Choice PT: Staying Active. Staying Safe

Move to Live Your Resource to Moving Well and Living Life

STAYING ACTIVE. STAYING SAFE.

Summer is officially in full swing! Sunshine and Snowman ice cream... how can it get any better than that? As we are all able to start getting out and about more we’d like to talk about fall risk this month. (continued inside)

www.choiceptny.com

Move to Live Your Resource to Moving Well and Living Life

STAYING ACTIVE. STAYING SAFE.

(continued from outside) Among older Americans car accidents are the #1 cause of: death from injury and injuries in general. That’s a startling statistic when you think about 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.

Lastly, your sensory system. Specifically, your proprioception. Proprioception is a fancy term for position sense. Tiny receptors in your joints and muscles constantly send feedback information to your brain communicating where your hands and legs are in space. Without this system working well you can be much more prone to tripping over your foot causing unsteadiness or worse a fall.

2. Our hips and leg muscles become weaker making it harder to walk and lift our feet.

Wondering if you or a loved one is at increased risk for falls?

3. We can develop poor posture making it harder to stand upright.

We’ve included a fall screening questionnaire in this month’s newsletter. If you score > 4 further fall risk assessments should be completed. The testing takes about 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 fall can significantly impact confidence and independence.

4. It takes longer to react when something is in our way.

5. Medications can interact with one another which can contribute to dizziness or loss of balance.

Having good balance is a team effort made up of three essential elements.

Knowledge is power.

First, your vision. If you can’t see obstacles coming at you it is much harder to maneuver around them. Balance is much harder in a dark environment or with our eyes closed for this reason. Second, your inner ear (vestibular system). This is your bodies “righting mechanism” to offset tipping, tilting, and turning your head. The vestibular system is very complicated but suffice it to say, if you’ve ever experienced vertigo you understand the very important role your inner ear plays in balance.

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

CHEERS TO 5 YEARS!!

June 15, 2015. That’s the day all the Choice PT magic started! On that day, our team consisted of Erin, Joe, and 10 month old Dominic. Our mission was to deliver a personalized and fun healthcare experience. Time certainly flies by when you’re having fun. Reflecting back on the past five years some important numbers stand out:

• 5 years • 1,825 days • 43,800 hours

• 15 team members • 2 clinics • Over 65,800 patient visits helped

We continue to be humbled by the support of our Troy and surrounding communities. There is no greater compliment than when someone we’ve been able to help refers a family member or friend to our practice. Thank you for allowing us to be a part of your healthcare team and helping you move well so you can keep living your life. “The strength of the team is each individual team member. The strength of each member is the team” - Phil Jackson Not only has Choice allowed us to help a great number of people within our community but we’ve had the honor and privilege to work with and learn from our incredible team. Contribution, Compassion, Responsibility, and Growth. Those four words make up our core values at Choice and I

can confidently say that each team member embodies those words and their meaning. Each and everyday we are thankful and appreciative for the selfless effort each of our team members puts into helping make Choice what it has evolved into.

Thank you again for your trust and support these past five years.

Cheers to many more!

Joe & Erin

Try this movement if you are experiencing back pain. Exercise Essentials Try this exercise to relieve your knee or leg pain.

Patient Success Story

Helps Leg Pain

www.simpleset.net

STRAIGHT LEG RAISE While on your back as shown below, keep your knee straight and lift your leg up while leaving the other foot flat on the surface with knee bent. Hold for 5 seconds and repeat 20 times.

#CHOOSE2GIVEBACK

In June, we did a “Check-In Challenge” at both of our CPT locations to raise awareness for Pride Month and Alzheimer’s and Brain Awareness Month both nationally recognized in June! We were able to donate $3 for every Facebook check- in throughout the month of June to the Pride Center of the Capital Region and Alzheimer’s Association of Northeastern NY!

Thank you so much for participating and helping us reach our goal for June’s #Choose2GiveBack campaign!

Gratefully, Erin