Change Posture, Improve Life

Change Posture, Improve Life

FULL POTENTIAL NEWS

March 2017

“ I Was Experiencing Excruciating Pain & Decided To Do Something About It! ” Change Your Posture, Improve Your Life

How is your posture throughout the day? Do you catch yourself slouching frequently? If you suffer with aches and pains, especially in your neck, upper or lower back, poor posture is probably to blame. The proper curves of your spine Your spine has 3 curves, which provide support, flexibility and protect the nerves running up and down your spine. Your neck should have a gentle curve in, upper back slightly curved out and lower back slightly curved in. When you slouch, the spine in your neck and lower back actually becomes straighter, while the upper back becomes excessively curved. This produces a forward head posture and humped upper back. In addition, weak abdominal muscles can cause an excessive arch in the lower back. Why is posture important? Your body is designed to be in good alignment allowing proper movement of the muscles, breathing, movement of blood throughout

INSIDE: 9 Change Your Posture, Improve Your Life 9 Patient Success 9 Upcoming Workshop 9 3 Simple Ways To Improve Your Posture 9 Best Of The Best 2016

(continued inside)

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Health & Fitness

The Newsletter About Achieving and Maintaining Optimal Well-Being March 2017 “ Improving My Posture Has Benefited Me In So May Ways!” Change Your Posture, Improve Your Life

the body and digestion. Many chronic conditions are linked to poor posture and changes to the structure of the body. Just look in the mirror, is your posture the same as when you were younger? Posture is more than just a function of the way someone stands or sits. For example, it also impacts how much pressure these positions place on the lower back and other muscles and joints. What’s more, posture can be a reflection of a person’s overall health, fitness, and the body’s strength and weaknesses. There are many factors in people’s daily lives that can sabotage posture and throw the body off-balance, such as sitting at a desk for long periods, frequently cradling a phone between the ear and the shoulder, hunching over a laptop, or continually looking down at a smartphone. The body was not physiologically designed to stay in one position, and if you go a long time without changing your position, it can start to stress your body’s tissues. Poor posture leads to excessive strain on your joints, muscles, tendons and ligaments. It also weakens many of the core muscles that are needed to keep you upright and healthy. Posture changes occur over time and most people don’t pay attention to them until they are unhappy with the way their body looks or starts to hurt. Posture can be improved A physical therapist may closely watch the way a person walks across a room, to look for any physical imbalances. To improve posture, a physical therapist may need to manually correct someone’s posture so that a person knows what position his or her body needs to be in, or demonstrate how to do certain exercises that could improve tight muscles or help strengthen them. Our physical therapists are experts in evaluating posture and movement. By pinpointing the source of your aches and pains, we can develop a plan for you that will return you to a more youthful posture and quickly relieve your pain. Call us today to learn more how we can improve your posture and help you lead a pain free active life.

“ Back pain accounts for 10 percent of primary care physician visits and $86 billion in annual healthcare spending. ” - Spine, September 2009

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Health Tips “ Do I Have To Make A Drastic Lifestyle Change To Improve My Posture?” 3 Simple Ways To Improve Your Posture

1. Standing Stand facing a mirror. Look at your shoulders, does one seem higher than the other? Look at your neck, does it tilt to one side or stick forward? Pretend that an imaginary string is pulling you through the top of your head gently. Notice how your posture improves automatically when you try to be taller? Keep your abdominals slightly contracted to maintain this posture. When walking, make sure that your arms are moving comfortably back and forth, feeling the rotation through your torso.

3. Bending Most back injuries occur when bending and twisting at the same time. When you need to bend down to get something from a low surface, make sure you squat, keep your abdominals tight as you do so. In addition, if you are lifting something, get your body as close as possible to what you are lifting. Try having one leg forward to use your legs more

2. Sitting Sit all the way back in your chair so you feel your lower back against the back rest. Avoid prolonged sitting on soft couches when watching TV as this causes excessive slouching. Try to keep your feet flat on the floor and angle

to lift, rather than your back. As part of physical therapy treatment, we teach you proper posture, bending and lifting techniques to protect your body from future injuries and make sure you stay healthy for the long haul. Call us today to learn more about how we can help you live pain free! www.fullpotentialpt.com

your chair so that your knees are slightly lower than your hips. Try using a small rolled-up towel in your low back if you need more support in sitting. If you work at a computer, make sure that your keyboard and mouse are slightly lower than the level of your elbow. You may need to adjust your seat higher to make this happen.

Best of the Best 2016 Thank you for placing us into the Top 5 Nominees for Physical Therapy ! We are now moving on to the voting round and we need your help !

We are thrilled to have this opportunity to be voted as The Best of the Best - Holland for the year of 2016 in the Physical Therapy category! The voting round will determine 1st place for the Best of the Best in Holland!

The voting process begins on February 20th and ends on March 13th.

To vote for Full Potential Physical Therapy, please go to the Holland Sentinel’s website and search for the voting polls. Once you are at the website to vote, the Physical Therapy section will be found under ‘Health and Beauty’. If you are having difficulty finding the voting page, please visit our Facebook Page where you can find a link to the website.

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Patient Success!

“I Now Know How to Keep Myself From Pain!”

“Since starting physical therapy, I have much less limping and pain. I now know how to keep myself from the pain I was having and have exercises to do so. I also have stretches that help at home. The staff at Full Potential are all nice and caring people. I got the feeling that they really care about my improvement. The office staff is always friendly and I felt like I could call with any issue I had or will have in the future. Thank you!”

-Kathleen K.

“My mood has lifted!” “My mood has lifted from depression to happiness! I see how important exercise is to my overall health and well-being.” “Full Potential’s biggest and most important strength is the people - their employees! They are not just professional, they are friendly and helpful. They are positive and they make others positive also! Thank-you so much!”

“I am sleeping again!” “I had extreme pain in my left shoulder. It limited my ability to do anything besides small tasks and I could not sleep due to the pain. Through the efforts of Carrie and Joel, my pain is gone. I can do anything and am sleeping again! They did a GREAT job! Carrie massaged ‘a million’ major and small knots out of my shoulder muscles and Joel helped me immensely through exercise. They were both very knowledgeable and knew just what to do to help me. THANK YOU!”

“Focused on helping my body!” “I have an increased range of motion and my strength is improved as well. When I came to Full Potential, my physical therapist presented himself as very professional, knowledgeable and skilled. He took the time to answer my questions and he applied treatment that was focused on helping my body heal at an appropriate pace. The support staff made sure that I was doing my exercises for maximum benefit through instruction and encouragement. All the staff in the office with whom I interacted with were attentive to my needs and seemed genuinely interested in my success. There was a positive atmosphere created by respect and the right amount of humor.”

-Susan J.

- Kathy S.

- Sharon P.

Upcoming Workshop

Attention Back Pain Sufferers! Back Pain Workshop Reveals How to Naturally Heal Back Pain For Good.

• Do you suffer with back pain or leg pain when you stand or walk? • Do you have pain when you sit for long periods or drive? • Do you experience pain, numbness or tingling into your butt, groin or down your leg? • Does your back ever “go out” if you move the wrong way? • Are you afraid your pain will get worse if you don’t do anything about it?

If you have answered YES to any of the above questions (or have a stubborn spouse who is in denial) – the Lower Back Workshop may be a life changing event for you… 100% of past attendees said they would recommend this workshop to a friend.

Full Potential Physical Therapy Presents LOWER BACK PAIN WORKSHOP!

THURSDAY, MARCH 23RD, 7PM Full Potential Physical Therapy This Event Is FREE Only 30 Seats Available

How do I register? Call our office at 616-392-2172 and ask for Bria. We only have 30 seats available for the event... and this will be going out in facebook ads, flyers, emails, and newspapers. So if you would like to attend, be sure to register now.

If you’re confused about what to do and looking for answers, here’s some of what you’ll learn: • The Single Biggest #1 Mistake back pain sufferers make which actually stops them from healing… • The 3 Most Common Causes of Lower Back Pain • A Sure-Fire Way to Pick the Right Treatment for the Cause of Your Pain (and save you a ton of time and money) • How a problem in your back can cause pain, numbness or tingling in your leg… • What successful treatment and permanent relief looks like without the side effects of medications, injections or surgery. As a Special Bonus… all attendees for the Lower Back Pain Workshop will receive a Special Report: “The Top 10 Burning Questions for Lower Back Pain”.

Looking forward to seeing you there,

Vincent Hanneken, PT Full Potential Physical Therapy

P.S. This event is limited to the first 30 people to register. When you register, you can bring a guest at no additional cost. If you are a past patient, we encourage you to bring a guest in order to help your friends and family as we did in the past for you.

Visit us on Facebook for more tips and updates!

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Outstanding relief for your aches... Try these simple exercises to keep you moving... Exercise Essentials

PRONE BACK EXTENSION While lying face down, slowly raise your chest upwards and off the ground. Then lower slowly back to the ground. Repeat 10 times. Helps With Posture

Strengthens Back & Improves Posture QUADRUPED ALTERNATE ARM & LEG

While in a crawling position, slowly draw your leg and opposite arm upwards. Your arm and leg should be straight and fully out-stretched. Do this 8 times then alternate.

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

Who do you know that needs our help?

At Full Potential, we know that a referral fromour patients is the biggest compliment. Let us thank you with these 3 simple steps! 1. Start by handing out the referral cards located at our front desk to your friends and family that are in need of our help! 2. The card with your name on the back must be returned to us at their first appointment! 3. You win! Come in to claim your prize!

PLAY THE REFERRAL GAME!

READY. SET. GO! Help us in helping your friends and family! They will thank you and so will we!

Call Today! 616-392-2172