Centra Health: 5 Keys To A Healthy Spine

Centra Health: 5 Keys To A Healthy Spine

Health & Wellness NEWSLETTER

IMPROVE THE HEALTH OF YOUR SPINE BY IMPROVING YOUR POSTURE Lean backward

Your body was made to move, especially your spine. It is common for areas of your spine to tighten up, placing too much strain on other areas. When this happens, those areas can become irritated and painful. A common reason why this happens is due to poor posture. (continued inside)

ws for support.

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Health & Wellness NEWSLETTER

INCREASE ACTIVITYWITH IMPROVED POSTURE

INSIDE: • How Can Physical Therapy Help With My Spine Health? • Preventing Chronic Pain During the Frigid Winter Months • Relieve Aches & Pain In Minutes • Is Your Health Care Provider Getting The Message on How to Treat Knee Arthritis?

CALL IN!

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Posture plays a large role in our everyday lives. How you sit, stand, stretch, and lift all play a role in the pressures on your spine. Fortunately, Centra Rehabilitation can help ease some of this physical stress. Specialized hands-on techniques and exercises can help restore the flexibility in your spine and improve your posture. Our dedicated physical therapists can also provide youwith helpful lifestyle changes for improving your posture and spine health. Contact our office today to learnmore! What can I do to improve my posture? When standing, walking, and sitting, imagine a string pulling you up through the top of your head. This brings your neck, shoulders and back into better alignment. Sitting is the position that puts the most pressure on the lower back. It is important to break up your

sitting time throughout the day and take frequent breaks.Work in standing or walking tasks at various times throughout the day, limiting your sitting to about 30 minutes at a time. It is also important tomake sure your core muscles are strong, as this is an integral part of practicing proper posture. Your core muscles are made up of your abdominal muscles, spinal muscles, and pelvic/ hipmuscles. It is very common for thesemuscles to become weak with prolonged sitting, before/after pregnancy, and after surgeries or injuries. Strengthening your abdominal and hipmuscles can go a long way to providing the necessary muscle support to your spine. Consult with one of our dedicated teammembers today to discuss how our individualized treatment plans can provide youwith the best core exercises for your needs.

Call for your FREE PAIN CONSULTATION We offer 8 convenient locations call to schedule today! 434.200.7600

YOU DO NOT NEED A DOCTOR’S PRESCRIPTION TO SEEK PHYSICAL THERAPY. IN THE STATE OF VIRGINIA YOU HAVE DIRECT ACCESS TO PHYSICAL THERAPY.

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HOW CAN PHYSICAL THERAPY HELP WITHMY SPINE HEALTH?

Most spine pain comes from the following 4 trouble areas: 1. Poor posture and alignment. 2. Lack of knowledge on how to bend, lift, sit, sleep. 3. Lack of muscle strength. 4. Poor flexibility and muscle coordination.

By improving posture and core strength, you can relieve some of these troublesome causes. There are a couple key ways that improving posture with your physical therapist can help promote spine health: 1. It encourages strength and flexibility. If you have struggled with poor posture for a while, there is a good chance that it will be difficult to maintain proper posture in the beginning. It may take some time in physical therapy to gain the strength and flexibility necessary to keep your ideal posture. Fortunately, the work you do with your physical therapist to achieve your physical goals will lead to greater overall fitness. The stronger and more flexible you get, the less likely you are to suffer from back pain on a regular basis. 2. It improves function for all activities. When we think of posture, many of us picture an image of static positions - such as sitting at a desk or standing up straight. However, proper posture can be (and should be) incorporated into everything we do. Through physical therapy treatments, your physical therapist will guide you on how to maintain proper posture during all of your favorite activities, such as walking, running, and playing sports. The improved posture you adopt in each activity will lessen the wear and tear you put on your spine, which minimizes the risk of developing back pain from these activities. 3. It avoids harmful anatomical changes. The ways in which you use your spine can actually cause changes to your anatomy. The stress caused by sitting hunched can eventually lead to damage of your muscles, joints, spinal discs, and the nerves and blood vessels that travel through your spine. Fortunately,

in many cases the damage can be reversed, if you engage in targeted physical therapy treatments and learn how to maintain proper posture. Improve your posture with Centra Rehabilitation today! Physical therapy is the right solution to improving your posture and spinal health. Get back to your optimum health by consulting with a licensed physical therapist. Contact our office today to get started on the path toward better posture and decreased pain! We’ll help you achieve the strong spine health you need.

Call us today to schedule an appointment!

#WHYITREAT - STAFF SPOTLIGHTS

HEALTHY RECIPE: GARLIC BUTTER MEATBALLS WITH ZUCCHINI PASTA

Amanda Anthony MS, OTR/L I treat my patients because I love being able to help people achieve their goals and get back to completing tasks that are meaningful to them. Occupational Therapy is such a diverse field and I love treating the whole person. Every individual is unique and everyday is different which is what I love about my profession! #WhyITreat #NeuroRehab #OncologyRehab #CentraRehabVBH Brigid Daly PT, DPT I treat to help people keep doing what they need to do and what they love to do! Our bodies and minds can do amazing things. I like to help people achieve their highest potential following injuries or neurological upsets by challenging their abilities. Happy patients make for happy therapists! We love to hear you are back to doing the things you want to do! #WhyITreat #NeuroRehab #OncologyRehab #CentraRehabVBH

INGREDIENTS • 1/2 lb ground turkey meat • 1/2 lb ground pork meat (optional) • 1/2 cup shredded cheese • 1 crumbled bouillon cube (optional) • 1 tbsp hot sauce • 1 cup fresh chopped cilantro, divided • 1 tsp Italian seasoning • 4 cloves garlic, grated + 2 cloves garlic, minced

• 1/2 tsp red crushed chili pepper flakes (optional) • 3 tbsp butter • 4 medium zucchini, spiralized • lemon juice

DIRECTIONS For turkeymeatballs: Combine ground turkey and ground pork, cheese, grated garlic, Italian seasoning, bouillon cube, red chili pepper flakes, chopped cilantro and black pepper in a bowl. Mix well with your hands or fork to form medium balls. Arrange the turkey meatballs on a plate and set aside. Melt 2 tbsp butter in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Cook the turkey meatballs for 8-10 min on all sides until cooked through.While cooking, baste themeatballs with themix of butter and juices. Remove to a clean plate and set aside. For zucchini noodles: In the same skillet, melt remaining 1 tbsp of butter; then add lemon juice, hot sauce, minced garlic, and red pepper flakes. Add zucchini noodles and cook for 3-4min, stirring regularly, until zucchini is done but still crisp and juices have reduced a bit. Garnish with more cilantro or parsley. Push zucchini on one side of the skillet and add the turkey meatballs back to the pan and reheat for about a minute. Serve the garlic butter turkey meatballs with lemon zucchini noodles immediately with a lemon slice on the side.

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Preventing Chronic Pain During the Frigid Winter Months The winter season is still upon us, and it looks as if it’ll be sticking around for quite some time. With all the snow shoveling, icy streets, and chilled weather still affecting us, the possibility of experiencing winter-related pain is still at large. All that shoveling can take a toll on your back and joints, the ice increases the possibility of slipping, and the frigid air can create aches and pains all on its own. Fortunately, our physical therapy treatments at Centra Rehabilitation can help correct the pain you may be feeling. If you’ve been experiencing discomfort due to winter-related activities, contact our office today!

 

Staying posture perfect in the winter: You may be wondering, “How can I find relief? – I need to shovel and I need to go outside, taking the risk of slipping…”This is a valid point. We can’t stay curled up in bed all winter, safe from the snow and ice (although we may all wish we could!) One of the most important things you can do to prevent your risk of pain or injury is maintaining proper posture. This is especially true when doing physically demanding activities, such as shoveling mountains of snow off the driveway or scraping persistent ice off the windshield. Shoveling: Let’s focus on shoveling. Much like any physical demand, it’ll help if you warmup beforehand. Stretching your arms, legs, and back will help loosen up your muscles before you begin and decrease your risk of sustaining an unnecessary injury. The posture you have while you’re shoveling is crucial to avoiding pain. It is important to keep your body straight, with your feet about shoulder-width apart. Make sure your knees are bent and your back is straight, with your dominant leg slightly in front. When shoveling, shift your weight fromyour back leg to your front. Maintain a straight body the entire time if possible, without twisting your hips or back. Here’s the most important part – ALWAYS lift with your legs instead of your back! Engage your core muscles in order to lift the snow with the weight of your legs, rather than your back. Lifting with your back is one of the biggest mistakes people make when trying to lift anything of substantial weight. Your legs are stronger and can take on more weight, limiting the pain you’ll feel in them – if you lift with your back, you may feel sore or tight afterward, and you may even injure yourself. Icywalkways: The way youwalk can actually prevent your risk of accidentally slipping on ice. One of themost common injuries people sustain during the winter is a sprain, strain, or even fracture from an unexpected fall on ice. But there is a way to avoid it!



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When walking on ice, one must “make like a penguin” in order to stay safe. First off, concentration is everything. When walking on icy or snowy terrain, it is important to be cautious and to simply walk – not walk and text, not walk and search through your purse, etc… simply walk. If you are careful and alert, you will be able to better steady yourself if you begin to slip. Wearing sturdy shoes with good traction, in order to decrease your likelihood of slipping. When walking, it is best to keep a slow pace with short steps. While it may seemnatural to stand upright, leaning a bit forward can help in keeping your balance and avoiding injury – think of it as if you’re doing more of a shuffle. Finally, keeping your arms slightly in front of you for balance purposes, and turning your feet slightly outward while walking on snow or ice. This footing, while it may feel a bit awkward, will actually increase traction and avoid slipping. Contact us today! If you still find yourself in a state of pain or discomfort after these tips, contact Centra Rehabilitation to schedule an appointment and find relief. Our dedicated physical therapists will create a treatment plan for relieving your pain and helping you get back to your winter activities in no time!



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Attention Pain Sufferers!



Do You Have Difficulty With Pain?

• Decrease your pain • Increase your strength • Increase your activity level We can help:



• Increase your flexibility • Improve your health • Get back to living

Mention or Bring inThis Coupon Today For a FREE Pain Consultation

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 IS YOUR HEALTH CARE PROVIDER GETTING THE MESSAGE ON HOW TO TREAT KNEE ARTHRITIS? by Krista Leake PT, DPT, ATC   

 

      

 



    Knee osteoarthritis (OA) is a common formof arthritis that affects the knee and is commonly known as wear- and-tear arthritis.The prevalence of knee osteoarthritis (OA) in the U.S. has risen dramatically in the past several years. The amount of people diagnosed with knee osteoarthritis has nearly doubled in a 7-year period! KneeOA typically develops slowly andworsens over time. Knee OA is a major public health issue because it can cause pain and stiffness, reduce physical function, and diminish one’s quality of life. Several

 low. If PT and Lifestyle interventions were emphasized at a more optimal rate in clinical practice, reliance on pain medication may reduce.” Why does this matter? Managing knee OA through lifestyle factors and PT may minimize the continuous need for pain medication and delay the need for knee surgery and other

   

 



  





 

 

 professional medical organizations have developed research-based treatment guidelines that promote treatment without medication and surgery and recommend physical therapy (PT) and lifestyle modifications as first line treatment. Despite these guidelines being around since 1995, people that seek treatment from a physician are still largely treated with medications and are offered only symptom management. Is your health care practitioner getting the message? If you complain to your doctor about knee pain fromarthritis you aremore likely to get a narcotic or opioidmedication than offered PT and advice. PT and lifestyle interventions remain underutilizedwhile reliance on drug treatment, including opioids, continues to rise. A study published in the journal Arthritis Care &Research looked at what patients were offered at their medical appointments for treatment of knee OA. Visits to orthopedists and primary care physicians for knee osteoarthritis were reviewed and the authors tracked referrals to physical therapy, lifestyle counseling, and prescriptions written for NSAIDs (Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) and narcotics (opioids) for an 8-year period. As time went on for the 8-year period, the trend was that patients were referred less to physical therapy, offered less advice on lifestyle changes, and there was an increase in prescriptions for both NSAIDs and narcotics. Rates of NSAID referralsmore than doubled and prescriptions for narcotics tripled. The authors wrote “In conclusion, PT and Lifestyle Counseling seem to be underutilized to manage patients with knee OA, with no trends in improvement over time, while painmedication use has significantly increased in this cohort.This contrasting trend suggests that knee OA is primarily managed from a perspective of symptom control and not from the perspective of improving physical function, fitness, and overall well-being. Even though PT and Lifestyle interventions for knee OAhave been included as part of guideline-based care as early as 1995, the utilization of these recommendations as recent as 2013-15 by physicians continues to remain  Qr/HYHO+DUG                      Qr/HYHO+DUG VISIT A CENTRA LOCATION NEAR YOU!  

  invasive procedures such as knee injections. Long-termbenefits of PT and lifestyle changes reduce declines in health typically seen over time. Pain is a common symptom of knee OA and exercise has been proven by research to assist with pain management and improving physical functioning. It is all over the news that we are having an opioid crisis, so it is nice to know there are other options to helpmanage the pain. A study published in the Physical Therapy Journal found that manual therapy, the skilled passive movement of the joint provided by a physical therapist, is effective and safe for improving pain, stiffness, and physical function in knee osteoarthritis patients. Combining exercise and manual therapy was even better. The exercise and manual PT combined with traditional medical care was found to improve pain and physical function verses the group that just received usually medical care. The group that just received usual medical care only deteriorated significantly over the 2-year follow up period. Both nondrug PT interventions are safe and effective for people with osteoarthritis ranging from mild to severe joint degeneration. In addition, a review of 26 high quality studies found that various strengthening exercise programs that combined strength, coordination, balance and functional exercise were generally effective for improving knee osteoarthritis symptoms. Physical therapy was found to be beneficial in terms of reducing pain, alleviating stiffness and improving function in patients with knee osteoarthritis. If you are suffering from knee osteoarthritis don’t think that taking medication is your only option. There is a lot of research and evidence that certain lifestyle changes, exercise, and physical therapy not only help reduce the symptoms of pain and stiffness but that they will improve overall health and function. A physical therapist will design a program that is unique to you and assist you on getting on the right path to improve your quality of life. To schedule an appointment with one of our highly skilled physical therapists call 434.200.7600 or visit us at rehab.centrahealth.com. KWWSVXGRNXFRP Qr/HYHO+DUG                         

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Lumbar Segmental Extension Preparation: Stand with good pos ure. Find a n utral spine. Execution:

Relieve Aches & Pain In Minutes Without Pain Medication! Try these movements if you are experiencing pain.

REPEAT TRUNK FLEXION | TO FLOOR Sit in a chair with good posture. Hands on thighs. Let your trunk sag toward the floor use your arms to control the movement. Let your arms dangle to the floor. Now use your arms to push yourself up. Bend backwards in a very controlled manner. Think about moving joint by joint. Do not push into pain. Return to the start position.

LUMBAR SEGMENTAL EXTENSION Stand with good posture. Find a neutral spine. Bend backwards in a very controlled manner. Think about moving joint by joint. Do not push into pain. Return to the start position.

Start position

Stretches Back

Stretches Lower Back

Exercisescopyrightof

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

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Think about moving joint by joint

Discover How To Live Pain-Free Sidelying

At Centra Rehabilitation, you will receive hands-on therapy treatments by our friendly, caring health experts during focused and individualized sessions. It’s time to call Centra Rehabilitation if: • You’re tired of living in pain • You want to feel better and move better • You have been in an auto accident or injured on the job • You want to prevent injury Lie on your side. Place a pillow between your kn es for support. Relax.

Lie on side. Use pillo

OUROUTCOMESSPEAKFORTHEMSELVES

We have excellent outcomes. We get patients more positive change in function with fewer visits than expected! We save patients time and money!

Effectiveness of Outcomes 11.7 National Benchmark 16.4 Centra

of national predicted effectiveness of outcomes (change in functional score)

140%

LESS EFFECTIVE

MORE EFFECTIVE

Efficiency of Care

of national predicted efficiency of care (number of patient visits)

11.4 National Benchmark 9.4 Centra

121%

LESS EFFICIENT

MORE EFFICIENT

98%

Not to mention, we rate in predicted patient satisfaction

Better outcomes + fewer visits = fewer healthcare dollars spent on your patient