Monthly Archives :

April 2018

A Skier’s Journey

A Skier’s Journey 2560 1612 Carrie Wingfield

A wonderful serenity has taken possession of my entire soul, like these sweet mornings of spring which I enjoy with my whole heart. I am alone, and feel the charm of existence in this spot, which was created for the bliss of souls like mine. I am so happy, my dear friend, so absorbed in the exquisite sense of mere tranquil existence, that I neglect my talents. I should be incapable of drawing a single stroke at the present moment; and yet I feel that I never was a greater artist than now.

A small river named Duden flows by their place and supplies it with the necessary regelialia. It is a paradisematic country, in which roasted parts of sentences fly into your mouth.

When, while the lovely valley teems with vapour around me, and the meridian sun strikes the upper surface of the impenetrable foliage of my trees, and but a few stray gleams steal into the inner sanctuary, I throw myself down among the tall grass by the trickling stream; and, as I lie close to the earth, a thousand unknown plants are noticed by me: when I hear the buzz of the little world among the stalks, and grow familiar with the countless indescribable forms of the insects and flies, then I feel the presence of the Almighty, who formed us in his own image, and the breath of that universal love which bears and sustains us, as it floats around us in an eternity of bliss; and then, my friend, when darkness overspreads my eyes, and heaven and earth seem to dwell in my soul and absorb its power, like the form of a beloved mistress, then I often think with longing, Oh, would I could describe these conceptions, could impress upon paper all that is living so full and warm within me, that it might be the mirror of my soul, as my soul is the mirror of the infinite God!

I am so happy, my dear friend, so absorbed in the exquisite sense of mere tranquil existence, that I neglect my talents. I should be incapable of drawing a single stroke at the present moment;

 

 

O my friend — but it is too much for my strength — I sink under the weight of the splendour of these visions! A wonderful serenity has taken possession of my entire soul, like these sweet mornings of spring which I enjoy with my whole heart my friend, when darkness overspreads my eyes, and heaven and earth seem to dwell in my soul and absorb its power, like the form of a beloved mistress, then I often think with longing, Oh, would I could describe these conceptions, could impress upon paper all that is living so full and warm within me, that it might be the mirror of my soul, as my soul is the mirror of the infinite God!

What is Pelvic PT?

What is Pelvic PT? 1000 667 Jennifer Lane

Pelvic Physical Therapy is a specialized form of PT that focuses on, to name a few, pelvic pain, urinary incontinence, sexual dysfunction and muscular dysfunction of the pelvic floor muscles. It also addresses issues like diastasis recti, the splitting of the abdominal wall usually after pregnancy. Pelvic Physical Therapists assess the musculoskeletal system of the pelvic region, abdominal region, lumbo-sacral spine and hips. PT’s examine how musculoskeletal issues can adversely impact people’s daily lives, and treatment is designed to help restore normal function. Pelvic dysfunction, like urinary incontinence can have profound impact on someone’s daily activities. It can keep someone from going out with friends, running errands or participating in community activities due to fear of urinary leakage. With specific muscular work and prescribed exercises, a patient can expect reduced incontinence and return to normal activity participation.

There are three functions of pelvic floor muscles. The first is to provide sexual pleasure, second is to keep you continent and the third is to support the organs of the abdomen. Pelvic floor muscles are part of our core and help to provide some stability through our trunk while performing activities.

Here is a great 3D video of the female reproductive system. Do you or someone you know suffer from pelvic floor dysfunction? Get help! Don’t suffer in silence! There are skilled practitioners ready to help you on your road to recovery. Contact Jenn Lane, PT at Holistic PT to set up an appointment today!

What is Vertigo?

What is Vertigo? 1440 431 Jennifer Lane

Vertigo is often described as a feeling a spinning, dizziness, light-headedness, nausea or loss of balance. What causes it? It can be caused from inflammation to the vestibular nerve, inner ear dysfunction or another neurological problem. Some of the symptoms are blurred vision, sensation of the person spinning or the environment spinning, ringing in the ears, nausea and loss of balance. These symptoms have a profound effect on quality of life and can be very disabling to a person suffering from this.

Vertigo is a catch-all phrase for many kinds of dysfunctions. It is therefore important to get the correct diagnosis. Your physical therapist in conjunction with an Ear Nose and Throat doctor will be able to run tests to determine what is causing your symptoms. Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV) causes severe sensation of spinning. According to its name, symptoms only occur in very specific head positions. It is caused by the otoconia, or crystals in inner ear becoming dislodged from the utricle and get stuck in a semi-circular canal. There are sensors in the semi-circular canals that get stimulated by the floating crystals and give the sensation of spinning to the brain. It can be diagnosed by a specially trained PT and is treated with a simple maneuver to move the crystals out of the canals and back into the utricle.

There are other diagnoses associated with inner ear dysfunction including Meniere’s, vestibulitis and labrynthitis. A specially trained practitioner should be able to differentially diagnose between the different causes of vertigo. Vestibular Rehabilitation Therapy (VRT) is a specialized form of therapy to treat both the primary and secondary problems caused by vestibular issues. Therapy will work on habituation exercises, gaze stabilization and balance training. Our ability to balance is governed by 3 separate systems in the body. The vestibular system (inner ear), visual system and proprioception are a redundant system so that if one is not working we are still able to balance and function. For instance, in a dark room, most people can keep their balance. Walking on sand or a soft surface doesn’t cause most people to lose their balance either. When one system is not working properly, the other 2 systems can be up-trained to pick up the slack. This is a key concept in VRT.

If you suffer from loss of balance, dizziness, ringing in the ears or spinning sensation, find a PT trained specifically in Vestibular Rehab. You don’t have to live with these debilitating symptoms.

For more information, keep reading!

Understanding Vestibular Disorders

What is BPPV?

 

 

Risk of Falling in Elderly Patients

Risk of Falling in Elderly Patients 466 800 Jennifer Lane

Risk Factors for Falling in Elderly Patients

Statistics show that at least 1/3 of people over age 65 fall at least once per year. This frequency increases as people get older too. Falls can lead to fractures, most commonly wrist and hip. Mortality rates increase to greater than 75% after a hip fracture is sustained. When a patient falls, they lose confidence in their physical capabilities and therefore reduce their activity levels and community participation. The cost to the healthcare system is also great as the population ages and medical attention is needed following a fall.

What can physical therapy do to help? There is strong support for the effectiveness of exercise, balance work and gait training in the prevention of falls in older people. Exercise helps strengthen key muscles like the quadriceps and calf muscles. Physical Therapists are experts in challenging patients in a safe and meaningful way to gain functional ability and reduce the likelihood of falling.

There is an interesting article from Australia that goes into more detail on the matter. See link below.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1836955315000120

What Causes Low Back Pain and Sciatica in Older Adults?

What Causes Low Back Pain and Sciatica in Older Adults? 682 1023 Jennifer Lane

In patients 80 years and older, what causes low back pain and radiating pain into the leg? The incidence of lumbar disc herniation increases into adulthood but it then decreases significantly in people 80 years and older. So what is causing low back pain and sciatica symptoms? Spinal stenosis, the narrowing of the spinal column, foraminal stenosis, the narrowing of the opening through which nerves travel through or nerve root compression can all cause the classic radiating pain into the leg.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3743527/

Why is this important? Because the treatment for a disc herniation versus stenosis can be very different. Treatment that can reduce radiating pain for a patient with a herniated disc could increase the pain for a patient with stenosis. A careful evaluation performed by a Physical Therapist can help determine what is causing the pain and then can develop the appropriate plan of care.

Concussions in the Youth Athlete

Concussions in the Youth Athlete 420 280 Jennifer Lane

There are over 300,000 high school athletes that suffer from concussions every year. A study conducted at Northwestern University showed that the number of diagnosed concussions doubled from 2005 to 2015, female athletes experienced greater rates of concussions than male athletes playing the same sports.

This rise in numbers is due in part to athletes coming forward with mild and moderate symptoms as well as more attention being brought to the issue by schools, media and parents. All sports are seeing a rise in reported concussions but many still go unreported. Young athletes still tend to put their team ahead of their own personal health. They don’t want to let down the team during an important game so they don’t come forward to report symptoms.

What are the symptoms of a concussion? Symptoms fall in these following categories: physical, cognitive, emotional symptoms as well as sleep disturbances. Throbbing head, light sensitivity, nausea, lack of appetite, difficulty concentrating, fatigue, loss of consciousness, dizziness, blurred vision, slurred speech, appearing dazed or confused, delayed response to questions, ringing in the ears are just a few signs that you might observe.

What is the role of PT in recovering from concussions? For many years, healthcare providers prescribed rest and removal of all stimulation from a patient recovering from a concussion. But now there is mounting evidence pointing to a more active approach to concussion rehab. Physical Therapists’ expertise in treating vestibular (inner ear), cervical (neck), ocular (vision) and post-traumatic migraines makes them key participants in the rehab process. For patients to have the best recovery takes an interdisciplinary approach that can involve PT’s, physicians, OT’s, ophthalmologists, neurologists, speech pathologists, to name a few.

There are great tools out there to help diagnose for concussions. If you are suspicious of having a concussion or your child having one, go see your PT, athletic trainer, coach or physician. They can help you get a proper diagnosis. There are other tools available too. Headcheckhealth.com app for concussion testing. You can run baseline, sideline and return-to-play concussion tests using mobile app.

The Risk of ACL injuries to the Female Athlete

The Risk of ACL injuries to the Female Athlete 735 490 Jennifer Lane

Female Athletes are 8 times more likely to injure their ACL’s than their male counterparts.

The ACL or Anterior Cruciate Ligament is a critical ligament in all sports involving cutting, sudden changes in directions and sudden stops and decelerations. Why are females more likely to injure this ligament? There are many different reasons including higher center of gravity, more laxity in ligaments, wider hips, slower reflex time, changes in estrogen levels and a greater quadricep to hamstring strength ratio. The good news is that the evidence shows that when female athletes follow a specific training and conditioning protocol, they can significantly reduce the likelihood of an ACL injury. The protocols include proper leg muscle strength training, proper balance and speed training, proper coaching on how to jump and land with bent knees and proper footwear and orthotics as needed. More specifically, plyometric and speed exercises showed to be most effective in reducing ACL injury. Here is a video of 7 excellent exercises for all young athletes to work on.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xWBSf4BfKRk#action=share

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