Dubuque-Physical-Therapy-Why-Physical-Therapy-3-c-r

Joint Pain , Health & Wellness , Aches & Pains , Physical Therapy

Have You Scheduled Your 2023 PT Exam?

(used with permission from the American Physical Therapy Association Private Practice Section)

Haven’t thought about having an annual PT exam? We’re biased, but we think you should. You see your optometrist and dentist regularly because your eyes and teeth are important. You get an annual physical from your family physician. You might even be getting ready to see your accountant to get your yearly taxes done.

But what about the rest of your body? Have you lost range of motion, or strength? How’s your balance and coordination? These all affect how you move. You might not notice small changes until you have problems like trouble lifting a heavy load, joint pain, or a sprained ankle from a stumble.

An annual PT exam can catch problems early, then correct them before they lead to something bigger.

What to Expect

An annual PT exam is quick and easy. Your annual visit may include:

A history of your injuries, as well as a health history
Assessment of your strength, balance, flexibility, etc.
A review of your movement goals (do you want to run a marathon? Get on and off the floor easily playing with your grandkids?)
A review and update of your exercise program

How Important Is Moving Well?

There is strong evidence suggesting that movement is a valuable predictor of future health and resilience against disease. Moving well can keep you healthier and help you live longer.

Here are some examples of the power of movement when it comes to predicting future health:

Gait Velocity

Gait velocity is how fast you walk. Studies have shown that if your typical walking speed is over 1 m/s or 3.3 ft/s, you’re likely able to complete typical daily activities independently. You’re also less likely to be hospitalized and less likely to have adverse events like falls.

Get On and Off the Floor

A series of studies suggest that if you can go from standing to sitting on the floor and back to standing without using your hands, you’re a lot less likely to die than someone who can’t. It’s called the sitting-rising test. You can find the instructions and examples with a quick internet search.

Notice that both gait velocity and the sitting-rising test aren’t specific to any one thing. The risk of hospitalization in the gait velocity studies was hospitalization for any reason. Death in the sitting-rising studies was death from anything. So science says that moving well is incredibly important to your overall health. It’s also important for your quality of life.

We think moving well is just as important as your teeth, eyes, and taxes. If you agree, get that annual PT exam scheduled!

References

Physical Therapists’ Role in Prevention, Wellness, Fitness, Health Promotion, and Management of Disease and Disability – https://www.apta.org/apta-and-you/leadership-and-governance/policies/pt-role-advocacy

Ability to sit and rise from the floor is closely correlated with all-cause mortality risk — ScienceDaily

Gait velocity as a single predictor of adverse events in healthy seniors aged 75 years and older – PubMed (nih.gov)

Health & Wellness , Aches & Pains , Physical Therapy , Injury , Sports

Pickleball – Dubuque is serving it up

If you haven’t heard of pickleball, you might be behind the times. According to the Sports & Fitness Industry Association, pickleball was the fastest-growing sport in the United States from 2019 to 2021 with an estimated 5 million people playing it. Pickleball offers a great workout, great community and great fun. Read on to find out more about this sport and how to get involved with it in the Dubuque Area.

This year, I have had the opportunity to work with a few pickleball players in physical therapy. Prior to working with them I knew a little about the game, had played it a few times myself and knew that it was growing in popularity, especially in the older adult population. What I didn’t know is that there is a Pickleball Club in Dubuque that gets together a few times every week to play. I had the opportunity to work with one of those players in physical therapy, and she invited me to one of their get togethers to educate the group on the importance of a warm up and cool down. I even got to practice those things with the members.

Let’s back it up. How about we start with a little background on what pickleball is.

Pickleball is like small scale tennis, or maybe like giant ping pong. Either way, it is fun, fast paced and great exercise. You can play singles or doubles pickleball, with each player holding a paddle and using a ball similar to a wiffleball. The rules follow closely to those of badminton.

Pickleball is beneficial to your health in many ways:

challenges your cardiovascular system – you will probably be breathing heavy after a good pickleball match!
requires flexibility in your spine and hips – that is why it is always a good idea to perform a good warm up and cool down.
works on your reflexes – because the pickleball court is small, it requires a quick reaction time to reach the ball before it hits the court.
it is a social game – being social and exercising are both so good for your mental health!

Like any other sport, if you don’t have the appropriate fitness level as your baseline, you are more likely to end up with an injury. Use a good, dynamic warm up (like the one I taught the Dubuque Pickleball Club) including marches, leg swings, spinal rotations, etc. to help reduce injuries. It is also to ease into it, playing for 30 minutes or less the first time and then gradually increasing the amount of time you play. To be a successful pickleball player, you’ll need good balance, spine and hip rotation, good leg strength and fast reflexes. All of those things are things a physical therapist can help you improve!

So where can I play??

In nice weather, Dubuque has a few outdoor pickleball courts. There are courts at Veterans Memorial Park near Wahlert High School and at Flora Park. In the winter, the options are a little more limited. The Peosta Community Center has courts that can be reserved 1 week in advance for non members and 2 weeks in advance for members. There is a daily fee for non members. Find out more on their website: https://www.cityofpeosta.org/community-centre/wellness-amenities.

So, don’t snooze on pickle ball! Whether it’s outside during nice weather or indoors this winter, pickle ball is a great sport for people of all ages to help maintain your fitness and stay active!

Aches & Pains , Physical Therapy , Injury , Joint Pain

Don’t Keep Injury Secrets!

(used with permission from the APTA Private Practice Section)

You might be wondering who would keep an injury secret. The answer is – lots of people! The first thing that comes to your mind might be an athlete, like a football player, or maybe a baseball pitcher. But athletes aren’t the only ones that keep injury secrets. Performers like dancers keep injury secrets, and so do workers in all types of jobs. Why would anyone want to keep their injury secret instead of getting it treated and letting it heal? Read on…

Stigma

Although there have been big improvements in the culture around sports, performing arts, and worker’s comp, some people still have the old “no pain, no gain” attitude. To some people, reporting an injury is an

act of weakness, or a way of letting the team down. There can also be external pressure from coaches, parents, teammates, supervisors, or fans to keep playing or working.

Fear of Loss

With the focus on head injuries in recent years, athletes that get hit in the head know if they report concussion symptoms, they’re coming out of the game. Workers who get hurt on the job fear loss of pay, or loss of their job. Performers who get hurt might fear that their replacement will outshine them on the stage and take their place.

Competitive Advantage

While the first two reasons can apply to athletes, performers, workers and most any other group that might be hiding an injury, this one is limited to athletes. If an opposing team knows a player is injured, and what the injury is, they might be able to take advantage of it. For example, if a football team has a running quarterback that has an ankle injury, it will change how the opposing defense plays.

These reasons all make some sense, but they’re also all shortsighted. Finishing a game, dancing tomorrow night, or working one more shift are never worth your long term health. Hiding a minor injury can turn it into a major one. It’s never weak to report an injury and you’re not letting your teammates, or coworkers down. If you’re not up to your best, you owe it to the people counting on you to let them know. Letting a healthy player, performer, or worker take your place is the right thing to do. If you’re injured, don’t hide it! Let the right people know, then go to the right person for help – your physical therapist!