Mission PT - August 2020
3321 E Queen Creek Rd. #106 Gilbert, AZ 85297 • (480) 550-9100 • missionptaz.com August 2020
HowWell Are Your Hinges Moving? THE DOOR HINGE THEORY AND THE WAY YOU MOVE
Movement Correction is an approach unique to Mission Physical Therapy and at the core of what we do and how we help our patients. But in order to help people move correctly and reduce their pain, we have to understand where the pain is really coming from. You might notice your knee hurting and assume that’s the problem, but in reality, the source of the pain may be coming from somewhere else. An explanation I like to use to describe this approach is my “door hinge analogy.” This is a good visualization that helps me illustrate how we treat patients. You can look at a door or imagine one as I share it with you. Most doors have three hinges that allow them to open and close. These hinges work together to support the weight of the door. Most of the time, the door opens and closes without any problems. But if someone comes along and loosens the bottom and top hinges, even by a little, this simple action puts more strain on the middle hinge. Over time, the middle hinge will start to wear out. It might bend or crack, or if the weight of the door becomes too much, it might even break. If the middle hinge was alive, it would be in a lot of pain! Now, imagine that middle hinge is your knee! Let’s keep going. If a physician looked at a door like they look at a patient, the doctor would suggest some treatments. He might say, “If it hurts to open and close, stay closed for three weeks. Get some rest!” This is the equivalent of activity avoidance. Or he might suggest some WD-40 to get things moving again. This is like getting an injection or taking medication to deal with the symptoms. If rest doesn’t work or the injections don’t last and the “pain” gets worse and the middle hinge looks like it is breaking down even more, the physician might say, “We need to replace your hinge.” That’s significant — even more so when you consider that the cause of the damage may not have been addressed.
One of the faults of today’s medical model is that it is focused on symptoms and diseases rather than the source of the symptoms or disease. When a doctor says, “Tell me where it hurts,” they don’t often look past exactly to where you point. The problem with this is that there may not be anything wrong with the middle door hinge or “where it hurts.” The problem, all too often, is with the top and bottom hinges. This is very similar to what happens in our bodies. Our bodies contain several “middle hinges.” The knee is the most common example, but there is also the low back, the neck, and the shoulders. People with knee pain, for example, may be dealing with an issue in their hip or in their foot. Their foot might not be stabilizing correctly when they run or walk. Because of this, they feel the pain in their knee and assume that’s where the problem is. Unlike the door, we can’t just glance over and see what the problem is. We have to look at the mechanics and understand how the person is moving. We don’t just look at where the pain is manifesting itself. We have to look at the whole system.
We might find a weakness or limitation, or the patient might be moving incorrectly. But once we identify the true source of the problem — not the symptom — we can address it. This is the root of our approach to Movement Correction. It’s why we do what we do.
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Our mission is YOU. What is YOUR mission?
(480) 550-9100 • missionptaz.com
Be Your Best Self With the Help of Others
HOW TO IMPLEMENT A VIRTUAL WELLNESS CHALLENGE
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A lot of people struggle to keep up with a regular wellness routine because they lack accountability to hold them to it. Whether it’s exercise, meditation, or healthy eating, if you go through the process alone, it’s that much harder to will yourself to see it through. But at a time when isolation is still one of the best ways to stay healthy, how can you involve others in your wellness plan? The answer is simple: Create a virtual wellness challenge!
Every challenge should have a quantifiable goal depending on the theme. Challenges like working out for 30 minutes a day, getting seven hours of sleep at night, eating 1 cup of leafy greens with every meal, or meditating for 15 minutes every day are all great examples. Whatever it is, the target should be clear and reasonable in order to encourage maximum participation and low burnout.
Understand the Process
Stay Accountable
A wellness challenge cultivates healthy competition among participants that keeps them motivated to stick with their wellness regimens. Challenges can be fully customized depending on the goals and abilities of those participating, and when the challenge is carried out virtually, participants have more freedom and flexibility in their routines without missing out on any of the social interaction that makes it fun.
Treat the challenge like you would a weekly book club. Set a time every week to meet via a video call to share wins and setbacks, discuss necessary changes to the challenge, plan for the next week’s challenge, and offer encouragement. If you really want to up the inspiration, determine a prize to be awarded to the person who actively participates the most. Just be sure you have a tangible way to record and share those results, like video evidence of the activity.
A wellness challenge shared among friends and family is a great way to work on your physical or mental well-being and stay connected with loved ones when you aren’t able to visit them in person. That kind of consistent personal connection can be wellness in and of itself.
From Debilitating Pain to Running a Marathon
Matt was in pain when he came into our office. He limped in and took off his left shoe. His big toe was red and swollen. It had started hurting him several weeks earlier, yet he was planning on running a marathon the next day. To make matters worse, he was considering cutting part of his shoe to relieve pressure on his toe so he could still run. Matt noted that his toe began hurting during a previous run. At the 10-mile mark, he noticed discomfort. Then every couple of miles, he felt increased pain. But he kept running. By the time he came into the clinic, he couldn’t walk without pain. Much to Matt’s surprise, the problem wasn’t in his toe. The big toe isn’t going to become red and inflamed spontaneously. Something has to cause it. In Matt’s case, it hurt to push off with his left toe. The problem was Matt was pushing off with more force than he should. When you take a full stride while running, your lower trunk rotates and extends one way, your hip extends and rotates another way, your knee extends, and so does the ankle, the foot, and so forth. All
parts of the leg become involved, and if some parts aren’t doing their job — if their motion is limited — you’ll push off your toe with greater force. It will become irritated and inflamed and eventually result in a full-blown injury. We took a close look at Matt’s toe, foot, and knee, etc. There wasn’t one specific thing that was glaringly significant as limitations of motion went, but nearly everything that could be restricted was. After loosening things up and restoring more normal motion, Matt got off the table and walked around barefoot — without a limp! He said he felt a lot better and the pain had subsided. We didn’t do anything to his big toe — we never touched it. We suggested that he tape his toe to protect it and to leave his shoes intact. Three months later, he returned for minor pain in his right knee. During his visit, he told us about the marathon. He ran the first 20 miles without any pain or problems. He only had minor pain the last 6 miles. After doing a few exercises we suggested, he was able to run pain-free within three weeks!
SOLVING MATT’S ‘BIG TOE’ PROBLEM
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MAKING A
WORD SEARCH
Sundae Camping Fair Friendship
CHECK OUT THE STRAND @ GILBERT
Fire Pit Peridot Poppy Rafting School Thunderstorm Virgo Watermelon
If you haven’t already heard, progress at The Strand @ Gilbert is well under way! What has us excited about The Strand is that it’s located right across the street (to the west) of Mission Physical Therapy! Construction on the water park started in early 2019, and Phase 1A of the park opened last fall. While the pandemic has slowed down progress on the development of the park, certain sections of the Phase 1A area are open. Phase 1A includes The Mountain, a 17-foot tall climbing area with climbing hills, slides, swings, and zip-lines. There is so much to do and see — it’s the perfect playground to wear out kids! Some of the water features opened as well, but they’re still limited. One area that’s open is The Falls. This is a 4,000-square-foot splash pad. The pad is covered in 57 interactive water features, from small jets to huge rings of water. Phase 1B is expected to open this summer, but it’s unclear when the new sections will be available to the public due to delays caused by COVID-19. When Phase 1B does open up, you can expect new amenities, including these:
Spicy Salmon Cucumber Bites
There’s nothing quite like a refreshing treat on a warm summer’s day. Mix up this cool appetizer for your new favorite snack. INGREDIENTS
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A 7-acre lake
A 10-acre event lawn 16 pickleball courts
6 tennis courts
2 basketball courts
• 1/4 cup paleo mayonnaise
6 sand volleyball courts
An amphitheater
• 1/4 tsp smoked paprika • 1/4 tsp Tabasco, or to taste • 1/2 lb salmon, cooked • 1 tbsp minced shallots • 1 tbsp chopped chives
• Salt and pepper, to taste • 1 English cucumber, peeled • 4 cherry tomatoes, quartered for garnish
Beyond that, and in the months (and years!) ahead, visitors can expect to enjoy a surf lagoon, a restaurant, and an indoor arcade, along with kayaking, canoeing, paddleboarding, and just good old-fashioned swimming. Once complete, it will be a great place to cool down. For now, there are sections open where visitors can cool down and relax, but be sure to check The Strand @ Gilbert’s website and Facebook page for updates related to COVID-19 and future openings!
DIRECTIONS
1. In a small bowl, mix together mayonnaise, paprika, and Tabasco. 2. Flake the salmon into large bite-size pieces. 3. Add the salmon, shallots, chives, salt, and pepper to the Tabasco mixture and combine. 4. Cut the cucumber into 3/4-inch slices. 5. Using a melon-baller, scoop out the center of each cucumber slice but leave the bottom fully intact so the filling doesn’t fall through. 6. Divide the salmon mixture and put dollops into each cucumber slice. 7. Garnish with cherry tomato.
Inspired by NomNomPaleo.com
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(480) 550-9100 • missionptaz.com
Our mission is YOU. What is YOUR mission?
PRST STD US POSTAGE PAID BOISE, ID PERMIT 411
3321 E Queen Creek Rd. #106 Gilbert, AZ 85297
(480) 550-9100 missionptaz.com
Inside This Issue 1 Are Your ‘Hinges’ Causing You Trouble?
Stay Accountable With a Virtual Wellness Challenge
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Don’t Run Away From Pain!
Cool Down at The Strand @ Gilbert
Spicy Salmon Cucumber Bites
How Meals on Wheels Atlanta Stepped Up for Its Community
MEALS ON WHEELS GOES THE EXTRA MILE A Meal for Every Member of the Family
Meals on Wheels doesn’t often get the credit it deserves. The international nonprofit ensures those who are unable to buy or make their own meals get the food they need to survive. Of course, for many recipients, the efforts of the organization go far beyond “survival.” For those who receive food daily or weekly, those deliveries may be their only source of social interaction. And during times of social distancing, the program became more important than ever. Meals on Wheels doesn’t just serve meals to the elderly and people with disabilities — it also serves those people’s pets. In 2019, Meals on Wheels Atlanta realized there was a huge need in their community to feed the pets of senior citizens. It stands to reason that if an elderly individual is unable to shop or cook for themselves, their pets may be in a similar predicament. And when someone’s pet is their entire world, making sure the animal is fed and healthy means everything. In response to this need, Meals on Wheels Atlanta began stocking up on cat and dog food, creating their own pantry to serve the local pet community. When volunteers made their
rounds delivering meals to seniors, they made sure to bring cat and dog food along too. One volunteer with Meals on Wheels Atlanta, Larry Auberbach, had a unique experience delivering meals to Jeffery Jones and his dog, Grizzly. The volunteer told 11Alive News in Atlanta that Jeffery and Grizzly “have their own special relationship.” Larry loved Grizzly long before Meals on Wheels Atlanta started the pet pantry because he saw how much Grizzly’s companionship meant to Jeffery. Now, Larry enjoys his service that much more since he gets to provide for Jeffery’s beloved pet, as well.
On top of delivering food to seniors and their pets, Meals on Wheels Atlanta also delivers pet toys and pet beds, and they are happy to take in any pet-related food or items for donation. The organization says this endeavor was done out of love, not only for the people they serve but also for the whole family — wagging tails, fuzzy whiskers, and all.
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