Farmingdale PT West: Back Pain and Difficulty Walking

Farmingdale PT West: Back Pain and Difficulty Walking

Health &Wellness The Newsletter About Your Health And Caring For Your Body

A HELPING HAND

By Amanda Fucci

My name is Amanda Fucci and I have been playing softball since I was 5 years old. My career continued through high school where I received All Conference my junior year and All County my senior year. I chose to attend SUNY Old Westbury to study public health and continue my softball career in college. Softball was a part of my whole life and throughout college and I always struggled with posterior tibial tendinitis and plantar fasciitis.

year. As a pitcher and infielder, this injury set me back in terms of my agility, strength, and quick movements. Many players and coaches underestimated my ability due to my injury, but that didn’t stop me from competing. For me, this injury became my motivation. I had to deal with multiple years of sitting out practices, being in a boot, and years of physical therapy from Farmingdale Physical Therapy West. The physical therapists got me out of the boot and back to participating in practices. Their knowledge, dedication, and persistence continued to get me back on the field every year.

My injury started in my freshman year of college and continued through my senior

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Health & Wellness The Newsletter About Your Health And Caring For Your Body

Long Island’s Top PT Clinic! WALKING AWAY FROM BACK PAIN

INSIDE: • Fixing Your Stride • Healthy Recipe

• Employee Of The Month • Patient Success Spotlight

Walking Your Way Pain Free Walking is a great form of exercise, but more than that, it is a necessity of life. When you can’t walk, even basic tasks become complicated. Getting out of bed in the morning, getting to and from work, moving your way around the office, and even spending time with family on the weekends all rely heavily on your ability to walk. When your back pain begins to interfere with your ability to move around freely, then you know it is time to start doing something about it. Conveniently, walking is more than a goal when it comes to back pain, it could be part of the solution. Working with a physical therapist to develop improved strategies and techniques with your walking could help you to get back on your feet even sooner than you thought possible. What’s more, for those who are able to walk, getting on your feet more often with targeted exercises could help you find relief from back pain even sooner than expected. Look inside to learn more about our programs and say good-bye to your aching back.

Does going for a walk sound like a big pain in the back? For those who struggle with chronic back pain, even the basic task of going for a walk can be overwhelming and painful. Backpaincanstrikeatany time.Whether in theupper back, surrounding the neck and shoulders, or in the lower back at the lumbar or sciatica, back pain is something that no one likes to deal with for too long.

VINCENZOADDUCI, DPT

Relying on pain medications to help you overcome back pain will leave you disappointed. While pain medications are frequently helpful at alleviating the discomfort of your back pain for a short period of time, they are not capable of resolving the issue that is causing your pain to develop in the first place. The only thing that can actually fix your back pain is addressing the issue that is causing your pain head on. Physical therapy is a great resource for addressing your back pain and can be a helpful tool in getting you back on your feet. So, whether it is following a sudden injury or a chronic issue that has developed over time, physical therapy could be the answer to helping you enjoy life free of back pain. And the secret to success is learning to approach recovery one step at a time.

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professional footwear matters. You may find it helpful to have custom orthotics made for your work shoes so that you can have more arch support around the clock. 3. Work on improving your posture. If you are slouching when you walk, then that may be impacting the way that your back feels. Take a few minutes in the morning and again in the afternoon to stretch your back, and then make a point of keeping your shoulders square and your back straight as you walk. Simply standing tall may alleviate some of your back pain. Another way that walking can help alleviate back pain is by encouraging weight loss. Being overweight puts added pressure on your back, and this can contribute to increased back pain. Working with a physical therapist to improve your walking technique can help you to overcome back pain one step at a time. FIXING YOUR

When you are experiencing regular back pain—especially if you are experiencing back pain while walking—you should consider ways that you can reduce back pain by taking small steps to support your back. There are several things that you can do at home to improve your stride, which can make a significant difference when it comes to managing back pain day to day. Here are several ways that you can start taking care of your back with each step you take: 1. Make sure that you are wearing the right types of shoes. While the golden rule for walking is to wear sneakers, not all sneakers are created equally. You need to wear a sneaker that is going to provide you with the arch support that meets your individual needs. This may mean upgrading from your minimal support sneaker to something more athletically designed. 2. Try a custom insert in your shoe. Of course, you can’t wear sneakers all the time. When you are at the office,

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Healthy Recipe: Veggie Hummus Rolls

Ingredients • 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, low-salt hummus • 2 tbsp. raw sunflower seeds (or your choice of raw seeds)

Directions 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.

FARMINGDALE PHYSICAL THERAPY WEST 4277 Hempstead Turnpike Bethpage, NY 11714 • 516-731-3583

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Patient Success Spotlight

Employee Of The Month

STEPHANIE SILVER

“I sustained a grade 2 strain of my left calf was further aggravated by inflammation in my Achilles tendon. This resulted in limitations in my ability to perform tasks such as construction at the house and cardio exercise like walking on the beach. The administration staff made the process easy and were very courteous and accommodating. Jillian assessed my injury and put together a comprehensive plan to heal and strengthen the calf muscle and supporting muscles. I can now resume all activities thanks to the great team at Farmingdale Physical Therapy West.” - Robert L. “I can now resume all activities thanks to the great team at Farmingdale Physical Therapy West.” Take Care of Your Pain Before It’s Too Late.

Stephanie spends her free time as a waitress/bartender at a local Patchogue restaurant, coaching pole vault, running/working out, reading, and watching her favorite shows with her friends and family. Her favorite foods include spaghetti with homemade sauce, meatballs, and sushi. Her favorite part about working at Farmingdale Physical Therapy West is learning from the physical therapists and seeing patients progress from their initial visit and increasing their mobility and strength. TIME IS RUNNING OUT IN 2018! It’s the end of the year and now is the time to maximize your health benefits! As you begin to plan for next year, don’t forget to use your remaining healthcare benefits for this one (if medically necessary). If you’ve already paid a lot in health expenses this year, chances are anything covered by your health insurance plan will be much cheaper now than in January. That nagging back, neck or shoulder pain you have been ignoring needs to be taken care of. Many times, patients tell me that they have had pain for at least 4-6 months before they finally come in for treatment. So, if you’ve been meaning to deal with that nagging pain, now is the time to get it all done. Your benefits may reset after the first of the year, so take advantage now. Schedule a FREE 15 minute discovery visit and see how to get yourself in better health! Call Today! 516-731-3583

Patient Of The Month

Scott Nitz

Scott has been a patient with here at Farmingdale Physical Therapy West for over a month now. In his free time, Scott enjoys reading books and hanging out with his family. He loves coming to PT with us at Farmingdale Physical Therapy West because we create a great atmosphere for the patients, the people are great, and all the employees are accommodating and have a positive attitude.

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Attention Pain Sufferers WE ARE HOSTING 2 GREAT WORKSHOPS!

December 11th 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm ROTATOR CUFF WORKSHOP

BACK PAIN & SCIATICA WORKSHOP

January 8th

6:00 pm

- 7:00 pm

You’ll learn: • Main causes of back pain and sciatica • Benefits of PT for back pain and sciatica • How posture plays a role in back pain • Exercises to improve strength of your back • Exercises to relieve sciatica symptoms

You’ll learn: • Function of the rotator cuff • Main causes of shoulder/rotator cuff issues • Benefits of PT for shoulder pain • How posture plays a role in shoulder pain • Exercises to improve strength of the shoulder • Exercises to improve posture and pain

CALL (516) 731-3583 TO RSVP

LIMITED SPOTS AVAILABLE

Now in Our Facility! 4277 Hempstead Turnpike, Suite 209 Bethpage, NY 11714

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CELEBRATING OUR 8TH ANNIVERSARY WITH FREE EXAMS A ONE DAY SPECIAL OFFER FOR ALL PRESENT& PASTPATIENTS OF FARMINGDALE PHYSICAL THERAPYWEST Dear Valued Client, This fall marks the 8th Anniversary of Farmingdale PT West. We want to do something special to celebrate! This is our BIG THANK YOU for allowing us to serve you. To thank you, our valued customers, we are having a day of completely Free Exams for: • All loved ones, family, friends, neighbors and co-workers of our past and present patients If you are a past or present patient then call 516-731-3583 to schedule your Free Exam. If you are referring a friend or family member, give them the certificate included in this letter and have them call 516-731-3583 to schedule their Free Exam. The day of Free Exams will be on: Thursday, January 24th, 2019 from 9AM to 6PM. The Free Exam consists of a 30 minute one-on-one appointment with the Physical Therapist of your choice. The PT will talk with you about the history of your problem. They will take measurements to test how well you are moving and to test your strength. After a thorough exam, they will give you a written copy of: 1. The cause of your pain or problem. 2. A plan for successful treatment. The appointments are free, but are limited as each PT only has 10 spots. Call 516-731-3583 now to schedule your Free Exam. The Free Exam is ideal for people suffering with: • Lower Back Pain • All past clients who have not been seen in PT in more than 3 months • All present clients who have another problem currently not being treated

• Arthritis • Sciatica • Neck Pain • Headaches • Shoulder Pain • Knee Pain • Problems Walking

If you are having pain or problems with day to day activities such as walking, standing, sitting for long periods, going up or down steps, getting in and out of the car, sleeping or driving, then this is an excellent opportunity to see one of our world-class therapists and find out the cause of your problem. Call 516-731-3583 to schedule your Free Exam for January 24th. Sincerely, Henry “Butch” Purslow, DPT

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