Focus Physical Therapy - December/January 2021

Focus Physical Therapy - December/January 2021

Focus Physical Therapy

Bi-Monthly

DECEMBER 2020/JANUARY 2021

Focuspt.net

949.709.8770

Thank You, 2020! Guess what, guys? We made it! We’re finally at the end of 2020. I’m not going to lie, there were a few moments along the way when I wasn’t sure we would pull through, especially this spring. One minute, things were business as usual, and then in March, boom! COVID-19 hit and sent me scrambling. This Pandemic Year Taught Me a Valuable Lesson

I had to figure out how to keep everyone safe, apply for Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans, and keep as many of our team members working as possible. To say it was a challenge would be an understatement. Reducing people’s hours and furloughing one of my employees were some of the most difficult decisions I’ve ever had to make. Still, in the end, Focus Physical Therapy was fortunate! We qualified for PPP and tried a dozen new strategies so we could keep helping patients. In hindsight, I think the pandemic taught me and my team a valuable lesson: how to adapt. When we had fewer patients coming in, for example, we didn’t just sit around. We adapted and used that time to work on our training and development and give other internal projects extra attention. We also got busy using all of the technology we could to stay in touch with our patients. Since fewer people were seeing us in person, we took on the project of reaching out. I still remember the day when I told all of our therapists, “Congratulations, you’re telemarketers now!” They got to work manning the telephones and checking in on every patient they’d seen in the last two years. You might remember getting one of those calls yourself! Those weren’t the only ways we adapted, either. We also became experts at Zoom and started offering telehealth, which is basically physical therapy online for people who can’t come into the office. All of these adaptations are really valuable, and we’re planning to keep up with some of them even when things go back to normal. Now that we know how to do telehealth, we can offer it when

a patient is on vacation or when a student athlete goes off to college but wants to stay in touch with their PT.

My family and I had to adapt to the pandemic at home, too. My wife, Laura, was home with the kids for several months during lockdown, helping them with online learning. That was a big adjustment for her, although she did have some experience with it because we home-schooled our kids in the past. Still, there’s a big difference between teaching elementary school lessons and helping an eighth grader and a high school sophomore with online classes! She did an amazing job, and we adapted to the new routine and other lockdown measures by spending even more time outdoors hiking, going to the beach, and riding our bikes. Sometimes adapting was tough. Figuring out new technology is never easy, and my family and I missed doing things like going to church in person. But overall, I think learning to pivot more readily has made me a better physical therapist, business owner, husband, and dad. I’m looking forward to 2021, when we’ll hopefully have our freedoms back, have less to fear, and be able to take off our masks. I can’t wait to see your smiles again!

Focus Physical Therapy • Call 949.709.8770 • 1 –Julian Manrique

Are You Up for a Challenge? Focus on Fitness for 30 Days

to get 1,000 more steps than that in the following week and build from there. Keep going until you’re regularly hitting a number that is at least 5,000 steps beyond your baseline! (If you don’t have an Apple Watch, Fitbit, or other fitness tracking device, find an old-fashioned pedometer and get to work!)

Everyone’s done it. We’ve rung in the new year on the promise that this is our year to get healthy. We’re going to finally lose the weight, eat healthier, and feel better than ever. Sadly, many of us fail at this endeavor every single year. Let’s make 2021 different! Work toward your wellness goals by trying monthly challenges. These challenges allow you to focus on one area of your wellness each month, which will ultimately ensure you create sustainable habits. Here are three challenges to get you started!

throughout the month until you reach your goal. Give it a shot. We guarantee you’ll have more energy!

March: Bulk Up

Choose one area of your body to focus on this month. Want to improve your arm strength? Work your way up from five to 50 pushups throughout the month. Follow the same formula with squats if you want to focus on your legs. Or, try planking to strengthen your core. Start the month by holding the plank for 30 seconds and work your way up to 2–3 minutes! As you progress in each challenge, you’ll notice significant improvement. For the best results, rest whatever area of your body you’re focusing on during your regular exercise routine. (That’s how muscle grows!)

February: Drink Up

Tracking your water intake and challenging yourself to drink more can help you feel more energized and make progress on your other goals. Start by calculating how much water you need to consume. Experts suggest taking your body weight, dividing it by two, and drinking that many ounces of water each day. (For example, a person who weighs 150 pounds should drink 75 ounces of water.) Can you drink that much water each day for 30 days? If not, drink more each day

January: Step Up

Getting extra steps in during the day is the quickest way to introduce more activity into your life. Start easy and just track your regular steps for one week. Then, set a goal

SUCCESS STORY

The biggest compliment you can give us is referring friends and family. Thank you for all your referrals and keep them coming! We love our clients!

After knee surgery for an insufficiency fracture and a minor meniscus tear, I attended physical therapy (PT) at a different facility. I was able to strengthen my knee, but I was still experiencing pain when I moved certain ways. I hoped the pain would eventually go away, but it did not. I began to believe I would always have this pain. Then my wife began attending Focus Physical Therapy in Rancho Santa Margarita for PT for her shoulder issue. She told me that Julian was really making a difference in her case and I should try PT again at Focus PT. I began PT sessions there, and it has really helped. Julian’s approach is far different from what most PT centers offer. He spends 20–30 minutes each session performing hands-on manipulation of the affected area. He works to get to the cause of the pain. He then focuses on manipulating muscle and tissue with the goal of realigning the joint and muscles and strengthening the surrounding muscles that support the joint. He then prescribes exercises that are specifically selected to both strengthen and re-train the muscles and their support tissues for your specific case. You are not just given generic exercises for the knee. Since I began with Focus Physical Therapy, I have seen remarkable improvement. My pain has diminished a lot, and the types of movements or incidents that cause the pain are fewer. I feel confident that my pain will be completely gone by the time I finish my sessions. Try Focus Physical Therapy. You won’t go wrong. - Steven E.

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• Focus Physical Therapy •

Focuspt.net

$10

Meet Dean Keenan,Our New PT!

Julian’s Student Becomes His Coworker

Sometimes as a teacher, you come across a student who is just too talented to overlook. For Julian, who mentors physical therapy graduate students on top of running Focus Physical Therapy, that student was Dean Keenan. “When I was finishing my last clinical rotation at my grad school, Loma Linda University, Julian was my clinical instructor,” Dean says. “So, for three months, I got to learn under him and treat patients with him, and once I finished my doctorate, I was hired on at Focus Physical Therapy.” Starting work for us in September wrapped up a long journey for Dean, who discovered his calling for physical therapy during his undergraduate studies. He was majoring in kinesiology and working as a personal trainer when it happened.

I felt like it was out of my scope as a personal trainer, and he

didn’t know what to do either. So, I started looking into PT, and I fell in love with the combination of exercise and anatomy and with helping others,” Dean says. Dean graduated with a bachelor’s degree in kinesiology with an emphasis on pre-physical therapy and never looked back. He loves running, playing baseball, and hitting balls on the golf course, so his favorite work in the clinic is treating patients with sports injuries. His other passion is treating vertigo — an inner ear problem characterized by dizziness, nausea, headaches, and more. “Diagnosing and treating vertigo is difficult, and the maneuvers are intricate,” he explains. “Plus, I find the anatomy of the inner ear interesting as well.”

Even though he’s now a physical therapist in his own right, Dean feels lucky that in a way, he gets to continue being a student. “Julian helped me see the bigger picture of whole-person care,” he says. “I’m fortunate in the fact that I still get to sit down with him at the end of the day or at lunch and pick his brain!” Dean’s unique specializations make him a great fit for our team. If you wind up with a sports injury or vertigo symptoms this winter, ask for an appointment with him when you call our office.

“I was training a client, and we were running around the track when he hurt his hamstring.

BIRTHDAY CAKE BAKED OATMEAL FOR ONE (YES, REALLY)

HAVE A LAUGH

Inspired by ItsTaylerMarie.org

Did you know that January is National Oatmeal Month? If you tend to think of oatmeal as boring, this fun dessert-themed recipe just might change your mind. To go all out, top with a candle and a dollop of whipped cream.

Ingredients

• • • •

1 tsp baking powder Splash of vanilla extract

• • • •

1/2 cup old-fashioned rolled oats 1 browning banana, mashed

1 tsp brown sugar, honey, or maple syrup

1/2 cup milk

2 tsp sprinkles

1/2 tsp cinnamon

Directions

1. Preheat your oven to 350 F and prepare a small oven-safe dish. 2. In a small bowl, combine all of the ingredients except the sprinkles. 3. Pour the oatmeal mixture into the prepared baking dish. 4. Bake for 25 minutes or until the oatmeal is golden brown. 5. Let the oatmeal cool slightly, top with sprinkles, and dig in!

Focus Physical Therapy • Call 949.709.8770 • 3

30212 Tomas #120 Rancho Santa Margarita, CA 92688, USA

949.709.8770

PRST STD US POSTAGE PAID BOISE, ID PERMIT 411

Focuspt.net

SPECIALIZING IN: LOWER BACK PAIN • SCIATICA • NECK PAIN AND HEADACHES HIP PROBLEMS • SHOULDER PAIN, BURSITIS, AND TENDINITIS SPORTS PHYSICAL THERAPY • GOLF PERFORMANCE KNEE PAIN • PLANTAR FASCIITIS • DIZZINESS AND VERTIGO AQUATIC PHYSICAL THERAPY • AND OTHER CONDITIONS

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

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The Silver Lining of 2020

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Make Resolutions Easier With Fitness Challenges Success Stories

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Meet Dean Keenan, Our New PT!

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Birthday cake baked oatmeal for one! (yes, really!) Give Yourself the Boost of Getting Outside

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Hunkering down and waiting for the dark and chilly winter season to pass sounds pretty nice. But the reality is, if we deprive ourselves of time outside, we do ourselves a big disservice both mentally and physically. Staying indoors all day affects your energy and mood, which makes it hard to get anything done, so here are four easy tips to make it easier to get a little fresh air. 1. Make it a priority. Getting outside means making the conscious effort to do so. If you want to reap its benefits, you have to decide to make it a priority in your day-to-day schedule. If you make the act important to you, you have more motivation to actually do it. 2. Use mornings effectively. Waking up and getting the day started can be hard. But studies have shown that natural light helps decrease your melatonin production, which means you feel ready to face the day sooner. So, set yourself a second alarm to head outside and take a quick walk around the block just after waking. Don’t even wash your face or grab coffee. Just get out there. 3. Take your work outside. If you’re working from home, take some work outdoors. Phone and virtual meetings are a great outdoor option, especially if you’ll just be an active listener and aren’t required to do any work simultaneously. Attach a note Let That Fresh Air Fuel You 4 Tips to Make Getting Outside Easier

to your meeting reminders to get yourself set up outside five minutes before you start.

4. Create a schedule. It might feel strange to set reminders throughout the day to step outside, but you easily get wrapped up in activities and overlook breaks, and these reminders are exactly what you need. Start with 10-minute blocks three times a day. If you stick to them, soon you won’t need a schedule to get outside anymore. Winter weather may be cold, but even when you’re bundled up under a jacket and scarf, just 5–10 minutes outside can do wonders for your mood and energy for hours.

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• Focus Physical Therapy •

Focuspt.net