Health & Wellness Newsletter by Physical Therapy Institute of Illinois
Health&Wellness The Newsletter About Your Health And Caring For Your Body
The 3 Simple Steps To Beat Those Achy Shoulders!
Do you find your shoulders aching at the end of the day or when having to reach for items? You’re not alone, see more about how we can help you beat those achy shoulder in this month’s newsletter!
(continued inside)
Al Flores, PT, CFCE Director of Rehab
Health & Wellness The Newsletter About Your Health And Caring For Your Body
The 3 Simple Steps To Beat Those Achy Shoulders!
COME IN FOR A TUNE-UP! Are you maybe having a little too much fun this summer? Feeling more sore than usual? Then now is the time to come in for physical therapy! Let us help you get back to normal again. Contact us today to schedule your appointment.
(continued from outside)
cuff muscles strong, you help guide your shoulder joints, lessening the chance for injury and inflammation to occur. A simple exercise to perform is while sitting or standing, keep elbows at your side bent to 90 degrees and thumbs up. Push your hands out like opening a newspaper. Repeat 10 times. 3. Improve your scapula stability – The shoulder blade makes up an important part of your shoulder complex. It has many different muscles attached to it, pulling at just the right time for proper shoulder movement. Improve the shoulder blade muscles by frequently firing them. In sitting or standing, drop your shoulders slowly down and back. This wakes up those important muscles which help guide the shoulder blade when using your arm. Perform 10-15 repetitions, holding the contraction for 5 seconds frequently throughout the day. By working on these 3 simple actions, you can dramatically improve the performance and feel of your shoulders. If your shoulders feel weak, achy, or painful give us a call today. The qualified therapists at Physical Therapy Institute of Illinois will get your shoulders feeling limber, stronger and allow you to get back to doing life’s everyday activities pain free.
Your shoulders have to move through an incredible 180 degrees of motion, while still maintaining stability and strength. The shoulder joint acts like a ball in a very shallow socket that is part of the shoulder blade. Some of the most important muscles in the rotator cuff are actually the smallest. The rotator cuff is made up of 4 muscles that are small, but vital to keeping the ball stable in the socket. When these muscles are weak or injured, the ball can jam up into the socket of the shoulder blade, causing inflammation and pain. Try these simple actions to improve the health of your shoulders and alleviate that nagging ache or sharp pain for good: 1. Sit up tall! – The number one reason for repetitive injury and pain in the shoulders is poor posture. When the ball moves forward in the socket, the rotator cuff becomes vulnerable to injury! There is less space for the muscles which can then get “pinched”. The muscles are also overstretched, making them weaker.
2. Strengthen your rotator cuff muscles – By keeping your rotator
www.ptiipt.com
THE TOP 3 WAYS TO AVOID CARPAL TUNNEL SYNDROME Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS) is a very common occurrence, especially in those that are at a computer all day. The carpal tunnel is in your wrist and made up of bones of the hand and ligaments that form the ceiling of the tunnel. With typing, pressure is frequently put on the wrists and base of the palm. In addition, the frequent use of the tendons that glide through this area, during typing can cause the tendons to become irritated and swollen decreasing the space in the tunnel. Your median nerve, which supplies sensation and muscle control to your thumb and first two fingers can become compressed. This is why with CTS, many people first experience tingling or numbness in the thumb and first two fingers. While this can be a sign of nerve compression, the good news is that this can be prevented and even reversed quite quickly. 2. Improve your posture at work - If you slouch at the keyboard, this puts the neck in a bad position and can put more pressure on your wrists, decreasing blood flow to your hands. Sit tall and have your keyboard slightly lower than the level of your elbow. 3. Stretch your chest and shoulders - Improving your shoulder and chest mobility increases the circulation in your hands. The better your circulation, the less inflammation can build up in the hand and wrist.
Seeing a physical therapist right away is essential, but here are some tips you can do in the meantime: 1. Stretch your wrists and hands - Stand up and grab the tips of your fingers with the other hand. With your arm outstretched, gently stretch your fingers back until you feel a gentle pulling in your hand and wrist. Hold this for 15-30 seconds and repeat on both sides for 3 times. Do this frequently throughout the day.
CTS is a condition that you can prevent with these tips. However, if you start to notice the tingling, numbness or weakness in your hand, see a physical therapist right away. It is much better to catch CTS early, than after nerve damage has occurred. If you feel that you might be experiencing CTS or know someone with these symptoms, call us today to speak with one of our specialists. “We highly recommend PT Institute of Illinois. Mike is an excellent PT and very knowledgeable in back rehab. He was awesome at getting my daughter back to the activities she loves. My daughter was very comfortable receiving treatments here and thrilled to be able to get back to cheerleading. The office staff is also very friendly and professional. Appointments were very easy to make and accommodating to our schedule. Thanks Mike! - C.G. & R.G. “Thanks Mike!”
COME BACK IN FOR A CONSULTATION! Whether you want to come in for a check-up, suffered a recent injury or you want to improve your health, you can choose the physical therapy practice you want! Come back to PTII for a consultation today!
See our physical therapists for: • Recent injury • Nagging aches and pains • Back and neck pain • Joint pain and movement problems • Walking or balance difficulties
Save time
Improve your health naturally
Save money
FOX RIVER GROVE LOCATION: 1009 IL Route 22 Suite 1 Fox River Grove, IL 60021-1998
PARK RIDGE LOCATION: 1550 North Northwest Highway Suite 120 Park Ridge, IL 60068
T 847-462-8707 F 847-462-9208
T 847-298-3079 F 847-298-4019
EXERCISE ESSENTIALS
Try these exercises to get you moving... POSTERIOR SHOULDER STRETCH Sit or stand with good posture. Reach across your chest. Use your other arm to pull a little bit further. Repeat 7 times on both sides.
Exercisescopyrightof
www.simpleset.net
LOWER TRAPEZIUS STRENGTHENING Lie on stomach, arm hanging down over edge of bed, keeping elbow straight, lift entire arm with thumb facing toward ceiling up toward head. Repeat 10 times on each side.
Relieves Shoulder Pain
Stretches Shoulders
Always consult your physical therapist or physician before starting exercises you are unsure of doing.
HEALTHY RECIPE PATIENT SUCCESS SPOTLIGHT IMPROVE YOUR POSTURE IN THE CLASSROOM
Back to school season is just around the corner, and the benefits of good posture are more than just looking good! As a student, you spend most of your time sitting down at a desk in the library or an uncomfortable chair in a lecture hall. No worries, though, we have your back and we have some tips for you to improve your posture without even trying. 1. Adjust your backpack: One of the reasons your back hurts is because the weight you carry on your backpack. The gap between your back and your backpack is what causes the stress to your back, though, which damages your posture at the end. To fix this, adjust your backpack handles so it can be as close to your back as possible to avoid your spine to curve excessively when carrying your backpack. 2. Unload your backpack: I know, I know, you have a biology exam tomorrow and you need to bring your chemistry book with you so you can do the lab properly. But carrying everything in your backpack and loading it with heavy school supplies is not good for your back or your posture. Leave the heavy supplies at your apartment and take a good walk home every time you need them (say yes to exercise!) or carry them in your hands. This will -literally- take weight from your back and will improve your posture. 3. Wear both stripes of your backpack: The cool kids walk around campus carrying their backpacks on just one shoulder, but the cool kids also have bad posture and back problems. Do not follow this
trend, and use both straps of your backpack so the weight is evenly distributed on your back.
Source: https://www.uprightpose.com/blogs/news/how-to-improve-your-posture-as-a- college-student
www.ptiipt.com
Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4Made with FlippingBook Learn more on our blog