or wrist movement? If so, you may be suffering from carpal tunnel syndrome. Carpal tunnel syndrome is a condition that can cause numbness, stiffness, or pain that can radiate through your fingers, hands, wrists, or forearms. This happens when too much pressure is put on your median nerve, located at the base of your palm. Your carpal tunnel is a narrow channel, about the width of your thumb, located on your wrist under the palm. It protects the median nerve, as well as the tendons you use to bend your fingers. When excessive pressure is put on the median nerve, it causes crowding and irritation of the carpal tunnel, making it difficult for it to do its job. This, eventually, is what leads to carpal tunnel syndrome. Many people will correct this condition with surgery; however, physical therapy has been proven to be just as successful in some cases (if not more so!) At Synergy Rehab & Wellness, we will safely and comfortably treat your carpal tunnel symptoms. For more information, call our office today What Causes Carpal Tunnel Syndrome? Essentially, any excessive use of the fingers, wrists, hands, or forearms can cause carpal tunnel syndrome. It is a very common condition,
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HOW SYNERGY REHAB CAN HELP YOU Physical therapy works just as well, if not better, than surgery. With everysurgerytherearerisks involved,nottomentiontheoverwhelming expenseandrecoverytimethatcomesalongwith it.Physicaltherapy is asafer,healthier,andmorecomfortableoption forthoseexperiencing carpal tunnel syndrome. At Synergy Rehab &Wellness, we will employ similar manual therapy techniques to help treat your condition, in addition to any other treatments that your physical therapist deems fit after your evaluation. We will work closely with your primary care provider, in order to discover the best course of treatment for your specific needs.
can go. Next, create a triangle shape by separating your palms, but keeping your fingers together still. • Shake it off: Shake out your hands, as if you have just washed them and you’re trying to air dry them. • Deep wrist stretch: Begin with your arm stretched straight in frontofyou,elbow locked,andfingerspointingdownward.Spread your fingers slightly and use your other hand to press down and apply gentle pressure to your wrist and fingers, slowly pushing themas farasthey’llgo.Whenyou’vereachedmaximumflexibility, hold this position for 20 seconds. When you’re finished, repeat with your other hand.
Synergy Rehab & Wellness is dedicated toward helping you achieve a pain-free life, with the least amount of discomfort possible. Why opt for surgery when there is another option that can help you return to theactivitiesyouneedtomuch faster?Callourofficetodaytoschedule your initialconsultation,andgetstartedonyour journeytowardbetter health, pain relief, and overall contentment. Exercises You Can Do At Home: • Spidersdoingpushups: Beginwithyourhandsclaspedtogether in prayer position. Then spread your fingers apart as far as they
Visit synergyrehabandwellness.com for more information, or call your physical therapist at Synergy Rehab to schedule your appointment today!
Sources https://www.jospt.org/doi/full/10.2519/jospt.2017.0503 https://www.moveforwardpt.com/SymptomsConditionsDetail.aspx?cid=9f3cdf74-3f6f-40ca-b641-d559302a08fc https://www.healthline.com/health/carpal-tunnel-wrist-exercises#stretch-armstrong
FREE EVENT DETAILS BELOW
Join Us For A Community Workshop! NEED A HAND WITH YOUR HAND PAIN? Dr. Meghan Little, DPT, CHT, CMTPT, ATC, CLT-LANA; Clinical Director (Staunton Office) MARCH 2 • 6 PM at SYNERGY STAUNTON 1561 COMMERCE ROAD SUITE #402 • VERONA, VA 24482 Do you experience trouble opening jars? Do your thumbs ever swell or stiffen? Learn the cause of these issues andmore by attending our free workshop! Is hand injury, impairmentorsurgeryreducingyourabilityto interactwiththeworldaround you? Find out how seeing a Certified Hand Therapist could help you!
FREE Hand Exercise Sheets for all attendees!
REGISTER FOR THIS EVENT BY CALLING 540.416.0530 OR VISITING SYNERGYREHABANDWELLNESS.COM!
WHAT OUR PATIENTS ARE SAYING:
“I was having difficulty performing everyday tasks such as cutting my food, getting dressed and doing some of my favorite hobbies. Bending fingers on my right hand was painful!
MEET ONE OF OUR TALENTED PT ASSISTANTS Jen first became involved in the physical therapy field through her experiences in high school sports and fascination with anatomy. Followinghergraduationfrom JeffersonCollegeofHealthSciences in 2000, Jen since has worked in several healthcare settings including outpatient hospital-based, acute care, assisted and long term care, skilled nursing, and a private outpatient clinic. Her patientshave includedthoseexperiencingchronicpain,recovering from amputation, or patients who have suffered neurological, orthopedic, sports-related, and post-surgical injuries. Jen views her role in the treatment of her patients as that of a cheerleader, coach, counselor, enforcer and friend. She welcomes both the blessings and challenges of this relationship, incorporating her upbeat attitude, good sense of humor and good listening skills to further encourageherpatients.Outsideofwork Jenenjoysspendingtimewithher familyand friends, participating in church activities, reading, gardening, and working on her family’s farmette. The wonderful therapists at Synergy showed me how to exercise and stretch my fingers to improve flexibility. They also gave me confidence that I wouldn’t make the situation worse. The diagrams and information they gave me to continue exercises were very helpful. I would recommend Synergy to anyone who is having mobility or flexiblity problems. They are so thoughtful and considerate at Synergy. It was a great experience!” -Sylvia B.
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Detox Recipe Miracle Red Juice
INGREDIENTS
2 large beets 4 long carrots 2 apples
6 celery stalks 2 limes or lemons 2 inches of Ginger
DIRECTIONS Preparebeets,carrots,apples,celery, limes (or lemons)and ginger by chopping into smaller pieces before placing into a juicer. As the skin of a beet is packed with antioxidants and nutrients, it is recommended to leave the skin on the beet. Beet skin and lemon peel (if using) have strong flavors, so you could also prepare half with skin and half peeled toadjust to theflavor,orsimplypeelall ifpreferred. Apples can be any color or variety. Do not peel the ginger, which you will add to taste as ginger can be spicy. After all ingredients are added to the juicer, blend until juiced and smooth. Drink as soon as possible to obtain all benefits of the antioxidants and nutrients. Miracle Red Juice can be absorbed more easily on an empty stomach. Drink one glass every other day or as needed. Claim Your New Year With This Free Offer FREE Discovery Session! Present this newsletter at either location and receive a FREE one-on-one discovery session with a Doctor of physical therapy. Call TODAY to schedule your appointment! Call 540.416.0530 (Staunton) or 540.932.0333 (Waynesboro) today! SYNERGYREHABANDWELLNESS.COM
For more information about our staff, visit synergyrehabandwellness.com. Call Synergy Rehab to schedule your appointment today!
READY TO RUN WITHOUT PAIN? TRY THE ALTER-G!
The Alter-G is a state-of-the-art Anti-Gravity treadmill. It gives you the opportunity to rehab from surgery, train through an injury, or focus on your balance all without pain. The unique technology reduces the impact of walking and running while your body goes through the normal healing process. Imagine the feeling of “bouncing on clouds” as you recover from a painful procedure. This gives you the opportunity for a smooth progression back to full recovery. Find out more about how the Alter-G treadmill can help you by calling your physical therapist at Synergy Rehab!
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