Uncategorized

Staying Hydrated with Exercise

Drinking too much or being dehydration can decrease your workout productivity. To determine if you are well hydrated, take a look at your urine volume and color. If your urine is light yellow in color and you are going on a regular basis (every 3 to 4 hours), you are well hydrated. If your urine is dark, you are dehydrated.

It is important to make sure you are well hydrated before working out. It is recommended to drink between 8 to 16 ounces of water 15 minutes before your workout. During your workout, it is recommended to drink 4 to 8 ounces every 15-20 minutes. If you are working out vigorously for over 90 minutes, it is recommended you drink 8 to 10 ounces of a sports drink every 15 to 30 minutes.

Types of Physical Therapy

Physical therapists treat a large variety of conditions. Therefore, there are many specialties within the field of physical therapy.

Orthopedic physical therapy includes any musculoskeletal condition due to overuse, injury, accidents or poor body mechanics. This includes post-operative conditions from hip and knee replacements to surgeries on the shoulder, ankle, knee, neck or back. This category also includes any type of acute or chronic pain which have no apparent cause.

Neurological physical therapy includes working with patients that have Alzheimer’s, brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis, and strokes.

Women’s health physical therapy includes treating women with incontinence, pelvic pain, weakened pelvic floor muscles, and conditions related to pregnancy.

Geriatric physical therapy includes cardiovascular training, balance training, post-operative treatment, and acute/chronic pain conditions. This therapy can take place in outpatient orthopedic facilities, nursing homes, and rehabilitation centers.

Cardiovascular and pulmonary physical therapy rehabilitates patients who have recently had heart or pulmonary surgery and need to regain their strength and cardiovascular fitness.

Harbor Physical Therapy is an outpatient orthopedic rehabilitation facility. Therefore, we fall under the orthopedic category. We also treat patients that might fall in some of the other categories listed above. If you are unsure what type of physical therapy facility you need, please contact us for more information.

Long Term Consequences of Wearing High Heeled Shoes

Trying to look your best may not be the best thing for your body. Wearing high heels alters your posture which can lead to many back, neck, leg and foot problems.
Wearing high heels pushes your center of gravity forward. This causes your back and calf muscles to work harder to keep you standing up straight. This in turn shortens your back and calf muscles.

When you wear high heels, your knees stay slightly bent and your shins turn inward. These compressive forces can cause pain on the inside of your knee which can lead to degenerative joint disease.

Your calf muscles are shortened when wearing high heels. This puts a lot of pressure on your forefoot while you are walking. This can increase your chances of getting hammertoes, bunions and neuromas. And don’t forget about corns, callouses and blisters that can occur from wearing pointed toed shoes.

Over a long period of time, wearing high heels can permanently damage your Achilles tendon. While wearing high heels, your Achilles tendon is shortened. This can result in heel pain.

And lastly, one could develop “pump bump”, otherwise known as Haglund’s deformity. This is a bony enlargement on the back of the heel caused by straps and rigid backs of pump type shoes which causes rubbing on the back of the heel.

Physical Therapy can help decrease pain associated with wearing high heeled shoes. Please contact Harbor Physical Therapy for more information.

How To Use A Heating Pad Safely

The colder weather is upon us and many people have an increase in chronic joint or muscle pain. Are you using heat or rubs to treat your pain? If you find relief with these items it is important that you know how to use them safely.

A hot pack can provide pain relief to the chronic aching joints that accompany arthritis. Here are some tips on safe use of a heating pad.

• Do not sleep with a heating pad or you may get a burn.
• Only use a heating pad for 15-30 minutes per hour.
• Be extra careful if you are using a heating pad on an area of your body where you don’t have as much feeling and avoid heating numb areas. If you can’t feel the heat as strongly, you might not realize if
you burn yourself.
• Placing towels between the heating pad and your skin can help reduce the risk of burns.
• If you are using topical rubs and ointments like BenGay, only use after applying a heating pad.
• If you have an acute injury (one which is less than 3 days old), you should use ice instead of heat. Heat is appropriate for chronic injuries or pain more than 3 days old.

If you find that your chronic pain is limiting your normal functional activities, or if your acute injury doesn’t begin to get better with ice and rest, visit your local Physician or Physical Therapist.

Orthotics

There are two main types of orthotics: off-the-shelf arch supports and custom orthotics. A person is prescribed an orthotic to help normalize weight distribution with weight bearing. Some people tend to bear more weight through the inside or the outside of their foot. This in turn, can cause back, hip, knee, ankle, or foot pain. Orthotics correct imbalances, improve posture, and help to relieve pain with weight bearing activity.

Off- the- shelf orthotics (or arch supports) can be found in retail stores. They are a less rigid type of shoe insert costing approximately $30.00 to $50.00. Unless you have a severe biomechanical foot problem, initially you will be recommended to purchase an arch support.

Custom Orthotics can be created by a Podiatrist or Physical Therapist. Custom orthotics helps people that require more assistance with their foot posture. An orthotist will take a plaster cast mold of your foot to create an orthotic. This orthotic is usually the most rigid of all the orthotics. It may take several months for your foot to get used to the orthotic. Custom made orthotics are expensive. Some health insurances will cover a portion or all of the expense.

Swimming

If you are planning on swimming for exercise, you should warm up before you begin your workout. 

 A warm up:

            – Increases blood flow to the muscles in your body.

            – Increases your heart rate to prepare your body for exercise.

            – Decreases stiffness in your joints.

            – Increases range of motion of your shoulders and legs.

 Warm up ideas prior to swimming:

            – Jumping rope

            – Squats

            – Arm Swings

            – Lunges

After your swimming workout, you should perform stretching exercises to prevent muscles soreness.

 Important muscles to stretch for swimmers:

            – Hamstring

            – Pectoralis                                                           

            – Rhomboid

Rhomboid Stretch

Tips to Prevent A Back Injury While Gardening

As spring and summer are approaching, we begin to get back to our gardening.  While gardening, many people develop back injuries due to improper body mechanics. Therefore, listed below are tips to decrease the likelihood of a back injury this gardening season.

  1. Before gardening, take a 10 minute walk or warm up with some light exercises to warm up your muscles.
  2. While shoveling, remember to bend at your knees and hips, not at your waist.
  3. When you empty a shovel full of mulch or dirt, make sure you pivot your feet while turning your upper body.
  4. Sit or kneel on a small stool or bucket while weeding and planting so you are not bending over. Use knee pads to kneel to avoid pressure on your knees.
  5. Switch jobs every 30 minutes and take a break every 15 minutes.
  6. Working on raised beds is less strenuous for your back because you are not bending over as much.
  7. Use a cart or wheelbarrow to move things.
  8. Use lightweight hoses for watering.
  9. Keeps loads light. Buy smaller bags of dirt and mulch. They might be more costly but they will save your back.
  10. Use ergonomic tools for pruning and planting. Buy long handled tools so you don’t have to reach as far.
  11. Keep your body straight and get under the wheelbarrow to tilt it. Stand straight while emptying the wheelbarrow.
  12. While mowing the lawn, keep a comfortable distance between your hands and your body.
  13. If you experience any pain while doing lawn work or gardening, stop.
  14. Do gentle stretches when you are finished gardening to prevent tightness/pain the following day.