‘Physical Therapy’ Archives

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ASTYM, a Tool for Better Running

posted on March 28th, 2012, by Rich. Comments Off posted so far.

If you are a runner, the last thing you want to hear is that you must stop running. Injuries often sideline runners.

ASTYM, or augmented soft tissue mobilization, is a physical therapy treatment that regenerates healthy soft tissues. This non-invasive treatment provides a great option for runners and enables them to keep running.

  • ASTYM decreases scar tissue and muscle restrictions that can lead to injury.
  • ASTYM stimulates your body’s healing mechanisms to repair injured tissue.
  • ASTYM re-models muscle tissue to withstand the strain of running.

In addition to being a great tool to treat running injuries, ASTYM can also be used proactively to reduce the risk of running injury.

For more information on injury prevention, treatments for running injuries and strategies to improve your running, like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, or contact our office.

Photo courtesy of Flickr via sea turtle


filed under Overuse injuries, Physical Therapy, Run Training, Running, injury.

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Physical Therapy Month- Exercise Challenge of the Week, The Sit to Stand

posted on November 1st, 2011, by Rich. Comments Off posted so far.

This week’s exercise challenge is the sit to stand. The sit to stand is a great exercise for trunk and lower body strength. It is a fundamental movement pattern and can be a great tool to identify asymmetries and unilateral weaknesses. Perform slowly with controlled movements. Notice if you favor one side or the other.  Work to be as symmetrical as possible. Repeat 10-15 repetitions 3 times this week.

Check out this video to learn how to include the right sit to stand exercise for you. YouTube Preview Image

Thank you for recognizing Physical Therapy Month and participating in our exercise challenge. We’d love to here what you think of the exercises and invite you to comment on your favorite exercises.

For more information on Physical Therapy please contact us.

Disclaimer: The information provided on Baudry Therapy Center ’s website and blog is presented for information and educational purposes only. This general information is not intended to diagnose or treat any medical condition nor to replace diagnosis or treatment by your healthcare professional. Before beginning light or moderate intensity physical activities, we encourage you to talk with your healthcare provider about health and exercise as part of your everyday routine. Baudry Therapy Center and its respective agents, heirs, assigns, contractors and employee’s will not be held liable for any injury incurred or exacerbated while performing any exercises, stretches, or any other activity related to the content and information available on this website.

filed under Balance, Core stability, Exercise, Physical Therapy, physical therapy month.

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3 for Thursday – Sean Payton Injury – Tibial Plateau Fractures Explained

posted on October 20th, 2011, by Rich. Comments Off posted so far.

FORT LAUDERDALE, FL - FEBRUARY 05: Head coach...

Image by Getty Images via @daylife

By now most of us have seen the video of New Orleans Saints tight end Jimmy Graham crashing into Coach Sean Payton. It was a pretty ugly collision. The amazing thing was that he was so focused on the next call that he didn’t even see it coming. That’s concentration!

The preliminary report from the Saints doctors is that the surgery went well. But that by no means means that he is out of the woods. Now comes the hard part. Sean Payton will need extensive physical therapy to rehab the leg and get back to the sidelines.

Tibial plateau fractures rank high on the list of difficult injuries to recover from. A tibial plateau fracture is a break in the upper part of the lower leg bone. This fracture not only affects the bone, but also affects the knee joint.  This type of injury can include tears to the ligaments of the knee including the ACL (Anterior cruciate ligament), PCL (Posterior Cruciate Ligament), MCL (Medial collateral ligament), or LCL (lateral collateral ligament). Fortunately for Payton it appears that only the MCL was involved, which usually heals well. The thing that will be of particular concern for the near future, will be the overall function of the knee, and the potential for arthritis.

Picture from   http://www.sportsinjuryclinic.net/cybertherapist/front/knee/tibial-plateua-fracture.htm

Here’s how the process will work. Payton’s fracture required surgery to stabilize the fracture. Now it is time for the healing to take place. Physical therapy will start right away working to reduce inflammation, pain, and promote healing. Therapy will focus on restoring full joint range of motion and activating the leg muscles. This is done with manual therapy, stretching and exercise. Coach Payton will be non-weight bearing, walking with crutches for at least 6-8 weeks to allow for the bone to heal. From there, the process will involve more stretching, strengthening and conditioning to restore the normal function of the knee and leg. This will be no simple task and will take months or longer. Here is a basic protocol for progression for an injury such as Sean Payton’s. My guess is that there will be many coaches meetings in the physical therapy clinic.

My advise to Coach Payton is to find a good physical therapist, trust them, take their advice, and be patient. Injuries like these take time to heal. Compliance early on will help him speed through the phases of healing and avoid long term complications.

For more information on tibial plateau fractures and rehab, please contact us.

Additional Resource for Tibial Plateau Fractures

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filed under ACL injury, MCL injury, Physical Therapy, Sports injury.

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Physical Therapy Month Exercise Challenge of the Week – Arm and Leg Raise

posted on October 18th, 2011, by Rich. Comments Off posted so far.

YouTube Preview ImageThis week’s physical therapy exercise challenge is the arm and leg raise.  The arm and leg raise is a great exercise for trunk stability, balance and coordination. Check out this video to learn how to include arm and leg raises into your exercise program.

Thank you for recognizing Physical Therapy Month and participating in our exercise challenge. We’d love to here what you think of the exercises and invite you to comment on your favorite exercises.

For more information on Physical Therapy please contact us.

Disclaimer: The information provided on Baudry Therapy Center ’s website and blog is presented for information and educational purposes only. This general information is not intended to diagnose or treat any medical condition nor to replace diagnosis or treatment by your healthcare professional. Before beginning light or moderate intensity physical activities, we encourage you to talk with your healthcare provider about health and exercise as part of your everyday routine. Baudry Therapy Center and its respective agents, heirs, assigns, contractors and employee’s will not be held liable for any injury incurred or exacerbated while performing any exercises, stretches, or any other activity related to the content and information available on this website.

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filed under Balance, Core stability, Performance Training, Physical Therapy, physical therapy month.

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Physical Therapy Month-Exercise Challenge of the Week

posted on October 11th, 2011, by Rich. 1 Comment posted so far.

October is Physical Therapy Month. A great way to celebrate is to commit to getting better shape. Let us show you how. Each week in October we will challenge you with great exercises that will help you move better. So check in each Tuesday in October for the next exercise challenge.

YouTube Preview Image

This week’s exercise challenge is the push up. The push up is a great exercise not only for upper body strength, but also promotes trunk strength and stability. Trunk stability is a must for good function.  A push up can be modified to fit any fitness level. Check out this video to see how you might incorporate the push up into your exercise program.

For this exercise, try to complete 2-3 sets of 10-15 repetitions, three times this week.

Thank you for recognizing Physical Therapy Month and participating in our exercise challenge. We’d love to here what you think of the exercises and invite you to comment on your favorite exercises.

For more information on Physical Therapy please contact us.

Disclaimer: The information provided on Baudry Therapy Center’s website and blog is presented for information and educational purposes only. This general information is not intended to diagnose or treat any medical condition or to replace diagnosis or treatment by your healthcare professional. Before beginning light or moderate intensity physical activities, we encourage you to talk with your healthcare provider about health and exercise as part of your everyday routine. Baudry Therapy Center and its respective agents, heirs, assigns, contractors and employees will not be held liable for any injury incurred or exacerbated while performing any exercises, stretches, or any other activity related to the content and information available on this website.

filed under Exercise, Physical Therapy, physical therapy month, strength training.

1 Comment posted so far.

Physical Therapy Month

posted on October 4th, 2011, by Rich. Comments Off posted so far.

“National Physical Therapy Month (NPTM) is a celebration held every October by the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) to raise awareness of and recognize the important roles that physical therapists and physical therapist assistants play in helping people maintain, improve, and restore the mobility necessary to stay fit, active, and independent while enjoying the things they like to do as they age.”

R Scott Ward, PT, PhD
President, APTA

YouTube Preview Image

Bottom line, physical therapy gets you back to the things you love to do. Baudry Therapy Center does it with passion, excellence, and fun. Whether it be for rehab, fitness, or performance, call us now to schedule your free physical therapy consult, and let’s get moving!

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filed under Physical Therapy, physical therapy month.

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Neck Pain- Physical Therapy Can Help

posted on September 13th, 2011, by Rich. 5 Comments posted so far.

neck painNeck pain is all too common, and it’s really no surprise why. Just look at what the neck does. It rotates, bends, twists, and turns in all kinds of directions enabling us to move with coordination and skill. But with more moving parts comes an increased risk of injury. Necks are vulnerable to overuse, whiplash, and postural type injuries.  But they don’t have to be. Physical therapy is a proven treatment strategy to help those dealing with acute or chronic neck pain.

As a series of bones with multiple joints, and movement patterns, our necks are subjected to repetitive postural trauma. Habitual  postures and movement patterns can put stress on certain joints in the neck. How we sit, sleep, and drive can all lead to chronic tightness, weakness, and mobility issues.

The good news is that a healthy neck can be just a physical therapy visit away. A little knowledge and a good strategy can go a long way to avoiding long term neck problems and even surgery. Physical therapists are experts in human movement and are skilled evaluators. Physical therapists can tell you “why” your neck hurts, and provide you the tools needed to prevent serious neck problems.

So if you get occasional neck pain, a headaches, or “cricks” in your neck, call us to schedule an physical therapy evaluation today. Let us show you how to feel better.

For more specific neck pain information read this article from the American Physical Therapy Association or contact our office.

By: Rich Baudry, PT, DPT, OCS

Photo 1: The Brit_2

Photo 2: Menage A Moi

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filed under Aches and Pains, Neck pain, Physical Therapy.

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Stop Slouching! Stand Up Straight! 3 Great Posture Exercises

posted on August 24th, 2011, by Garrett. Comments Off posted so far.

Did your mother nag you to stand up straight? Do you need to remind yourself today? Want to improve your posture? These 3 posture exercises will help.

1. Seated Cable Rows: Seated Rows strengthen the major muscles of the back that are keys in maintaining good posture.  Most gym goers tend to work the pressing/active muscles of the chest more than they work their pulling/supportive muscles of the back.  This can lead to a dominance of the chest muscles causing you to roll your shoulders forward.  The importance of strengthening the muscles of the back cannot be over stressed regarding to posture.

How to Perform the Exercise: Sit up tall with the handles held so that the palms of your hands are facing each other.  Pull your shoulder blades down and back.  Maintain this posture while you pull the handles to your upper abdomen.  Then slowly let the handles back out and repeat.

How Often: A standard rule for maintaining proper posture through exercise is to perform two sets of pulling exercises for every set of pressing.  For example, if you perform four sets of bench press in a workout session, try to perform six sets of pulling exercises.

Similar Exercises: Dumbbell Rows, Barbell Row, Chest Supported Rows, TRX Rows, and Many Others

2. Bridges: Bridges Strengthen the glutes as well as provide a stretch for the hip flexors and quadriceps.  Because many of us are required to sit the majority of our time at work, we reinforce poor posture.  In a sitting position our hip flexors are in a shortened position which means that most people have tight hip flexors.  This contributes to a weakening of the glutes and rounding of the lumbar spine.

How to Perform the Exercise: Lie on your back with your legs bent so that your heels are on the floor under your knees. Slowly drive your pelvis toward the ceiling by contracting your glutes and hold the position for several seconds.  Slowly release the glutes and allowing your hips to return to the floor.

How Often: Performing two sets of 10 to 15 repititions is a good place to start for most of us.  These can be performed two to three times a week.  They are a great exercise to throw in on leg or core days.  Remember, your core doesn’t just consist of your abdominal muscles!

Similar Exercises: Hamstring Cable Extensions,  Supine Glute Sets, Single Leg Bridges

3. Planks: Planks are an effective exercise for strengthening the muscles of your core.  They target the abdominal muscles, muscles of the legs and shoulders, and muscles of the back.  They are a simple exercise that can improve your posture tremendously by teaching you how to activate your core.

How to Perform the Exercise: Lie face down on a mat resting of your elbows.  Push off the floor, raising yourself up onto your toes and elbows.  Keep your back flat, tilt your pelvis and contract your abdominals to prevent sagging of the hips.  Hold for as long as you can maintain good form(keep your hips from sagging) and build your endurance.

How often: You can perform planks two to three times a week.  These are great posture exercises and should be thrown in on any day you perform core specific exercises.  Try holding them for as long as you can. Challenge Yourself!

Similar Exercises: Side Planks,  Planks on Swiss Ball, Incline Planks, and Decline Planks.

Want to incorporate more posture exercises like these into your workout routine? Our personal trainers can help! Just contact our office or leave us a comment on this post and we’ll be glad to help.

To get more tips like these, just follow Baudry Therapy on Twitter or like Baudry Therapy on Facebook.

Posted by: Garrett Bludau

filed under Core stability, Exercise, Physical Therapy, Posture exercises.

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Ask Rich Series

posted on August 23rd, 2011, by Rich. Comments Off posted so far.

Stephanie asked,

“7 herniated discs in my neck & back, don’t move too well, bad knees and shoulders, hands a mess…what kind of exercise CAN I do?”

Stephanie,

While it seems that you have collected a lot of injuries, regular and effective exercise is not impossible.

I’ll agree that the more you have going on the more specific and selective your program has to be. When we look at it, our bodies are great at compensation. If we hurt our hip our back will compensate for it, or if we hurt our neck our trunk will adjust to help out. But as we collect injuries, our body’s ability to compensate becomes limited. As a result we become more limited in the things we do. This may be why you are having a hard time finding an exercise program that works for you.

With injury comes muscle weakness and joint instability, which lead to pain.Their are only 2 ways to regain stability, surgery (which doesn’t automatically solve your problems) or exercise to strengthen the muscles around the injury. Let’s look at your exercise options.

With the list of problem areas that you’ve given, isometrics and lower impact exercises would provide a safe starting point for building strength. Remember that it is the instability, or the uncontrolled joint movement, that usually leads to pain. So being able to control movements is helpful to limit the stress on the body. Isometrics are easy to do and pose little threat of re-injury. Areas of concentration would be the upper back/shoulder blade muscles, the lower abdominals, and the gluteals. These muscle groups are vital for core stability. Walking, swimming or cycling may be good lower impact activities for you. Make sure to focus on stabilizing your core while performing these exercises. In all start slowly, be consistent, and patient.

Here are 3 isometric exercises to try:

TransAbdominal isometric:

Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet hip distance apart.  Place your fingertips just inside your hips so they are resting on your abdomen.  Use your abdominal muscles to pull your belly button towards your spine.  If you are doing this properly you should feel the muscles underneath your fingertips tighten.

Prone Scapular Squeezes:

Lie on your stomach with your head off the edge of the table.  Squeeze your shoulder blades together and perform a chin tuck lengthening the back of your neck.

Bridge:

Lie on your back with your knees bent and arms at your side.  Tighten your abdomen and your glutes and lift hips off the table.

As always if you have pain with any exercise you should stop immediately and seek professional help.

These are just a few basic stability exercises that whole workouts can be built upon. I encourage you to take charge of your back and neck health. Get educated and let’s get started.

For more information about back and neck pain and where to go, we’re always here for you. Just contact our office or just leave us a comment on this post and we’ll be glad to help you like we’ve helped so many of our patients.

To get more tips like these, just follow Baudry Therapy on Twitter or Like Baudry Therapy on Facebook.

filed under Back pain, Core stability, Neck pain, Physical Therapy.

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Plantar Fasciitis – Success with ASTYM

posted on August 2nd, 2011, by Rich. Comments Off posted so far.

plantar fasciitis treatmentPlantar fasciitis one of those diagnoses that can be difficult to deal with. It has been reported to occur in 2 million Americans per year and in 10% of the population over a lifetime. I frequently see patients with a long history of plantar fasciitis or heel pain who have tried many things and seen many experts, before getting to my office.

One of the reasons plantar fasciitis is so tough is that the cause is usually multi-factoral. In addition to foot wear, trauma, or environmental hazards, there is usually a combination of flexibility, mobility, and strength issues that contribute to the problem. Without addressing all of the factors, the treatment fails. The best treatment approach I have come across for plantar fasciitis is physical therapy utilizing the ASTYM technique. This treatment approach is thorough and looks at the many factors involved with plantar fasciitis.

Click here to watch a short video of the ASTYM process.

Here is a recent patient account of their experience with this condition:

Rich:

Just a note to thank you for your help in resolving my heel problem with ASTYM therapy treatments and stretching exercises.  When I was referred to you by my son-in-law, who as you know is also a physical therapist, I was literally at the end of the road in trying to resolve the pain in my heel from plantar fasciitis, which started about 6 months ago.  I  tried a podiatrist whose primary therapy was steroid injections, alternating hot and cold wraps, a walking boot, a splint at night, various insoles and orthotics, and ultrasound treatments, all to no avail.  After 10 ASTYM treatments over a period of approximately 2 1/2 months, along with your prescribed stretching exercises, I can report that I am virtually pain free.  From your initial evaluation through the last treatment, you and your staff have been professional, thorough and efficient.  You must continue to spread the word about the benefits of ASTYM, as will I.

Have you had plantar fasciitis? Are you looking for treatment for your plantar fasciitis right now? We want to hear from you. Don’t let plantar fasciitis stop you in your tracks. Tell us about your experience and let’s see if together we can get you back to tip top shape.

- Rich

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filed under Aches and Pains, Athletes, Physical Therapy, Running, Sports injury.

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