PT Of Tennessee March 2018

MARCH 2018

www.ptstn.net (423) 543-0073

TennesseeWellness Chronicles

FROM THE DESK OF Dr. Smith

A lot of people in our profession say that physical therapy is the best kept secret in the world of medicine. I am inclined to agree with them, and I am doing what I can to spread the word about what we do and how we do it. Back in 1977, when I first started working with athletes, I had tremendous support (and still do) from area physicians. We saw a need in the athletic community, and we responded. Later, upon attaining athletic training certification, I did not have to wait for orders from a physician before caring for athletes with injuries or concerns. More recently, physical therapists have been legally allowed to evaluate and treat all individuals without (or prior to) a physician referral. Now that we can legally and ethically treat these individuals, how do we get the word out to the community? That is one reason for this newsletter: to inform the public. We need to talk with our families, friends and neighbors about the availability of highly trained, dedicated health care professionals who can provide excellent care, consultation, information and — if needed — referrals to physicians. Should you have any questions regarding the availability of any of our staff, please do not hesitate to contact us at ( 423) 543-0073.

Mealtime with young children can often resemble a scene from“A Few Good Men.”Verbal warfare over being forced to eat vegetables can break out at any moment. If you’ve ever tried to convince a young child to eat something they don’t want to, you know the courtroom power struggle between Tom Cruise and Jack Nicholson often pales in comparison. What if there was a way to avoid this? Creating an environment that is conducive to trying new foods can be very difficult. The individuality of every child makes it even more complicated, because there is no overarching solution. The following strategies might not work in every situation, but give them a try if you find yourself struggling at the dinner table. TWO-THIRDS RULE An article on Good + Simple entitled “Raising Kids to Be Adventurous Eaters” explains what the author calls the “two-thirds rule.” By providing two food options you know your child would like and sneaking in a third option, you can encourage your child to slowly expand their palate and open their mind to trying new things. Even if they don’t eat one-third of the new food they dislike, your child will still have consumed a large enough portion to receive the proper nutrients. C an ’ t G et Y our K id to E at V eggies ? Try These Strategies

–Danny

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MAKE IT FUN That’s not to say you should celebrate every bite like your child just won Game 7 of the World Series. Making eating fun means creating an environment where your child looks forward to food. If you foster an atmosphere where eating is perceived as a chore, your child will be less likely to pursue new foods. This means not giving your child misconceptions or preconceived notions about the food they are going to eat. To illustrate this, think of it like the last time someone raved about a movie by saying, “You’re going to love it!”Well, sometimes you don’t love it, and the hype can lead to disappointment. FOOD ALLERGIES For many parents, food allergies are an incredible complication when it comes to expanding their child’s diet. What may work for some children could prove disastrous for another. That doesn’t mean your child can’t

ONE BITE FOR EVERY YEAR Fit Mama Real Food is a blog run by Heather, a mother of four. She developed a unique strategy to help her kids try new foods. The bargain she makes with her children requires them to have as many bites as their age. So if your child is 3 years old, they have to take three bites. When they turn 4, they have to take four bites. She recommends starting this strategy around 2 years old. When your child helps cook, it introduces them to the process and familiarizes them with new foods. When a child makes their own food, they’re more inclined to want to try it. Letting them help pick some healthy options at the store has a similar effect. While it might be nice to navigate the grocery store without children slowing you down, letting them choose their vegetables could get your kids excited to eat them. GET THEM IN THE KITCHEN AND THE STORE

try new things. You just may have to be a little more inventive. Try substituting peanut butter with sunflower seed butter such as SunButter, make dairy-free cupcakes, or find other alternatives to common foods. This will help children with allergies feel included when exposed to new foods. The biggest benefit of adventurous eating is the nutritional value of diverse food. While almost every child loves mac and cheese, it doesn’t provide the vital nutrients they need. We often hear how important a well- balanced diet is for adults, but it’s even more critical for kids. As children grow, they need a wide array of nutrients to live a healthy life. Calcium, folate, iron, and vitamins A and C are just a few important components of a healthy diet for children. It can be easy to give in, but by using unique strategies, you can introduce new foods to your child’s diet. All it takes is a little creativity.

Family Time in the Great Outdoors

It doesn’t require a lot of skill or investment. All it takes is the willingness to learn and the desire to connect with nature. This is why fishing is the perfect activity for youngsters of all ages. So, what are you waiting for? Grab your rod and reel and head to the nearest lake or river. headed monster for your next family outing. By combining camping with a hike to a river or lake where you can go fishing, you are sure to create lasting memories with your family that will draw you closer together. Ditch the lines at the airport and the stress of travel. Unleash the possibilities of adventure in the great outdoors. While these are all great stand-alone options, together they form an amazing three-

security, departure delays, and long flights, take a deep breath and roast marshmallows over the fire with the people you love. HIKING A hike with family is an easy way to escape the hustle and bustle of city life. All a hike requires is a trail and a sense of adventure. The best part of hiking is that you can tailor the distance to fit your family’s needs. If you have children or grandkids who aren’t up for the challenge of an arduous daylong trek, there’s sure to be a shorter scenic trail. If nothing else, you can always turn around and backtrack the way you came. FISHING Fishing is a great way to get out and do something relaxing yet challenging.

Family adventures are a great way to grow closer and develop meaningful connections. But with lodging prices rising and the logistical nightmare that traveling with the entire family can be, many Americans are looking at a new option: ditching the beaches and resorts and heading to the great outdoors. Actually, we know this option isn’t new at all. Spending time outdoors with family may very well be one of the most time-honored traditions ever. CAMPING Lodgings and flights are expensive, so going on a family vacation can cost thousands of dollars—and that’s just for the basics! But camping only requires a tent, a fire, picnic food, and water. Rather than scarfing down fast food between flights and dealing with airport

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As streaming services take over the music industry, the search for the perfect workout playlist is as popular as ever. We have the choice of any song we want right at our fingertips, and the difficult part is how to choose the right music for the workout. Nothing can dry up an intense sweat faster than a slow song. The key to making the right song choices is making sure the beats per minute (bpm) match the intensity of your workout. WARMUP A good warmup is paramount to making sure your workout goes well. This means finding the right music to get your muscles primed and ready to go. When you’re warming up, you want to find something steady that has a solid beat to it. An ideal range for your warmup tunes should be around 115–120 bpm. You want enough energy to get going, but not so much that you overdo it. LIFTING Finding the right bpm for your weightlifting music is a little trickier. If the bpm is too high, you risk speeding up your technique and subjecting yourself to the dangers of poor form. 130–140 bpm is a great range for lifting because it keeps the pace fast, but not too fast. Build the Ultimate Workout Playlist

CARDIO If you love pounding the pavement or just hitting the cardio machines at the gym, odds are you’ve searched for running playlists before. Many of these are great, but some fall short. If you’re looking to build your own specific running list, start with songs that range from 147–160 bpm. Getting something more upbeat like this will help you consistently push your pace and even help release endorphins so you can achieve a great runner’s high. COOL-DOWN One of the most commonly overlooked aspects of a workout is the cool-down. A proper cool-down will not only help you mentally wrap up your workout mindset, but it’s pivotal for injury prevention. The best range for a cool-down is around 120 bpm, but you can also go lower. To find the ideal tempo for your playlists, you’ll want to get the bpm of your music to match the bpm of your heart. There are a multitude of ways to find this, but now that you know the ideal ranges for your exercise, you can start to amass your ultimate workout jams!

Client Testimonials Take a Break!

“Just after my shoulder surgery, I felt I could not possibly

recover use of my arm. I am thrilled with my progress toward recovery and owe it all to Physical Therapy Services.” –Greg L.

"Bothmy therapists were great, thinking outside the box and helping me move forward withmy recovery." –Susanne R.

“When I first came to therapy, my back pain was 8 out of 10. The

doctor hadme on high doses of painmedication and was considering surgery. After a couple of visits and starting on a home exercise program, my pain is now 2 out of 10 and we are no longer considering surgery.”- Angie J.

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401 East Main Street Johnson City, TN 37601 (423) 722-2062

1500 West Elk Ave. Elizabethton, TN, 37643 (423) 547-4012

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Inside This Issue From the Desk of Dr. Smith PAGE 1 How to Get Your Kids to Try New Foods PAGE 1 3 Awesome Ways to Create Lasting Memories PAGE 2 How Exercise Music Affects Intensity PAGE 3 Client Testimonials PAGE 3 Take a Break! PAGE 3 New Evidence Comes Out Against Knee

Surgery PAGE 4

WHAT PATIENTS NEEDTO KNOW BEFORE GETTING KNEE SURGERY

It’s Not Your Only Option

they’re virtually identical to the outcomes of noninvasive exercises and treatments in the long run. Essentially, this means that expensive, painful, and potentially dangerous surgery, which forces patients off their feet for weeks, may be easily avoided. Issues as widespread as knee osteoarthritis or tears of the meniscus can be corrected in other ways. Still, a substantial number of doctors rush to surgery as the only option for their patients, perhaps because they’re unaware or disagree with these 2017 recommendations. Of course, it’s important to trust your physician and listen carefully to the advice they give, but you should consider every possible alternative. Taking a few months to see if conservative treatment will solve your knee problem can save you thousands of dollars and a lot of pain and struggle.

It’s no surprise, then, that so many patients turn to their doctors for advice on treating osteoarthritis or a tear in their meniscus. It often seems that surgery is the only option for a substantial recovery. But an array of new research indicates that surgery is rarely the best course of action for these particular conditions. Just last year, the respected British Medical Journal released new recommendations strongly steering physicians away from advising their patients to undergo arthroscopic surgery for either knee osteoarthritis or meniscal tears. Instead, they suggest noninvasive treatment methods like watchful waiting, weight loss if overweight, and physical therapy. Over the last few years, a number of studies have come out questioning the efficacy of surgery for this condition. While it’s true that arthroscopic surgery generally does result in positive outcomes for patients,

Knee osteoarthritis is one of the most prevalent causes of disability in the world, affecting an estimated 250 million people across the globe and over 10 percent of Americans at some point in their lives. If you expand this number to include tears of the meniscus, it increases to 1 in 4 people over 50 years of age. Pain from knee osteoarthritis or meniscal tears can differ in important ways, but the fact remains that both problems can result in a debilitating condition that will diminish the sufferer’s quality of life.

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