Choice PT: Herniated Discs

Move to Live Your Resource to Moving Well and Living Life YOUR OWN ARCH NEMESIS

Arch Nemesis, that’s a play on words. We’re going to be talking about your feet and specifically trying to keep that inner part of your foot off the ground, aka your arch... see what I did there?

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Move to Live Your Resource to Moving Well and Living Life

Each foot has 26 bones, 33 joints, and 100+ ligaments, tendons, and muscles. That’s a whole lot going on in a relatively small area. Raise your hand if you or someone you know has dealt with pesky plantar fascia issues, heel bone spurs, achilles tendonitis, painful bunions, inner ankle pain with or without numbness/tingling in the foot. (You can put your hand down now, people are starting to look). Not all things are preventable. We all have been dealt our own hand which can genetically predispose us to certain conditions, thanks Mom & Dad. BUT, a number of these issues can be avoided or be significantly less bothersome by taking some actionable steps. First, we need to figure out if your “flat feet” are: STRUCTURAL or FUNCTIONAL. Structural means that’s just you and no matter how hard we train your muscles and foot posture, your arch likely isn’t going to improve much. In this case, an external support like an orthotic can work really well. Functional means that you have some low hanging fruit. Ultimately, your body has adopted a flat foot posture but can correct out of that and achieve an arch. In this case, training muscles and foot posture can make a big difference. If this is you, solely relying on an orthotic can have a negative impact over the long term because the muscles that support the arch and the muscle memory in your foot can get lazy, placing all the responsibility on the orthotic. Test time! Stand with feet parallel and roughly 6 inches apart. Keep your feet pointing forward and twist your body to the right. Look down at your right foot. If you had no arch when you were standing facing forward and then twisted to the right and an arch magically YOUR OWN ARCH NEMESIS (continued from outside)

appeared in your right foot then you my friend have a functional flat foot on the right. Time to grab that low hanging fruit! If you started with a flat foot on the right and twisting to the right didn’t raise your arch at all we consider that a structural flat foot. If you’re having foot symptoms and haven’t had the orthotic conversation, may be worth it. Repeat the same process on your left side. If you just learned you have a functional flat foot there are many things you can do to retrain the muscles that support the arch. Before exercises, postural habits are the starting point. When you’re seated and standing, check to make sure that your feet remain parallel. If you’re like most people, your right foot will be pointed towards 1 o’clock and your left pointed towards 11 o’clock. If you allow your feet to point outwards repeatedly over time, your arch will continue to slowly get flatter and flatter. Now that you have your feet parallel, imagine your feet are glued to the floor and gently pull your knees apart so they align over the outer one-third of your foot. Voila, that should pull your arch nicely off the floor! Some of us were just dealt flat arches however most of us can make a couple quick changes to our foot posture and seriously impact the rest of our foot. Don’t be your own arch nemesis! Let me know if you need any help figuring out which type of arch you have.

Have a great month, Joe

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TREATMENT FOR HERNIATED DISCS

Pain associated with a herniated disc often develops in the sciatica nerve, and doesn’t subside with simple rest and relaxation. While hot and cold therapy will help alleviate the pain associated with many different back issues, it won’t make the pain of a herniated disc go away. The pain is often frequently associated with numbness, weakness, and tingling in the legs. In many situations, the pain will feel more severe after initial movement, such as standing up or laying down. Many people mistakenly refer to having a herniated disc as having “pinched a nerve,” but that is not the case. Physical therapy is a great resource for attempting to overcome the pain associated with a herniated disc. A combination of passive and active techniques is typically employed, including deep tissue massage, hot and cold therapy, electrical stimulation, and hydrotherapy, as well as deep stretching and strength building. If you suspect that you may have a herniated disc, contact a physical therapist right away. Attempting to engage in therapy at home could lead to further injury. It is best to have an experienced therapist assess your injury before attempting any treatment options. Discover how our Spine Program transforms your back pain from a pressing problem, to a distant memory, allowing you to live a happy, active and pain-free life.

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Exercise Essentials Try this movement if you are experiencing ankle pain.

ROASTED VEGETABLES INGREDIENTS • Baby Carrots • Brussel Sprouts

• 1/4 cup Italian Bread crumbs • 3 - 4 tbsp of Olive Oil • Salt and Pepper to taste • Gallon size Ziplock Bag

Helps Ankle Pain

www.simpleset.net

SEATED AROM ANKLE INVERSION Seated in a chair, start by slowly bending your ankles inwards. Relax your foot back to the start position in a controlled manner. Repeat 10 times.

• Broccoli • Zucchini • Sweet Potatoes • 1 Bag of Parmesan cheese

INSTRUCTIONS Preheat oven to 450. Cut up all your vegetables into bite size pieces, add all ingredients to the Ziplock bag, close and shake until all vegetables are well coated. You may need more Olive oil depending on the amount of vegetables you use. Spread the vegetables in a even layer on a large cookie sheet, (I line with aluminum foil for easier clean up). Roast for 25-30 minutes or until the vegetables are tender. You can adjust this recipe to make as much or as little as you like.

CALL TODAY! 518.203.6761

In The Community

Patient Success Spotlight

We had the privilege of meeting 32 young athletes last month from Hudson Valley Community College Baseball team and put them through the Functional Movement Screen (FMS) consisting of 7 movement patterns:

• Overhead Deep squat • Straight Leg Raise • In-line Lunge • Shoulder Mobility

• Hurdle step • Rotary Stability • Trunk Stability Push-Up

After 7 stations were completed, each student athlete was provided with their individual FMS score which indicates a Low, Medium, or High risk of injury. We were able to offer correctional exercises, 1 on 1 screens to address specific limitations, and PT treatments for those with a High risk of injury score. To schedule a screening for your athlete or team please email Erin directly at [email protected]**

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#Choose2GiveBack

Thank You to the Watervliet Fire Department for inviting us into your station for an informational workshop on Low Back Pain and Sciatica last month! Not only were we privileged to learn the history about WFD, and meet some of the areas finest firemen, we now better understand the physical demands of your day. Thanks again for all you do!

“Go Home Safe”

Gratefully, Erin : )

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