Health & Wellness Newsletter by Priority Physical Therapy
Health &Wellness The Newsletter About Your Health And Caring For Your Body
Getting To Know The Priority Physical Therapy Staff LAUREN BUNTEN, PT, DPT
Lauren grew up watching and admiring her mother’s care for patients within the outpatient clinic. Throughout middle and high school Lauren witnessed the compassion her mother provided to each individual patient seeking care. Lauren followed in her mother’s footsteps and graduated in 2012 from Saint Louis University with a Doctorate of Physical Therapy (DPT). Upon graduation, she worked in a hospital setting prior to transitioning to outpatient physical therapy. Lauren has advanced training in The McKenzie method of treating back pain. She is also a Graston Technique provider. Lauren is originally from Missouri and has lived in Florence since 2012.
Health & Wellness The Newsletter About Your Health And Caring For Your Body
STAND UP TO SCIATICA Is Pain Relief On Your New Year’s Resolution List?
INSIDE:
• Relieve Back Pain Naturally • Healthy Recipe • Relieve Back Pain In Minutes • Patient Success Spotlights • Crossfit
Why Does Sciatica Occur? If there are changes in posture, muscle strength or pelvic alignment, the nerve can be compressed which leads to the quite common low back and sciatic nerve pains. The sciatic nerve is the longest and largest nerve in your body. It even reaches down to the foot and therefore, can be irritated anywhere along its path. With sciatica, the consequent ache can be felt anywhere from the base of the spine, the buttocks or the back of the thigh and legs. Even tingling sensations in the toes can be attributed at times to the impingement of the sciatic nerve.
Do you experience pain in the buttock, leg, or even your foot? If so, you may be experiencing sciatica. Sciatica is a common form of back and leg pain that is often misunderstood by sufferers. People frequently have questions about what sciatica is, why it occurs and how to find relief from the intense pain it can cause from the low back down to the feet. If you are suffering from sciatica, it is important to find its root cause. Many people often think an x-ray or expensive MRI is first needed to figure out what is causing pain. Having a lot of tests doesn’t mean you will find its root cause. Recent studies show that nearly 1 million of MRIs done for sciatica fail to find a treatable cause. With a new imaging technique called magnetic resonance neurography, 69% of the patients were found to have a trapped sciatic nerve deep in the buttock by a muscle called the piriformis. It is known that in about 25% of the general population, the sciatic nerve pierces through the piriformis muscle and can be susceptible to abnormal pressure and irritation.
Palmayra, MO: 573-769-6166 Florence, SC: 843-536-4888
www.prioritypt.net
RELIEVE BACK PAIN NATURALLY
Bad Habits Can Increase Your Pain Some seemingly harmless habits can also contribute to the irritation of the sciatic nerve. A frequent bad habit is crossing of the legs for extended periods, which puts pressure on the nerve. In addition, sitting for long periods is bad for your spine. It is possible for you to prevent or relieve sciatica simply by improving your posture. Physical Therapy Relieves Sciatica The specialists at Priority PhysicalTherapy play a crucial role in evaluating and treating sciatica, as well as other common back problems. Our physical therapists are medical experts with years of training to evaluate your back problem, finding the root cause of your sciatica. An individualized treatment plan is created to guide you through the recovery process and maximize your success. When coming to Priority PhysicalTherapy, our friendly and knowledgeable therapists spend time with you. We train you on specific and easy exercises that will relieve the pain in your back and legs. In addition, our specialized hands-on therapy helps to gently loosen tight muscles and joints in your spine and legs. Your pain is quickly relieved and your flexibility restored, so you can feel like yourself again. Our cutting-edge treatments are doctor recommended and are specifically designed for you to reach your healthcare goals. Knowing all this should give you a head start in warding off painful sciatica. After all, it may be as simple as learning to stand tall.
Journalof neurosurgery:SpineFeb,2005Volume2,Number2.AaronG.Filler,M.D.,Ph.D., JodeanHaynes,B.A.,Sheldon E. Jordan,M.D., JoshuaPrager,M.D., J.PabloVillablanca,M.D.,Keyvan Farahani,Ph.D.,DuncanQ.Mcbride,M.D., JayS. Tsuruda,M.D.,BrannonMorisoli,B.A.,UlrichBatzdorf,M.D.,andJ.PatrickJohnson,M.D.
Healthy Recipe: Sweet Potato Soup
Relieve Back Pain In Minutes Try this movement if you are experiencing back pain.
INGREDIENTS • 4 pounds sweet potato • 6 tbsp vegetable oil • Kosher salt • 4 medium carrots, diced • 1 medium onion
Helps Lower Back
www.simpleset.net
SINGLE KNEE TO CHEST Lie on your back and bring one knee to your chest, keeping the other foot flat on the floor. Keep your lower back pressed to the floor. Hold for at least 15 to 30 seconds. Repeat 2 to 4 times with each leg.
• 5 cloves garlic • 2 sprigs sage • 2 quarts low-sodium chicken stock • 1/4 cup orange juice & 1 tbsp grated zest • 3/4 cup pistachios
• 2 scallions • 2 tbsp mint leaves • Pinch cayenne pepper • 1/2 cup olive oil
DIRECTIONS Preheat oven to 300°F.Toss sweet potato with 4 tablespoons vegetable oil and salt. Spread sweet potato on 2 baking sheets and bake for 1 hour. Increase oven temperature to 375°F and cook until sweet potatoes are tender and lightly browned around the edges, about 25 minutes. In a large pot, heat remaining 2 tablespoons vegetable oil over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add carrot, onion, garlic, sage, and a generous pinch of salt and cook, stirring, until vegetables are just tender. Add sweet potatoes and stock and bring to a simmer. Cook for 10 minutes until vegetables are very tender. Discard sage, if using. Add orange juice. Blend soup until smooth. Season with salt. In a mixing bowl, stir together pistachios, orange zest, scallions, mint, and cayenne pepper. Fold in olive oil and season with salt. Serve soup, spooning pistachio salsa on top.
MISSOURI 573-769-6166
SOUTH CAROLINA 843-536-4888
www. prioritypt.net
PATIENT SUCCESS SPOTLIGHTS
CrossFit is sweeping the nation. Gyms are popping up all over cities and urban areas. This high intensity fitness program incorporates elements fromseveral sportsand typesofexercise, including aspects of gymnastics, weight lifting, running and rowing. The community that arises when people do these high intensity exercises together is a large reason why CrossFit is so effective. As the popularity of this fitness program rises, so do the number of injuries. It is important to realize that CrossFit isn’t the problem. The issues occur when an athlete is performing exercises that are too difficult for their ability or when an exercise is performed incorrectly. This can happen when our bodies are too stiff, too flexible, or too weak. Every gym should have a CrossFit coach. A good coach can modify exercises and make accommodations to allow an athlete to be sufficiently — but safely — challenged. If athletes develop issues that cannot be remedied in the gym, a physical therapist is the perfect professional to help with these issues. A physical therapist is one of the few professionals in the medical community that won’t tell an athlete they need to give up a sport they love. Instead, they provide valuable insight and information to help athletes better understand how their bodies can perform better in these conditions. A proper movement assessment will provide valuable information on CROSSFIT & PHYSICAL THERAPY Helpful attitude and flexibility! “I really appreciated everyone’s helpful attitude and flexibility.” - Carol P. I felt well cared for! “I felt well cared for concerning my condition.” - Mary M. I received excellent services! “I received excellent services from friendly, professional staff, who answered any questions I had and offered personal advice. They were attentive to my needs and gave a variety of ways to do my exercises to gain the same effect as the original exercises.” - Janet G.
Think PT First
Why You Need To Come Back In For A Tune- Up: � Move without pain
� Sit for long periods comfortably
� Bend and move freely � Balance confidently and securely
� Walk for long distances � Live an active and healthy lifestyle
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how muscle lengths and strengths can impact the performance of an exercise in a CrossFit class. If ideal movement of an exercise cannot be achieved through remedial exercises, a physical therapist can help an athlete make modifications to decrease stress across the tissue. For example, if an athlete is struggling with getting in to a full squat because of a past ankle surgery, a heel lift can be added to the shoe to promote better alignment and decrease stress across the joint. The risk of musculoskeletal injuries increases as the intensity of an exercise program increases. Understanding your body and the types of stresses that are placed on it can be helpful at decreasing those risks. A physical therapist is the perfect “movement specialist” that can help an individual be successful at these higher intensity exercise routines such as CrossFit. - Lesley Turner PT, DPT
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