If you have or know someone who has Parkinson’s disease the LSVT BIG program is a must. Check out one of our elite athlete’s comments on his experience with LSVT BIG:
Running Series Part 2: The Running Hip
Runner’s Stretch Options:
The hip flexors are highly stressed overused muscles, not just for runners, but for much of the general public. This muscle group can be stretched both statically and dynamically and in several ways:
Dynamic standing hip flexor stretch
The first and my favorite!
Happy Hips make happy runners! Try these static stretches:
Supine Hip Flexor Stretch
Lie on your back at the end of your bed or other flat surface. Pull both knees towards your chest and then let one leg hang off the edge until you feel a stretch in the hip flexor and thigh. Hold 15 seconds, repeat 2-3 times each side.
Half-kneeling Hip flexor stretch
Get into a half-kneeling position, tighten your abdominal muscles and tuck your pelvis under. Increase the bend in your front knee for more stretch in the hip flexor. Raise arms overhead and turn the torso towards the knee that is up to increase the stretch and feel it in a slightly different location of the hip flexor. Hold 15 seconds, repeat 2-3 times each side.
Standing IT Band stretch
Stand with left hand holding onto the wall or the counter. Cross the left leg over the right keeping most weight on the right leg. Lean into the right hip and stretch the right arm overhead. Hold for 15 seconds, repeat 2 times.
Turn around and repeat the exercise with the other leg placing the right hand on the wall.
Celebrating Success-Baudry Therapy Center
Dietitian Marie Cuevas,RD, demonstrates healthy cooking techniques to kick off our “Celebrating Success” series here at Baudry Therapy Center.
The celebration included a cooking demo with Marie Cuevas, an exercise demo with personal trainer Matt Lovitt, and a discussion led by Ideal Protein coach Kathy Koehl on “Ideal Protein phase 4, what works and doesn’t work”.
Congratulations to all who were able to make it and to those who are getting healthier everyday.
The Celebrating Success series will be a quarterly celebration for our clients and friends to gather and share their successes and challenges. We will provide a topic for discussion and the forum to express ideas. Please share some things you would like to learn more about.
Contact our office for the next scheduled event or for more information on creating and keeping healthy habits.
Fit Across New Orleans
This week’s Fit across New Orleans story takes Taryn Cohn and I to Elmwood Fitness Center’s Heritage plaza for Kayne Stewart’s Pilates Mat Class
The class is from 12-1pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays and is full of a host of great characters, including some of our favorite Physical Therapy graduates. The class is appropriate for most fitness levels, is fun, and is a great way to get more active.
Give it a try. Kayne is a great teacher who keeps everyone engaged.
Great job Kayne! Keep up the good work!
All You Need is Love – An ALS Battle
All You Need is Love.
Randy Jackson’s version of the Beatles All You Need is Love with The Rockenbraugh’s, was a perfect ending of a great Sunday at the Festival grounds at City Park. The event was Jay Fest 2013. A celebration of family and friends, to support Jay Rink with his fight against ALS (aka Lou Gehrig’s disease)
Another great example of strength, the determination to overcome, and a testament to the power of Love.
Jay thanks for your inspiration!
Building a Stronger Runner Part 2
Running Series Blog Part2: Week 3: The hip continued
By Taryn Cohn PT, MSPT, OCS, COMT
Last week we worked on strengthening the hip standing on two legs, which is very important. However, running is rarely performed with both feet on the ground at the same time so strengthening in a single-leg stance is also important.
Running Exercise Single Leg Squat
Stand on one leg in front of a full-length mirror so you can properly monitor your form. Perform a small squat keeping the hip, knee and second toe all in alignment. Use a chair or counter top initially if needed for support.
Perform 10 repetitions for 2 sets each leg. Decrease support and add resistance as you progress.
Low Skaters
Start in a low squat position with fingertips on the ground and head up. Slide hands on the ground until they are on either side of the right foot. Once you have your weight completely over the right foot lift the left leg out to the side, pausing only momentarily. Repeat going to the other direction. Maintain the squat position until you have completed 5 repetitions each side.
What do you think about these exercises? Any that you have found you like to do to target these muscles?
Get Rid of the Pain
Here is a great youtube video on understanding pain.
Don’t let pain shut you down. Get some help and let’s get going!
Building a Stronger Runner Part 2
Running Blog Series part 2: Week 2: The Hip continued
This week’s challenge continues to work on hip strength and stability. Due to the weight-bearing nature of running, these exercises are designed to better replicate these types of demands and are a good adjunct to last week’s exercises.
Lateral Walks for Runners
Place a resistance band around the ankles of both feet. Slightly tuck the pelvis under engaging the gluteal muscles. Maintain tension on the band while stepping to the side. Perform 15 repetitions each direction right and left, then repeat each side again.
Wall Squat
Stand with feet hip-distance apart, toes against the wall and hands on the wall overhead. Slowly perform a squat keeping hands and toes on the wall.
Repeat 10 times.
- Wall Squat for Runners
Let us know how it goes. Would love to hear your feedback!
Trigger Point Dry Needling – New Orleans
Trigger Point Dry-Needling and Physical Therapy: A Personal Recovery Story , by Taryn Cohn, MSPT, OCS
I have been a practicing physical therapist for ten years. I became a certified orthopedic manual therapist through the Ola Grimsby Institute 7 years ago and have taken multiple continuing education courses in manual therapy. I have found that most all of the knowledge I have gained throughout the years is valuable and can be applied in one way or another based on the individual and the injury. So when the opportunity came up to take a continuing education course in trigger point dry-needling I jumped at the opportunity. What started out as educational growth opportunity, ended up having a much larger personal impact.
I would consider myself a frequent, perhaps avid exerciser. Ever since childhood I have always enjoyed a wide range of physical activity. It is this passion for movement that initially brought me to physical therapy as a career. However, almost 2 years ago I became sidelined for 8 months with a lumbar disc herniation. Through exercise and the hands-on physical therapy intervention of my co-workers I was able to overcome the injury without needing medical or surgical intervention.
It was in the midst of my recovery that I went to Colorado to learn about trigger point dry-needling. If you are unfamiliar with trigger point dry needling (TDN), or intramuscular therapy, it is a treatment for muscular tightness and spasm, which commonly follows injuries, degenerative processes, stress and muscular overuse. This treatment technique uses small, thin needles inserted directly into hyperirritable areas of taut skeletal muscle referred to as trigger points. When the needle hits the correct spot it causes a twitch response in the muscle, resulting in muscle lengthening and relaxation.
A requirement of the course when learning the dry-needling technique is that you practice on fellow course participants. After my treatment partner completed the trigger-point dry-needling on my low back and hips I experienced some of the most significant relief of painful symptoms I had felt in almost a year. As with most treatment techniques, I am hesitant to use it with patients unless I have experienced some personal benefits. After the initial and continued symptom reduction I have received as a result of dry-needling, I would encourage anyone to try it who has been unsuccessful with other treatments.
Since the addition of dry-needling to my existing manual therapy practice, I have seen excellent results in those suffering from low back pain, hip pain, shoulder pain, plantar fasciitis and neck pain, to name a few.
Call us to see if trigger Point Dry Needling would be helpful to you.
2013′s – 7th Annual Parkinson’s Symposium
If you or a family member are affected by Parkinson’s Disease you’ll definitely want to attend this conference:
Dr Georgia Lea, David Houghton, MD and the Ochsner Neurology Movement Disorders Dept. present:
Ochsner’s 7th annual Parkinson’s Disease Symposium 2013
It’s being held on Saturday, April 6th, the Brent House Conference Center at Ochsner Medical Center, 1514 Jefferson Hwy.
The schedule of events include:
- 8:30 am: Welcome breakfast
- 9:00 am: Guest Speaker: Beverly Ribaudo
- 10:00 am: Jay Rao, MD: Introduction to PD and Parkinsonism
- 10:30 am: Roger Smith, MD, Ted Weyand, MD: DBS Surgery for PD
- 11:00 am: David Houghton, MD: Dementia, Hallucinations and Depression
- 11:30 am: Stuart Busby, MD: Sleep Problems in PD
- 12-1pm: Lunch-time and open tables (Fair)
Afternoon Break-out sessions (1-3pm):
- Nutrition and PD: Jeanine Latham RD
- Caretakers: What can I do to help?: Lynn Eckhardt, GNP
- Exercise, Physical Therapy and PD: Care Physical Therapy
- DBS Surgery for PD: Jerry White, Medtronics Representative
- Making yourself understood: Speech and PD; Charlotte Ducote, PhD, CCC SLP
Come out and learn how to take control of Parkinson’s.