PT Pro - May 2020

5/20

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WE’RE IN THIS TOGETHER! And We’re Here for You (Virtually) T hings have really been upside down, haven’t they? It’s causing all of us to shift our lives and create a new normal. It was a While there’s a lot out of our control right now, we’re doing our best to focus on what we can do. I’ve been finding sanity in Peloton workouts — it’s one of my favorite ways to work out, and it’s easy to do at home. When it comes to staying mentally and physically sane, moving and getting a sweat on is the best magic I know of.

heartbreaking decision for us to temporarily close our office because of COVID-19, but it was the best decision for keeping everyone safe and healthy. We’re taking it one day at a time and doing all we can to be here for you until we can open our doors again. Our main focus over the last two months has been how we can continue to provide physical therapy to folks. Our approach is very hands on, so while it’s less than ideal, we’re turning to telehealth to be able to offer care. As much as we strongly believe that nothing replaces in-person care, this is a way to get to people when they can’t get to us. We got started with our first telehealth appointments at the end of March, and it’s been a learning experience for everyone! Alice had the very first virtual appointment with a client, and I think they both got some much-needed laughs out of the experience as they figured out the ins and outs of the technology and providing physical therapy remotely. After getting over some initial humps, they were able to have a productive appointment. I know it was helpful for our client to have access to the care that’s helping them heal and get back to their life fully functioning. We’ll just keep learning and getting better at this, won’t we? We’re in this together! With some extra time on our hands, our team is also studying up on the latest research and articles on the best practices for providing care. We want to be here and ready for when our clinic reopens!

As many of us are working from home these days, it’s as important as ever to find ways to keep moving. On our website, you’ll find posture tips, stretch and warmup routines, and other articles geared toward your health and well-being. Diaphragmatic breathing is something we use often at our clinic because of the mental and physical benefits. You can watch our quick how-to video at Youtu.be/ r9jV6Eh22Mw. We’re keeping our Facebook page stocked with videos of simple exercises and stretches you can do at home to keep yourself healthy and injury-free. Go check them out and let us know what you think! Know that we are doing all we can to be here for you during this time. We want to stay connected without inundating you with emails, so know that every message from us is sent intentionally because we feel that the information in it is valuable to you. If you have any questions about receiving physical therapy during this time or continuing your physical therapy at home, please don’t hesitate to reach out!

Wishing you a healthy month,

-Maureen Madden

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TACKLE ALLERGIES THIS SPRING

With These 3 Strategies

of showering and changing immediately after coming back inside. While you were out crushing that 30-mile bike ride, pollen was slowly accumulating in your hair and on your clothes. And while 30 minutes of outdoor exercise will, according to WebMD, completely coat your nasal membrane with allergens, showering and laundering your clothing will limit your exposure while indoors.

suffer from seasonal allergies, the season is bittersweet. For many, this time of the year is characterized by stuffy noses, burning eyes, and sneezing. But according to WebMD, even severe allergy sufferers can enjoy the outdoors without worrying about allergies by taking the following precautions. Watch pollen counts. You can usually find information about local pollen levels on the internet or in your local newspaper. If pollen counts are through the roof, consider hitting the indoor gym instead of running outside. In general, pollen counts are highest on warm and breezy mornings and lowest when it is cool and rainy. Plan your outdoor pursuits accordingly. Change immediately after spending time outdoors. If you suffer from seasonal allergies but still love to exercise outdoors, build a habit

Medicate, medicate, medicate. Depending on the severity of your

allergies, medication, not prevention, will likely provide the best relief available. Every person is different, so ask your doctor about the best medicine for you, and make sure you understand how you’re supposed to use it before dismissing its efficacy. Some allergy medicines can take as long as three weeks to reach their full effectiveness.

S pring has officially sprung. Grass is growing, flowers are blooming, and longer days are here again. And while the arrival of spring is a cause for celebration, for outdoor enthusiasts who

EXERCISE OF THE MONTH

“3D Hamstring Stretch”

WHY: This exercise is a great way to undo the tightness you’ll get from long periods of sitting at work or on car rides. It’s also a GREAT way to warm up your hamstrings (the long muscles in back of the legs) for a run, hike, row, soccer game, or any leg workout. Keeping your hamstrings flexible and happy can prevent back and knee pain and improve performance. You can do this almost anywhere! HOW: This is a right hamstring example: Put your right foot up on a bench, chair, box, or car bumper with your right knee slightly bent. Tip forward at the hips with a straight back until you feel a slight pull behind your leg. Hold that for 15 seconds, then maintain that position and slowly rotate your trunk left and right. You should feel the pull moving around slightly. Rotate 5–7 times each way. If you don’t want to rotate, then just hold the position for 45 seconds.

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TEAM MEMBER SPOTLIGHT Alice Calls on a Range of Rehabilitative Approaches to Help Patients Heal

Within PT Pro’s first couple years of opening, the second person to join the team was talented physical therapist Alice Wong. Moving from another clinic, Alice was excited to practice in a more personalized manner. “I was interested in joining a place that takes more of a one-on-one treatment model approach,” Alice says. In those days, it was Maureen and Alice making sure everything got done, from keeping the clinic clean to scheduling appointments. “We were doing everything,” Alice says with a laugh. “Maureen was doing laundry, cleaning the clinic, answering the phones. It was just us.”

AVOCADO MAYONNAISE

From that starting point, Alice has watched PT Pro grow, bringing on more PTs and staff, building relationships with doctors, and growing our patient community. In that time, she’s also grown her own practice, completed over 50 continuing education courses, and pursued every opportunity to learn and grow. About 10 years ago, noticing an influx of people coming in with hot yoga-related injuries, Alice wanted to understand why they were happening. She took a few classes and, “I got hooked,” she says. She continued to take classes, which helped her connect to what her patients were experiencing. “I got an understanding of the movements that were leading to joint injuries, so when people come in with injuries, I can help them modify their postures and find alternatives.” This is something Alice knows from personal experience. In 2012, she tore her ACL while skiing. “After three months, when I was cleared, I went back to yoga, but I did modified postures,” Alice says. “I tried looking up modifications for ACL injuries, but I didn’t find any, so I had to learn how to modify them for myself. I’ve used that experience to help others who’ve had similar problems.” Her experience makes her an empathetic PT. “I understand what it’s like to have a knee injury and want to get back to running. Being a PT doesn’t make me heal faster than anyone else — I still have to do my exercises; I still have to build back up. There are a lot of ups and downs, but you keep going. Time and exercise are the keys to healing.” To add to the rehabilitative tools she can call on to help patients heal, Alice began taking courses to become a certified Pilates instructor. “There’s a rehab background with Pilates,” Alice explains. “It’s great strength training without any joint impact. You don’t see Pilates injuries the way you see injuries from circuit training or yoga.” Alice is spending her spare time studying for courses and is excited to incorporate more of the rehab benefits into her practice.

Inspired by The Kitchn

Ingredients

•

1 tsp lemon juice, freshly squeezed

• •

2 ripe avocados

1 tsp chipotle peppers in adobo sauce

• •

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 cup olive oil

•

1 tsp Dijon mustard

Directions

1. In a food processor, blend avocados, chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, Dijon mustard, lemon juice, and salt for 1 minute.

2. Scrape the mixture down the sides of the bowl.

3. Turn the processor on again and slowly pour in olive oil.

4. Blend for 1 minute or until smooth.

“Courage is the most important of all the virtues because without courage, you can’t practice any other virtue consistently.”

— Maya Angelou

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2569 152nd Ave NE Redmond, WA 98052

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Providing Physical Therapy Remotely

How to Avoid Allergies This Spring

Exercise of the Month

Our Team Member Alice Shares Her Recipe for Healing

Avocado Mayonnaise

Our Favorite Ways to Stay Active at Home

HOW WE’RE STAYING ACTIVE

Finding Inspiration With Virtual Workouts and Mindfulness

Fitness Blender Started by Seattle couple Kelli and Daniel Segars, Fitness Blender has over 600 free workouts that range in length from 10–50 minutes. Many of them can be done with only body weight, and the videos are accessible and easy to follow. You can get started at FitnessBlender.com. Meditation It’s important to also keep ourselves mentally well during this time. Find some calm and clarity with meditation apps like Calm and Headspace. Both apps began offering free resources on coping with the anxiety and stress stemming from the pandemic, and Headspace also added a motion component to their offerings that takes you through accessible, quick workouts.

In light of so many events getting canceled or postponed and with most of us being homebound, we thought we’d share some of our favorite ways to stay healthy and active. All of these workouts and wellness activities are available online, and many of them are free. Peloton Maureen’s favorite at-home workout is accessible even if you don’t have a Peloton bike. The site has many different types of workouts, including stretching routines, outdoor workouts, strength training, and more. They also extended their free trial offer to 90 days so more people can access their workouts. Find out more at OnePeloton.com.

something to feel grateful for considering the mind and body benefits of yoga. You can find their classes at Facebook.com/ pg/AhamYoga/posts/?ref=page_internal. They also want anyone who’s been laid off because of the pandemic to reach out about pricing. Additionally, 8 Limbs Yoga on Capitol Hill and Hatha Yoga are also livestreaming yoga classes.

Yoga Starting March 30, Aham Yoga in

4 425-497-8180 | WWW.PTPRO.BIZ Redmond is offering virtual yoga classes for everyone in the world to enjoy. That’s