FyzicalArkansas_Is Your Balance Setting You Up For an Injury

NEWSLETTER

Is Balance Setting You Up For An Injury?

How To Avoid Future Back Pain & Injuries

How is your balance? Have you checked it lately? Poor balance and coordination is the number one cause of trips, falls, and injuries. It even greatly affects back pain and posture.

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NEWSLETTER

Is Balance Setting You Up For An Injury?

• IsBalanceSetting YouUpForAn Injury? • ImprovingBalance ToEasePain • ExerciseEssential • SmoothieRecipeTo CombatVertigo • SimpleTipsFor ShovelingSnow • PatientSuccess Story • DeepTissueLaser Therapy Quote of TheMonth: INSIDE: “There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, and learning from failure.” Colin Powell

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You don’t have to be old to have non-optimum balance. In fact, a majority of sports injuries are attributed to not having the right balance reflexes needed to adapt to the surface, causing sprains, strains and other injuries. Our balance and vestibular systems give us the ability to walk on two legs, run and be active. Our balance and vestibular system develops as we grow from a baby all the way through adulthood, and then begins to decline. Most people don’t know their balance is not optimum until they suffer a sports injury, trip and fall, or lose their balance in the shower. No matter what your age, balance affects your ability to be active. Can you do this? • Stand next to a counter, sink or chair barefoot with your hand gently grasping the counter surface. • Put one foot directly in front of the other, so that one heel is touching the opposite toes. • Gently lift your hand up, but keep it close to the counter in case you need to grab it quickly.Try to hold this for 10 seconds (only do this if you feel safe or have someone nearby to help you). • Now try it with your eyes closed. • Do you wobble a lot or even lose your balance? If you are unable to do these, your balance needs work!

4 Reasons For Our Decline in Balance: 1.Changesinour vestibularsystem 3.Changesin eyesight

4.Previous injuriestoankle, knee,hiporspinal joints

2.Changesin musclemass, flexibilityand strength

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Improving Balance To Ease Pain

How balance affects sports performance The more aggressive you are in sports, the better your balance and reflexes have to be. Many ankle, knee, hip and back injuries in running, tennis and other sports are attributed to poorly performing balance. By incorporating simple balance exercises into your workout routine, you can set yourself up for success and prevent injuries, as well as enhance your sports performance.

How balance affects back pain How you walk directly impacts your back and can actually be a big contributor to back pain. By improving balance, coordination and strength in your hips, pelvis and legs, your spine will be supported and guided, reducing strain. This in turn, helps your back function normally without aggravation and inflammation. Balanceactivitiesarean important componentofourSPINEProgram for relieving back pain.

Preventing falls According to the Centers For Disease Control (CDC), over 2.5 million adults were treated for nonfatal injuries in emergency departments in 2016. In older adults, falls are the leading cause of fatalandnonfatal injuries.Most people don’t think about keeping their balance in shape, until it is too late and they fall, fracturing an arm, leg or injuring their back. The good news is that most falls can easily be prevented, simply by the regular exercising of your balance system.

What you can do? You can improve your balance, and it involves performing simple balance exercises. The first step in preventing an injury or fall is testing your balance and being honest with yourself that your balance needs work. Our physical therapists can make a big difference in improving your balance and vestibular system, improvingyourability tobeactive, safely. Call us today to learnmore about our specialized programs and how you can get back to an active, pain-free lifestyle!

Exercise Essential

SMOOTHIE RECIPE TO COMBAT VERTIGO SERVES: 2

SINGLE LEG STANCE Stand tall. Be close to support, both at your sides and behind in case you lose your balance. Balance on one leg then switch to the other leg.

Put These Ingredients In A Blender

www.simpleset.net

• ½ cup of vanilla yogurt • 2 cups of vanilla soy milk / almond milk / or equivalent • 1 B-complex vitamin • 1 500mg orange flavored Vitamin C chewable • 2-3 kale leaves (optional) • Frozen raspberries (optional)

• 1 lemon • ½ of an apple • ½ of a banana • 3 tbsp of frozen orange juice concentrate • 5 whole frozen strawberries • 1 ring of a pineapple

Did you know? Vitamin and flavonoid supplementation is a course of action that doctors advise for vertigo caused by Meniere’s Disease. This smoothie provides the specific vitamins your body needs to get relief from some types of vertigo. If you need help with your vertigo consult your physical therapist.

Always consultyour therapistorphysicianbefore startingexercisesyouareunsureofdoing.

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SimpleTips For Shoveling Snow

Snow shoveling can lead to a number of health risks for many people, from back injuries to heart attacks. The following tips can help keep you safer when you set out to shovel: Warm up. Warm your muscles before heading out to shovel by doing some light movements, such as bending side to side or walking in place. Push rather than lift. Pushing the snow with the shovel instead of lifting can help reduce the strain on your body. Lighten your load. Consider using a lighter-weight plastic shovel instead of a metal one to help decrease the weight being lifted. Consider multiple trips. Consider shoveling periodically throughout the storm to avoid having to move large amounts of snow at once. Keep up with snowfall. Try to shovel snow shortly after it falls, when it is lighter and fluffier. The longer snow stays on the ground, the wetter it can become. Wet snow is heavier and harder to move.

Patient Success Story DEEP TISSUE LASER THERAPY SAFE • EFFECTIVE • DRUG FREE • PAIN RELIEF

RELIEF FOR:

• Back Pain • Neck Pain • Shoulder Pain

• Foot Pain • Knee Pain • Post-surgery

“I can walk without holding on.” I think my experience here has been very helpful. I had trouble before walking around. Now I am doing better. The arch supports really help my balance. I am doing better now that I feel more relaxed and confident. At home I had to touch things to get around. Now I feel much better about that. I can walk without holding on.

TREATMENTS FEEL GOOD Laser therapy creates little to no sensation or it can create a gentle, warm sensation. TREATMENTS ARE FAST With LightForce lasers, treatments are quick— usually 5-12 minutes depending on the size, depth, and acuteness of the condition being treated.

-Betty Wyckoff

Juvent’s Clinically Proven Micro-Impact Platform ®

You can Experience: Improved Bone Health Joint Pain Relief More Energy Faster Workout Recovery Improved Lower Limb Edema

Physician Testimonials I believe in it!

Endorsed and used by World Champion Athletes

Last year around Christmas time I fell off a ladder and tore my ACL. After my knee surgery, I started using the Juvent, and I could almost immediately see a difference in my pain level. The Juvent got me to a better place quicker, by taking away the pain and reducing the swelling. Guillermo Pasarin, M.D. It is virtually the perfect machine! I had major abdominal surgery a couple of months ago and I could not get any of my usual exercises in. Then I started using Juvent every day. I barely had to use any of my prescribed pain medications and I felt better quicker than I had from previous surgeries. I LOVE this machine! Michael Bauerschmidt, M.D., M.B.A.

Ask your therapist about putting a Juvent in your home for continued therapy.

BE SURE FOOTED WITH VESTIBULAR REHAB

Oneof themostcommonconcerns inpatientswithdizzinessandvertigo whocompleteavestibularrehabilitationprogram is, “Willmyresults last?” Research suggests that, with the proper post-therapy exercise, patients who successfully complete vestibular rehab will maintain their positive results long after leaving a physical therapist’s office. What Happens Next? Theaimofvestibular rehab is to improve function andbalancewhilereducingdizziness.This isespecially important inolder patients who already bear a higher risk of falls as a result of age-related neuropathy, vestibular dysfunction and a host of other conditions. As a result, those who have experienced a positive outcome as a result of vestibular rehab are often reluctant to leave the care of clinicians. To assuage this anxiety and extend the outcome of rehab, physical therapists will often prescribe a home-based exercise program that reinforces therapeutic processes.

Balance Issues Do Not Improve On Their Own. Bottom line, if you are experiencingdizzinessandvertigo,youwillnotexperience improvement without intervention. This is especially true in elderly patients whose functionaloutcomesarevitaltotheirqualityof life.Vestibularrehabilitation asperformedbyaphysicaltherapist isthemosteffectivewayofproviding theseoutcomesandahome-basedexerciseprogramupon release from physical therapy is the best way to maintain them over time. Now is the time toconsiderphysical therapy ifyouorsomeoneyou love is experiencingvertigoanddizziness.Notonlywillvestibular rehabilitation in particular improve their balance and gait, it will provide them with lasting results that will impact their quality of life long-term.

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