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July 2018

Biking Should Be How You Get Around

Biking Should Be How You Get Around 2772 2661 Jennifer Lane

My family and I just returned from an amazing trip to Copenhagen and Amsterdam. In both cities, the majority of people get around by bike. For the most part, everyone is riding a one-speed or a three-speed junker of a bike with a basket in the front and saddlebags in the back. For people with kids to transport, they had kid seats on the handlebars or at the back of the bike or they rode a utility bike with a big wagon that sat over the front wheel. People wear normal clothes and shoes, not spandex and bike shoes and they pedal along at a nice pace but they are not racing. What makes it so easy for them to do this is that there is an amazing infrastructure to work with. On all streets, there is a sidewalk, a dedicated bike lane with curbs on either side and a traffic lane. Each lane has it’s own traffic lights so you know when its time to walk, pedal or step on the gas. There is an awareness of others as you navigate the streets and there didn’t seem to be any accidents (although I’m sure they happen). No one wears helmets, except we did see some cool blow up helmets that people were wearing. They looked like neck collars and when I asked someone what it was, they said that if you are in an accident, it will trigger the collar and an inflatable helmet with envelope your face and skull to protect you from damaging your teeth, skin and brain. Check out this video… it’s pretty cool! https://hovding.com/.

My husband and I both commute by bike most of the time. And we had an on-going discussion of why can’t more Americans ride bikes to work and to run errands? To make it safe and accessible the infrastructure has to be there. A dedicated bike lane that is protected on both sides is a must. Currently in Denver they are adding new bike lanes in all the time. But some of them disappear into a turn lane or they are not protected from traffic at all. There have already been 7+ deaths this year which will not help to convince people to ride their bikes to work. Also, both Copenhagen and Amsterdam are pretty flat. I can’t imagine those same people we saw in Copenhagen wanting to ride up a hill from downtown Denver to the Highlands. E-bikes (electric-assisted bikes) may be a good solution for hillier terrain. And finally, there has to be a good option of transportation when the weather doesn’t permit riding. In both the cities we visited, there was an excellent public transportation system in place. It was affordable and time-efficient and got you everywhere you wanted to be.

So for the time being I will continue to ride my bike to work and to the market and around town. I hope you will give it a try too!

Geriatric health | Holistic Physical Therapy

Staying Healthy and Fit into Older Age

Staying Healthy and Fit into Older Age 2332 3504 Jennifer Lane

My husband and I and now my kids love mountain biking. In Colorado we are able to ride 3 seasons out of the year and there are trails all over the place! I had a patient a few years ago… he was 82 and still mountain biking. And not just on the Cherry Creek Bike Path. He was riding from the top of Kenosha Pass to the top of Georgia Pass! He was my hero. As I get older, I strive to be as healthy and capable as he was. Staying healthy is not a passive process and its not always an easy one either. And there is not one way to do it. But I follow a simple formula and try to stick with it consistently, day in and day out. I love my ice cream and glass of wine too! There are 4 areas that I focus on:
1. Nutrition
2. Exercise
3. Sleep
4. Managing Stress

1. Nutrition: It’s pretty straight forward. I eat 3 meals per day plus lots of healthy snacks to fill the gaps. I take high quality supplements daily to fill any nutrition gaps. These supplements are a multi-vitamin, an anti-oxidant and an Omega-3. I use doTerra’s Lifelong Vitality Pack and have it delivered monthly. My husband and I split the month’s supply and have felt great since starting to take them.
2. Exercise: I move daily. I walk or cycle every day. I used to run 5-6 days per week but have found that I just don’t enjoy it as much as I used to. So I walk instead. And I ride my bike to work. As I have gotten older, I have started focusing on more strength training classes to keep my muscle mass up.
3. Sleep: I love sleeping! And to ensure that I get to sleep fast and stay asleep, I use essential oils. My routine is to put Serenity on my chest and Vetiver on my head. We also diffuse a combo of these in our room. When sleep is more difficult, I take the Serenity supplement, thus avoiding prescription sleep aids. It’s magical how well this works!
4. Managing Stress: And finally, how do I manage stress? Well, I’ve already mentioned a couple ways I manage stress. One, is by getting a good night’s sleep, the other is by staying healthy. And lastly,I create an environment at work and at home that is relaxing. We have diffusers in most rooms in our house and at any given time, we have different essential oils going. Our olfactory system is amazing at triggering pleasure centers in our brain that can calm us down or make us feel better.
For more info on supplements, essential oils and how you can incorporate them into your healthy habits, contact me at jennlane@holisticpt.net. Also, I will be holding classes on Natural Solutions for healthy living in July and August. I will go over these 4 categories of good health with you. Email me today to sign up for one of these classes.
Thursday July 26th at 1pm
Thursday August 9th at 1pm
Classes held at Holistic PT at 6650 W. 44th Ave Wheat Ridge, CO 80033. Want to host your own class for you and your friends? Email me and we can set that up! jennlane@holisticpt.net.

Geriatric health | Holistic Physical Therapy

Is All PT Created Equal?

Is All PT Created Equal? 2332 3504 Jennifer Lane

Is all PT the same? Well, I guess not. A client came to see me the other day, very discouraged about an experience she had with a different PT. She had surgery on her shoulder and was told by the surgeon that she could see a physical therapist in the office connected to his. She made the appointment and started treatment 2 weeks after surgery. Now, this person has had a lot of injuries through her lifetime and has received a lot of rehab. She is in her late 60’s and very active. I’m pretty sure she can ski and hike circles around my 44-year-old self! For context, there are a lot of very active and healthy older adults in the beautiful state of Colorado. It isn’t unusual to see a 70-year-old or even an 80-year-old mountain biking, hiking, skiing or participating in an advanced exercise class. I love this and my goal is to be one of these people.

I’ve veered from the original story. My client was underwhelmed by the experience she had. She was given very little time or attention, measurements were not taken of her starting point and the exercises prescribed caused extra pain. She sought me out as we have developed a relationship over the years and she was worried that the treatment she was getting was not going to help her get back to her activities, as she had hoped. She decided to come and see me, which is a bit of a drive for her and the reason she didn’t start with me in the first place. I did a standard eval, subjective report of injury and surgery and how she is feeling now. Then I took measurements of her good arm and the post-surgical arm to determine range of motion. Treatment followed which included passive treatment to the arm, joint and soft tissue and then it was wrapped up with education on how to be more comfortable at home and how to do exercises pain-free.

When we finished, she was so thankful and felt better already. I was flabbergasted by the difference in level of care that she received and was happy that she came back to me. I think there are 2 factors at play here. In some PT clinics, it’s a numbers game. Physical Therapists have to see a high volume of patients each day to hit their quotas. This may mean seeing 4 patients per hour. The other factor is that older clients are viewed as having different goals than younger folks. Listening to what my client’s goals are gives me a very good idea of how active she is. At no time do I assume that she can’t do those things just because she is in her late 60’s.

Moving forward, I plan to keep the quality high for my clients. One-hour initial evaluations, 45-minute follow up visits and I continue to keep listening to what my clients say. I can do this because I have created an environment in which it works.

What’s the take-home message? Find a PT that is going to listen to you and deliver the quality care that you deserve. Not happy where you are? Find another one. Colorado is a direct-access state which means you do not need a dr’s referral for PT. Want to learn more about direct access? Tune in for the next blog post, coming soon!

To make an appointment at Holistic PT, click here…

Causes of Headaches

Causes of Headaches 704 366 Jennifer Lane

There are several types and causes of headaches… tension headaches, migraines, sinus headaches. Physical Therapy treatment can help reduce and eliminate headaches. Like with any injury or dysfunction, it is important to first figure out what is causing the headache. After the subjective exam has been completed, a physical therapist assesses active motion of the cervical and thoracic spine to determine if there are any limitations of movement. Joint mobility and soft tissue tightness is also tested. There are a group of headaches that arise from joint dysfunction in the upper cervical spine.

Is your headache located in your forehead? This may come from limited mobility at C2 vertebrae. Does your headache wrap around your ear like a rams horn? This may indicate a restriction in the OA (atlanto-occipital) joint on the same side as the pain. Is your headache located at the top of your head? This could mean a problem at the AA (atlanto-axial) joint. Chronic, recurring headaches may be caused from poor posture placing strain on ligaments and muscles of the posterior neck. Have you suffered whiplash injuries? Repeated, high velocity injuries to the neck can set you up for headaches too.

Physical therapy is a great non-pharmaceutical way to treat and manage your headaches. Instead of treating the symptoms, a PT will help you get to the bottom of the cause! To learn more, contact Jenn Lane at Holistic PT.  Contact Jenn here… Contact Form.

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