Health & Fitness Newsletter by Empower Physical Therapy & Fitness
Health & Fitness The Newsletter About Your Health And Caring For Your Body
Dry Needling
What is a trigg WHY CONSIDERDRYNEEDLING What Is Dry Needling? Dry needling is a technique physical therapists use to treat myofascial pain. The technique uses a “dry” needle, one without medication or injection, inserted through the skin into areas of the muscle, known as trigger points. point?
A trigger point is a sensitiv the body, stimulation or ir of which causes a specific another part, especially a te in a muscle that causes ge musculoskeletal pain w
overstimulated. How Does Dry Needling Help? Physical therapists use dry needling with the goal of releasing or inactivating trigger points to relieve pain or i prove range of motion. This can help speed up the patient’s return to active rehabilitation. Research has shown the Dry Needling: Dry Needling • Normalizes dysfunctions of the motor end plates (the sites at which nerve impulses are transmitted to muscles) Who Can Benefit From Dry Needling? Those Suffering From: • Acute/Chronic injuries • Headaches • Neck/Back pain • Tendinitis • Muscle Spasms • “Sciatica” • Acute/Chronic injuries • Headaches • Neck/Back pain • Tendinitis • Muscle Spasms • “Sciatica” • Hip/Knee pain • Muscle strains • Fibromyalgia • Improves Pain Control • Reduces muscle tension
Who Can Benefit
• Hip/Knee pain • Muscle strains • Fibromyalgia • “Tennis/Golfer’s Elbow”
at Is Dry Needling?
Running and Dry Needling? Dry needling incr ases the effectiveness of running-specific weight bearing exercise and manual therapy techniques by reducing chronic compensatory movement patterns resulting from stiffness, tightness, and pain.
needling is a technique physical therapists use to treat ofascial pain. The technique uses a “dry” needle, one without dication or injection, inserted through the skin into areas of the scle, known as trigger points. w Does Dry Needling Help? sical therapists use dry needling with the goal of releasing nactivating trigger points to relieve pain or improve range motion. This can help speed up the patient’s return to active abilitation. Research has shown the Dry Needling:
• “Tennis/Golfer’s Elbow
Running and D Find out how to get a chance to win a $10 gift card! Details Inside! Call In &Win: MISSPELLED EDITION
Needling?
Health & Fitness The Newsl tter About Your Health And Caring For Your Body
Are Your Knees Getting Bigger? A TELL TALE SYMPTOMOF ARTHRITIS
Inside:
• 6 Simple Steps To Make Knees Feel Great
• Win A $10 Target Gift Card
• Relieve Knee Pain In Minutes
• Empower PT & Fitness Staff Spotlights
Have you noticed in recent years that your knees seem to be getting bigger? Is this correlated with more popping, grinding or even pain when you bend, squat or kneel? This can be a sign of advancing stages of arthritis. The knees have two main fat pads, which reside just above and below the kneecap. These help to cushion the knee and assist with lubricating fluid flow around the joint. With arthritis, inflammation in the joint causes the fat pads to gradually thicken, choking the joint fluid flow. This leads to a vicious cycle of decreased lubrication, more wear, pain, and swelling. Will I need surgery for my knees? The good news is that recent studies show 60-70% of knee osteoarthritis patients can avoid surgery by getting PT first (1). In fact, surgery should always be considered as a last resort after conservative measures have been tried.Furthermore,physical therapy isactually40 times lessexpensive than a total joint replacement! (2 ) Improve your joint lubrication A physical therapist can actually help the lubrication in your joints through
improved joint motion, strength, balance and cordination. The better lubricated your knee joints, the less friction and wear occur, reducing inflammation and pain. During knee treatments, our therapists work to improve your patella (kneecap) and joint mobility. This improves the mobility of the tissue around the joint, especially the fat pads.This in turn, leads to improved blood flow, joint lubrication and decreased swelling. The result is fast pain relief, improved motion, strength, and abilities to do physical activities. Walking, bending, jumping and squatting can then be done without pain. Put your knees on the right path to health with a visit to your physical therapist. If your knees are feeling tight, stiff, weak, or are just starting to bother you, come see us, before it becomes a REAL problem. Call us today and talk to your physical therapist about your knees. (1). Katz JN, Brophy RH, Chaisson CE, et al. Surgery versus physical therapy for a meniscal tear and osteoarthritis. N Engl J Med. 2013 (2).http://www.healthline.com/health/total-knee-replacement-surgery/understanding-costs#1
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6 SIMPLE STEPS TOMAKE KNEES FEEL GREAT
The most common knee injury among runners is runner’s knee. Known clinically as chondromalacia patella or patella femoral pain syndrome, it’s inflammation of the cartilage under your kneecap. There are many ways to naturally relieve knee pain, and get your joints moving the way they should. Here are some tips runners should know to help knees feel great: 1. Stretch your inner thighs – The adductor muscles on the inner thighs can tighten over time. This increases the pressure on the inner aspect of the knee. Try this stretch; in standing with your feet apart, keep one foot flat on the floor, then lean away bending the opposite knee. Feel the stretch on the inner thigh, but be gentle! Hold for a good 30 seconds and repeat 3-5 times in a row on both sides. 2. Get your kneecap moving – Freely moving patellas (kneecaps), are a sign of good knee health. In a sitting position with your leg out straight, hold onto your kneecap and gently push it down towards your toes and back up towards your head. This should not hurt! Repeat 10 times each direction and then do side to side. Repeat 2-3 times in the day. 3.Strengthenyourhipandquadricepmuscles –Doexercises tostrengthen the outer hip and your gluteus muscles. The stronger your hips are, the better supportedyour knees are. In addition, doing kneeextension exercises
while sitting helps to strengthen the quadriceps muscles, which help to support the knee joints. Talk to your physical therapist about which exercises are right for you. 4. Go walking – Sitting for prolonged periods leads to stiffening and weakening of the whole body, especially the lower legs. Try to get out and consistently walk 20-30 minutes a day. Start with a time that you can tolerate and never push through pain. 5. Ice and heat – Heat helps with circulation flow, and feels great to soothe arthritic knees. A hot soak in the bath can go a long way to soothing aching knees. However, if your knees tend to swell after being on your feet for too long, use an ice pack wrapped in a pillowcase for about 10-15 minutes. This reduces inflammation; be sure to check your skin regularly to make sure it does not get very red. 6. Get a regular physical therapy checkup –Thinkofyourphysical therapist as the mechanic for your body. Give your knees and body a regular checkup. We evaluate the movement of your joints and prevent problems before they really begin to develop. Regular visits to your physical therapist can make a difference in the long-term health of your knee joints, and keep you from spending a fortune on more expensive and invasive procedures.
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HEALTHY RECIPE
Call IN & Win! WIN A $10 TARGET GIFT CARD
HOW TO ENTER OUR DRAWING! You could be the winner of a $10 Target gift card! Find the misspelled word in this newsletter and call in the correct answer in order to be placed in our drawing!
HONEY GARLIC SHRIMP INGREDIENTS • 1/3 cup honey • 1/4 cup soy sauce • 1 Tbsp minced garlic
• optional: 1 tsp minced ginger • 1 lb medium uncooked shrimp, peeled • 2 tsp olive oil
INSTRUCTIONS 1. Whisk the honey, soy sauce, garlic, and ginger (if using) together in a medium bowl. 2. Place shrimp in a large zipped-top bag or tupperware. Pour 1/2 of the marinade mixture on top, give it all a shake or stir, then allow shrimp to marinate in the refrigerator for 15 minutes or for up to 8-12 hours. Cover and refrigerate the rest of the marinade for step 3. (Time-saving tip: while the shrimp is marinating, steam broccoli and microwavequickbrown rice).3.Heatoliveoil inaskilletovermedium-high heat. Place shrimp in the skillet. Discard used marinade. Cook shrimp on one side until pink-- about 45 seconds-- then flip shrimp over. Pour in remaining marinade and cook it all until shrimp is cooked through, about 1 minute more. 4. Serve shrimp with cooked marinade sauce and a garnish of green onion. The sauce is excellent on brown rice and steamed veggies on the side.
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Empower PT &Fitness Staff Spotlights
TAKE CARE OF YOUR ACHES & PAINS BEFORE IT’S TOO LATE!
DISCOVER HOW TO LIVE PAIN FREE
GLUTE BRIDGE MARCHING Begin on your back with feet about 12 inches from your bum and hands by your sides with palms up. Press your heels into the ground and lift your pelvis up until your knees, pelvis, and shoulders form a straight line. Hold your bridge while you lift your right knee toward your chest, until your hip is at 90 degrees. Return the heel to the floor and lift the left knee. This completes one rep. Relieve Knee Pain In Minutes Try this movement if you are experiencing knee pain.
At Empower Physical Therapy & Fitness, you will receive hands-on therapy treatments by our friendly, caring health experts during focused and individualized sessions.
It’s time to get Empower Physical Therapy & Fitness if: • You’re tired of living in pain • You want to feel better and move better • You have been in an auto accident or injured on the job • You want to prevent injury 1. Call and talk to your therapist 2. Discover why your pain has come back 3. Get your custom recovery program
Stabilizes The Pelvis
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