Ascent PT: Shoulder, Elbow, & Wrist Pain

Our Monthly Climb The Newsletter About Your Health And Caring For Your Body

SHOULDER, ELBOW, & WRIST PAIN: WHERE IS IT COMING FROM?

INSIDE: • Shoulder, Elbow, & Wrist Pain: Where Is It Coming From? • Treating Shoulder, Elbow, & Wrist Pain • Patient Success Spotlight • Strengthen Shoulder In Minutes • Healthy Recipe

www.ascentptnw.com

Our Monthly Climb The Newsletter About Your Health And Caring For Your Body

SHOULDER, ELBOW, &WRIST PAIN: WHERE IS IT COMING FROM?

Give Chronic Pain the Cold Shoulder It’s time tosaygoodbye toelbow,wristandshoulderpainonceand forall. Identifying thecauseofyourpainand takingsteps tocombat illhabits thatmaybecontributing to your discomfort can have a significant impact on your quality of life. Wave goodbye to pain in your hands, wrists, elbows and shoulders with targeted techniques from your experienced physical therapists. What is Causing the Pain? Think about the tasks that make up the majority of your day-to-day life. It is often said that life in the 21st century is way easier on the body than life during any other time in human history — and it’s true that there is a fair amount of evidence to support this idea. Rather than spending all of your days working in a factory or on a farm, the vast majority of Americans work indoors, often at a computer for a predetermined number of hoursweek after week. But thisnew lifestyle isn’t exactly harmless for the body, either. There are plenty of ways in which the common tasks of 21st-century life put the body under a great deal of stress. Sedentary lifestyles frequently contribute to weight gain, which increases your risk for a long list of obesity-related diseases. This puts additional stress on your body, which could result in pain in crucial joints like your shoulders, elbows and yes, even your wrists. But even aside from that, there are a lot of potential issues that your body can face as a result of sedentary behavior in the workplace — including shoulder, elbow and wrist pain. If you are suffering from shoulder, elbow, & wrist pain, seeing a physical therapist at Ascent PhysicalTherapy can help you return to a more active and pain-free life. Call today: 503.427.0118

Elbow, wrist and shoulder injuries are especially common as a result of workplace injuryandoveruse.While it issometimespossible to takeaction topreventan injury from developing, it is especially important to be able to recognize when an injury develops and to understand ways that you can combat that injury by identifying what may have caused the pain to develop in the first place. Common issues that can lead to shoulder, wrist, and elbow pain include:

• Athletic injuries • Muscle sprain • Muscle strain • Dislocation or hyperextension of the joints

• Issues with poor posture • Carpal tunnelsyndrome (whichcan develop from overuse of the wrist and regular, repetitive motions, such as typing) • Heavy lifting

One of the biggest concerns regarding pain in the wrist, elbow and shoulder is that it is difficult to actually allow these parts of the body time to rest. Every movement and action requires these body parts — and when the pain develops in both arms, as itoftendoes, treating thepainbecomesevenmorecomplicated. It is impossible to care for your basic needs without involving your shoulder or wrist, let alone get through a day at the office. This is why so many issues regarding pain in the wrists, elbows and shoulders typically become chronic. Since it is difficult to allow these body parts time to properly rest, they continue being overused and the pain can actually worsen.

www.ascentptnw.com

Treating Shoulder, Elbow, &Wrist Pain

Addressing the pain early on is the best way to prevent an issue from becoming chronic. Turning to medication and braces for pain management is not a long- term solution and will only push off the inevitable truth — that you need to find a solution for the problem that is causing you pain. Physical therapy is the ideal tool for support in this regard. Working with a physical therapist will provide you with an opportunity to understand what movements may be causing further discomfort, and can help you to strengthen the surrounding muscles while improving range of motion, which together will likely alleviate some of the pain associated with your injury. Don’t assume that pain in your elbows, wrists or shoulders will go away on its own. It is more common for the pain to worsen, and compensating for the pain by overusing the opposite arm can cause further injury to develop. For support with learninghow tomanage thepain,and to learnexercisesand techniques that can help you overcome the injury and restore proper strength and functionality to your shoulders, wrists and elbows, contact your physical therapist.

Call 503.427.0118 to schedule an appointment with your physical therapist today!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Balls

Strengthens Shoulders In Minutes Try this simple exercise to keep you moving

Ingredients • 2 cups of old-fashioned rolled oats • ½ cup of ground flax seed • 1 tbsp of black chia seeds • ½ cup of peanut butter • 1 tsp of vanilla extract • 1 scoop vanilla whey protein powder • ½ cup of dark chocolate chips • 1 tsp of cinnamon • ½ cup of raw honey

Strengthens Shoulders

Shoulder D2 Pattern Stand with good posture with your arm across your body, your hand rotated in, thumb pointed down. Bring your arm up and across your body diagonally. As you do, rotate your hand outward. Finish with your hand above your head and out to the side. Repeat 6-10 times for both sides.

Instructions 1. Add rolled oats, ground flax seed, chia seeds, cinnamon, honey, peanut butter, vanilla extract, and vanilla protein powder to food processor. 2. Pulse until ingredients are blended (about 7-9 times). 3. Add mixture to a large bowl, add in chocolate chip. Stir to combine. 4. Form energy bite mixture into 1” balls and place on parchment paper lined baking sheet. 5. Cover and place in refrigerator for 2 hours. 6. Serve! Author: Krista@https://www.joyfulhealthyeats.com/no-bake-chocolate-peanut-butter-energy-balls/

www.simpleset.net

For more information, call Ascent Physical Therapy at 503.427.0118 or visit our website at ascentptnw.com

Patient Success Spotlight

Practice News

The Holiday Season is in full swing! We recently put up and decorated our tree at the clinic. With the winter festivities also comes the drop in temperature. Please be careful walking and driving over the next few months as things can get icy! Fortunately, we have complimentary ice scrapers available at the clinic! Stop by and grab yours today. I began a tradition in December of “Elf on a Shelf” with my kids. For those unfamiliar with Elf on a Shelf, it is a cute elf doll that comes with a storybook describing how your new family member acts as a liaison to Santa. There are a myriad of comedic placement ideas for elves online. Be warned however, I forgot to move the elf once and my son, Rylan, noticed! A quick and clever explanation unfolded that satisfied his skepticisms. Rylan named our elf “Clark”. Do you have any family traditions at this time of year? Tell us about them in the clinic or on our Facebook page! Cheers, Derek Use Your Benefits Before 2018 Ends! Time is running out! You only have until the end of the month to take advantage of your medical benefits! Those benefits don’t roll over, so if you’ve already met your deductible for the year, take advantage of your benefits now! Medicare has recently removed the cap for physical therapy benefits, meaning you can use Medicare to increase your endurance for those long, scenic hikes or sharpen your hunting skills for the season. Don’t give your money away! Enjoy your life without nagging pain or fear of further injuries! If your yearly deductible is met, what do you have to lose? Swing by Ascent PhysicalTherapyto improveyourneck,back,posture,hips,knees,shoulders, and more. Don’t ignore your pain or problems–we want all of our patients to experience the joys of life pain-free! You’ll be amazed by the long-term benefits of physical therapy on your body and quality of life! Call Ascent Physical Therapy at 503.427.0118 to get back in for a tune-up or work on another injury you’ve experienced. Special Offer

“Ihadasports injury fromdoingBootCamp. As Icontinueddoing thecamp, the injury andpainwouldgetworse. Eventually, Ihadtotakecortisoneshots justtocontinuemy daily living, such as dressing, sleeping, bathing, etc. My insurance company sent me tomyprimarycarephysician’sphysical therapist forfivesessions. Absolutelynothing changed. After an MRI, I chose to try Ascent Physical Therapy. I can’t even put into wordshowgreat I feel. Thepain isgone! My rangeofmotion is rightwhere Ineed it to be. Iamveryhappy. Iam justa littlebitshortonstrength,but Icanfix thatbyworking out with my weights. Great job, Ascent, and thank you!” - Sue B . “I can’t even put into words how great I feel!”

Special Offer

Don’t let shoulder pain become a way of life!

FREE SHOULDER PAIN ANALYSIS

Call 503.427.0118 to schedule your appointment today!

16126 SE Happy Valley Town Center Dr #200 Happy Valley, OR 97086

Offer valid for the first 25 people to schedule. Expires 1-31-19.