Cornerstone PT - July 2018

July 2018

CORNERSTONE Monthly

77 Brant Avenue Suite 101, Clark, NJ 07066 • www.cornerstoneptnj.com • 732.499.4540

Cornerstone PT Patients

IN FULL SWING SUMMER TRAVEL

For many families, summer is the time to travel. I’m sure many of our readers are getting ready to load up for a road trip or may be returning from spending the Fourth of July with their relatives. For our family, the travel schedule is about to reach a fever pitch. Both my daughter and son are competing in out-of-state tournaments this month, meaning the De La Fuente family will be heading from coast to coast in the span of a week. Going to these big games is an incredible opportunity for the kids, and as a father, it’s great to see them excelling at sports they love! Still, I apologize in advance if I seem jet-lagged around the office. Our biggest jump is also at the top of the itinerary. For the first time, the family will be flying out to sunny California to cheer on my daughter on the softball field. We won’t have much time to sightsee, however, because before that tournament is even over, my son has to meet his team all the way back on the East Coast, in Maryland. “As crazy as this travel schedule may seem, I wouldn’t have it any other way.” To accommodate this, my son and I will be leaving early, and my wife and daughter will follow as soon as her tournament ends. Then we’ll all drive to Maryland. Luckily, I don’t have any trouble sleeping on airplanes. As crazy as this travel schedule may seem, I wouldn’t have it any other way. My kids have a blast doing what they love, and my wife and I get to be right there on the sidelines cheering them on. That’s what being a team is all about! Sometimes I worry about my kids having too much on their plates, and yet they continue to prove me wrong. This year, my daughter played for both her middle school

VIP Referral Patient of the Month!

REECE AUGUSTINE

and travel team, while my son excelled at both lacrosse and baseball. Despite these extracurriculars, they have great grades in school. My daughter in particular has taken a liking to math and science. In fact, she is already getting serious about thinking of her future. About a year and a half ago, my daughter told me that she wanted to become a physical therapist. I was amazed and a little shocked. It’s very flattering when your kids tell you they want to learn about your world and go into the same profession. I was honored, but thought it might have been just a passing sentiment. And yet, so far, she’s sticking to her story. Being 13 years old, it’s still pretty early for her to be committing to a career path. But she definitely has the dedication and passion the job requires. Plus, she gets plenty of exposure to our office and likes what we do! As someone who has had sports injuries of her own, she has firsthand knowledge of the good that physical therapy can do for athletes. The fact that she wants to be a part of that speaks to her altruism and kind heart. Regardless of what the future holds, I’m very proud of where my family is right now. We may be all over the country this month, but so long as we’re together, supporting one another, we’re right at home.

The best compliment we can receive is to have one of our patients refer a friend or family member to our practice. If you refer someone, and we are able to take them as a patient, you and the person who was referred

Thank You! will be entered to win a $25 gift card! It’s just our way of saying

Happy trails,

– David DeLaFuente

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From left to right: David De La Fuente PT, DPT, recent Cornerstone grad Agnieszka Skiba, and Zachary Katzman, PTA

A LOOK AT 3 COMMON TENNIS INJURIES Don’t Be Sidelined by Pain This Summer

“Amazing work — they felt like a family. The great staff is focused on well-being and focused on people. They were always smiling and always good and caring. Thank you so much. You helped me overcome my pain. Zach, a special

thank-you to you!” –Agnieszka Skiba

Not all sports injuries happen instantly. There are many that occur over time. Consider, for example, the activities that many of us are involved in throughout our lives, such as biking, golfing, swimming, and more. Tennis also comes with its fair share of long-term injuries. Over years of playing, these seemingly minor injuries can compound and worsen, leading to inflammation, pain, and reduced range of motion. When that happens, these injuries can leave you on the sidelines. TENNIS ELBOW Also known as lateral epicondylitis, this condition is characterized by inflamed tendons around the outer part of the elbow. This is the injury most associated with the game of tennis, and for good reason. Due to the repetitive swinging motions that come with the sport, the muscles and forearms can become strained and eventually damaged. ROTATOR CUFF TENDONITIS Your rotator cuff is critical for the range of motion in your shoulder joint. In tennis, stress on the four muscles that make up the rotator cuff can cause them to become inflamed and in some cases tear. Certain movements, such as the serve and the overhead slam, can strain the rotator cuff, leading to pain, sensitivity, and weakness in the shoulder. IMPINGEMENT SYNDROME Sometimes referred to as “swimmer’s shoulder,” this syndrome occurs when the tendons of the rotator cuff pass through the subacromial space and become inflamed. The subacromial space is the area below the acromion, an extended part of the shoulder blade nearest the shoulder joint. When these tendons become inflamed, you can expect pain and often a reduced range of motion. With the right physical therapy program, you can address each of these conditions and more. You don’t have to rely on pain medication or surgery to correct these issues. The sooner you notice the symptoms — pain, inflammation, swelling, or loss of range of motion — the sooner a trained physical therapist can treat and potentially reverse your condition.

From left to right: David De La Fuente PT, DPT, and recent Cornerstone grad Tatiana Dilollo

“As soon as I walked in, I was shy and nervous, but everyone here was so inviting and kind that it made me feel right at home. I will definitely miss this place and everyone here. Dr. David helped me so much with my recovery.” –Tatiana Dilollo

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SOURCING THE SWEET-SMELLING STUFF WHERE ESSENTIAL OILS COME FROM

Call it a pseudoscientific fad or a medical revolution; either way, essential oils are more popular today than they have ever been. Though research on the efficacy of lavender, ginger, and the dozens of other sweet-smelling oils is conflicting at best, people are using them at an astonishing rate. In fact, according to Stratistics MRC, essential oils were a $5.91 billion industry in 2016 and are expected to reach $12.85 billion by 2023. Whether you’re an essential oil acolyte or fly into a rage at the faintest hint of bergamot, your mind is already made up about aromatherapy. The question remains, though: Where does all this delicious- smelling stuff come from? Most essential oils are derived from a process called steam distillation . Soon after harvest, the plants are placed on a mesh inside a sealed still, into which steam is injected. As the steam rises and envelops the plant, it breaks it down and lifts its constituent components up through a tube and into a condenser.

The condenser cools the resulting vapor and collects it in liquid form at the bottom. Since essential oils do not mix with water, they float on the surface, where they’re siphoned off, bottled, and shipped off to a distributor. There are other methods, such as expression (aka cold pressing), but because steam distillation is so easy to do, most essential oils you see on the shelf will have gone through this process.

paperbark, a short, bushy tree that produces white, fluffy flowers in the spring. The trees are endemic to Australia, but today are usually farmed in New South Wales or Queensland. Bergamot is distilled from the peels of lime-green bergamot oranges, or citrus bergamia . Most of it comes from coastal areas around the Ionian Sea. Whatever you do with it, use it sparingly on your skin — it can amplify skin damage from the sun!

Lavender essential oil is harvested from sheaves of lavandula angustifolia , that purple herb you see all over gardens across the United States. There are lavender farms all over the world, from California to Japan to Brazil, but the biggest world producer of lavender is, interestingly, Bulgaria.

Tea Tree oil comes from the leaves of melaleuca alternifolia , commonly known as narrow-leaved

BLUE CHEESE BUFFALO DOGS AND CELERY SLAW

No matter where you stand on the great ketchup versus mustard debate, you’ll love these spicy, tang y, easy-to-make buffalo dogs. They’re the perfect way to elevate your Fourth of July cookout.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 package of your favorite hot dogs • 1 package hot dog buns • 1 bottle Frank’s RedHot sauce • 4 ounces crumbled blue cheese For Celery Slaw: • 4 celery stalks, very thinly sliced

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1/2 teaspoon lemon zest

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2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

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1 teaspoon olive oil

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Celery salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste

DIRECTIONS

1. For slaw, toss all ingredients together and season with celery salt and pepper. 2. Grill hot dogs and toast buns. 3. Assemble hot dogs, douse with hot sauce, and top with celery slaw. 4. Top with blue cheese, add another splash of hot sauce if you’re feeling extra spicy, and serve.

Recipe inspired by Bon Appetit magazine

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77 Brant Avenue Suite 101 Clark, NJ 07066 732.499.4540 www.cornerstoneptnj.com

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INSIDE This Issue

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Our Crazy Travel Itinerary

Testimonials

3 Common Tennis Injuries

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Where Do Essential Oils Come From?

Blue Cheese Buffalo Dogs and Celery Slaw

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Must-See Swimming Holes of the World

Secret Swimming Holes of the World

EXCLUSIVE SPOTS YOU MUST SEE TO BELIEVE

Summertime is for swimming, but why settle for a community pool when you can have access to the most beautiful swimming locales in the world? These three exclusive, little-known spots are sure to take your breath away. HALI’I FALLS, HAWAII With its spiral staircase of waterfalls, this remote jungle location offers up more than one unique spot to take a plunge. Visitors never fail to be awestruck by the deep blue-green hue of each pool created by the four cascading waterfalls. Hali’i means “to spread out,” which is precisely what each waterfall does, showcasing a serene experience unlike any other. But the beauty of this one-of-a-kind experience is only outdone by its exclusivity. To reach these pools, you’ll have to hike through dense forest, deep marshes, and wide-open pastures of sugar cane. DOS OJOS, MEXICO The Spanish translation of the name for this magical system of caves is “two eyes,” and you’ll want to have yours checked after you see this swimming hole.

When limestone bedrock collapses, a sinkhole called a “cenote” is formed. The unearthed water from the natural aquifer balances a color palette of earth tones with the most majestic shades of blue you’ll ever behold. The calling cards for these bodies of water are the Blue Eye and the Black Eye. Both offer unforgettable experiences, but the price of entry is a hefty sense of adventure. You’ll need a full set of scuba gear to get to either hole. THE BATHS, VIRGIN GORDA A day in the Caribbean is like living every moment inside a beautiful pastel painting. The elegance of this location in the British Virgin Islands will make you feel like you’ve been transported into a cathedral. The large boulders and natural rock formations create shallow caves that will captivate your eyes as you wade through the water in wonder. When you exit, you’ll witness the sight that gives this beautiful spot its name. A handful of 40-foot granite boulders form private pools as if that was what they were made for.

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