Breckenridge PT: Relieving Neck Pain

Breckenridge PT: Relieving Neck Pain

N E W S L E T T E R

Life Is Good Without Neck Pain

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• Life Is Good Without Neck Pain • Are You Hurting Your Neck While You Sleep? • Patient Success Spotlight • Exercise & Pain Relief

DETAILS INSIDE CHECK OUT OUR UPCOMING WORKSHOP

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N E W S L E T T E R

Neck pain can be both debilitating and scary. When you experience an injury that leaves your neck in severe pain, the thought of not being able to freely turn your head is overwhelming.. What’s more, the pain itself can be unbearable, and since the neck is so sensitive to injury, it is important to be as careful as possible in finding treatment and solutions for the pain. It is incredible to realize how common neck pain is —especially among American adults! More than two-thirds of U.S. adults will develop neck pain at least once in their life, and the reasons for the neck pain are as varied as the population of the nation itself. Injury, muscle strain and even stress can cause significant pain in the neck and upper back. If you aren’t careful, a neck injury can lead to chronic pain, and it is even possible for chronic tension headaches and migraines to develop as a result of regular neck pain. There are a lot of different ways that you can relieve neck pain, but the best treatment for your personal needs depends entirely on the type of injury that you’ve experienced. Life Is Good Without Neck Pain HERE IS A QUICK BREAKDOWN OF WHAT COULD BE GOING ON TO CAUSE YOUR NECK PAIN: If your pain is developing gradually over time and is not the result of any particular injury that comes to mind, then it may be a result of degenerative disc disease. When this develops, you may experience chronic neck pain as a result of soft discs between the bones becoming weakened over time as a result of stress and strain. Physical therapy can help alleviate the pain from degenerative disc disease by helping restore blood circulation and improve range of motion in the neck.

This therapy is approached in a careful and deliberate way so as to not cause further pain in the neck region. Sometimes, neck pain develops after a particular injury, such as due to over use or even as a result of a car accident or a slip and fall accident. When this happens, your pain could be a result of a muscle or joint strain or sprain. When this is the case, then using traditional methods like rest, hot and cold therapy for the first 3-5 days. Targeted physical therapy treatment can do a lot of good to alleviate the pain as well. Attempting exercises on your own could also result in further pain so if your exercises are making symptoms worse, STOP! Insomecases,mechanicalneckpaincandevelopasaresultofachange intheneck joints.Thismaydevelopasaresultofadisccollapsing,which causes the space between the bones to become narrow, often causing bones tostrikeoneanother,resulting inpain.When this isn’taddressed, mechanical neck pain can spread, causing the pain to become more severe and covering a wider range of the neck. Finally, neck pain is sometimes caused by pressure or irritation in the nerves of the neck, which alters the electrical signals in the neck, causing you to feel more pain away from the neck and down the arm. Physicaltherapycanhelpreducethepressureand irritationsurrounding the nerves, often offering immediate relief from pain and discomfort. These are just some of the frequent causes of neck pain. It is important that you never assume that your neck pain is being caused by one or anotherofthese issues,andthatyou insteadalwaysworkwitha licensed and experienced physical therapist to determine the precise cause of your pain and discomfort.

A R E Y O U L E T T I N G PA I N H O L D Y O U B A C K ? C A L L T O S C H E D U L E Y O U R A P P O I N T M E N T T O D AY !

Redeem this coupon at Breckenridge Physical Therapy for a free pain consultation with your physical therapist! FREE NECK PAIN CONSULTAT ION SPECIAL OFFER!

Are You Hurting Your Neck While You Sleep?

This offer expires April 30, 2019.

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There is one more factor that often is not spoken about, but it’s a frequent cause of neck pain and discomfort: sleeping issues. Sometimes, sleeping in a certain position or sleeping on a mattress or pillow that is too soft or too hard will lead to neck pain. Oftentimes, this pain will appear to be chronic, as the sleeping issue is likely something that you experience day after day, causing the pain to return regularly. It may be helpful to rule out sleeping concerns as a reason behind your neck pain by assessing your sleeping conditions and making any changes that you think may be necessary. Adjust how many pillows you sleep on, the position you sleep in or even your mattress!

Having 1-2 pillows under your head helps to keep your neck in proper alignment. If you need 2 pillows stagger them so that one pillow overlaps the other by one half. The lower half goes under the shoulders, while the upper half supports the neck. Our physical therapists at Breckenridge Physical Therapy can also show you exercises, stretches and techniques to relieve your neck pain and prevent it from returning. If you are suffering with neck or back pain, call us today to learn more about how we can relieve your pain, returning you to a more active, pain-free life!

Discussing The Affects Of Text Neck

Poor posture is something we normally do not think of as a contributor to neck and back pain. However, in our era of constantly being on smart phones, tablets, and computers, we often put our necks and backs in positions of prolonged stress. Over time, this contributes to increased stress to our vertebrae, disc and muscles supporting the spine. Text neck is the term used to describe the neck pain and damage sustained from looking down at your cell phone, tablet, or other wireless devices too frequently and for too long. Of course, this posture of bending your neck to look down does not occur only when texting. For years, we’ve all looked down to read. The problemwith texting is that it adds one more activity that causes us to look down—and people tend to do it for much longer periods. It is especially concerning because young, growing children could possibly cause permanent damage to their cervical spines that could lead to lifelong neck pain. We often see patients who have suffered from back and neck pain for years who could have been treated very easily when the pain started with simple postural corrections and stretches. If you have been suffering from back or neck pain, come see one of our therapists for an assessment of what is contributing to your pain.

Call Breckenridge Physical Therapy at 970.485.3421 , or visit our website at breckenridgephysicaltherapy.com to schedule your appointment today!

Spring Asparagus Risotto Healthy Recipe • 4 cups (1-inch) slices asparagus • 3 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth • 1 1/2 cups water • 1 tbsp butter • 2 cup chopped onion (about 1 large)

I absolutely love this place! It’s a family owned business and they’re very attentive to clients needs. They have a great space which includes both physical therapy and personal training. I recently visited for physical therapy to get some help with my IT Band issues. Rashmi really helped me with my injury with acknowledging where my weaknesses were and giving exercises to strengthen and stretches to relieve tightness. Thanks to the Vert family and Rashmi I’m back to running again. I highly recommend this place. You will not be disappointed. - Nicole L

• 2 cups uncooked Arborio rice • 1/2 cup dry white wine • 1 cup (4 ounces) grated fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese • 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream • 1 tsp salt & pepper

Patient Success Spotlight

Place 1 cup asparagus and 1 cup broth in a blender; puree until smooth. Combine puree, remaining 2 cups broth, and 1 1/2 cups wat r in a medium saucepan; bring to a simmer (do not boil). Keep warm over low heat. Melt butter in a large heavy saucepan over medium heat. Add onion to pan; cook 8 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Stir in rice; cook 1 minute, tirring constantly. Stir in wine; cook 2 minutes or until liquid is nearly absorbed, stirring constantly. Add 1/2 cup broth mixture; cook 2 minutes or until the liquid is nearly absorbed, stirring constantly. Add remaining puree mixture, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring constantly until each portion of broth is absorbed before adding the next (about 30 minutes total). Stir in remaining 3 cups asparagus; cook 2 minutes. Stir in 3/4 cup cheese, cream, salt, and pepper. Transfer risotto to a bowl. Serve with remaining 1/4 cup cheese.

“My foot was stepped on in the gym. Tried to solve the pain by over-the- counter remedies. Nothing worked. I went to the doctor who looked at the x-ray and determined I had achilles tendonitis and Hagland Deformity. PT was authorized and Justin was chos n as my PT. He was hands-on all the time and was able to see that my foot problem also was a lower back problem. With printed exercises to take home and work on, my condition improved after just 9 sessions. I can now wake up in the mornings and get out of bed without any pain. Stretches and manipulations did the trick! I would recommend Justin and BPT to anybody with a medical problem.” - Suzann M. Want results like this? Call Breckenridge Physical Therapy at 970.485.3421 to schedule your appointment today!

Back Pain & Pregnancy Workshop

Exercise Essentials Good stretch if you sit at a computer all day

• Are you experiencing back or pelvis pains due to pregnancy? • Are you struggling with back pain since the birth of your child?

LEVATOR SCAPULAE STRETCH

Grasp your arm on the affected side and tilt your head downward into the armpit. Use your opposite hand to guide your head further into the stretch..

• Have you had a child and want to get back to activity?

Call or Visit Online to Register! 970.485.3421 breckenridgephysicaltherapy.com/workshop APRIL 25, 2019 @ 6:00 PM Learn how pregnancy and child birth can impact low back pain and activity levels later in life. Learn the most effective ways to manage or eliminate back pain during pregnancy or return to activity afterwards.

Exercisescopyrightof

Always consult your physical therapist or physician before starting exercises you are unsure of doing.