Mission PT - September 2020

Mission PT - September 2020

3321 E. Queen Creek Rd. #106, Gilbert, AZ 85297 • (480) 550-9100 • missionptaz.com September 2020

Lessons Learned From Classic Cars USE IT OR LOSE IT!

I think most people know what happens if you let a car sit for a long time. The parts begin to seize up. The moisture and oxygen in the air will cause the surfaces of the metal parts to corrode and adhere to one another. With every passing day, the car slowly becomes unusable. This is one of the reasons why we put oil in our engines and why we lubricate various components within our vehicles. The oil protects the metal parts from corrosion, adhesion, and the heat effects generated from the friction of different parts moving against one another. Can you keep an old classic 1969 Camaro from seizing up? Sure, as long as you drive it a few miles every month and maintain it. Weekly drives are even better. It doesn’t matter how old a vehicle is; driving and maintaining it will keep it running well. It also doesn’t matter how new it is either. If a 2011 Camaro sits in the garage for a couple of years without being driven or maintained, it will start to experience the side effects of being unused. It will start to have problems that an older car — that is driven and maintained — does not have. So, it’s not so much the car’s age as it is a matter of moving it regularly and ensuring proper lubrication. Your joints are very similar. In most of our moving joints, there is a thin membrane that produces a nutrient-rich, lubricating fluid (synovium) when the joint moves. If you move the joint through its full range of motion on a regular basis, the lubricant coats the full surface of the joint, reducing shear or friction and providing nutrition to the soft tissues of the joint.

When you don’t move regularly, your joints begin to seize up — just like a car. And over the past several months, many of us have been “sitting in the garage,” so to speak. Gyms have closed, then reopened, then closed again. Not to mention, it can get too hot to keep up physical activity outdoors. Many people are frustrated and have gotten out of their typical routines. Exercise plays a big role in keeping our joints lubricated and healthy; it also plays a role in keeping our immune system in top shape. When you don’t get the activity your body needs, joints, muscles, and even your immune system can be negatively affected. Basically, just like the classic car, your age is not necessarily the real reason you are stiff. It’s certainly not the only one. “Well, this would’ve been nice to know when I was younger!” you say. “What now?” The good news is that, like with a classic car, you can restore lost function.While the old adage tells us, “Use it or lose it,” you don’t have to lose it forever. It will take a little work to get things back into shape, but you can take certain steps (sometimes literal steps, as you’ll find on Page 2) that make the process a cinch.

If you want to get a jump start on restoring your “classic car,” give us a call and we’ll see what we can do to help get you back on the road. After all, at Mission Physical Therapy, we love classics!

When you don’t move regularly, your joints begin to seize up — just like a car.

1

Our mission is YOU. What is YOUR mission?

(480) 550-9100 • missionptaz.com

AND HOW YOU CAN STOP IT How Stress Can Lead to Injury

You can prevent injuries with all sorts of physical means, but if you fail to address your mental and emotional health, you’ll still be at a heightened risk. While you might not be able to prevent every stressful situation from ever happening, you can control how you react when one does occur. A few simple things you can do to prevent mental stress are to get enough sleep, maintain a healthy diet, and drink plenty of water. If any of these basic stress inhibitors are absent from your daily routine, focus on incorporating them in to alleviate some of your stress. That said, practicing simple breathing exercises or another form of meditation can also be helpful, especially if you’re looking for a physical way to mentally unwind after a stressful day.

While it’s pretty intuitive that physical stressors can cause physical injuries, you might not know that mental and emotional stress can also lead to musculoskeletal injuries that require physical therapy. That’s right — a lack of sleep, a busy workweek, and other stressful life events can make you more prone to injury. Why is this, and how can you prevent the stresses of everyday life from causing you bodily harm? When you experience stress, your body does a few things that naturally put you at an increased risk of injury. First, stress causes your nerves to function inefficiently. Second, stressful situations lead to higher levels of cortisol in the body, a hormone that inhibits muscle repair and immune system function. If you’re always dealing with stressful situations, then you’re constantly leaving your body open to physical injury.

peace knowing that with a few simple changes to your routine, you can prevent your stress from causing physical injury.

While learning about how much stress hurts you can be even more stressful, you can find some

Dan the Golfer Just Wants to Golf Again

Dan worked for the PGA. As you can imagine, he was also an avid golfer. Then, it hit him — his left shoulder began to hurt. It was sudden and it was getting worse ... fast. His orthopedist told him that he needed surgery. The reason was clear: Dan had torn cartilage in his shoulder along with one of his rotator cuff tendons. Because of this, he couldn’t even apply deodorant, let alone swing a golf club, without experiencing horrible pain. He asked if he could try therapy before pursuing surgery. The surgeon was reluctant to suggest this route but did — only to remind Dan that surgery was inevitable. So, Dan came to us. After a careful examination, we told Dan that his left shoulder wasn’t the real problem. What? Dan couldn’t believe it. His shoulder was in incredible pain, after all. We told him that his shoulder wouldn’t just spontaneously start hurting with such intensity. Something had to cause it. Our course of action? Because we believe our bodies are designed to heal themselves, we left Dan’s shoulder alone. But, his motion was limited in just

about everything relating to his shoulder movement — including his ability to swing a golf club. He couldn’t even turn his head to the left or rotate his back to the right. On top of that, the area around his shoulder blade was tight and he had limited range of motion in his forearm and wrist. While we left Dan’s shoulder alone to heal, we went to work on improving other areas. We focused on restoring full range of motion where it was lacking and on correcting his body mechanics, which is a huge part of overcoming limited movement and reducing pain. Within one week, Dan could apply deodorant again. Within six weeks, Dan was swinging a stick with a 5-pound weight strapped to the end of it, and he was doing it all pain-free! What’s even better? Over two years later, Dan returned to the clinic because of a knee injury. Before we started treatment, we asked how his shoulder was holding up. He said it was doing great! He’d had zero issues and no surgery. Just a whole lot of golf!

2 (480) 550-9100 • missionptaz.com

WORD SEARCH

10 SIMPLE WAYS TO SIT LESS MOVE MORE!

Aster Autumn Chilly Colorful Education Football Harvest Labor Libra Sapphire September Squash

Standing isn’t the solution for every physical problem, but if you find yourself sitting for extended periods of time, you may be doing more harm than good. Whether you work at a desk or you’re stuck indoors more often than you’d like, there are several ways to counteract the negative effects of a sedentary lifestyle. Here are 10 simple steps to sit less and stand more: 1. Enjoy your breakfast standing at a counter. 2. When out to eat, ask for a high top or bar table and stand until your food comes or even the whole time. 3. Stand up (or take a walk) when making phone calls. 4. For interoffice communication, stand up and walk to deliver a message or have a discussion, rather than emailing or sending a text message (with many people now working from home, this may be a little more challenging). 5. Diversify your workstation to allow for more than one sitting position. Try a standing desk, or, if that isn’t practical, try a box, stool, or other object to raise your monitor and keyboard (thus creating a DIY standup desk). Adjustable desks that transition easily from sitting to standing are best but usually expensive, so start with the DIY version and see how you like it. 6. Americans on average spend five hours a day watching TV. During commercials, stand up. If you want to really throw in a challenge, try 60–90 seconds of an exercise (squats, lunges, plank hold, chair dips, wall pushups) per commercial break. 7. Park in the back of the parking lot when you go shopping or are out and about. 8. Avoid the drive-thru. Sometimes fast food is convenient, but a few extra minutes of standing and walking into the restaurant can be beneficial. 9. Don’t sit down while exercising. This may seem like a no-brainer, but think about it: Many of the most commonly performed gym exercises are done sitting down. Avoid these and instead opt for free-weight or body-weight exercises that you can perform standing up. 10. Set an alarm on your phone, watch, or kitchen timer. At least once every 30 minutes stand up, stretch your legs, and get some blood pumping. This doesn’t have to be for any extended period of time — even 30 seconds will do some good — and then get back to work.

Easy Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

Who says a loaded potato has to clog your arteries? In this healthy version that serves four, a sweet potato base is topped with fiber-rich bean salsa.

INGREDIENTS

• 4 medium sweet potatoes • 1 15-oz can black beans, drained and rinsed • 2 medium tomatoes, diced • 1 tbsp olive oil • 1 tsp cumin

• 1 tsp coriander • 3/4 tsp salt • 1/4 cup sour cream • 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

DIRECTIONS

1. With a fork, prick each sweet potato a few times. Microwave the potatoes on high 12–15 minutes, or until cooked through. 2. In a microwave-safe bowl, combine the beans, tomatoes, olive oil, cumin, coriander, and salt. When the potatoes are done, microwave the mixture on high for 2–3 minutes. 3. Cool potatoes slightly, then cut each potato open lengthwise. Pull the halves apart to create space to spoon the warm bean salsa inside. 4. Add a scoop of sour cream to each potato, garnish with cilantro, and serve!

Inspired by EatingWell.com

3

(480) 550-9100 • missionptaz.com

Our mission is YOU. What is YOUR mission?

PRST STD US POSTAGE PAID BOISE, ID PERMIT 411

3321 E. Queen Creek Rd. #106 Gilbert, AZ 85297

(480) 550-9100 missionptaz.com

Inside This Issue 1 Is There Truth to Use It or Lose It?

How Mental Stress Causes Physical Injuries

2 2 3 3 4

When Golf Is Your Life!

How to Sit Less — and Move More!

Easy Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

The Truth Behind the 21st Night of September

4 DECADES OF EARTH, WIND & FIRE’S ‘SEPTEMBER’ What Happened on the 21st Night of September?

“Do you remember the 21st night of September?”

change the phrase to real words. At the final vocal session, Willis finally demanded to know what ba-dee-ya meant. White replied, “Who cares?” “I learned my greatest lesson ever in songwriting from him,”Willis recalled in a 2014 interview with NPR, “which was never let the lyric get in the way of the groove.” The groove is why “September” has stood the test of time, right from that very first lyric. For decades, people have asked Willis and members of the band about the significance of Sept. 21. As it turns out, there isn’t much beyond the sound.

In 1978, Maurice White of the band Earth, Wind & Fire first asked this question in the song “September,” a funky disco song that quickly topped the charts. While disco may be dead today, “September” certainly isn’t. The song is still featured in movies, TV shows, and wedding playlists. On Sept. 21, 2019, the funk hit was streamed over 2.5 million times. It’s no wonder that the Los Angeles City Council declared Sept. 21 Earth, Wind & Fire Day. The story behind “September” is almost as enduring as the song itself. It was co-written by White and Allee Willis, who eventually became a Grammy-winning songwriter and Tony nominee. But before any of that, Willis was a struggling songwriter in Los Angeles living off food stamps. When White reached out and asked Willis to help write the next Earth, Wind & Fire hit, it was truly her big break. White and Willis proved to be excellent songwriting partners, but they clashed over one key element of the song: the nonsensical phrase “ba-dee-ya,” which White included in the chorus. Throughout the songwriting process, Willis begged to 4 (480) 550-9100 • missionptaz.com

“We went through all the dates: ‘Do you remember the first, the second, the third, the fourth …’ and the one that just felt the best was the 21st,”Willis explained.

The truth is that nothing happened on the 21st night of September — except a whole lot of dancing.