Achieve Physical Therapy_Are You Ignoring Your Back Pain?

Achieve Physical Therapy_Are You Ignoring Your Back Pain?

Performance For Life NEWSLETTER

Natalie Gleason, PT, DPT Natalie joined the Achieve Therapy team in July of 2016 and accepts patients at our office in Thief River Falls, MN. A native of Devils Lake, ND, Natalie attended the University of North Dakota where she received her doctorate degree in Physical Therapy in the spring of 2016. Through her graduate level clinical experiences she was able to obtain knowledge in a variety of settings including outpatient, home health, inpatient and neuro. She has additional training in cervicogenic headaches and athletic sports STAFFSPOTLIGHT

injury rehabilitation and is a certified Astym provider. She desires to make an impact on those she treats by emphasizing the healing process through nutrition and a holistic approach. Natalie enjoys working with all age groups and a wide spectrum of diagnoses including post- surgical, neuro rehabilitation, vertigo, orthopedic injuries, chronic pain, and headaches. Her ultimate desire is see her patients succeed through the healing process by striving to achieve

t o

the patient’s personal goals with proper management and patient education. Her interests outside of physical therapy include her faith, traveling, spending time outdoors, biking, cooking, and connecting with friends and family.

www.achieve-therapy.com

Performance For Life NEWSLETTER

INSIDE: • 6 Back Problems You Shouldn’t Ignore • Will Your Back Hurt When You Get Older • Can Dry Needling Help You Are you in Pain? Call Today And Start Feeling Better Fast!

6BackPROBLEMSYouShouldn't Ignore Howyoucan feel better quickly...

Do you feel aches and pains in your lower back? If so, you are not alone. Four out of every five Americans will suffer from back pain at some time in their lives. Without proper spine mobility, stability and alignment your back structures wear down over time, similar to tires that are out of alignment. There are many different back conditions, but here are a few common ones: 1. Lumbar or sacral radiculopathy: The result of pressure on a nerve exiting the spine. Pain, numbness and tingling can be felt down in different parts of the leg. 2. Sciatica: This comes from compression of the sciatic nerve by a muscle called the piriformis, deep in the buttock. Symptoms can radiate down the buttock and leg. 3. Spinal stenosis: This is a narrowing of the bony spinal canal which causes rubbing or pressure on nerves. Central canal stenosis is quite serious as it presses upon the spinal cord. 4. Lumbar sprain/strain: This is a common cause of low back pain due to injury of muscles and tendons. The rows of muscles that run up

and down the sides of the spinal column, are the major muscle groups usually involved in lower back injury. 5. Fractures: These are due to trauma, or sometimes occur without any injury in people with osteoporosis. 6. Spinal cord compression: This is unusual, but very worrisome andmay be associated with weakness and loss of bowel/bladder control. Medication and Bed Rest Most lower back pain sufferers try over the counter drugs and bed rest. However, most self remedies will not provide the relief that you need. In fact, bed rest is the wrong thing to do, because it can weaken the spinal muscles further. Weakness in the spinal muscles is one of the main reasons for low back pain and puts you at risk for injuring your back with common activities such as lifting, bending or squatting. Most of us sit too much and this contributes to severe weakening of the back and torsomuscles which are needed for a healthy back.

For an updated list of upcoming events/workshops please visit our website!

www.achieve-therapy.com

“I was able to do a three mile walk today and felt like I could have done more.” “Thank you for the tour last week. I’ve been doing the TRX exercise you showed me. Thanks to you, I was able to do a three mile walk today and felt like I could have done more. THANK YOU!” - Joyce B. Patient Spotlight Can Dry Needling Help You? What is Dry Needling? Dry Needling involves inserting a tiny monofilament needle in a muscle or muscles in order to release shortened bands of muscles and decrease trigger point activity. This can help resolve pain and muscle tension, and will promote healing. This is not traditional Chinese Acupuncture, but is instead a medical treatment that relies on a medical diagnosis to be effective. Who can benefit? Dry Needling is a valuable and effective treatment for musculoskeletal pain. Patients with the following symptoms may benefit from this treatment: • Muscle Strains • Tendonitis • Osteoarthritis • Bursitis • Decrease Mobility/Range of Motion • Headaches • Chronic Pain Acupuncture and dry needling, while using the same needle types, are two very different treatments. Traditional Acupuncture is used for the diagnosis and treatment of pathological conditions including visceral and systemic dysfunction, while dry needling is used for the assessment and treatment of myofascial pain syndromes and dysfunction due to myofascial trigger points, tension areas, muscle spasms, and/or increased tonicity. Dry Needling is a form of therapy that is designed to alleviate symptoms from Trigger Points or muscle spasms. What is the difference between Acupuncture and Dry Needling?

This summer marked the 8th year that Achieve Therapy & Fitness has provided strength & conditioning programs to the athletes of area schools. An extension of Achieves AthleticTraining Outreach Services, the Summer Strength & Conditioning program provides a way for our Athletic Trainers and strength training specialists, to stay in touch with the athletes of those schools which we service. It allows us to offer our help & guidance to our student athletes throughout the entire year, not just the school year. The Achieve Summer Strength & Conditioning Program provides a convenient way to introduce basic strength & conditioning principles to young athletes, allowing them to participate in off-season training otherwise not accessible to them in their communities. The program philosophy is that by teaching the proper and safe training techniques early in an athlete’s career, we can reduce the risk of injury while also enhancing their athletic performance. To accomplish that, the program focuses on improving core strength, overall mobility and developing efficient movement patterns. That builds the foundation from which the young athlete can develop explosive power, increase their speed & agility and increase their lean body mass. To help our staff guide the development of these athletes, and to monitor their progress, each of the participants is given the opportunity to take the Achieve Combine Test or ACT. This includes a Functional Movement Screen, the InBody Body Composition Analysis and a series of physical performance tests that measure speed, agility, power & strength. These tests are performed at the beginning of the program and at the end so every athlete receives a progress report upon completion. To learn more about any one of these tests or the full ACT, visit our website at www. achieve-therapy.com , or call the Achieve Performance Center at 701- 757-1322. We will be happy to answer your questions This year the Summer Strength & Conditioning Program provided training to over 100 athletes in 6 different communities within a 70 mile radius of Grand Forks. This is in addition to the athletes we work with at our new Achieve Performance Center. The goal of Achieve Therapy is to provide everyone we encounter the ability to enjoy “Performance for Life”. If you have a young athlete that you would like to get started on the right training path, please contact us or stop by to see what they can Achieve! Achieve Summer Strength & Conditioning Reaches Out to Area Athletes

WillYourBackHurtWhen YouGetOlder?

If you think that growing older automatically leads to back pain, here’s some great news; it doesn’t! Many people suffer from pain, yet, they still believe their aches and pains are a natural part of aging. They’re not. Back pain is primarily caused by four main factors: • Spinal muscle weakness • Poor muscle or joint movement • Poor posture • Lack of spinal or pelvic muscle coordination Treating the Cause of Your Back Pain The goal of our SPINE program is to find the root cause of your pain and correct it, not just treat the symptoms. By treating the root cause of the pain, you can achieve faster, long-lasting results. We provide the most advanced and effective treatments to each of our patients in a caring, friendly environment. Our highly trained and skilled physical therapists use proven hands-on therapy techniques to help people of all ages become free of pain and get back to the activities they enjoy.

If your back pain prevents you from standing for long periods, bending down to pick up objects, or getting up and down from the floor to play with your children or grandchildren it’s time to come to Physical Therapy and restore your quality of life. Knowing the Right Expert to Help You PhysicalTherapists are medical musculoskeletal specialists, meaning we are the experts when it comes to the movement of the body and how the muscles, joints and skeletal structure work with one another. Effective physical therapy experts recognize that the best treatments are not modalities that depend solely on ultrasound, cold or heat therapy, but rather a skilled hands-on approach to examination and treatment. Studies have proven thatmanual therapyandspecificexercises produce better and faster results than traditional exercise based therapy. If you are suffering with back pain or know someone who is, call us today to discover how we can finally help you become pain free and get back to the activities you enjoy. After all, you’re as young as you feel!

SAVEMONEY WITH PHYSICAL THERAPY Research shows patients on average than referred patients, decreasing costs tremendously. COME BACK IN FOR A CHECK UP! who went straight to Physical Therapy had 86% fewer visits

You Get Results With These Effective Programs

• TMJandHeadache • BackPain • NeckPain • SportsMedicine • OrthopedicTherapy • Vertigo

• Pilates • Neuropathy • Urinary Incontinence • Women’sHealth • Fibromyalgia • Golf Injury • Geriatric • PeripheralNeuropathy

• WorkRelated Injuries • WorkPlace JobDemandAnalysis • FunctionalCapacityExam • Performance forLifeFitness • NewGenPrescriptionOrthotics • DryNeedling • CranioSacralTherapy • LSVTBIG

• Osteoporosis • Lymphedema