Choice PT: Living Life Without Back Pain

Move to Live Your Resource to Moving Well and Living Life

BRYAN TALLMAN, PATIENT CARE ASSISTANT Getting To Know The Choice Physical Therapy Team!

How can our Patient Care Assistants help you? • Keep treatment areas clean and organized • Assist with gathering exercise and treatment related equipment/supplies • Assisting with printing Home Exercise Programs • Assist you in scheduling appointment times that are convenient for you • Ensuring clinic laundry is clean and organized • Assisting your Doctor of Physical Therapy to ensure they are able to spend quality time with you throughout your treatment session • Keeping you well hydrated with water throughout your treatments!

Background/Education Bryan grew up in Saratoga Springs, NY and graduated from Saratoga Springs High School. Bryan is also a graduate of Sage College of Albany, where he studied Biology and Public Health. He is currently in the process of applying for graduate school (in OT/PT). Bryan furthered his education as a Certified Nursing Assistant in Rhode Island, where he spent time doing home Health care. In his free time he enjoys exercising, the outdoors, and spending time with family and friends.

www.choiceptny.com

Move to Live Your Resource to Moving Well and Living Life

ENJOY FALL WHILE AVOIDING FALLS

Fall is 100% my favorite time of year. Football, apple cider donuts, and October was National Physical Therapy Month...how can it get any better than that? Among older Americans car accidents are the #1 cause of: death from injury and injuries ingeneral.That’sastartlingstatisticwhenyou thinkabout it.Makes me think twice about going out joy riding on a fall weekend to check out the changing leaves. If car accidents are the #1 cause, can you guess what the second leading cause is? It’s a loaded question. Among older Americans falls are the #1 cause of: death from injury and injury in general. Falls are a serious problem. Every second an older American falls. One in three older adults reported a fall and that number increases with age. In 2014, falls impacted 46 million people. In 2030, that number is expected to increase 61% to impact 74 million people. Understanding what factors tend to contribute to falls as well as how to be proactive in screening for falls can help turn those statistics around. Here are the five most common reasons people fall: 1. Our vision can decrease as we age which can lead to falls due to not seeing clearly. 2. Our hips and leg muscles become weaker making it harder to walk and lift our feet. 3. We can develop poor posture making it harder to stand upright. 4. It takes longer to react when something is in our way. 5. Manymedications interactwithoneanotherwhichcancontribute todizziness or loss of balance. Having good balance is a team effort made up of three essential elements

First, your visual system. If you can’t see obstacles coming at you it is much harder tomaneuveraround them.Balance ismuchharder inadarkenvironment or with our eyes closed for this reason. Second, your inner ear or your vestibular system. This is your bodies “righting mechanism” to offset tipping, tilting, and turning your head. The details of the vestibular system are too indepth to describe here but suffice it to say, if you’ve ever experienced vertigo you understand the very important role your inner ear plays in balance. Lastly,yoursensorysystem.Specifically,yourproprioception.Proprioception isa fancy termforpositionsense.Thereare tinyreceptors inyour jointsandmuscles whichconstantlysendfeedback information toyourbraincommunicatingwhere your hands and legs are in space. Without this system working efficiently you can be much more prone to tripping over your foot causing unsteadiness or worse a fall. Wondering if you or a loved one is at increased risk for falls? I’ve included a fall screening questionnaire inside this edition of Move to Live. Based on your answers if you score > 4 further fall risk assessments should be completed. The testing takes about 15-20 minutes and can be performed right in our clinic. Don’t let pride or a “busy schedule” jeopardize yours or a loved one’s safety. A fallcansignificantly impactconfidenceand independence.Knowledge ispower. Knowing whether you’re at risk and what to specifically do to minimize that risk can make a world of difference. All the best, Joe

www.choiceptny.com

DID YOU GET THE MOST OUT OF YOUR HEALTHCARE IN 2018?

The year is too quickly coming to an end, as it always seems to. I want you to take a minute and think about your health and your health insurance. You pay a lot for your health insurance, more every year in most cases. Premiums, Co-pays, Co-insurance, Out-of-pocket limits all go up each year and if that’s not bad enough many plans are beginning to limit your number of visits of physical therapy per year too. My own insurance agent has warned me that 2019 will be no different when it comes to increases. So, all I can tell you is… TAKE ADVANTAGE OF ANY 2018 BENEFITS YOU MAY HAVE LEFT NOW! Don’t miss out on all the fun the things you love doing over the holidays AND don’t wait until January when the clock and deductibles start over! It is even easy now. New York has a direct access…for most insurance plans,

Take advantage of your insurance instead of it taking advantage of you. Take advantage of any unspent Flexible spending dollars. Take advantage of a FREE DISCOVERY VISIT! Call (518) 203-6761 and mention this article to schedule a one on one free discovery visit with me, Sarah, Cody, or Tom. Here’s to enjoying your holidays, Joe PS. If you don’t need help at this time would you kindly pass this newsletter along to someone who does? PPS. If you have any questions call me directly or send me an email at [email protected]

YOU DON’T NEED A DOCTOR’S NOTE FOR PHYSICAL THERAPY ANYMORE!

Exercise Essentials Try this movement if you are experiencing poor balance.

Veggie Hummus Rolls

INSTRUCTIONS Heat wraps for 10 to 20 seconds in the microwave. Spread each wrap with 3 to 4 tbsp of no-oil hummus (depending on the diameter of your wrap). Divide veggies and sprinkle on top of the hummus on each wrap. Make sure to stop your veggies about 2 inches down from the edge of the tortillas (this will help the wraps seal up better). Starting on the opposite end, roll upwards tightly and press down to seal. Eat as whole wraps or cut into 1 1/2 to 2 inch pieces to make sushi-like rolls.

Helps Improve Balance

www.simpleset.net

TANDEM STANCE BALANCE With a stable surface near by, start by placing one foot directly in front of the other. Keep your heel to your toe and stand for 20 seconds. Alternate your feet and repeat 3 times each.

• 2 vegan whole wheat wraps • 1/2 cup diced red peppers • 1/2 cup diced yellow pepper • 1/2 cup diced red cabbage • 2 large carrots, peeled • 6 - 8 tbsp. no-oil hummus • 2 tbsp. raw sunflower seeds (or your choice of raw seeds)

CALL TODAY! 518.203.6761

Circle “YES” or “NO” For Each Statement Below

Why It Matters

YES 2 YES 2 YES 1 YES 1 YES 1 YES 1 YES 1 YES 1 YES 1 YES 1 YES 1 YES 1

NO 0 NO 0 NO 0 NO 0 NO 0 NO 0 NO 0 NO 0 NO 0 NO 0 NO 0 NO 0

I have fallen in the past year.

People who have fallen once are likely to fall again.

I use or have been advised to use a cane or walker to get around safely.

Unsteadiness or needing support while walking are signs of poor balance. People who have been advised to use a cane or walker may already be more likely to fall.

Sometimes I feel unsteady when I am walking.

I steady myself by holding onto furniture when walking at home.

This is also a sign of poor balance.

I am worried about falling.

People who are worried about falling are more likely to fall.

I need to push with my hands to stand up from a chair.

This is a sign of weak leg muscles, a major reason for falling.

I have some trouble stepping up onto a curb.

This is also a sign of weak leg muscles.

Rushing to the bathroom, especially at night, increases your chance of falling.

I often have to rush to the toilet.

I have lost some feeling in my feet.

Numbness in your feet can cause stumbles and lead to falls.

I take medicine that sometimes makes me feel light-headed or more tired than usual.

Check Your Risk for Falling Symptoms of depression, such as not feeling well or feeling slowed down, are linked to falls. These medicines can sometimes increase your chance of falling. Side effects from medicine can sometimes increase your chance of falling.

I take medicine to help me sleep or improve my mood.

I often feel sad or depressed.

Add up the number of points for each “yes” answer. If you scored 4 points or more, you may be at risk for falling.

This checklist was developed by the Greater Los Angeles VA Geriatric Research Education Clinical Center and affiliates and is a validated fall risk self-assessment tool (Rubenstein et al. J Safety Res; 2011: 42(6)493-499).

#Choose2GiveBack

THANK YOU to our new friends at Hope Lutheran Church for having us Sunday, October 14th for a Fall Prevention Workshop. We were delighted to get to know new faces, and catch up with a few familiar ones. Joe, Erin, and Nicole were on site teaching the members of the church about certain risk factors which increase ones risk of falling, as well as the assessments we use as Physical Therapists to assess an individuals Fall Risk. We found each member in the community knew what their blood pressure and eye sights were, but no one knew what their risk of falling was.

*Among older Americans FALLS are the #1 cause of death from injury and injuries.*

If you want to see what your risk of falling is, to avoid the startling statistic above, please call Sam or Nicole and request a free Fall Risk Assessment!!

Gratefully, Erin : )

www.choiceptny.com