Next Step_Effective Hip and Knee Pain Relief

NEWSLETTER The Newsletter About Your Health And Caring For Your Body

Next Step Physical Therapy Guide to Summer Vacations

With the weather warming up and Spring in full effect it’s not too early to start thinking about your summer vacation plans. I know I’ve already had my wheels turning and I’m looking forward to taking the family away for some outdoor fun this summer. I also know that sometimes there can be so many choices out there for possible destinations that it can be difficult to actually make a decision on where to go and what to do. That’s why I’ve decided to give you our guide to summer vacations. Here are a few vacations that I have done. Here’s the criteria: It can’t be overly expensive and it has to be something that you can do in 3-7 days. That way there will be something of interest for any family no matter how strapped for time or cash you are. Without any further ado, here are some my favorite places that we’ve been.

Lancaster Pennsylvania: Only 4 hours away by car, this area of Pennsylvania is a great place to bring the kids or just you husbands and wives. It has the Amish community there, which can be a great experience for young and old. They also have great antique shops and an old fashioned locomotive train ride across the Pennsylvania countryside. For the kids there is a great amusement park (Dutch Wonderland) and Hershey Park isn’t that far either. They also have incredible outlet malls for shopping - with the best deals I have ever seen on clothing. St Louis Missouri: For those of you who don’t mind a bit of a longer trip in the car as part of your adventure (16 hours) this is a great place to visit. St Louis has great restaurants and attractions. You can go up into the Arch - which is a must if you’re there. They also have

(Continued Inside)

INSIDE : • Effective Knee & Hip Pain Relief • When Physical Therapy Can Help

•Healthy Recipe: Broccoli Salad •Patient Success Spotlight www.nextsteppt.com

NEWSLETTER The Newsletter About Your Health And Caring For Your Body

There is an endless list of reasons as to why knee or hip pain may develop, from a slip or fall-related accident to a sports injury or even a car accident. Don’t Wait Until It Is Too Late! When an injury develops, seeking the support of a physical therapist is the best course of action. Working with a physical therapist soon after an injury develops can help reduce your recovery time and improve your ability to cope with the pain and discomfort by introducing you to targeted exercises and stretching techniques that can enhance your ability to recover from the injury. When you are dealing with a knee or hip injury, every step requires more effort than typical. This can really drain your energy level as you EFFECTIVE KNEE & HIP PAIN RELIEF

Who Needs Physical Therapy? Are you moving like you should be? Your hips and knees are essential to everyday movement; whether you are sitting, standing, walking or running, you need your hips and knees in great shape. Sometimes, when your hips and knees are in pain, it can cause you to change the way that you are moving, causing you to change the flow and pace of your gait, which is the way that you walk. Other times, prolonged pain can cause you to stop doing movements that are indicative of healthy joints.

attempt to go about doing even basic tasks, such as taking care of your home or walking around the office. What Can Physical Therapy Do to Help? Physical therapy is not a one-stop cure-all for pain management. This is a long-term solution to pain and suffering through the use of targetedexercisesandstretching techniques that are designed to strengthen the targeted areas and help the body recover and heal. By identifying the exact points on the body that are not moving as they ought to be, it is possible to make a plan to increase flexibility, motion, strength and even improve coordination.

SERVICES & THERAPIES :

• Wrist / Hand Pain • Wellness / Balance Problems • Ankle / Foot Pain

• Knee Pain • Sports Injuries • Shoulder Pain

• Physical Therapy • Low Back Pain • Neck Pain

www.nextsteppt.com

(Continued from outside) Next Step Physical Therapy Guide to Summer Vacations

Exercise Essentials Try this simple exercise to help improve your mobility

one of the best children’s museums I’ve ever been to as well as a place called the “Magic House.” Both of which has entertained my kids for hours every time we go. Catch a Cardinals game downtown and enjoy the beautiful scenery from your seats (you can see the Arch and the Capital Building from you r seats looking into the outfield). Williamsburg Virginia: Take a drive down I-95 (we stopped at Baltimore along the way to see some of the sights.) In Baltimore I would suggest going to the Aquarium and then having lunch or dinner at the inner harbor. Lots of great restaurants along the water where you can take water taxi’s all over the harbor. In Williamsburg they have some history and culture attractions at Colonial Williamsburg and they also have Busch Gardens and a huge water park as well. My kids loved it!

Finally, this is one that we haven’t done but that I keep thinking about doing. Drive out to Orient Point - the end of the north fork of Long Island and take the Ferry to Block Island. I’veheard that its reallyniceout there with some cute shops and places to eat. Then take the ferry from Block Island to Newport Rhode Island. Newport is a great town to walk around. Lots of shops and taverns and beaches. They also have tours of these famous mansions, which I’ve done in the past, and it was very impressive (think gold plated wallpaper in one of the mansions). I hope this gives you some ideas on what to do and where to go this summer. If you end up going to any of these places please let me know what you thought of them. Talk to you soon!

Helps Balance

www.simpleset.net

SINGLE LEG STANCE FORWARD 1. Stand on one leg and maintain your balance. 2. Hold your leg out in front of your body for 10 seconds. 3. Return to original position. 4. Switch legs and repeat 6 times.

Be sure to maintain a slightly bent knee on the stance side.

WHEN PHYSICAL THERAPY CAN HELP

If you’ve experienced any hip or knee pain and are considering whether physical therapy is a good choice for your health needs, consider the following: • From a standing position, are you able to lean over and touch your toes? If so, then this indicates that you have proper hip and low back flexibility. If not, then you may need to improve your flexibility and joint range of motion, and physical therapy could be helpful. • In a sitting position, can you comfortably cross your legs, leaving your ankle to rest comfortably on the opposite knee? If this is painful, or one knee constantly must be lower than the other, then this may be indicative of knee concerns that could be addressed with physical therapy. • From a standing position, with your feet planted flat on the floor, can you push your body into a squatting position? You should be able to squat all the way down so that your buttocks are almost touching your heels. If you aren’t able to do this, then physical therapy may be helpful in improving your range of motion. • Standing near a wall or counter-top, arrange your feet so that you are standing with the heel of one foot touching the toes of the other, as if on a balance beam, and see how long you can stand still. Can you balance for 10 seconds? If not, then physical therapy may be able to improve balance and coordination. The goal of any physical therapy program is to restore range of motion and improve flexibility and strength while reducing the general experience of pain. Unfortunately, hip and knee injuries often tend to linger. Every

movement relies so heavily on the hips and knees that it makes it difficult to allow these joints to actually rest following an injury. Physical therapy provides targeted exercises that support the joints with precise movements that help reinforce strength and range of motion. For more information, contact your physical therapist to learn more about options that will suit your health needs. For more information about how we can help you leave behind your hip and knee pain, contact us at (516) 681-8070.

CALL TODAY! (516) 681-8070

What’s New?

Patient Success Spotlight

May is here and with the nice weather comes the busy season. Our low back pain and sciatica workshops have been filling up and we are looking forward to adding a second workshop within a few months. Look for our rotator cuff and shoulder workshop to make its debut in July. We also have started working with our newest doctoral student - this time from Touro University. I am of course knee deep in coaching my kids sports (soccer, hockey and baseball) and still enjoying it! Should be a very exciting Spring. Talk to you in June. Stay healthy! Chris Ostling

“ I am back to my daily yoga practice and taking my dog for long walks.” “When my knee pain started to interfere with my daily yoga and walking with my dog, I decided to call Chris before seeing an orthopedist. It was a great decision as just a few weeks later I started to feel better. I have no more knee pain. I am back to my daily yoga practice and taking my dog for long walks. I am looking forward to hiking this spring thanks to Chris.” - Diane F.

Coupon Corner www.nextsteppt.com

You Help Us, Help Others! THANK YOU TO OUR REFERRAL CLUB MEMBERS!

FREE EXAM FOR KNEE PAIN

G.V. A.C. C.R.

D.A. F.F.

(516) 681-8070 CALL TO SCHEDULE YOUR FREE EXAM!

REFER A FRIEND AND BECOME A MEMBER OF THE CLUB!

131 W Old Country Rd Hicksville, NY 11801

FIND US ON SOCIAL MEDIA

Call to schedule. Expires 5-30-19

This free exam coupon may be transferred to friends and family