Kinetic PT - July 2018

JULY 2018

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MY FAVORITE TIME OF YEAR CHICAGO IN THE SUMMER

Our family’s Fourth of July traditions are probably much like your own. Most years, there are plenty of hot dogs and burgers to go around and some combination of sparklers and fireworks. In the past, when the holiday landed on a weekend, we drove up to Minneapolis to see Emilie’s side of the family. But with the Fourth landing squarely in the middle of the week this year, it looks like the Ulmers will be sticking around Huntley for Independence Day. While it’s too bad we won’t get out to see my wife’s family, I’m not opposed to having an easygoing holiday here at home. We may even make it out to the fireworks show. Since they started having fireworks at Deicke Park, the traffic has been far more tolerable than in years past. Once, I actually missed the whole thing while sitting in my car trying to get to the old location! Maybe we’ll head there early and bring a Frisbee to toss around. I can’t think of a better way to welcome the summer.

This is probably my favorite time of year. As someone who has been to Florida in the summertime, I can tell you that I’d take Illinois over Florida any day of the week. About 80 degrees with a breeze beats 90 and humid in my book. Plus, we have the Cubs. Emilie and I always tried to get to a Cubs game once a year in the past, but it has become difficult with our boys’ busy schedules.

into another hockey season. As I’ve said before, both boys have passions for very different things. At some point this summer, I’d like to take the boys out on one of those Chicago architecture boat tours. I’ve never been on one, but I’ve heard it’s fascinating. As you cruise down the waterway, you learn about the history and architecture of the city. Despite growing up here, Chicago’s skyline still interests me and is one of the most varied I’ve seen. I’d love to learn its story. Hopefully the boys find it as intriguing as I do. Chicago is a beautiful town, and it really shows this time of year. I’m sure many of you have your own exciting summer plans. If you run into any aches or pains along the way, please swing by the clinic and let us lend you a hand.

“SOMETIMES YOU JUST NEED TO SIT BACK AND ENJOY WHAT YOU HAVE IN YOUR OWN BACKYARD.”

School may be out, but Zach and Nathan still seem as busy as ever. Both are advancing in their golf league on top of their other hobbies. Zach splits his time between a summer theater program and his karate lessons, while Nathan barrels headlong

Here’s to a beautiful summer,

–Mike Ulmer

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WHERE ESSENTIAL OILS COME FROM SOURCING THE SWEET-SMELLING STUFF

Call it a pseudoscientific fad or a medical revolution; either way, essential oils are more popular today than they have ever been. Though research on the efficacy of lavender, ginger, and the dozens of other sweet-smelling oils is conflicting at best, people are using them at an astonishing rate. In fact, according to Stratistics MRC, essential oils were a $5.91 billion industry in 2016 and are expected to reach $12.85 billion by 2023. Whether you’re an essential oil acolyte or fly into a rage at the faintest hint of bergamot, your mind is probably already made up about aromatherapy. The question remains, though: Where does all this delicious-smelling stuff come from? Most essential oils are derived from a process called steam distillation . Soon after harvest, the plants are placed on a mesh inside a sealed still, into which steam is injected. As the steam rises and envelops the plant, it breaks it down and lifts its constituent components up through a tube and into a condenser. The condenser cools the resulting vapor and collects it in liquid form at the bottom. Since essential oils do not mix with water, they float on the surface, where they’re siphoned off, bottled, and shipped off to a distributor. There are

other methods, such as expression (aka cold pressing), but because steam distillation is so easy to do, most essential oils you see on the shelf will have gone through this process. Lavender essential oil is harvested from sheaves of lavandula angustifolia , that purple herb you see all over gardens across the United States. There are lavender farms all over the world, from California to Japan to Brazil, but the biggest world producer of lavender is, interestingly, Bulgaria. Tea Tree oil comes from the leaves of melaleuca alternifolia , commonly known as narrow-leaved paperbark, a short, bushy tree that produces white, fluffy flowers in the spring. The trees are endemic to Australia, but today are usually farmed in New South Wales or Queensland. Bergamot is distilled from the peels of lime-green bergamot oranges, or citrus bergamia . Most of it comes from coastal areas around the Ionian Sea. Whatever you do with it, use it sparingly on your skin — it can amplify skin damage from the sun!

“Walking up and down hills while on vacation let me know my knee needed attention. After limping to Kinetic, my extended family took over. Mike was my therapist, but if he couldn’t see

“I am very pleased with the treatment I received at Kinetic Physical Therapy from Chris. Before beginning treatment, I experienced shoulder pain and weakness that made everyday

me, everyone else could pick right up. Most important were the instructions for exercises at home. Now I can tell the weather with my knee, but I can walk without pain and am especially grateful. I can go up and down stairs after my grandsons! Thank you all !” –Geri Levine

activities difficult. I even had problems sleeping. After completing treatment, I am able to resume normal activities and sleep uninterrupted.” –Terri Pearl

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Hip pain, which is especially common among older adults, can severely affect your quality of life. Most people don’t realize how essential well-functioning hips are to daily life until they experience pain. One of the most prevalent sources of hip pain is trochanteric bursitis, which is often simply referred to as hip bursitis. According to the American Physical Therapy Association, hip bursitis affects 15 percent of women and 8.5 percent of men in America. Luckily, physical therapy can help reduce pain and get you back to living your best life. Bursitis occurs when the fluid-filled sacs (bursae) on the side of the hip become damaged or inflamed. In healthy hips, these bursae cushion muscles and tendons.

Injured bursae don’t interact smoothly with muscles and tendons, causing pain and limiting motion. Hip bursitis

an individualized treatment plan based on your needs and ability level. While the nature of each treatment plan is unique, yours will focus on reducing pain, improving flexibility, and strengthening. You’ll also be provided with an in-home exercise routine that will keep the pain from recurring. Summer is here. Nobody should have to spend the most beautiful months of the year indoors because they’re worried about hip pain. Let the team at Kinetic PT Specialists help you enjoy the warm months before they’re gone.

can result in pain when lying on the affected hip, while climbing stairs, and when you get up from a seated position. Needless to say, it can make routine activities a lot more laborious. If you think you’re suffering from hip bursitis, the team at Kinetic PT Specialists can help. To begin, we’ll run a diagnostic test to ensure that bursitis is the cause of your discomfort. Often, these tests will include hands-on contact and observations of your walking gait. Once diagnosis is complete, your therapist will create

Sudoku

Watermelon Salad

This simple, delicious salad is the perfect summer refresher. In under 30 minutes, you’ll have a dish that will inspire rave reviews at your next summer cookout.

INGREDIENTS • 8 cups seedless

• 1 pinch of

cayenne pepper • 1/2 cup mint leaves, torn • Salt to taste

watermelon, cut into 1-inch cubes • 1/4 cup fresh lime juice

INSTRUCTIONS 1. In a large mixing or salad bowl, toss watermelon with lime juice and cayenne pepper.

2. Gently fold in mint leaves. 3. Sprinkle with salt and serve.

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PRST STD US POSTAGE PAID BOISE, ID PERMIT 411

847-515-8970 www.KineticPTS.com

11920 Oak Creek Parkway Huntley, IL 60142

INSIDE The Ulmer Summer Plans PAGE 1

Where Do Essential Oils Come From? PAGE 2

Clients Say It Best PAGE 2

Got Hip Pain? Physical Therapy Can Help PAGE 3

Watermelon Salad PAGE 3

Must-See Swimming Holes of the World PAGE 4

Summertime is for swimming, but why settle for a community pool when you can have access to the most beautiful swimming locales in the world? These three exclusive, little-known spots are sure to take your breath away. Hali’i Falls, Hawaii With its spiral staircase of waterfalls, this remote jungle location offers up more than one unique spot

checked after you see this swimming hole. When limestone bedrock collapses, a sinkhole called a “cenote” is formed. The unearthed water from the natural aquifer balances a color palette of earth tones with the most majestic shades of blue you’ll ever behold. The calling cards for these bodies of water are the Blue Eye and the Black Eye. Both offer unforgettable experiences, but the price of entry is a hefty sense of adventure. You’ll need a full set of scuba gear to get to either hole. The Baths, Virgin Gorda A day in the Caribbean is like living every moment inside a beautiful pastel painting. The elegance of this location in the British Virgin Islands will make you feel like you’ve been transported into a cathedral. The large boulders and natural rock formations create shallow caves that will captivate your eyes as you wade through the water in wonder. When you exit, you’ll witness the sight that gives this beautiful spot its name. A handful of 40-foot granite boulders form private pools as if that was what they were made for.

to take a plunge. Visitors never fail to be awestruck by the deep blue-green hue of each pool created by the four cascading waterfalls. Hali’i means “to spread out,” which is precisely what each waterfall does, showcasing a serene experience unlike any other. But the beauty of this one-of-

a-kind experience is only outdone by its exclusivity. To reach these pools, you’ll have to hike through dense forest, deep marshes, and wide-open pastures of sugar cane. Dos Ojos, Mexico The Spanish translation of the name for this magical system of caves is “two eyes,” and you’ll want to have yours

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