How Can Physical Therapy Help Me During a Pandemic?

How Can Physical Therapy Help Me During a Pandemic?

In the era of COVID, a brand new life language has been forced upon us. We now embrace solitude for the sake of our community and avoid physical interaction as an act of kindness towards our friends, families, and neighbors. The landscape of many industries has evolved rapidly, and our adaptation skills have been tested perhaps now more than ever. While we all settle into our new normal, the FX Physical Therapy family is here for you to support this transition (spoiler alert: in more ways than just providing exercise!).

 

Let’s Begin with the Obvious: Physical Activity

You knew this was coming! The imperative role of physical activity in disease prevention (and improving mental health, mood, sleep function, etc) is not a new one. Even without a global pandemic, the CDC recommends 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity physical activity for adults per week. Social distancing guidelines, gyms being closed, and people appropriately adhering to stay-at-home orders introduce new obstacles for this goal to be achieved. How can we create feasible and sustainable ways to incorporate physical activity into your day? First, we listen to you and hear the ins and outs of your new routine. We also take into account the space, time, and equipment you have available at home to create a custom and effective plan to keep you moving and healthy.

 

Already Exercising?

Great! With many studios and trainers moving to virtual platforms, there are an endless number of resources available for home workouts. Even if you’ve already got a routine that works, it couldn’t hurt to sprinkle in some accessory work and prehab to mitigate the chances of injury and keep your joints, muscles, and nerves moving optimally!

 

Not Exercising But Still Feel Exhausted?

Believe it or not, feeling increased fatigue with decreased activity during these times is completely normal! Just like exercise places demands on your physical being, high levels of stress and uncertainty place demands on the nervous system. Go easy on yourself for feeling tired and place as much emphasis on getting enough sleep, proper nutrition, and hydration as you place on getting physical activity. There are lots of tips and strategies we can use to find this balance.

 

Working From Home?

If you find yourself having aches and pains after a full day of sitting for virtual work meetings, you’re certainly not alone. Many of us had to quickly fashion a functional work space from home, and it may not be ideal. Let us meet with you virtually and take a look at your set up to make recommendations. 

 

Just Overall Lacking Motivation?

We. Hear. That. So let’s work together on the accountability front! We can take this opportunity to really take a deep dive into your programming and make sure that it’s checking all of the boxes. Let us provide some structure to your week and allow you to continue making strides forward. If there’s one thing we know, it’s that we are stronger together.

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Lyme Disease and Tips to Prevent It

Lyme Disease and Tips to Prevent It

Spring is here and many of us are itching to get outside and enjoy the nice weather, especially with this quarantine! With the return to warmer outdoor activities (and still maintaining at least 6 feet of distance), it is important to keep in mind the dangers of ticks and Lyme Disease. May is National Lyme Disease Awareness Month so what better time to spread some information on what Lyme Disease is and how to prevent it. 

 

What is Lyme Disease:

Lyme disease is a bacterial infection that enters a human host by way of blacklegged tick bite. The blacklegged tick is tiny and can be difficult to find when attached to a person or animal. Because the tick is so small, many people do not even notice when they have been bit. 

 

Signs and Symptoms: 

A rash shaped like a bull’s eye is one of the most characteristic symptoms of Lyme; however, the estimates of people who develop a rash range widely. Other symptoms include:

• Arrhythmias (palpitations or irregular heart beat)
• Chills
• Facial drooping
• Fatigue
• Fever
• Headaches
• Lightheadedness 
• Muscle and joint pain
• Shooting pain/numbness/tingling in the hands and feet 
• Stiffness 
• Weakness

 

Ways to Prevent Lyme Disease: 

• Limit skin exposed by wearing long pants, long sleeves, and shoes.
• Wear light colored clothing to make it easier to see ticks.
• Walk in the middle of trails to avoid tall grass. 
• Use tick repellent spray on skin and clothes. 
• Do check ticks immediately and 3 days following outdoor activity.
• If you find a tick, remove it carefully and save it.
• Don’t forget about your furry friends! Ask your veterinarian about protection.

 

Physical Therapy:

If someone is diagnosed with Lyme, physical therapy can be beneficial with the fatigue and joint/muscle pain. Our manual techniques and individualized exercise program will assist in decreasing pain, improving symptoms, and getting you back to activities you love!

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Barre for Back Pain

Did you know that working on your glutes is not just great for that summer swimsuit, but your back might thank you too!  Some of the major causes for lower back pain come from posture, and a change in our hip strength over a period of time.  Sitting for extended periods of time may cause our hip flexors to get tight, we lose our hip extension mobility and flexibility, and in return our glutes become inactive and weak.  This reduces the stability that we have in our lower back, and over time can cause muscle guarding and pain.  

 

In barre class,  we focus on the 360 degrees rule in which we want to load the joint at all angles. So with regards to the hips,  we move the leg outward, forward, backward, as well as inward (technical terms include abduction, extension, flexion, and adduction).  We focus on moving with smaller, more isometric movements that are safer and allow for more control and less use of momentum which is better for building strength and stability.

 

It is common for participants to report increased flexibility after working through their barre classes as a result of using a technique we refer to as reciprocal inhibition in which you use a muscle on the opposite side of the joint to stretch a muscle that opposes it.  For example, moving into hip extension to work on the glutes in order to stretch out the tight hip flexor.  

 

It is also important to consider our core strength when we are focusing on reducing low back pain.  With our varied postures, child-birth, fluctuations in weight, poor breathing patterns, we often lose our ability to properly and effectively activate our core.  And to note, core is more than just our abdominal muscles.  The core includes our pelvic floor, rectus abdominis,  transverse abdominis, lumbar multifidus, erector spinae, and diaphragm.  All of these muscles when working together, and efficiently support the back allowing less stress on the spine.  

 

It is also important to note that with stress, pain, and attempts at maintaining “proper” physique or posture,  we tend to lose our ability to use diaphragmatic breathing.  This causes an over-use of our accessory breathing muscles which can cause neck tension, also reducing core strength. Breathing properly during our exercises is very important for creating spinal stability.  Barre can help you bring your focus and attention back to this, and you might even find that you feel a bit lighter after your class!

 

One thing we love about barre is that there are many modifications so we can help all ages, and all fitness levels.  We also can perform many of the exercises without equipment, so home workouts can be just as beneficial when they are needed.  Physical therapists use many of these exercises to help their patients, and encourage patients to utilize these programs as additional opportunity to be compliant with their exercise programs and find something they enjoy participating in that will help them in the long term.  

 

If you want to learn more about barre, how it can help your back pain and overall wellness, please join us on Tuesday, May 12th at 5pm on our Instagram Live with one of our physical therapist Jessica Mertz as well her co-host Stacey Vandiver who is owner of SoulBody Barre.

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