Excel PT: Inflammation and Pain

THE NEWSLETTER ABOUT YOUR HEALTH AND CARING FOR YOUR BODY Health Tips Newsletter

MANAGING PAIN, INFLAMMATION & YOUR IMMUNE SYSTEM WITH

PHYSICAL THERAPY

In this time of pandemic, most people are aware of certain steps they can take to keep healthy, such as washing your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth and of course, maintaining safe distances while also using a mask or face covering. (continued inside)

By Matthew Will, PT, DPT

INSIDE : • Managing Pain, Inflammation & Your Immune System... • Latest Update on COVID-19 from Excel CEO

• Patient Success Spotlights • Coupon Corner!

www.excelphysicaltherapy.com

THE NEWSLETTER ABOUT YOUR HEALTH AND CARING FOR YOUR BODY Health Tips Newsletter

MANAGING PAIN, INFLAMMATION & YOUR IMMUNE SYSTEM WITH

PHYSICAL THERAPY

INSIDE : • Latest Update on COVID-19 from Excel CEO • Coupon Corner!

• Visit A Location Near You! • Patient Success Spotlights

stress, sleep, diet, anxiety and depression. Stress, lack of sleep, and poor dietary habits can lead to a chronic inflammatory state and can ultimately reduce our ability to fight infection or recover from an injury. In fact, just pain itself can cause a number of immunosuppressive effects, meaning that appropriate pain management is a vital part of health and well-being. What can you do about this and how does this relate to physical therapy? Physical therapy can help you recover from pain and inflammation. Techniques such as cognitive functional therapy, manual therapy and most importantly, physical activity and exercise can help your body return back to normal by reducing pain and inflammation. These efforts can also help to reduce stress, anxiety and depression. The relationship between pain, inflammation and your immune system has never been so critical: With the world fighting against COVID-19, it is essential that we keep our immune systems strong and healthy. If pain is making it harder for you or someone that you love to fight infection, you can improve your immune system and reduce your pain with the help of your Excel physical therapist. Together, we can do our part to keep you healthy and pain-free! Visit us to get control over your pain and your life!

(continued from outside)

Did you know that you can also help to maintain your health by treating your pain? In order to find out how, first we’ll need to answer a few simple questions:

By Matthew Will, PT, DPT

Is pain a bad thing? The unpleasant sensory and emotional experience of pain is a near-universally felt condition, and few would claim that their lives wouldn’t be improved without it. However, pain is not only normal, it’s actually helpful, protecting and alerting us to possible harms, such as stepping on a sharp object or suffering an injury. However, when pain lasts longer than normal, or after the normal inflammatory and healing process subsides, pain may become abnormal and no longer helpful to us. Is inflammation a bad thing? Inflammation is a normal part of the healing process. However, just like pain, inflammation can become an abnormal response when it persists. Stress, sleep, diet, anxiety, depression and physical activity can all influence pain and inflammation, and in turn, pain and inflammation can influence

PENNSYLVANIA ALLOWS DIRECT ACCESS TO PHYSICAL THERAPY WITHOUT A PHYSICIAN REFERRAL CONTACT US TODAY TO LEARN IF YOUR INSURANCE CARRIER COVERS THIS SERVICE

Latest Update On COVID-19 From Excel CEO Kristin Mullen

To Our Patients,

a request for an Appointment or Online Inquiry via our Contact Us page. We also invite you to visit and Like our Excel Physical Therapy Facebook Page which is updated daily with important resources and information. Effective March 30, 2020, Excel Physical Therapy has implemented the following Clinic Precautions to ensure patient safety: • All staff will be screened prior to entering the clinic daily (temperature and symptom screening). • All patients will be screened prior to each clinic visit. A patient screening station will be established at each of our clinics to assess for risk of contact exposure or symptoms prior to entry. Should we identify any risk, the appointment will be rescheduled. • We strongly recommend all patients wear a mask or face covering to their appointment, in accordance with CDC guidelines. • Each physical therapist will only schedule 1 in clinic patient per hour. • Only half of our staff will be in the clinic at one time, with no overlap in schedules. • Each physical therapist will be required to utilize Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) while treating patients. • All equipment, common areas, entry and exit doors and access areas will be sanitized hourly. • All highly touched items (coffee, food, magazines) will be removed from the waiting area. • Community water stations will be closed and considered off limits. • Any patient over the age of 65, or those with a compromised immune system or other high risk ailment, will be encouraged to speak with their physician and physical therapist for proper guidance as to whether it is recommended to attend in-clinic therapy, utilize TeleHealth, or postpone treatment to a later date. • Patient waiting areas will have chairs separated, as will the gym area, so as to continue to maintain the practice of physical distance. • All therapeutic areas will continue to be sanitized before, during and after each patient. We look forward to continuing to serve you and will share additional updates as we progress in this unprecedented time period. Please do not hesitate to contact us at 866-883-9235 if we can be of further assistance and thank you for your continued trust.

As part of our ongoing efforts to communicate with our patients during this critical time period, we wanted to share several updates and hope that you and your families continue to remain healthy and safe. The past several weeks have marked a challenging time for each of us, as we deal with unprecedented actions and new ways to go about our daily activities. During this time, our focus is on our patients and we remain committed to servicing the needs of our patient population during this time of crisis. While we do not know how long these conditions will last, we have taken multiple steps to ensure that we continue to remain available for all of our patients, and do so in the safest way possible. Our goal is to continue to balance the need to assist all of our patient population, including those who suffer in pain and require manual therapy or stimulation which can only be performed in a clinic setting, while also offering TeleHealth services to assist patients as a temporary means to deliver care and also relieve any added burden to the health system. We continue to monitor directives from Governor Tom Wolf and Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine, who detail that individuals are allowed to perform tasks essential to maintain health and safety, which includes visiting a healthcare professional, as well as travel to a life-sustaining business, such as Excel Physical Therapy. As of Monday, March 30, 2020 , all of our Excel clinics have reopened under new safety protocols, in which our physical therapists are available to perform in-clinic treatment and we are currently accepting calls and scheduling appointments for patient visits. These protocols include new precautionary safety measures and implementation of patient screening areas that meet and exceed the recommended guidelines from OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) and the CDC (Centers for Disease Control). A list of our specific measures is included in this message and can be found on our website in our COVID-19 information section . Our website also includes a short video which details the new process a patient will experience upon visiting our clinics. We have also introduced a new TeleHealth service as of Monday, March 30, 2020, to accommodate patients who may be unable to visit a clinic setting, or for higher-risk patients, such as those over age 65, or those who are immunocompromised, to obtain treatment until such time that they are able to obtain in-clinic therapy. Many insurance providers have recently relaxed their requirements to allow for payment and wider use of TeleHealth Services. The Services area of our website provides additional details about TeleHealth, its ease of use, as well as insurance coverages, length of treatment sessions and the differences between TeleHealth and In-Clinic visits. Please contact any of our clinics directly to learn more and see if TeleHealth is the right choice to achieve your recovery goals. Our website is a valuable tool to obtain the latest updates regarding COVID-19 Information, TeleHealth, Excel Physical Therapy News, Videos and resources to locate and contact any of our 33 area clinics, or to submit

Sincerely, Kristin Mullen, CEO Excel Physical Therapy

NEW SAFETY PROTOCOLS IN EFFECT & NEW TELEHEALTH OPTION NOW AVAILABLE!

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215-545-8717 215-712-0300 215-634-9713 610-270-0300 610-904-8204 610-363-9060 856-428-4030 484-268-1350 215-639-1600 484-297-6491 215-383-0220 610-651-8282 267-281-5253 610-558-5866 215-442-9060 215-886-5520 717-740-2678 610-832-7510 610-850-0850 484-730-8016 215-867-8753 484-420-7600 610-964-1700 267-529-0050 215-629-1270 215-618-9669 610-792-8100 610-557-0220 215-676-6760 267-630-5740 484-444-0135 610-933-6232 610-323-4300 267-551-3464 267-529-0080

Patient Success Spotlights

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“Having been a patient at Excel in Blue Bell for several months now, I can say from experience that the company’s trademark attention to organization, cleanliness, and patient well-being has always been apparent. Now in the time of COVID-19, the physical therapists have taken even more focused measures to ensure that the exercise equipment and machines are disinfected from top to bottom every time a patient uses anything. Therapists work with only one client at any given time, reducing the number of people in the facility noticeably. Clients are met at the reception area and asked a series of questions about recent travel, exposure to people who have tested positive, and their temperature is taken. The staff wears masks and gloves, and, as I said, wipe down equipment continuously. To be honest, the Excel facility is one of the places in my current sphere where I feel most protected from the virus. I am most grateful that Excel Blue Bell found a way to stay open and provide safe and effective physical therapy to its patients. Hats off to the dedicated staff of Excel Blue Bell!” - Maggie M. (Blue Bell Patient) “I really like Excel Physical Therapy in Pottstown! In these uncertain times, I have no issues going to my scheduled sessions. They have put in place a system of limiting the number of people that are in the building at one time, and screen you with questions and a temperature scan every time you walk in the door. They are always professional and have a constant cleaning and sanitizing routine in place for everything! I am so happy with the progress and the care they have taken with me to achieve my goal of living an active life without pain and limitations.” - Gail F. (Pottstown Patient) Don’t delay we can help you! Contact us: Downtown Philadelphia & South Jersey, Northeast Philadelphia and Lower Bucks County, Montgomery County, The Main Line, Delaware County, Chester County, Allentown, Lancaster: www.excelphysicaltherapy.com/contact-us “They are always professional and have a constant cleaning and sanitizing routine in place for everything! ” “Hats off to the dedicated staff of Excel Blue Bell!”

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