NextStepPT_ Relief for Radiating Neck Pain and Headaches

NEWSLETTER The Newsletter About Your Health And Caring For Your Body

Schedule Your February FREE SCREEN! See Details Inside >

HOW LONG IS TOO LONG WHEN WAITING FOR PAIN TO GO AWAY?

Here at the clinic we see people in various stages of injury and pain. Some people come in and see us immediately when they notice some pain while others can actually wait years (and some even decades - I kid you not). The question we always get is how do you know when it’s time to come in to see us. We’ve actually come upwith some good advice based on a few different factors. The first factor is the nature of the condition. Is this a pain that you’ve never had before? If so, the general rule we use is that you should wait about one week unless the pain is significant and you feel you need help ASAP. If the pain isn’t so bad, then give your body a chance to take care of itself. Most of our day to day pains come and go rather quickly without us needing to intervene. Pay attention to your body - it should start healing itself quickly. For instance, on day 5 of having pain, you should feel better than you did on day 1. That would be a normal response. If by day 7 (1 week) you don’t feel like this pain is showing signs of going away then it’s time to come in because it means that your body is having difficulty handling

this problem without help. What if the pain is more chronic in nature? For all of us that have painful joints and or muscles that periodically bother us you should use a different approach. Let me give you an example. If every year I have an episode of back pain that hurts me for about 2 months, then my goal is to try to stop it from fully flaring up and becoming a major problem. You can do that by recognizing when it is starting to act up and coming in sooner - so we can stop it before it gets worse. This can reduce not only the amount of pain you’re in but also the amount of time you have to deal with it. How soon is soon? In this case you should come in once you start feeling the typical discomfort you get instead of waiting a week. Generally speaking, the quicker you come in, the quicker you get better, the less your life is affected, and the less cost that is associated with the problem. Use these rules to stay on top of your pain problems. Any questions just call us - and don’t forget to get your free screen for February.

INSIDE : • Finding Relief for Radiating Neck Pain and Headaches • Physical Therapy and Neck Pain

• Refresh Your Life In 2021 • Healthy Recipe • Exercise Essentials www.nextsteppt.com

NEWSLETTER The Newsletter About Your Health And Caring For Your Body FINDING RELIEF

FOR RADIATING NECK PAIN & HEADACHES

If you really had to narrow down the frustrations that come with dealing with chronic pain, perhaps the single largest frustration would be having to deal with the pain day after day. Chronic pain has a way of interfering with the most basic activities. Getting out of bed and driving to work can become a challenge, as can sitting in a desk chair all day, or attempting to pick up your child when he or she is upset. Some of these tasks are more difficult to get around than others, and, depending on how the pain is impacting your life, the stress of having to go through extra steps to make basic things happen can really get out of hand. Neck pain is one of those types of pain that is difficult to work around. Pain in the neck and back will frequently begin to radiate the longer it hangs around, and that could mean shooting pain up your

neck and back, all the way into the base of your skull. Once neck pain begins to turn into headaches, attempting to concentrate at work can become exceedingly difficult. What Causes Neck Pain? There are a large number of culprits that could be behind your experience of neck pain, including accidents, such as a car accident or a slip-and-fall accident, as well as sporting injuries. The reason why neck pain frequently becomes so severe is due to the fact that blood vessels have to pass through your neck to reach the head. A spasm in the neck muscles could lead to constricted blood circulation, and therefore migraine headaches. What’s worse, since the neck

is connected to the spinal column and therefore connected to the nervous system, pain in the neck can quickly develop into tingling or numbness in the hands, arms and fingers, which can be uncomfortable and frustrating when you are going about daily tasks. When neck pain develops as a result of a pinched nerve, the radiating neck pain can result in severe headaches, and in some cases, even migraine headaches. The pinched nerve can cause pain to radiate from the neck into the skull and can cause a disruption to typical nerve patterns. Working with a physical therapist can help you address pain caused by a pinched nerve, and therefore can reduce the severity of headaches that develop as a result of neck pain.

SERVICES & THERAPIES :

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

• Knee Pain • Sports Injuries • Shoulder Pain

• Physical Therapy • Low Back Pain • Neck Pain

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The good news is that there is actually a lot that you can do to support the healthy operation of your neck, thereby reducing the severity or frequency of your neck pain. Working with a physical therapist is the best way to address neck pain. During physical therapy, your neck pain will be addressed holistically, taking into consideration the initial injury that may have caused the pain to develop, but also any other habits, movements or compensations that may be contributing to the discomfort. Physical therapy takes advantage of strategies like massage, stretching and muscle training to reduce neck pain, and many of these strategies can be adopted in part at home or on the-go to help you address your neck pain when it is bothering you the most. Adopting healthier habits can have a big impact on your management of neck pain. These include: • Practicing improved posture • Wearing recommended footwear • Using lumbar support in your desk chair or car • Exercising regularly • Engaging in regular stretching, like yoga Physical Therapy & Neck Pain

One of the primary goals of physical therapy is to address whole-body well-being by encouraging improved overall health. In many situations, this includes improved flexibility and range-of-motion training, muscle building and strength training, and even in some cases, encouragement with cardiovascular activities and weight loss. At the end of the day, the best way to be free of neck pain is to prevent neck pain from developing, and working with a physical therapist can help you in this regard, as well. The tasks that you do every day can build up over time and cause a lot of stress on your body, and the neck and shoulders are some of the most common places to carry that stress. You may not even realize the impact that simple tasks that you do every day have on your body and your experience of pain. Things like driving, lifting heavy objects — like packages at the front door or even your groceries — and repetitive movements like hunching over a keyboard at work can all seriously impact your neck pain. Source: https://www.moveforwardpt.com/symptomsconditionsdetail.aspx?cid=8402b1d2-6580- 41b2-b4ff-25a0cd6dac3a https://www.verywellhealth.com/pinched-nerve-headache-treatment-1719581 The longer you let neck pain linger and disrupt your life, the more difficult it becomes to treat. If you experience an injury, the smart thing to do is to consult a physical therapist soon after the pain develops. Call Next Step Physical Therapy today at (516) 681- 8070 and get relief!

EnjoyThis Healthy Recipe: Stuffed Mushrooms

Exercise Essentials Try this simple exercise to relieve your neck pain.

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Helps to Stretch Your Upper Neck

w w w . s i m p l e s e t . n e t

BILATERAL SUBOCCIPITAL STRETCH While lying on a flat surface, put both hands behind your head, cupping the base of your skull with your thumbs. Tuck your chin downwards and apply a firm force up your skull with both thumbs to feel a moderate stretch in the back of the upper neck. Hold for at least 30 seconds and repeat as needed.

INGREDIENTS : • 1 1/2 lb baby mushrooms • 2 Tbsp butter • 2 cloves garlic, minced • 1/4 c breadcrumbs • Kosher salt

• Freshly ground black pepper • 1/4 c freshly grated Parmesan, plus more for topping • 4 oz cream cheese, softened • 2 Tbsp freshly chopped parsley, plus more for garnish • 1 Tbsp freshly chopped thyme

INSTRUCTIONS: Preheat oven to 400°. Grease a baking sheet with cooking spray. Remove mushroom stems and roughly chop. Place mushroom caps on a baking sheet. In a medium skillet over medium heat, melt butter. Add chopped stems and cook about 5 minutes to remove moisture. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add breadcrumbs and toast slightly for 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat and let cool. In a large bowl mix together mushroom stemmixture, Parmesan, cream cheese, parsley, and thyme. Season with salt and pepper. Fill mushroom caps with filling and sprinkle with Parmesan. Bake until soft and golden for 20 minutes. Garnish with parsley to serve. delish.com/cooking/recipe-ideas/a20089643/easy-stuffed-mushroom-recipe

Always consult your physical therapist or physician before starting exercises you are unsure of doing.

CALL TODAY AT (516) 681-8070 OR VISIT WWW.NEXTSTEPPT.COM

Refresh Your Life In 2021

What’s New?

January and the New Year have come and gone and now we’re in the teeth of winter. I usually go on vacation right about now but we’re not yet ready to fly with everything going on currently. Fortunately, we’ve been keeping busy helping people get out of pain. We are all very grateful to still have this opportunity to help people when we know of many other practices that have not been able to re-open during this time. As a result, we’ve decided to thank all of you by having an entire day dedicated to all of you. We are giving free screens to any of our past patients and their friends and families during the month of February. You should get something in the mail about this. If not, just call us (516-681-8070) and we can set you up with a free exam. To request your FREE Screen in February, call us at (516) 681-8070. Once again, thank you for your support. - Chris You Help Us, Help Others! Schedule Your February Free Screen!

Have you been experiencing any weakness in your muscles? Any aches or pains from an old injury? Has it been more than 4 months since you’ve been to physical therapy? If so, then it’s time for your next checkup, as your condition may have changed. We will help you: 1. Treat aches and pains so you can get the most from your work out. 2. Enjoy physical activities with family and friends. 3. Have more energy so you can be more productive. Let Next Step Physical Therapy Help You Reach Your Health & Fitness Goals This Year! Our highly experienced team offers specialized treatment services for any pain, injury, or discomfort you may be feeling. The professionals at Next Step Physical Therapy will help you regain lost motion, strength, balance, and coordination resulting from pain in your shoulders, back, neck, hips, or knees. We can help to strengthen and increase your mobility, while decreasing pain. Our goal is to empower you to actively manage your pain, increase your range of motion, and get you back to living the life you deserve. Let us help you on your journey to becoming strong, healthy, and active in 2021. We can help you meet your resolutions for 2021! Call Next Step Physical Therapy today at (516) 681-8070.

THANK YOU TO OUR REFERRAL CLUB MEMBERS!

D.B. J.M.K.

D.M.C. N.A.

R.S. L.Q.

Coupon Corner

Patient Success Spotlight

FREE PAIN CONSULTATION

“When I first came to Next Step, I got hurt at work when working with a patient. I came here with a very bad cervical spine injury. Therefore, I was not able to cook and drive and it was hard for me to take care of my young kids. I am so thankful to Dr. Chris for healing my spine back to normal. As a result of doing so, the swelling went down within a week and now I am able to take care of my kids and work without pain. Thanks again, Chris, I highly appreciate your help” - Manjeet K.

(516) 681-8070 CALL TO SPEAK WITH A PHYSICAL THERAPIST ABOUT YOUR PAIN

131 W Old Country Rd Hicksville, NY 11801

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EXPIRES 3-31-21