While treating a patient at the clinic last week, I was struck with her bravery. She described having previously sought physical therapy treatment for her injury at a different clinic. She had the discouraging experience of being treated by a different person at each appointment, and felt she had to explain her injury again and again. She says she was given a “one size fits all” exercise handout and when she was not successful with the exercises, no adaptations were offered to her.
Amazingly, this lady had the courage to self-advocate for better care. How many like her would be stranded at an impasse? She had the good fortune of having a friend who recommended the Nick Rinard Physical Therapy team to her. I’m happy to report that she is excelling here and is now ready to continue independently much sooner than expected.
Nick Rinard Physical Therapy is a specialty type of physical therapy which helps most people. The methods we use are the most scientifically valid in all of physical therapy today; and all of our therapists are trained in this specialty of mechanical diagnosis and treatment. From the patient’s perspective, you will undergo a thorough evaluation designed to find the true cause of your pain or symptoms. The main aim of the evaluation is to determine whether the pain is “mechanical” or “non-mechanical.”
If it is mechanical, and it is treatable, then you will start a corrective program on day one that is custom designed to suit your needs. We also equip all of our patients with a home exercise program and the tools they need to prevent this problem from recurring in the future.
You deserve to be individually evaluated, treated, and supported in a plan of care that is scientifically valid and effective. If you have had a disappointing physical therapy experience at another clinic, we urge you to come see us and let us demonstrate the difference that our high quality, dedicated staff can make for you.
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Our world is getting older by the day. Our planet is currently inhabited by the greatest number of old people in recorded history. That’s right, “the number of people aged 65 years or over is increasing at a faster rate globally than the total population growth.” (Kaneda et al, 2011)
Our elderly population is a tribute to society’s prosperity and medical advancements. Shouldn’t we be celebrating the success of our medical breakthroughs that have allowed more and more people to surviving into their senior years? Sadly, instead of reverence for our elderly, a social phenomenon known as ageism is putting an ugly tarnish on those golden years. (Matthews, 2015)
What is ageism? Wikipedia defines ageism as: “stereotyping and discriminating against individuals or groups on the basis of their age.” The most devastating form of ageism is self-imposed. Here are some common examples of self-ageism phrases:
“When I was younger, I could have done that, but now…”
“I think I just hurt because it’s part of getting old and feeling my years.”
“I’m too old to learn something new. You just can’t teach an old dog new tricks.”
Ageism can lead people to resign to their injuries rather than seeking to heal from them. This resignation leads quickly to loss of independence, loss of mobility, social isolation, etc. The next time you hear yourself or a loved one make an ageism remark, I hope you will reply: “If you’re so old, you’re old enough to know better!”
Stop delaying recovery and healing, and get proactive. If these are your golden years, your health is precious! Protect yourself by getting the help you need in a timely manner. Nick Rinard Physical Therapy is here for you!
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So your New Year’s Resolution is to finally get moving with an exercise program. That’s excellent! You make it to the gym and hurl yourself into a routine full of good intentions. But, your body may have other ideas.. your knees are screaming, your back is hurting, and your shoulders are nagging you. At Nick Rinard Physical Therapy, we are here to help you quiet those aching joints and become successful with your new exercise routine! Less than 52% of Americans get adequate weekly aerobic exercise (https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/exercise.htm); we are here to help you beat that statistic!
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‘Tis the season for making resolutions, focusing on self-improvement, and charting the course for the year ahead. What are you doing to improve yourself in 2018? One small step that can make a tremendous impact in many areas of your life is simply to establish good self-accountability. How credible are you? Many of us are loyal to commitments we make to our friends, family, and coworkers but we may routinely neglect to fulfill our promises to ourselves. When was the last time you put off a work out, failed to follow through with a diet goal, or simply lost momentum with a good training program?
Creating the discipline of good habits is beneficial to all of us! Whether you are looking to reboot your home exercise routine or seeking to redeem your diet after an avalanche of holiday feasts – consistency is the key. Daily diligence defines the difference between crashing through a fad and building a foundation of good habits that can improve your life. In some areas of life, this need for consistency is obvious, for example: brushing your teeth. If you wish to have fresh breath for your date on Friday night, is brushing your teeth just once on Tuesday going to cut it? Nope! Good oral hygiene requires that twice a day commitment every day of the week. Other areas of our health will benefit from applying this daily discipline as well.
So, here are 5 easy ways to help build credibility with yourself and to insure you follow through with all of those good intensions.
- Make an appointment with yourself – Schedule time on your calendar each day, even if it is just 20 minutes, to do your home exercise program. Honor this time the same way you would honor any other medical appointment.
- Reward yourself when you follow through – Improving your health is its own reward, but you may need other tangible incentives to keep you motivated on your course. Make a barter system with yourself – “For every 10 minutes I spend on this treadmill, I will get 10 minutes of guilt-free Netflix ve
- Get friends and family onboard – One of my patients found the best way to correct his posture was to recruit his children, “It’s open season, kids – anytime you can catch me slouching, call me on it and I will give you a dollar.”
- Keep it visible – Put those running shoes in a high visibility area of your home so that you have a visual reminder to gear up and get outside for a jog. Are you using a theraband for your exercise routine? Don’t hide it – hang it in plain sight so that you are prompted to put it to good use!
- Teach what you’ve learned – If you have mastered a new exercise or healthy recipe, share it! Pay it forward and reap the benefit of better understanding through teaching. You know you have truly mastered a technique when you can teach it effectively to someone else.
So let me know – what do you do to encourage yourself to follow through with your commitments to yourself? Have you tried any of these suggestions before? Do you have new ideas you’d like to share with us? Let’s support each other in making 2018 a year of abundant good health!
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The American Heart Association recommends at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity at least 5 days/week. In the pursuit of good health and fitness, many people are using YouTube to access new workouts. Unfortunately, there is neither quality control nor an accreditation process to ensure that the workouts are sound. Further complicating things is the “no pain, no gain” exercise myth which leads people to expect suffering with exercise. If someone expects exercising to be painful, they may not heed the early warning signs of pain and become injured.
Recently, I treated a young woman who developed severe lower back pain after exercising with a popular fitness program online. She continued to push herself through the routines but after 2 weeks she quit exercising entirely. She was frustrated because her efforts to improve her health had actually worsened her condition. Her back pain was interrupting her sleep and limiting her ability to concentrate at work.
After just 4 sessions at Nick Rinard Physical Therapy she was pain free and equipped with an effective, individualized exercise program that supported her fitness goals without compromising her If your workout is wearing you down, we can help you get on the right track! Don’t settle for suffering through your exercise routine when you could be thriving.
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