The Physical Therapy Doctor - April 2022

The Physical Therapy Doctor - April 2022

theptdoctor.com

718.747.2019

Hours of Operation: Monday–Friday 8 a.m. – 4 p.m.

April 2022

ON THE

MOVE

MAY THE BEST EGG WIN! MY FAMILY’S FUNNY EASTER TRADITION

When I was a kid, I thought every family played the “Egg Game” on Easter. Wasn’t it normal to duke it out egg-on-egg at the dinner table? Didn’t everyone cheer for whichever shell they thought was the strongest? Apparently not! After getting weird looks from my wife and our friends, I realized the Egg Game was just my family’s Easter tradition. I still think it’s a lot of fun, though,

Everybody in my family gets excited about the Egg Game. Some people have a strategy, and they might say things like "you have to hold your egg firmly" or "you have to drop it at a particular speed." I just go for it and cross my fingers that my egg will survive. I’ve even won once or twice over the years. When Maria and I got married, we combined our family traditions. We played the Egg Game with the kids, but we also hid plastic eggs for a hunt every year before the

so I got my kids in on it when they were small. Here’s how you play. The Morea Family Egg Game The Process

family’s big Italian Easter dinner. We learned the hard way not to hide real eggs. You always forget where you hid one and end up with a rotten smell in the house!

1. Hard-boil enough eggs

for everyone in the family.

The plastic eggs usually have a little bit of money or a toy inside, and when the kids were younger, they went nuts hunting for them. I loved watching my boys and their cousins get frustrated trying to find my

2. Ask everyone to pick an egg and use crayon to write their name and make a fun design on

it. (Or their face, like Humpty Dumpty.) Then, dip-dye the eggs with a kit from the store. The names should still show up!

best hiding places. We’d play hot and cold to help them out, (“You’re getting warmer! You're hot — you’re right next to it!”), and that just drove them even crazier. I’ll never forget the time Maria and I zipped an egg inside of a chair cushion. The kids picked up the whole chair and shook it! They could hear the prize rattling around, but they still couldn’t find the egg. Thinking about it still makes me laugh. Our kids are teenagers now, but I might bring the Egg Game back this year anyway. Whether you celebrate Easter or Passover, you should definitely try this with your kids and grandkids, and keep your family traditions alive, too. Life's more fun that way. Just remember the rule — no crashing your egg in at an angle. If you cheat, I’ll know!

3. Have everyone grab their egg and sit around the kitchen table. Then, choose two people for the first fight. 4. Have Person A hold out their egg with the pointy side up. Then, ask Person B to use the pointed side of their egg to knock into the top of the first egg. 5. Whichever eggshell cracks first is the loser. The winner moves on to battle the next person in the circle. 6. Repeat this until there is only one egg standing. This will be the Easter champion!

The Rule

Happy Easter and happy Passover!

1. When your egg is on the attack, you must hold it straight up and down when you smash the eggs together. You can’t come in at an angle to try and hit a weaker part of the other person’s egg. That’s cheating!

–Dr. Robert Morea

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HEALING AS OLD AS DIRT HORTICULTURE THERAPY MIGHT HELP YOU TO RECOVER!

When you’re in pain, daily activities like walking to the mailbox or reaching for a plate from the cupboard can exacerbate inflamed joints and weak muscles. However, just simply being a human can intensify this pain, too. The reason is in your brain. For years, researchers have connected our mental well-being with our physical health. Study after study shows that those who suffer from mental illnesses also have intense bouts of pain. Physical therapy is a powerful treatment method designed to use your body’s strength and movement to stimulate physical healing. But to holistically recover from an injury or pain, you may have to also address your mental health. This spring, as April showers loom, consider a centuries-old practice that has shown time and time again to improve mental wellness. All it requires is a little dirt, patience, and the great outdoors. What is horticulture therapy? As the American Horticultural Therapy Association explains, horticulture therapy can improve cognitive and memory abilities, balance, language skills, and endurance, among

other benefits. It’s the practice of gardening to stimulate mindfulness. Dating back to

ancient Mesopotamia, the Persians were known for creating beautiful, calming gardens for this very purpose, and the first documented use of gardening for medical reasons is from the 1800s. Since then, connecting humans to plants is now a common treatment in many countries. What do I have to do? To effectively engage in horticulture therapy, you have to engage with nature. Plant a small garden in your yard and tend to it each day or week. Join a community garden, plant an indoor herb garden, or pluck weeds from your yard. If you’re not much of a gardener, try visiting local botanical gardens or hike a local trail and identify plant life each week. Or, ask your local nursery for suggestions about plants that are easy to care for. The goal is to physically and mentally connect with nature, which bonds you to a simpler form of life.

To learn more about horticulture therapy, connect with a local psychiatrist or counselor.

Everyone knows lasers can be awesome weapons in sci-fi, but not all lasers are deadly. In fact, they can help accelerate your healing process! But how? Let’s walk through laser therapy together — a highly safe, trusted treatment within physical therapy. The Science of Light It sounds like the murmur of a mad scientist to say that light energy from a laser can reduce your muscle’s pain and inflammation, accelerate healing in damaged tissues, relax your Heal Faster and Eliminate Pain With Lasers It’s Not Science Fiction — It’s Here

muscles, and even possibly stimulate nerve regeneration. However, science (or, in other words, decades of research) suggests that these effects actually occur. To put it simply, when a laser reaches a certain wavelength — specifically, within the infrared spectrum, which is greater than the red end of the visible light spectrum, but less than that of conventional microwaves — it can penetrate our skin, not unlike X-rays. With enough power, that wavelength can reach considerable depth for muscle therapy purposes. Lasers are excellent for physical therapy because they stimulate the building blocks of collagen, which is crucial for healing damaged tissues. Lasers can also decrease nerve sensitivity by decreasing bradykinin, a peptide that promotes inflammation. This is through normalizing ion channels, which act as cellular gatekeepers, and releasing endorphins,

the body’s natural pain reliever. Lasers can even have a pain-blocking effect on certain nerves in your body. Class 3 and 4 Lasers You’ll see two classes of lasers in physical therapy: Class 3 and 4. The main difference isn’t the wavelength, but the power used. This has a lot to do with the depth to which the laser needs to penetrate.

Class 3 operates at less than 500 milliwatts (mw) and is sometimes

referred to as a “cold laser” or LLLT for low-level laser therapy. These lasers don’t generate a lot of heat. Class 4 lasers operate at greater than 500 mw and do create a warming sensation on the skin, but they aren’t dangerous or harmful. The best laser is the one optimized to treat your particular injury or pain. Call your physical therapist with any questions — even just 1–2 treatments can make a significant difference.

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Protein Doesn’t Equal Bulk! ENHANCE LIFELONG WORKOUT GOALS AND FIGHT AGING High-protein diets and protein powders are a bodybuilder favorite — which is probably why everyone thinks eating extra protein will make them bulky. But that’s not true! Here are four reasons why everyone agrees that protein is crucial to any healthy routine.

No. 1: Protein reduces your appetite and hunger levels.

growth, but it can also help maintain your muscle mass while you are losing weight or even aging. Who knew protein could be a part of your beauty regimen? No. 3: Protein boosts metabolism. Your body uses calories to digest and utilize nutrients in food, and it’s a lot easier for your body to process protein compared to other nutrients. That’s why high protein intake has been shown to significantly “boost” people’s metabolisms and increase the number of calories they burn. No. 4: Women need protein most, especially as they get older. As women age, protein becomes important to balance hormones as well

as keep weight off. This could be due to the abundant amino acids found in protein and how important they are to hormone production. In a 2015 study, hormone experts found that a diet of 20–30 grams of protein per meal can lead to significant anabolic and metabolic benefits for adults. The best way to consume protein is through high-protein meals. Don’t rely solely on protein powders, which often lack the additional nutrients, both macro and micro, that benefit a high-protein diet. Thankfully, there are many options for having this type of diet, even if you’re vegan. We hope this information will help you stay healthy for many decades to come!

While fats, carbs, and protein will affect your body in different ways, studies show that protein is the most filling. You won’t reach for midnight snacks as often, if at all. Not only does it help you feel fuller for longer periods, but it also accomplishes this with less food. In one study, increasing protein intake from 15%–30% of calories helped overweight women eat around 441 fewer calories every day without intentionally restricting their diet. No. 2: Protein increases muscle mass — and maintains it. Protein is in every cell in our bodies. For your muscles, protein not only helps promote muscle strengthening and

HEALTHIER, LIGHTER DEVILED EGGS

TAKE A BREAK!

Inspired by LiveEatLearn.com

INGREDIENTS

• 6 large eggs • 3 tbsp Greek yogurt • 1 tsp Dijon mustard

• 1 tsp lemon juice • Optional: Hot sauce, to taste • Optional: Paprika and chives, chopped, for garnish

DIRECTIONS

1. In a large pot, add eggs and cover with water. Put on high heat, and then boil eggs for 10 minutes. 2. Once boiled, peel eggs by gently tapping and removing the shell. (Adding the eggs to an ice bath after boiling can make this task easier.) 3. Cut eggs lengthwise and place yolks into a medium mixing bowl. Set egg white halves open side up on a plate. 4. In a bowl, combine yolks, yogurt, mustard, lemon juice, and hot sauce (if desired) until smooth. 5. Transfer the yolk mixture into the egg white halves. Garnish with paprika and chives if desired.

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PRST STD US POSTAGE PAID BOISE, ID PERMIT 411

718.747.2019

theptdoctor.com 212-73 26th Ave. Bayside, NY 11360

Hours of Operation: Monday–Friday 8 a.m. – 4 p.m.

1. Robert’s Egg-citing Easter Tradition 2. Your Garden Can Help You Heal! How Lasers Eliminate Your Pain 3. Why Protein Will Fight Aging — And More Healthier, Lighter Deviled Eggs 4. The Truth About ‘Exergaming’ INSIDE THIS ISSUE

Experts Love Fitness Video Games — You Might, Too ‘EXERGAMING’ CAN MAKE REAL EXERCISE FUN

To make your fitness goals more fun, you might consider implementing fitness video games, such as Ring Fit Adventure for Nintendo Switch, into your routine. But do they actually work at keeping you in shape, or are they a gimmick? Which is better? A treadmill or an active video game? Recently, researchers from Brazil and the UK put together a randomized trial comparing the physiological effects of jogging on a treadmill compared to playing a few rounds on an active video game. All participants had Type 1 diabetes, and exercise is crucial to managing the condition. What went into this study? All participants, no matter their activity, were tested for heart rate, blood pressure, oxygen consumption efficiency, and endothelial function (a marker for blood fluidity). Health readings were collected

on three occasions, including immediately after the activity, 30 minutes after, and 24 hours after. The study went on for three weeks, with two workouts per week. The results? The health readings were not only very similar, but also the blood glucose levels among participants declined to safe levels after both activities — with the added bonus that individuals who played active video games enjoyed the exercise a lot more.

“Exergaming” is all about putting yourself in a workout you enjoy most, especially for those with diabetes, says

Dr. Jorge Brito-Gomes, a researcher at the Universidade Federal do Vale do São Francisco, Brazil. He told Eat This, Not That: "Gamifying exercise not only takes your mind off the exertion, but working toward rewards in the game or even competing against friends helps motivate you to keep coming back to do more." Looking for an active video game to try? Check out Ring Fit Adventure for the Nintendo Switch or Just Dance 2021 for all gaming consoles, or if you have a virtual reality headset, try Beat Saber, which starts out at low intensity as a rhythm game but can quickly turn into a mid- to high-intensity experience with increased difficulty!

Are games a replacement for gym exercise?

Not necessarily — it depends on your workout intensity and fitness goals. If you tend to go for mid- to high-intensity workouts, you need to find an active video game that allows you to achieve that level. When it comes to exercise, the human body doesn’t discriminate. Carrying heavy groceries burns calories just like weights do at the gym!

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STRONGER BONES

TREATMENT

Do you have osteoporosis or osteopenia? – Will your bones withstand the impact if you were to fall? – Do you have low bone density? Are you pre- or post- menopause? – Are you taking medications that weaken your bones? Half of all adults age 50 and older (54 million Americans) have low bone density and are at risk of breaking a bone,

according to the National Osteoporosis Foundation. We realize many people are underestimating their needs when it comes to strengthening their bones. So, we set out to find a solution, and we came across the bioDensity machine!

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• Scientifically proven to build bone density 2%–4% per year • SAFE and EASY! No impact! • DRUG-FREE! • For ALL ages • Only one 10-minute session per week is all you need! • Covered by most health insurance plans This machine allows you to apply greater force to your muscles and bones in a safe manner that is not easily achieved with exercise bands or free weights.

Call now to schedule an appointment and watch your strength increase weekly! But hurry — this offer expires April 30th! When: Call for an appointment (718.747.2019) Where: The PT Doctor clinic

The Physical Therapy Doctor 212-73 26th Ave. Bayside, NY 11360 718.747.2019 ThePTDoctor.com

BALANCE & FALL PREVENTION WORKSHOP When: Tuesday, April 26 Time: 2 p.m. Where: The PT Doctor clinic

• Are you afraid when you walk?

• Are you doing less because you feel unsteady on your feet? • Have you missed out on family gatherings or activities you love because you’re afraid of falling?

• Are you tired of doing less?

• Are you tired of depending on others? • Do you want to walk better, without a cane or a walker?

LEARN WHAT YOU CAN DO TO IMPROVE YOUR BALANCE AND REDUCE YOUR RISK OF FALLING BEFORE IT’S TOO LATE.

The Physical Therapy Doctor 212-73 26th Ave. Bayside, NY 11360 718.747.2019 ThePTDoctor.com