How Bad Posture Affects You

How Bad Posture Affects You

Health &Physical Therapy The Newsletter About Your Health And Caring For Your Body

“ I Was Experiencing Pain In My Back, So I Decided To Do Something about It! ” How Bad Posture Affects You

• Do You Suffer From Chronic Pain In The Spine?

• Do You Find Yourself Constantly Looking Down Into Your Phone?

• Have You Noticed Any Pain Or Stiffness In Your Neck?

Inside: • How Bad Posture Affects You • 5 Essentials Steps To Improve Posture • Discussing The Affects Of Text Neck

When was the last time you looked in the mirror or saw a photo of your posture? If you suffer from frequent aches and pains, your posture may be to blame. In today’s society, we spend an increasing amount of time sitting looking at the TV, computer screen, and looking down at our phones. If you fit into this category, then changes in your posture can have numerous negative effects on your body.

• Patient Spotlight • Service Spotlight

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Health &Physical Therapy The Newsletter About Your Health And Caring For Your Body

“ Discover How You Can Quickly Recover From Back Pain By Adjusting Your Posture!” How Bad Posture Affects You

What happens to your body with bad posture? Forward head posture – This creates strain on the neck, shortening the muscles in the back of the neck. Neck pain, radiating pain to the shoulders or arms, chronic headaches, and even low back pain can result. Mid-back slouching – This can change the shape of your ribs and drive your head forward over time. The result can be pain in the mid-back and problems with your neck. Eventually, compression of your lungs, heart, and digestive system can occur, causing internal problems. Low back - Low back pain is very common with poor posture. The back muscles have to contract excessively to keep you upright, causing you pain. Bad posture also causes abnormal wear and tear on the low back, increasing the risk of arthritis in the spine. Hips and legs –With sitting for prolonged periods, the hip joints lose range of motion and the muscles in the front of the hips stiffen. These tightened muscles then pull on the low back, causing low back pain. Walking – Your center of gravity changes with bad posture, causing your balance to decline. In addition, weakness to the hip muscles with prolonged sitting causes problems with walking. All these changes can have a serious impact on your mobility and ability to walk safely. Without good posture, your overall health and total efficiency may be compromised. Because the long-term effects of poor posture can affect bodily systems (such as digestion, elimination, breathing, muscles, joints and ligaments), a person who has poor posture may often be tired or unable to work efficiently or move properly. Even for younger people, how you carry yourself when working, relaxing or playing can have big effects. Did you know that just fifteen minutes reading or typing when using the wrong positions exhausts the muscles of your neck, shoulders and upper back? The good news is that with the right physical therapy treatments, a lot can be done to help you regain proper posture and quickly relieve back and neck pain. Call us today to learn how we can help you live a pain-free life! “ Lumbar spinal stenosis, or the narrowing of the open spaces in your spine, can be treated just as successfully with physical therapy as with surgery - and with 15 percent fewer complications.”

- Annals of Internal Medicine, April 2015

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Eating Right Never Tasted So Good!

Cranberry & Walnut Scones Directions

10 Ingredients • 1 + 2/3 cups organic all-purpose flour • 1/4 cup wheat germ or rolled oats • 2 teaspoons baking powder

1. Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment or a silpat for easier cleanup. 2. Sift together the flour, wheat germ or rolled oats, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Add the butter and cut into the flour using your hands or 2 forks till the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Make a well in the center. 3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the agave, cream and orange zest. Pour 2/3 of the liquid into the well, add cranberries and walnuts. Using a plastic dough divider or the edge of a metal spatula, turn and cut the dough, gradually adding the remaining liquid until the mixture comes together into a soft, sticky dough. 4. Flour your hands and gently knead the dough to form a ball. Add a tablespoon or two more flour if necessary but the dough should be slightly sticky. Pat the dough out on the prepared baking sheet to make an 8 inch circle about 3/4 inch thick. Brush with additional cream for a shinier appearance. Cut the dough into eight equal pie shape wedges and gently lift them about 1 inch apart. 5. Bake until the edges of the scones are lightly browned, about 15 to 18 minutes.

• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon • 1/4 teaspoon sea salt • 6 Tablespoons organic unsalted butter, cold and cut into bits • 1/2 cup Organic Blue Agave syrup • 1/3 cup organic cream zest of one organic orange • 1/2 cup cranberries • 1/2 cup walnuts, chopped organic cream, for glazing

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Orthopedic PT, Inc. Is A Direct Access Facility!

In the state of Virginia, patients have the right to see a physical therapist without a physician referral. You may be evaluated and treated for no more than 30 consecutive days, at which time a referral will be necessary. This allows you as the patient to see a physical therapist first. Physical therapists are trained to evaluate and treat, as well as refer to an appropriate medical professional for issues that are outside of our scope of practice. If you would like to schedule an evaluation with one of our physical therapists please call our office for additional details (804) 285-0148. You are the most important member of you own health care team, and you are entitled to choose the most appropriate health care professional to meet you goals.

For more information go to orthopedicptinc.com Phone: 804.285.0148 Fax: 804.673.6026

Patient Success S P O T L I G H T

“ Is Your Digital Lifestyle Affecting Your Posture?” Discussing The Affects Of Text Neck

I regained hope! “Walking into the office of Orthopedic Physical Therapy Inc, I was doubtful and fearful that I wasn’t going to get the necessary help to improve my condition. This was only because I had sought out several kinds of alternative treatments without success from multiple chiropractic visits, physical therapies, massage treatments, and pain management therapy. None of the treatments got me to improve from the debilitating states I was experiencing “until I

met Charles Brooks Steadman.” My first impression was he is a young man, maybe inexperienced and I thought “here I go again!” But to my surprise that young man showed he was qualified. Not only his knowledge of the body’s muscular structure, his genuine personable qualities stood out. His caring, supportive, and bedside manner was most impressive. Right away from my first visit with Brooks, I regained hope. I have been in the care of Brooks for two years now and have improved from that debilitating state. I still have some challenges but nothing like before. I thank God so often for allowing me to have given Brooks a chance to change my life for the better. Thanks again Brooks for being you!” - Rosalind J.

Poor posture is something we normally do not think of as a contributor to neck and back pain. However, in our era of constantly being on smart phones, tablets, and computers, we often put our necks and backs in positions of prolonged stress. Over time, this contributes to increased stress to our vertebrae, disk and muscles supporting the spine. Text neck is the term used to describe the neck pain and damage sustained from looking down at your cell phone, tablet, or other wireless devices too frequently and for too long. Of course, this posture of bending your neck to look down does not occur only when texting. For years, we’ve all looked down to read. The problemwith texting is that it adds one more activity that causes us to look down—and people tend to do it for much longer periods. It is especially concerning because young, growing children could possibly cause permanent damage to their cervical spines that could lead to lifelong neck pain. We often see patients who have suffered from back and neck pain for years who could have been treated very easily when the pain started with simple postural corrections and stretches. If you have been suffering from back or neck pain, come see one of our therapists for an assessment of what is contributing to your pain.

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Think PT FIRST Why You Need To Come In For A Check-Up: � Move without pain

� Sit for long periods comfortably � Walk for long distances � Live an active & healthy lifestyle

� Bend and move freely � Balance confidently & securely

Contact Us Today!

Take Care Of Your Aches & Pains Before It’s Too Late!

Fax: 804.673.6026

Phone: 804.285.0148

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• Trigger Point Dry Needling • Chronic Pain • Neck & Back Pain • TMJ/TMD • Headache Relief • Fibromyalgia • Myofascial & Referred Pain Our Specialties

Find Us On SOCIAL MEDIA

• Women’s Pelvic Pain • Men’s Health Issues • Posture & Orthotics • Hypermobility & EDS • Sports Injuries

Did you know our clinic has its own Facebook & LinkedIn page? Like and follow the pages for the clinic, to see fun photos of clinic activities, stay up-to-date on our happenings and events, and find helpful articles on conditions we treat! We love staying in touch and connected with our patients!

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Service Spotlight: Posture & Custom Orthotic Solutions

Breathing. Your therapist will instruct you in how to breathe properly based on your individual needs. You will be able to use breathing as away to strengthen your core, relax overworked muscles, and gain mobility where you need it. Custom Orthotic Casting. The therapistsat Orthopedic

Most people know that proper posture is important for pain relief and healthy functioning. But what is “proper posture”? How do you know which posture is right for your body? How do you achieve it? Proper posture comes from correct positioning and movement of the feet, legs, pelvis, spine and rib cage. If an individual has tightness in a particular area, the alignment of the entire body can change. This can put abnormal stress on joints, muscles, and ligaments which will produce pain. The therapists at Orthopedic Physical Therapy Inc. are specifically trained in postural assessment and can assist you in achieving andmaintaining the posture that is right for your body. Your therapist will perform a thorough examination of how your body is positioned and is moving, and will give you specific treatment based on your individual needs. What types of treatment might I expect? Exercises. Your therapist will instruct you in exercises to activate and strengthen certain muscles, and relax other muscles, in order to reposition your body. These exercises will allow you to be able to take control of your own treatment and relief of your pain.

Physical Therapy, Inc. are trained in the castingof customfoot orthotics. Using orthotics made specifically for your feet, and your postural needs will assist you in keeping proper postural alignment from the ground up. Manual Physical Therapy. The therapists at Orthopedic Physical Therapy, Inc. are all trained in advanced physical therapy techniques and dry needling, that will help release tight muscles and connective tissues and therefore speed your recovery.

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“ Why Not Make the Ability To Improve Posture Available To Everyone?”

5 Essential Steps To Improve Your Posture Forever! Good posture is an ongoing fight against gravity. Gravity wants to pull you to the floor and your muscles have to counteract that to keep you upright. While your posture may have changed over the years, the good news is that there is a lot that you can do to improve your posture and reduce your pain: 1. PHYSICAL THERAPY – We are experts in evaluating posture and guiding you on the proper techniques to change your posture and reduce your pain. Call us if you are having frequent aches and pains. We can examine your posture and put you on the right road to a pain-free life. 2. GET UP FREQUENTLY – When working at a computer or sitting in front of a TV, get up at least every 30 minutes

to walk around for at least one minute.

3. PROPER COMPUTER SETUP – Make sure that your desk chair and computer are at the proper height. Having a proper ergonomic set-up is key to maintaining proper posture at work and at home. 4. SITTING PROPERLY – Sitting upright with your feet on the floor (don’t cross your legs) keep a small gap between the back of your knees and the chair. 5. EXERCISE FREQUENTLY –Walking, running, stretching, and strengthening certain muscles are very important. Strengthen your back and neck muscles to maintain a better posture. To see how we can improve your posture, eliminate your pain and get you back to the activities you love to do, call us today!

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WE STRIVE TO PROVIDE THE BEST SERVICE TO OUR PATIENTS

Orthopedic Physical Therapy, Inc. is a unique physical therapy facility in Richmond, VA. Our physical therapists provide care to people with musculoskeletal injuries who strive to return to work, sports, and/or an active, full lifestyle. Our physical therapists are trained to evaluate and treat the source of pain rather than merely treat symptoms. We look at your muscles, joints and entire body as a whole unit. Our clinicians work in tandemwith patients to set and reach goals by using innovative strategies, such as dry needling in order to help them attain their highest level of wellness. Each of our clinicians has undergone extensive training in treating musculoskeletal problems. Our physical therapists also have their own specialties. We work as a team to optimize your treatments and progress.

Our Physical Therapists Are Trained To Find & Treat The Source Of Pain!

- Tracey Adler, PT, DPT, OCS, CMTPT