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:
‘Physical Therapy’ Archives
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!
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.
Building a Stronger Runner Part 2
Congratulations on finishing the first four weeks of our building a stronger runner series! This week we will begin part 2: The knee and Hip. Often when you hear people talk about running-related injuries, knee pain is high on the list. Although pain and inflammation may show up in the knee as the primary source of pain it is often dysfunction elsewhere that is causing the abnormal strain on the knee. The knee is a relatively simple hinge joint, with more complex joints below it and above it. Muscle imbalance in the foot and ankle complex and the hip can cause pain in the knee.
Since you have done such an amazing job strengthening your feet and ankles, we will begin this new series targeting the strength in the hips.
1. Exercise number one is a bridge. Bridges work to stabilize the abdominals and strengthen the glutes while working hip extension.
Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet hip distance apart. Tighten your abdominal muscles and squeeze your gluteals prior to lifting your bottom off the floor. Hold for 10 seconds. Repeat 10 times. As you get stronger increase the duration of your hold to 20 seconds with 5 repetitions.
2. Exercise number two is a side-lying clam. This exercise works gluteus medius one of the primary stabilizing muscles used with single-leg weight-bearing activity.
Lie on your side with hips and knees bent. Keep your feet together and lift the top knee up towards the ceiling. The hips and trunk should not move during this exercise, if you feel you are rolling back you have lifted your knee too high. To increase the difficulty of this exercise add a resistance band or increase the length of the hold. Repeat each exercise 15 times holding 5 seconds each.
Good luck and keep up the good work! Let us know how it is going.
Team Baudry Runners Rock
Congrats to our color run and 1/2 marathon competitors. Great Job!!!!!
Come run with us on Wednesday nights or join us for the next Baudry Race series event “The Shamrock 8 K” on March 17th. For more information like us on Facebook , follow us on Twitter, or contact our office.
Fit Across New Orleans City Park’s Running Track Workout
Run the track for a great workout:
- easy to compute distance and time intervals
- great place to work on running technique and form
- great place to work on running speed, power, end explosive conditioning.
Go out to the running track at City Park this weekend, and try Dessauer’s speed, power, conditioning workout:
- 8 100’s, 30 second rest
- 2 200’s, 1 minute rest
- 2 400’s, 2 minute rest
For more information on training, running, and sports performance training, like us on Facebook , follow us on Twitter, or contact our office.
Run Longer, Stronger and Healthier #2
Week 2 Run Longer, Stronger: The Foot Continued
Last week we began working on strengthening the feet. You might be to the point now where you can see some space developing between your toes when you attempt to separate them. This week we are going to tackle another very important component to efficient running, strong feet, strong calves. Listed below are two exercises to add to your routine.
The Challenge: Running requires Calf Strength
1. Toe Raise
- Stand with the balls of your feet on the edge of a sturdy step. Let your heels come below the level of the step until you feel a slight stretch, then lift your heels up until you are on your tiptoes. Start with repetitions of 10-15 for 1-2 sets. The goal is to get strong enough to perform 2 sets of 30 repetitions.
1. Toe raise
- After performing your heel raises stretch out the calves by keeping one knee straight, and bending the other knee allowing the heel of the straight leg to go below the level of the step. Hold the stretch for 20 seconds, repeat 2-3 times each side.
- Look for our next running blog, Tuesday to learn dynamic stretching techniques for the foot and ankle.
2. Calf Stretch
Robert Griffin III ACL Reconstruction
With NFL fans and the popularity of Robert Griffin III, the question has been raised, how will RG III do after knee surgery? And will he be able to match the speedy recovery of Adrian Peterson?
According to reports Dr. James Andrews repaired Griffin’s anterior cruciate and lateral collateral ligaments on Wednesday January 9, 2013. The average return to sport with ACL reconstruction is in the 1-2 year range. But with today’s advanced techniques the outcomes have gotten better and better. Injuries which were once career ending are now just a 1 year hiatus from the game.
When considering when RG III will return to NFL football, there are many, many factors to consider. In my opinion here are a few of the main considerations for a full recovery:
- How did the surgery go? 5 hours is a long time. How much damage was there? How good was the repair. Will there be any post surgical complications like infections.
- The rehab: How efficiently and effectively will the Doctors, Physical Therapists and rehab team communicate, work together and inspire each other to succeed.
- Good fortune.
- The heart and drive of the player and his rehab team.
Moving too fast or too slow can impair progress. And coming back too soon can lead to re-injury or even new injuries.
So by now the rehab process should have begun, with physical therapy well underway. The early recovery seeks to heal the acute affects of surgery swelling, lack of motion, and lack of muscle firing, while protecting the repair. The second phase of recovery involves strengthening, coordination, balance and muscle re-education. In the third phase, strengthening, conditioning, coordination and agility are progressed, while in the forth phase the player moves into functional training and conditioning in preparation for return to sport. Each phase has criteria for advancement. In the end, successful completion of each phase of recovery and timely progression to the next will determine his return to football.
“When adversity strikes you respond in one of two ways….You step aside and give in..Or you step up and fight.” Robert Griffin III
Given his attitude, determination and strength of character, I’d bet on Griffin III’s return to football to be sooner than later. I wish him well and look forward to see him back on the field. He seems to be a great role model, and a great asset to the NFL.
For more information on ACL reconstruction and rehab, like us on Facebook , follow us on Twitter, or contact our office.
photo credit: Richard Lipski, AP
LSVT BIG Physical Therapy for Parkinson’s
THINK
BIG!
Parkinson’s disease comes with a unique set of symptoms and problems. And while there is no one complete solution to manage the symptoms of Parkinson’s, LSVT BIG and physical therapy offer great options to AMPLIFY your life!
Research has shown that with a specific exercise program incorporating the right intensity, difficulty, specificity, and complexity, a patient with Parkinson’s can make huge gains in function. Here is an example of the types of responses to the LSVT BIG Physical Therapy program.
For more information on LSVT BIG, Parkinson’s disease, physical therapy and training for patients with Parkinson’s, like us on Facebook , follow us on Twitter, or contact our office.