Professional Physical Therapy April 2021

Professional Physical Therapy April 2021

PRO PT PRESS

April 2021

No COVID-19 Here For World Health Day, Pro PT Got the Vaccine!

I can’t think of a better way to honor World Health Day — which fell on April 7 — than by having our entire team here at Professional Physical Therapy completely vaccinated against COVID-19. Anyone who can get this vaccine is lucky, and everyone who does is helping bring an end to the worst pandemic in a century. Although we are used to being leaders who shine a light for the free world to follow, America has been hit harder by this virus than any other country on Earth. This World Health Day, we’re happy to be doing our small part as Americans and as citizens of the world. But our community benefits from having as many people vaccinated as possible — and in our clinic, that “community” is our wonderful patients. When you come in for a therapy session or educational opportunity like a workshop, you’re here to recover and improve your physical health. The very last thing we want to do is introduce the risk of COVID-19! For that reason, we vaccinated our team — our entire team. Not just the hands-on therapists, but every single person who works here, including support staff, at the front desk, and the technicians in the back! If there’s one thing we’ve learned by now about this virus, it’s that it will take any opportunity that it gets. At the time, the Moderna vaccine was the only option available to us, so that is the one that we received. But I’d have been 100% comfortable with any of the vaccines that have become available in the United States. When you see something that indicates one vaccine isn’t as good as the others, it’s important to remember that vaccines being developed now are often dealing with the newer, more powerful variants of the coronavirus; against those strains, none of the vaccines will fare as well as against the original disease. It’s all the more reason for everyone to get vaccinated as soon as they are allowed, which will, in turn, seriously limit the damage those variants are able to do.

Limiting damage, providing a safe place for patients to recover and for our team to work, and increasing our community’s resilience to the pandemic are all good reasons to get vaccinated. I want to leave you with one more — a reason that’s a little less of a “downer” than the others: The sooner we’re all vaccinated, the sooner we can do wonderful things like gather in groups, have big family parties, and generally leave our houses without fear of infection or of infecting others. This April will be the last time we miss the Boston Marathon, which I used to encounter annually since it started right by where I lived. One of our clinicians, a regular Boston runner, can’t wait for next year! At Professional Physical Therapy, we’ll take advantage of the changing situation this month with a new workshop! Keep a lookout for this brand new educational workshop on the HIP. If your hip is bothering you for whatever reason, this is a can’t-miss event that you simply must attend!

–Dr. Stacey Raybuck Schatz

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PATIENT of the MONTH Tyler McNamara PITT HOPKINS RESEARCH FOUNDATION

In Honor of Libraries and Mental Health!

TOP 3 BOOKS YOU’LL WANT TO CHECK OUT

No matter where you or a loved one are in your mental health journey, books can provide new insights through someone else’s experiences or the medical field’s scientific understanding of mental health. So, in honor of National Library Week (April 4–10) and National Librarian Day (April 16), let’s open up a few contemporary, definitive works on mental health to celebrate books and their availability through our public libraries. ‘Lost Connections: Uncovering the Real Causes of Depression — and the Unexpected Solutions’ by Johann Hari This is one of the most recent mental health books that shocked the world. Featuring interviews with experts across the world, Hari’s book explored his personal quest to understand depression and concrete reasons we experience it. He’s found that certain lost connections with ourselves are often the reason we feel depressed — and, luckily, solutions exist. Even Elton John loves the book, saying, “If you have ever been down, or felt lost, this amazing book will change your life. Do yourself a favor — read it now.” ‘Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Made Simple: 10 Strategies for Managing Anxiety, Depression, Anger, Panic, and Worry’ by Seth J. Gillihan, Ph.D. Too anxious to go into therapy? Thankfully, you can practice cognitive behavioral therapy on yourself in a few ways. Start your healing process today with this easy-to-understand yet medically sophisticated workbook, which contains 10 soothing strategies like setting goals, maintaining mindfulness, and more. You can also use this workbook in tandem with clinical cognitive behavioral therapy or post-therapy. ‘This Is Depression: A Comprehensive, Compassionate Guide for Anyone Who Wants to Understand Depression’ by Dr. Diane McIntosh Are you completely lost about what depression is exactly? Is it a clinical or emotional issue, or both? Whether for a loved one’s sake or your own, this book can give you a thorough understanding of depression that a simple Google search simply can’t offer. You’ll love Dr. Diane McIntosh’s evidence-based approach to showing the causes, impact, and treatment of depression. Even if your local library is still closed due to the pandemic, we hope you check one of these — or any book — out! And if you have a great book recommendation, we’d love to hear it. Have a wonderful, book-filled April, friends.

“I chose this charity to raise awareness to Pitt-Hopkins syndrome. You have probably never heard of Pitt-Hopkins syndrome because it is such an incredibly rare genetic disorder — only an estimated 1,000 people worldwide are diagnosed. Pitt-Hopkins affects development, speech, and intellect. Children and adults with Pitt-Hopkins syndrome are often nonverbal, do not meet developmental milestones, and commonly have seizures and breath-holding spells. The town of Franklin is lucky and blessed to have our own Pitt-Hopkins warrior: Sofia Izzi. Sofia is 4 years old and lives with her parents, Tyler and Stefanie, and her younger brother, Kaleb. She is so strong, loving, and happy with her bright smile. Sofia loves her horseback riding therapy and being in the pool with her family in the summer.” -Tyler From the first day we met Tyler, he tackled his rehab with great determination and persistence. He is highly motivated and works hard both at home and in the clinic. If you have been in the clinic when Tyler has been working, he has likely struck up a conversation with you, as he has a great ability to connect with both staff and other patients. Tyler is a great motivator, and it has been a pleasure working with him. We all congratulate Tyler on his Patient of the Month award! We at Professional Physical Therapy would be honored to donate to the charity of your choice if you become our next Patient of the Month!

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Relieving Pain Since 1992

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to happen? It’s true — the core muscles in your abdomen balance out the muscles in your back. Plus, when it comes to certain activities (like lifting heavy objects), a strong core can do some of the work that might otherwise fall to your back. Most people know how easy it is to hurt your back when lifting, so anything that makes that common cause of injury less likely to occur is a good thing. Speaking of which, do you have kids or grandkids? You don’t need to be a powerlifter to get hurt lifting heavy objects because every time you pick a child up, it’s like performing a snatch-and-grab with a 35-pound weight! Are you a smoker? Believe it or not, in addition to all bad effects we already know about smoking, it can also cause damage to the spine and other parts of your anatomy. Further, it lowers your pain threshold, meaning you feel more pain than others! Almost as surprising is your choice of footwear, which can also make a big difference in back pain. Shoes are important because they absorb a lot of the impact from walking or running. As we learn more about this link, we’re discovering that people walking around in thin shoes — especially on hard surfaces like asphalt streets or concrete sidewalks — can cause the discs in their back to lose a lot of the cushioning fluid they use to keep you protected. When your back is concerned, the way you interact with your surroundings makes a big difference. If you spend a lot of time at work on a computer, you need to pay extra attention to your posture and be sure to stand and walk around regularly. Back injuries from computer use have been on the rise in the last few decades, but it’s really just a new twist on an old flavor: Humans aren’t designed to sit behind desks all day long, so the more you do to counter those negative effects, the happier you — and your back — will be.

Although some of the causes of back pain that we’ve talked about today are more likely to result in one kind of injury or another, many of them can prompt a number of conditions both acute and chronic. In addition to this, “one-time” injuries can easily become chronic ones with poor treatment and care, not to mention re-injury. We’re experts in regard to dealing with back pain — take a look at our Back Workshop special that we’re bringing back — and we can tell you that early treatment is always best. It’s also usually cheaper in the long run than risking re-injury.

For more tips or to schedule an appointment, call Professional Physical Therapy at 508-507-2869 and let us help you!

Tasty Thai FRIED RICE

HowAre You Feeling?

Inspired by OhMyVeggies.com

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 tbsp olive oil • 1 onion, chopped • 8 oz baby bella mushrooms, sliced • 4 cups broccoli, chopped to bite-size pieces • 4 cloves garlic, minced • 5 cups jasmine rice, cooked and cooled

Really, we want to know. Many of us started 2021 with goals and a good feeling about the year — but by now, we may be sidetracked, totally busy, or even injured. At Professional Physical Therapy, we’re here to help you get back on track, no matter what you need to make it happen. From feet to neck and everything in between, we have the tools to leave you ready and eager for summer to begin. It’s important to remember that pain is the body’s way of telling us to stop! There’s a difference between the burning that comes with regular exercise and the constant, worsening, sharp pain of an injury. If your body is saying the same thing, do yourself a favor and schedule your next appointment by calling our office at 508-507-2869.

• 1/2 cup peanuts, chopped • 2 tbsp soy sauce • Toppings of choice for serving

(sliced green onions, sliced cucumber, chopped peanuts, lime wedges, Sriracha, etc.)

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a large nonstick skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 2–3 minutes, until softened. 2. Add the mushrooms and broccoli. Cook for 5–7 minutes, until the broccoli is tender. 3. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds, until fragrant. 4. Finally, add the rice and cook, stirring constantly, for 3–4 minutes. 5. Remove skillet from the heat and stir in the peanuts and soy sauce. 6. Serve garnished with your toppings.

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620 Old West Central St. Franklin, MA 02038 www.proptinc.com 508-528-6100

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Inside This Issue

1

Pro PT Got the Vaccine!

Patient of the Month Top 3 Mental Health Books to Check Out

2

Tasty Thai Fried Rice

3

Are You Destroying Your Back By Accident?

4

Are You Destroying Your Back By Accident? SURPRISING WAYS YOU COULD BE HURTING YOUR BACK

Does your back hurt? Back pain is something the majority of Americans say they’ve dealt with at one time or another, and a sizable minority have back pain that returns again and again every few months. And yet, despite the common denominator — which is back pain — the people suffering from chronic back pain may not have much in common. That’s because there are many types of back pain and many things that can cause it, from an acute trauma to a long-standing injury that never healed correctly. To start, when you hear “back pain,” you could be talking about a spot right at the base of your spine or a spot 14 inches away! So, right away, we can see that “back pain” is an imprecise term at best — it covers your spine, your ribs, large muscle groups, and so on. All of these disparate parts come together in your back, and damage to one of them can affect the rest. Pull a muscle in your shoulder, and you might tweak something in your lower back because you’re carrying yourself differently due to the pain. In addition, there are some activities that have a surprising effect on the health of your back. And we do mean surprising: Did you know, for example, that having a weak core group makes back injuries more likely

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4 www.proptinc.com • 508-528-6100

Relieving Pain Since 1992