Achieve PT's online newsletter for August 2018
recovery report recovery
Acton 411 Massachusetts Avenue Acton, MA 01720 (978) 263-0007
Bedford 191 Hartwell Road Bedford, MA 01730 (781) 275-4111 Sudbury 29 Hudson Road Sudbury, MA 01776 (978) 579-0009
August 2018
How My Parent s ’ Suppor t Got Me Where I Am Today Unconditional Encouragement
Despite the fact that I knew early in life that I wanted to be a physical therapist, getting to where I am today was anything but easy. There were times that I felt like throwing in the towel and switching my career path completely. But, like many things in my life, the unerring support and guidance of my parents got me through the toughest times. I’m completely indebted to my mother and father for where I am today. I’m grateful that they encouraged me to get a paper route in grade school, because it instilled a strong work ethic that I still carry today. I would wake up before sunrise, climb on my bike, and start tossing papers into countless yards. Then, I’d have to swing by a couple of weeks later to collect the money. Somewhere around middle school, I became a stocker at a local liquor store — a position I’m not sure would be available to a kid that age anymore — and I actually enjoyed it. Once high school came around, I upgraded to a position at the grocery store, where I stuck around for all four years. During my senior year, I began to zero in on my true passion, interning at a local physical therapist’s office, doing every job that I could. My parents taught my siblings and me that if we wanted something in our lives, we had to work for it. My first big setback in life came when I applied to undergraduate school. Unfortunately, though I got into a few of the schools, I didn’t get accepted to any of the extremely competitive PT programs. Though I was incredibly discouraged, my parents told me not to settle and to find another way to realize my dreams.
Today, I get to mentor the next generation of physical therapists who will help patients achieve their own dreams ...
So I did. Over the next few years, I studied for an undergraduate degree in athletic training — not exactly what I’d been hoping for, but a discipline that would equip me with many of the same tools as my PT peers. But throughout the experience, my parents encouraged me to stay the course, stick to my studies, and work on a way to get into a graduate PT program down the line. And that’s exactly what happened. Despite my occasional doubts that my journey would end in the career I’d always dreamed of, my dedication, coupled with the support of so many people in my corner, resulted in exactly what I’d hoped for. Today, I get to mentor the next generation of physical therapists who will help patients achieve their own dreams and offering support not unlike the kind my parents showed me. I know that physical therapy treatment isn’t always easy for our patients, but with a little perseverance and a lot of encouragement, I’m confident that anyone who comes into our clinic can get back to their normal life and return to the things they love to do. My parents supported me unconditionally throughout my younger years, and it feels good to pass on that support to our patients and staff today.
–Bob Thomas
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PH: (978) 263-0007
3 Ways to Mentally Prepare Your Kids for the School Year
It may not feel like it yet, but summer is coming to a close, and summer break is ending along with it. Soon, the kids will be back to early-morning breakfasts before the school bus arrives and late-night study sessions. Thankfully, there are some steps your family can take during these closing weeks of summer to ensure your kids hit the ground running this school year. Set an Early Bedtime For many kids, summer schedules are flexible. They may have become accustomed to sleeping in and staying up late without any obligations. Getting back into the rhythm of the school year can take some getting used to. In fact, according to psychologist Cherie Valeithian, it can take upward of two weeks to properly adjust to a new sleep-wake cycle. So why not give your kids a head start and ensure they begin the school year bright-eyed and bushy-tailed? Outline a Homework Schedule Resuming a homework regimen can be a difficult transition for some kids. Late summer, when they don’t have assignments to worry about yet, can be a great opportunity to help them muscles, increasing blood flow and accelerating the healing process while loosening them up. In addition, we can spur a process called cavitation, in which small gas bubbles around key tissues rapidly expand and contract, leading to a speeding up of cellular processes that spur faster healing. Electrical stimulation might sound a little scary, but it’s actually a painless, powerful treatment for muscle spasms and pain. By attaching electrodes to your skin, we can encourage specific muscles to contract, building muscle tone in atrophying muscles and reducing chronic pain over time. Iontophoresis is a specific type of electrical stimulation that uses repellent charges to “push” medicine directly into your injured tissues. This can be used for a wide variety of issues, especially when other modalities don’t work. Each of these are tools in our toolbox — options we can utilize whenever needed to provide a comprehensive plan of treatment for our patients. If you’re curious how these modalities, coupled with an exercise and treatment plan tailored just for you, can help eliminate injury and get you back to doing what you love, call the experts at Achieve PT at (978) 263-0007 today!
prepare a study schedule. Ask the following questions to help them get started: “Do you want to dive right into homework when you get home? Do you need to accommodate for a sport or extracurricular activity? Do you work best when doing your assignments in one large chunk, or would you prefer taking breaks in between assignments?” Your kids may find that last year’s schedule doesn’t work for them this year. Emphasize that this is okay; part of growing up is learning how and when you work most effectively. Don’t be afraid to help them switch things up as the school year progresses. Ask Your Kids How They Feel Maybe your kids are excited about the school year. Maybe they are anxious, or perhaps they’re just disappointed to see summer vacation come to an end. Starting a dialogue about the aspects of school your kids are looking forward to and those they’re dreading can help you dispel myths and identify problem areas. More than anything else, this can help your kids feel at ease about the coming year.
At Achieve PT, we use every technique we have available to steer our patients to success and get them back to playing the sport they love. Aside from flexibility- and strength-building exercises, we employ a number of therapeutic modalities to achieve the best results possible. In moist heat therapy, we apply heat packs directly to damaged areas of the body to relax muscles and provide instant pain relief. The soothing, moist heat allows us to reduce tension in problematic areas and begin treatment the right way. Cold packs , of course, are a trusty tool for treating injuries everywhere. By applying cold to inflamed areas, we force the blood vessels to constrict, reducing the amount of blood that is able to leave the bloodstream, thereby reducing swelling. Therapeutic ultrasound is a modality with a couple of different applications. By emitting ultrasonic frequencies directly to damaged tissues, we can provide deep heating to ligaments and
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What’s at the Core of Your Back or Knee Pain? The Muscle That’s Key to Your Mobility
Support your seat. Sitting for long periods of time can compress and shorten the psoas. To decrease this effect, take regular breaks to get up and move, and practice good posture. If you’re going on a road trip, consider sitting with a rolled-up towel under your sitting bones, which can release pressure on the psoas. Get a massage. Here’s permission to treat yourself. Because of where the psoas is located, it can be difficult to stimulate, and a certified massage therapist will know how to access it. Regular massages can help with circulation and may improve function. Consult a physical therapist. If you’re experiencing pain in the lower back, hips, or knees, an imbalanced psoas may be to blame. A licensed physical therapist can recommend appropriate stretching or strengthening exercises depending on what’s right for your body.
If you’re not on close terms with your psoas, it’s time to get familiar. This muscle, pronounced “so-as,” is a key player in your core and comprises the group of muscles called hip flexors. As the only muscle group that connects your spine to your legs, the psoas has a big effect on mobility and posture. Psoas imbalances can contribute to back and hip pain because the muscles in these areas get overused to compensate. Imbalances are usually caused by short and tight or weak and overstretched psoas muscles. Activities that compress your hips, such as sitting, excessive running or walking, and excessive sit ups, can shorten your psoas and even lead to weakness. If your psoas muscles are short and tight, you may benefit from stretching and lengthening exercises. If the muscles are weak and overstretched, they may require strengthening movements. Here are a few ways to begin addressing imbalances. Try the constructive rest position. This neutral position can help release tension in your psoas. Lay on your back with your knees bent and heels on the floor, and set your feet hip-width apart at a comfortable distance from your buttocks. Don’t force your back to the floor, but simply rest your hands on your belly and let gravity do the work. Try this rest position for 10 minutes a day.
If you need an easy, healthy side dish with plenty of flavor, this green bean salad will be the perfect addition to your summer menu.
INGREDIENTS
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3 cups green beans, ends trimmed 1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
• • • •
1 small red onion, finely chopped
Small bunch of fresh mint
1 tablespoon olive oil
Small bunch of flat-leaf parsley
2 tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted
Salt and pepper, to taste
DIRECTIONS
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Bring a large saucepan of water to boil; cook green beans for 4–5 minutes; drain well. In a blender, mix finely chopped mint and parsley with olive oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper. Blend until combined.
3.
Add dressing, onion, and sesame seeds to beans. Toss together. Cool dish, then refrigerate until ready to serve.
PAR BIRDIE DRIVER GREEN
STROKE HOLEINONE PGA CADDIE
SWING PUTTER GOLFCART DRIVINGRANGE
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Experience the Difference at Achieve.
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411 Massachusetts Avenue Acton, MA 01720 (978) 263-0007 www.AchievePTonline.com
inside This Issue
Page 1
Bob Thomas on the Importance of Support
Page 2
How to Prepare Your Kids for School 5 Key Modalities to Treat Patients
Page 3
Why You Should Get to Know Your Psoas Green Bean and Sesame Salad
Page 4
Mass Sports Hall of Fame No. 4: Larry Bird
Mass Sports Hall of Fame No. 4: Larry Bird An Unparalleled Legend
For several years prior to 1978, the Boston Celtics were in trouble. It seemed that only the most die-hard fans were attending their games, while the team itself struggled with subpar play and fractured team mechanics. But when Larry Bird joined the team, everything changed. Suddenly, stadiums of people were coming to see the superstar Bird’s otherworldly clutch plays and all-around skill. But even as Bird was elevated to near-godlike status among fans, he kept it low-key, working to lift up the rest of his team and lead them to victory. But Bird became something of a celebrity long before he hit the professional scene. In his hometown of French Lick, Indiana, nearly the entire population would come out to Spring Valley High’s games to watch the fair-haired Bird perform incredible feats on the court. After a bit of a rocky start in the college scene, he ended up at Indiana State, where he brought a fierce spirit of competition and record fan attendance to an ailing scene. Departing the school as
the fifth-highest scorer in NCAA history, he was named the 1978-’79 College Player of the Year.
numbers while maintaining his characteristic humility and quiet confidence, the telltale signs of a true legend.
But he did his best work with the Celtics.After a 32-50 record followed by a 29-53, Bird came in to what NBA.com calls “one of the greatest single-season turnarounds” in the history of the sport. He exhibited unbreakable focus on the court and was virtually unstoppable, equipped with a spirit of confidence to match. Perhaps that’s why he was able to supply such clutch plays with unparalleled frequency. Later in his career, he’d secure a gold medal as a member of the Dream Team at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics and continue on to coach the Indiana Pacers in 1998. Though his team would be beaten out by Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls in the Eastern Conference finals, he led the team to a 58-24 record, which was the highest for the franchise ever at that time, and secured the honor of NBA Coach of the Year. Throughout his career, he put up amazing
Photo credit: Steve Lipofsky, Basketballphoto.com
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