Choice PT: Neck Pain

Choice PT: Neck Pain

Move to Live Your Resource to Moving Well and Living Life

DR. SARAH CIPPERLY, PT, DPT Getting To Know The Choice Physical Therapy Team!

Background / Education Having grown up in Troy, NY, Sarah has returned to the capital district after graduating with her Doctorate of Physical Therapy in May 2016. Sarah attended Nazareth College in Rochester, NY, where she was the captain of both the women’s soccer and softball teams. As a student Sarah completed her clinical rotations in a variety of settings, with an emphasis and interest in outpatient orthopedics. Area of Expertise Sarah’s clinical interests include sports

injuries, balance and gait training, geriatric rehabilitation, as well as a personal interest in working with individuals with disabilities. In the future Sarah plans to pursue board certification in Sports Physical Therapy. Personal Life Sarah enjoys a variety of sports and fitness activities including jump roping and hiking outdoors. She likes going to the beach and spending time with her family and friends.

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Move to Live Your Resource to Moving Well and Living Life

HAS ARRIVED! Spring

You know what that means, right? Snow! At least in the month of March we got our fair share. Although most of us aren’t too keen on the powdery white stuff this time of year, our son Dominic was pumped. “Dad! Now, we can build Snow-poleones!” That’s right, not just a snowman…a snow family. In this month’s edition of Move to Live we’re focusing on the space between your head and your shoulders. Whether you’re building a family of snow people, shoveling, or getting ready for spring clean up and gardening your neck is involved a great deal. Constantly feeling knots or tightness in your neck/shoulder muscles? Trouble fully turning your head to one side or the other while driving? Always feeling like you need to stretch or crack your neck after reading or working on the computer/iPad? All of these things could be a result of your own personal neck compensations. One of the easiest things you can do to relieve stress from your neck is improve your posture. Imagine your head is a bowling ball (I know, bear with me). If you allow your posture to round forward, the weight of your bowling ball head will put much more stress on your neck joints and muscles than if it is aligned directly over the rest of your spine. Moral of the story, your mom was right…no slouching. Have a great month and if you have any questions regarding neck pain, posture, my undying love of analogies, or Snow- poleone building techniques give me a call or shoot me an email!

Hope you enjoy! Joe

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FOCUSONNECKPAINTORELIEVEHEADACHES Find The Source Of Your Headaches! The neck can be a hidden and debilitating source of headaches. Very often neck pain and headaches go hand-in-hand, leading to a miserable time coping with everyday activities. According to the National Institute of Health Statistics neck pain and headaches are the second most common form of pain experienced by Americans, with 59% reporting it affected their enjoyment of life. Some headaches are often grouped under the term “cervicogenic headache” meaning that the primary source is from the neck.

There are well mapped out patterns of headaches that come from the different parts of the neck, shoulder and upper back areas. The discs between your bones (vertebrae) and joints in the upper neck often contribute to headaches. Even headaches located in the forehead or behind the eyes are often referred pains stemming from problem areas in the neck and base of the skull. The joints connecting the top three vertebral levels of the neck handle almost 50% of the total motion of the entire neck. This means they absorb a lot of repetitive strain. These joints bear the main load of the weight of the head (about that of a bowling ball). With fatigue, poor posture, injuries, disc problems, arthritis, muscular stress and even prior surgeries, the wear and tear on this critical region of your body can prove too much, resulting in pain. It is also possible that you may develop a narrowing of the spinal canal itself. Since the spinal cord runs through the spine, a narrowing of the canal or where the nerves exit, can lead to a condition called spinal stenosis.

There is much that can be done to treat neck pain and headaches. Our expert physical therapists have years of experience helping people with neck pain and headaches. By finding the root cause of your neck pain and headaches we can relieve your pain quickly, reduce the need for medication and get you back to the activities you enjoy. Discover how our team of specialists at Choice Physical Therapy can eliminate your neck pain and headaches allowing you to live a happy, active and pain-free life. Call today for more details!

Relieve Neck Pain In Minutes Try this movement if you are experiencing neck pain.

No Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Energy Balls

INGREDIENTS • 2 cups of old-fashioned rolled oats • ½ cup of ground flax seed • 1 tablespoon of black chia seeds • 1 teaspoon of cinnamon • ½ cup of raw honey • ½ cup of peanut butter • 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract • 1 scoop vanilla whey protein powder • ½ cup of dark chocolate chips

Cervical Retraction Stand with your back against a wall. Position a rolled up towel behind your neck. Tuck chin like you are nodding ‘yes’. Draw your chin closer to the back of your throat. Repeat 3 times. Stretches Neck Muscles www.simpleset.net

INSTRUCTIONS 1. Add rolled oats, ground flax seed, chia seeds, cinnamon, honey, peanut butter, vanilla extract, and vanilla protein powder to food processor. 2. Pulse until ingredients are blended (about 7-9 times). 3. Add mixture to a large bowl, add in chocolate chip. Stir to combine. 4. Form energy bite mixture into 1” balls and place on parchment paper lined baking sheet. 5. Cover and place in refrigerator for 2 hours. 6. Serve!

CALL TODAY! 518.203.6761

Patient Success Spotlight

How Heavy Is Your Head?

42 POUND HEAD “FOR EVERY INCH OF FORWARD HEAD POSTURE, IT CAN INCREATSE THE WEIGHT OF THE HEAD ON THE SPINE BY AN ADDITIONAL 10 POUNDS.” Kapandji, Physiology of Joints, Vol. 3

“I’ve had a great experience with Choice Physical Therapy. Sarah has been an excellent therapist. With her help I can now do things I haven’t been able to do in a very long time without pain. The staff is very friendly and accommodating. Thank you Sarah.” – Philomena D. The staff is very friendly and accommodating.

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In The Community

Hip Pain Question and Answer Booth at Anatomie in North Greenbush

We were so delighted to team up with Eileen and Pat, owners of Anatomie, and meet several of their dedicated clients to field questions regarding specific aches and pains they may be experiencing during their workouts or everyday lives. Joe and Sarah were on site assessing this healthy population for common postural misalignments and provided those who attended with specific movements, self corrections, or exercises to address their pain. It was such a fun experience! Anatomie is a movement studio combining cycling, yoga, and whole body fitness training, and we believe firsthand in the mindfulness in their workouts! Check them out at www.anatomielife.com

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