Campus Commons PT - November 2020

Campus Commons PT - November 2020

CAMPUS COMMONS

BUT OUR COMMITMENT TO HELPING OUR PATIENTS HASN’T SOME THINGS HAVE CHANGED In the time since you last received this newsletter, things have changed quite a bit throughout the world, in our community, and probably in your own life as well. The pandemic has fundamentally changed life as we all know it, and we’ve spent the last few months adjusting to the new normal. Campus Commons PT wasn’t immune to this change, either. However, we want to make sure you know that even though we’ve made some changes around the clinic, you can still expect top-quality care and rehabilitation. Since the coronavirus arrived, we’ve brought three new physical therapists onto our team, two new patient care coordinators, and a few new physical therapy aides. While we loved the team with whom we began the year, some of our staff had to leave CCPT for a variety of reasons. Luckily, however, all of them left on good terms. A few of our PT aides left to begin their doctorate program in physical therapy, and a few others relocated to be with their families during these past difficult months. Another big change in our regular operations has to do with our workshops. In years past, we’ve always hosted monthly workshops in person at the clinic. For obvious reasons, we decided that wasn’t a good idea anymore. However, we are still offering those workshops virtually over Zoom every month. That way, if you want to get the value that comes with attending one of our workshops, but you want to stay safe, now you can do so from the safety of your own home. “JUST BECAUSE OUR COUNTRY IS GOING THROUGH A PANDEMIC DOESN’T MEAN PEOPLE MAGICALLY STOPPED LIVING WITH PAIN OR NEEDING REHABILITATION FROM SURGERY.”

Aside from the new faces you might see at the clinic (behind masks, of course) and moving our monthly workshops online, we’re pleased that activity at the clinic has largely gone back to normal — at least, as close to “normal” as we can get. While we’re allowed to operate at full capacity again, we’re adhering to social distancing guidelines, checking our patients’ temperatures, asking a series of questions to determine if they have COVID-19 symptoms when they come in for appointments, and ensuring that everyone wears a mask. Basically, we’re operating under the guidelines our state government has required. Just because our country is going through a pandemic doesn’t mean people magically stopped living with pain or needing rehabilitation from surgery. It was tough during those first few months of the pandemic, back in March and April, when we had to operate at a limited capacity and many of our patients stayed at home. We wanted so much to help people like we used to, but circumstances limited us in how we could help. Fortunately, we’ve since been able to fully reopen, and we’re doing everything required of us to keep it that way. We’re thankful to have weathered this storm so far and to have kept our doors open. A lot of people suffered both physically and mentally as a result of the pandemic and the quarantine. If you were one of them, we want you to know that Campus Commons PT is here to help you get back on track.

–Mark Eddy

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TOP 5 HEALTHY LIFE HACKS TO HAVE AN AWESOME MORNING

WAKE UP 5 MINUTES EARLY. What’s the power of five minutes? It can be more than you think. Spend this time doing simple breathing exercises or a quick meditation so you can get focused for the rest of the day. If that’s not your style, you can prepare a quick to-do list for your day ahead. Either way, it’s always nice to have a little extra time for yourself without losing too much sleep. START WITH GREEN TEA, THEN COFFEE. A cup of coffee at 7 a.m. can leave you burned out by 10 a.m. Try swapping it with green tea for a more gentle wake-up call. After that, you can brew your favorite coffee to keep you going strong. This practice also might help you consume less caffeine overall! TAKE A QUICK MORNING WALK — AND HAVE YOUR MEETINGS ON THE GO. Morning meetings can make us want to fall asleep again. Don’t spend all of them sitting down if you don’t have to! Not only will morning

Getting your day started with coffee isn’t always enough. Sometimes, you need to give yourself an extra boost, especially when you have little energy or trouble focusing. For an awesome start to your day, here are five tips to get you going right off the bat.

walks help you wake up, but they can also add some extra physical activity to your day.

WRITE IN YOUR JOURNAL. Who says you have to journal at the end of the day when you’re tired and ready to sleep? You can journal in the morning about what happened yesterday and the things you’re looking forward to that day. Journaling can remind you of your daily goals and motivate you to stick to your commitments. PACK YOUR LUNCH (OR SNACKS!). Staying on track with your goals starts with having the energy to do them. Plan a healthy balance of fats, vegetables, carbohydrates, and proteins. This can be as simple as assembling dips, carrots, wraps, and salads each morning.

It’s time to try these tactics to jump-start your day!

WHILE WORKING FROM HOME PREVENTING CHRONIC SORENESS

When the pandemic first hit the United States, which feels like 100 years ago, many workers started working from home and traded their ergonomic chairs and standing desks for couches, beds, and wooden kitchen chairs. Now, months later, many are still working from home with their back-to- the-office date postponed indefinitely. Working in your PJs and not worrying about someone stealing your lunch are nice perks of this new normal, but the lack of a proper office setup can encourage bad posture and lead to chronic soreness. However, by understanding what it means to have proper posture while you work, you can create a familiar, comfortable workspace in your home without the eventual pain. CHECKING YOUR POSTURE If you want to know if you have proper posture at your home work station, look for these things: feet flat on the ground, knees bent at 90-degree angles, back flush against the back of your chair, shoulders rolled back, and eyes straightforward at your computer screen. APPLYING PROPER POSTURE TO YOUR WORK STATION Depending on where you’ve decided to work when you’re at home, some of these proper posture points might be easier to hit than others. However, you can take steps to ensure you have proper posture wherever you work. For example, if you’re working on a couch, prop some extra pillows behind

you to help keep your back

straight, and see

if you can find a way to bring your laptop up to eye level. If you’re working at a kitchen bar on a high barstool, try resting your feet on an ottoman to keep your feet from dangling.

In any case, however, you should always listen to your body. If one part of your body is feeling sore, adjust your posture to alleviate that discomfort. At the same time, you should take frequent breaks to get up, stretch, and walk around. And, if you’ve developed soreness that just won’t go away since you started working from home, give Campus Commons PT a call 916-927-1333 or visit our website at CampusCommonsPhysicalTherapy. com to see how we can help you!

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FOR THE UPCOMING SKI SEASON A FEW ‘PREHAB’ TIPS

KNOW YOUR SNOW Every skier wants that fresh powder rather than hard-packed ice on their runs. However, both conditions can lead to injuries if you’re not too careful. Icy, hard-packed runs can lead to impact injuries due to a fall. However, powdery runs usually cause skiers to twist and turn more, making them more susceptible to torsional and twisting injuries. Understanding which kinds of injuries are more common with each kind of snow can help you prepare yourself for whatever slope conditions you encounter. Even with all the precautions, sometimes injuries still occur. If you find yourself injured following a ski accident and in need of rehabilitation, make sure to call Campus Commons PT. Our physical therapists have plenty of experience working with sports injury rehab, and they can help you get back to the mountains. Give us a call today at 916-927-1333.

Every year, about 3 in every 1,000 skiers injure themselves, making it one of the riskiest sports that adults regularly enjoy. Millions of people across the country rush to the nearest ski hill every winter, but many of them, if you’ll excuse the pun, enter the season colder than they intended. Those long months between the last time they hit the slopes and the current ski season mean injuries can abound. However, by taking a few things into consideration, you can make sure you avoid crutches, braces, and slings this ski season. STRETCHING BEFORE SHREDDING The stronger you are going into ski season, the less likely you are to injure yourself. After hours of carving a trail down the mountain, your muscles and joints are going to be fatigued. Fatigue increases the likelihood of losing your balance, crashing, and injuring yourself. In order to build stamina before your first ski trip, work out your legs with some squats and side lunges, and strengthen your core with some planks, side planks, and wall sits.

TAKE A BREAK

SINFULLY SWEET BUTTERNUT SQUASH

Inspired by WellPlated.com

INGREDIENTS

•

1 large butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-inch cubes

• • • •

1 3/4 tsp kosher salt 3/4 tsp cinnamon 1/2 tsp black pepper

• •

1 1/2 tbsp olive oil

1 1/2 tbsp maple syrup

1 tbsp fresh rosemary, chopped

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 400 F, placing the two oven racks at the top and bottom of the oven. Then grease two baking sheets. 2. In a large bowl, combine squash cubes, olive oil, maple syrup, salt, and spices. Toss to coat, then spread mixture in a single layer over the baking sheets. 3. Place both pans in the oven and bake 15 minutes. Turn the cubes with a spatula and return them to the oven, swapping them to different racks. Continue baking 10–15 minutes until tender. 4. Sprinkle with rosemary and serve!

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916-927-1333 www.campuscommonsphysicaltherapy.com

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INSIDE

THIS ISSUE

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Still Committed to Your Happiness and Health

Top 5 Healthy Life Hacks to Have an Awesome Morning

Don’t Let Your Home Work Station Give You Chronic Pain!

A Few ‘Prehab’ Tips for the Upcoming Ski Season

Sinfully Sweet Butternut Squash

What Makes Spinach a Superfood?

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o

POTENT PROTECTION AGAINST DISEASE The abundant antioxidants in spinach mitigate a staggering number of health problems. For starters, spinach has kaempferol, an antioxidant that can protect the body against cancer. Additionally, the antioxidant quercetin, also found in spinach, has been shown to have positive effects on brain health, heart disease, and Type 2 diabetes. Other components of spinach can also improve blood pressure and protect eye health. VERSATILE IN MEAL PREPARATION Aside from the more scientific reasons that make spinach a superfood, you can prepare and consume spinach in so many creative ways. You can eat it raw as a part of a salad, throw a few leaves in a smoothie, cook it in stir fry, or bake it into some brownies. If you have a bag of spinach in your fridge, there’s no shortage of ways you can get some of those amazing health benefits. Just don’t expect to suddenly vanquish all your foes like Popeye did.

If the reason you know spinach is good for you is because either your mother told you, or you saw Popeye the Sailor down a can before a fight and gain superhuman strength, you might not understand exactly why it’s so good for you. Rest assured, your mom wasn’t lying (although Popeye might have been stretching the truth). Spinach is actually one of the most nutritious and versatile foods you can add to your diet. Here’s why. INCREDIBLE NUTRIENT-PER-CALORIE COUNT Three cups of spinach contain about 20 calories. However, those 3 cups also contain almost no fat, 2 grams of protein, 3 grams of carbs, and 2 grams of fiber. On top of that, you get more than 300% of your daily dose of vitamin K, which supports bone growth; 160% of your daily dose of vitamin A; and around 25%–40% of your daily dose of vitamin C, both of which help the immune system function properly.

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