THE THOMAS TIMES
MAY 2018
You are a unique individual. Nobody knows your body like you do, so trust yourself and be your own best advocate. However, when you research injuries on the internet, keep in mind that anyone can claim to be an expert. Use critical thinking to analyze what you’re reading. Does this really make sense? Statistics are thrown around freely these days, often without valid backing. What’s right for one person is not necessarily what’s right for another. That said, you’d be hard-pressed to find reliable info on the web advocating against trying physical therapy before undergoing surgery to repair an injury. In fact, Dr. Blake, a brilliant orthopedic physician in Gainesville, Florida, would not perform surgery on a patient if they had not first maximized their potential with physical therapy. His reasoning was threefold: 1. The patient might completely avoid the need for surgical intervention through an effective physical therapy program. 2. The surgery might not be successful if the patient hadn’t demonstrated a willingness to perform their exercise program. 3. If they did ultimately need surgery, they would recover much faster if they had maximized their physical potential first. Make sure you have exhausted all conservative measures before having a procedure that can’t be reversed. Randy’s Ramblings
GIVE 12 HUGS A DAY 5 WAYS TO CULTIVATE A RELATIONSHIP WITH YOUR KIDS
When you imagine your kids as adults, what do you see? Do you imagine that your lives intersect? Are you still close with them?
That time is still years away, but if you hope to have a long-lasting relationship with your kids, now is the time to start building it. From birth to age 2 is when some of the most critical social development occurs in humans, and for the “social” part of the brain to grow, your child needs your attention. But even after that, it’s important to continue cultivating your relationship. It’s not just about the quantity of time you spend together, either. According to the Mental Health Foundation, “Parents and carers will have a relationship with their child, but it is the quality of the relationship that is important.” HUG TO BUILD TRUST There’s one little gesture that can go a long way — a hug. An article in Psychology Today recommends 12 hugs or other physical connections a day. Yes, it’s that simple; hug each other more. Remember how good a hug feels? Hugging is one of the simplest ways to demonstrate affection and build trust. According to Dr. Srini Pillay, it’s because the embrace helps deactivate the fear center of your brain — the amygdala — and stimulates oxytocin, which increases trust. HERE ARE FIVE WAYS TO YOU CAN FOSTER THAT RELATIONSHIP, STARTING TODAY.
Honor your body, and Keep On Smilin’!
-Randy Thomas
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CREATE AN ‘UNWIND HOUR’ It may seem like there’s never enough time, which is why you have to make it. For some families, the hour after school is the best time to engage with each other. For others, bedtime might be a good chance to talk and catch up. Either way, make that time every day. Mediator and co-parenting expert Polly Tatum recommends setting aside time after school to connect with your kids. “When kids come home, put all electronic devices away for an hour and communicate with your children,” Tatum says. “Ask them what the best part of their day was and what they learned. Try to ask probing questions, and if one topic doesn’t pique their interest, move on. Really try to engage for the next hour.” ENCOURAGE QUESTIONS “Why is the sky blue?”“How are mountains made?”“Why do giraffes have long necks?” You might not always know the answer, but as your child experiences the world, they’re
themselves. It’s valuable time for them, and you can grow closer by engaging in it. When was the last time your kids begged you to be a princess at their tea party? It might feel silly, but tapping in to that imaginative side will benefit both of you. Dr. Kate Eshleman suggests letting your child take the lead. “It’s important to remember to let your child guide the activity,” she says. “Adults rule so much of children’s lives. So let them take the lead on decisions during play.” Children develop habits and learn from you, and one of the most important ways they do that is by interacting with you. Make time for it. You might think you have a lifetime to spend with your children, since they’re little, and day-to-day needs can take precedence over relationship-building. Don’t let that happen. Start growing and nurturing those precious relationships today.
going to ask you questions. Encourage those questions, and know you don’t always have to have the answer. Promote your child’s development and problem- solving skills by letting them explore those questions and guide them to — instead of giving them — the answers. EMBRACE EMOTIONS We sometimes need time to process our emotions, and kids have to learn how to do that, too. Let your kids know it’s okay by helping them through their emotional outbursts. It might be best to have these conversations after an outburst rather than during it. Talking to them about how they’re feeling and why they behaved the way they did will help them let go of any negative emotions they’re hanging on to and learn how they can react differently in the future. HAVE A TEA PARTY Playtime is one of the ways young children develop relationships. Through play, they learn to communicate and express
Moms make the world go round. After running the gauntlet of childbirth, they raise and guide us throughout our lives, shouldering the tremendous burden and responsibility of motherhood. Mothers are in turn formidable, kind, powerful, gentle, wise, fierce, patient, supportive, empathetic, driven, and full of love. In honor of Mother’s Day, here are three historic moms who never stopped fighting for what they believed in. SOJOURNER TRUTH (1797–1883) Before she escaped from New York slaveholder John Dumont, Sojourner Truth had at least three of her children sold away from her. When Dumont went back on his promise to emancipate Truth and her infant daughter in 1826, she took the girl and fled to an abolitionist Quaker family, but she was forced to leave her other daughter and her 5-year-old son, Peter, behind. Soon after, she learned that Peter had been illegally sold by Dumont to a slaveholder in Alabama, so she went to court and secured his safe return. It was the first successful case brought by a black woman against a white man in American history. Truth went on to become a prominent abolitionist and a speaker for women’s rights, delivering her famous impromptu speech, “Ain’t I a Woman?” in May of 1851. Mothers Shape theWorld 3 of History’s Bravest Moms
IRENA SENDLER (1910–2008) When the Nazis invaded Warsaw in September of 1939, Irena Sendler, a 29-year-old social worker and mother of two, hatched a scheme to rescue Jewish children from the brutal ghettos. Along with many friends and colleagues, she smuggled out nearly 2,500 Jewish orphans, hiding infants on trams and garbage wagons and guiding kids through a labyrinth of secret passageways beneath the city. EMMELINE PANKHURST (1858–1928) Despite being a wife and the mother of five children — two of whom died tragically young — Emmeline Pankhurst became one of the fiercest advocates for women’s suffrage in the late 19th century. After founding the Women’s Social and Political Union in 1903, she and her cohorts adopted an aggressive strategy to raise awareness for the issue; they began by buttonholing politicians and staging rallies, then progressed to vandalism, window smashing, and arson. She was instrumental in the movement. Pankhurst lived to see women gain the right to vote in 1928.
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The Incredible Journey of Bobbie the Wonder Dog Imagine America in 1923. Yankee Stadium opened its doors for the very first time. Walt and Roy Disney founded The Walt Disney Company. The first issue of Time magazine hit newsstands. President Warren G. Harding died of a heart attack in office, and Vice President Calvin Coolidge became the 30th president. And Bobbie the Wonder Dog trekked 2,550 miles to return home. Bobbie swam across numerous rivers. He trekked across the Great Plains and over the Rocky Mountains. While we will never know exactly what Bobbie endured, we know he made it home. Over 2,500 miles later, in February, 1924, a tired and beaten-down pup arrived home in Silverton, Oregon, to a stunned family.
Bobbie the Wonder Dog’s story made national headlines. He received a medal and the key to the city, and he became a silent movie star in the film“The Call of the West.”Today, you can visit Bobbie’s memorial near his home in Oregon.
Clinic/ Workshop Upcoming Workshops MARK YOUR CALENDAR We have a summer full of workshops and What the Braziers didn’t know was that Bobbie had been searching for his family as well. He may have been scared away, but he was determined to get back home. And so began his incredible journey. He turned his head west and began walking. And walking. With winter setting in, Bobbie had a monumental task ahead. Of all the stories to come out of 1923, Bobbie’s may be the most incredible. It all started with a road trip. The Brazier family of Silverton, Oregon, decided to take a road trip to visit relatives in Wolcott, Indiana. Mom, Dad, their two daughters, and their Scotch collie piled in the family Overland Red Bird touring car and headed across preinterstate-highway-system America. Several days later, after the Braziers had settled in with their Wolcott relatives, Bobbie the Scotch collie was attacked by a pack of dogs. The dogs scared Bobbie away, and despite a long search aroundWolcott, the family was unable to find any trace of the collie. The search continued throughout their stay, but time ran out, and the Braziers had to return home to Oregon without their beloved Bobbie.
SAUTÉED ZUCCHINI AND SQUASH
With Feta
Zucchini and summer squash are arriving on grocery store shelves. Here is a great way to take these humble, delicious vegetables to the next level. This easy dish is perfect for early summer.
clinics that are open to you! *Note: All clinics/workshops are from 5:30–7:00 p.m.
Ingredients
Clinic/ Workshop
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2 teaspoons fresh thyme
1 zucchini
Date
PT
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
1 summer squash
1/2 medium red onion
May 17
Balance
Sarah Thomas, PT
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Salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
May 22
Low Back Pain
Randy Thomas, PT
Directions
1. Cut zucchini into 1/4-inch-thick semicircles. Dice onion. 2. Heat a large skillet to medium high. Add olive oil, onion, and thyme. 3. Once onion is soft (about 2 minutes), add zucchini and squash. Season with salt and pepper; cook 4–5 minutes until squash barely begins to caramelize. 4. Place in serving bowl and top with feta.
June 19
Knee Pain
Randy Thomas, PT
June 21
10 Most Important Exercises You Can Ever Do
Cheryl Wynn, DPT
Recipe courtesy of LoveAndLemons.com
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INSIDE THIS ISSUE Randy’s Ramblings PAGE 1 5 Ways to Cultivate Your Relationship With Your Kids PAGE 1 3 of the Most Formidable Moms in History PAGE 2 Bobbie the Wonder Dog’s Incredible Journey PAGE 3 Sautéed Zucchini and SquashWith Feta PAGE 3 Treating Common Injuries With Physical Therapy PAGE 4 Have you ever injured your ankle by doing something simple, like stepping off a curb or kicking a soccer ball? Don’t be discouraged. Ankle sprains are among the most common injuries people face, and they can happen anytime and anywhere. There’s a good reason why ankle sprains are so common. You might not consciously think about something as simple as standing or walking — these motions are second nature to most of us. But when you really think about it, your ankle supports most of your weight, which is why injuring it is so commonplace. According to the American Physical Therapy Association, 23,000 people in the United States will suffer from a sprained ankle, and 45 percent of that number are sports-related injuries. What you might not realize is that once you’ve injured your ankle, there’s a good chance that you could injure yourself
SPRAINED YOUR ANKLE? Physical Therapy Can Help
again. This is what physical therapists strive to help you prevent. Their goal is not only to work with your ankle after the injury to get it back to normal, but also to strengthen the muscles around it to avoid future injuries. The rehabilitation process should be taken at a slow and careful pace, one that you’re comfortable with and that won’t push you beyond your physical capabilities. Your physical therapist will work with you to stretch and strengthen your ankle with a number of exercises, beginning with resistance exercises and eventually progressing to weight-bearing exercises. Keeping an open line of communication with your doctor and physical therapist will help you toward a speedy recovery. Ankle injuries can be tough to get through, but if you work with the professionals and take things slow and steady, you’ll be back up on your feet in no time.
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