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It’s Up to You to Manage Your Health

Being proactive about your health has never been more important. The health care system in the United States is set up brilliantly to prevent you from dying and for maximizing profits of all parties involved. In fact, the United States spends more money by a wide margin than any other country on health care. Our health care system is set up to keep us from dying, not thriving. Our average life span barely makes it in the top 30 when compared to other nations.

As it stands now, the American health care system is poorly equipped to help us maximize our health span. Health span is defined as a period of time in which a person is generally healthy and free from serious disease. It’s up to you to manage your health and maximize your health span.

As health care costs in America continue to increase without actual positive change in our health status as consumers, our overall health delivery system continues to be strained. Medical professionals are being over burdened by daunting rules and regulations that limit patient care. There are rules that prevent creative personalized solutions because of “standard of practice” rules.

Thankfully, there are more consumer driven options to maximize health through novel self-quantification strategies. These individually designed options can help you to maximize your health.

  • Genetic testing, also known as DNA testing, is a type of medical testthat identifies changes in chromosomes, genes or proteins. The results of a genetic test can confirm or rule out a suspected genetic condition or help determine your chance of developing or passing on a genetic
  • Microbiome testing allows for individualized supplementation protocols in order to address unique epigenetic factors that can help you to maximize your health span while avoiding disease.
  • Concierge medical services enables you to have a long term relationship with a physician (who is dedicated to a small number of clients) in order to help you to prevent disease and manage health concerns early.

It’s imperative that we take a leadership role in our own health care by continuing to be proactive.

Image courtesy of Unsplash.

Top Reasons Why You should Manage Your Health:

Money – Health care is expensive. Many of the most common treatments and fancy diagnostic methods are not necessary. Costs are only going to rise more in the future. As this occurs, it will be even more important to be able to take care of the simple common place injuries and illnesses. It will save you a lot of time and money!  Benjamin Franklin was right: “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”

Empowerment – There is nothing more important than your health. You have control of most of the aspects in your life that affect your health status. Taking care of yourself and your health needs leads to a sense of empowerment. Understanding your body and your health is liberating and empowering. Our ability to understand our own unique body has never been more possible.

Improved Care – If you understand how to be healthy and take care of yourself, you will be able to assist your medical practitioner in making the best decision on how to manage your care. Remember, it is your body and your health. By being your own advocate, you can insure that you receive quality care. Knowing yourself is the best way to insure the healthcare you receive is appropriate for you as a unique individual.

Quicker Recovery Time – Often by taking out the middle man, you can help to increase the speed of recovery.  You can address the condition and help your body to initiate the healing response to insure a faster recovery.

Emergency Situations – You never know when an emergency, such as a motor vehicle accident, inclement weather or pandemic, may occur. You may experience an injury or illness during a camping trip when resources are a far distance away. In the event of an emergency situation, you will be knowledgeable and equipped to take care of yourself and your loved ones. The healthcare system may not actually be accessible when you need it. (If necessary, please seek appropriate medical assistance as soon as possible.)

Healthy Living – Take the time to focus on your health. Often, small changes in your diet, activity level, and relationships can make a big difference. You can take control of your health and your life! Don’t underestimate what leading a healthy lifestyle can really do for you as you look to improve your overall health span.

Western medicine is designed to keep you alive, not to help you thrive. Taking a passive role in your health is not a wise choice in America’s current health care environment. Only YOU are responsible for your health. Decisions now will determine how successful you age in the future.

There is nothing more important than your health. You must be in control and manage your own health. You have control over most of the aspects in your life that affect your health and well-being. Take charge, and empower yourself. You must be your greatest advocate. Don’t delegate the most important job of taking care of yourself and your health and well-being!

This article first appeared on Smart Strategies for Successful Living: https://www.agegracefullyamerica.com/manage-your-health/

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What to Do When You Can’t Look Up

After releasing a video post on How to Quickly Fix a Kink in Your Neck, I received positive feedback on YouTube about how simple and effective the method I demonstrated was to self-treat a painful stiff neck. This method helped to fix the problem with looking left and right, but viewers began to ask what they should do if they can’t look up without pain.

In this video post, I address the common problem of what to do when you can’t tilt your head backward (look up). This initially can be challenging to treat (even more challenging than fixing turning or rotating your head), but with these two self-treatment strategies you might be able to get some relief.

Most important, your posture matters. Poor posture puts your neck in an extended and compromised position. Your upper thoracic is a critically in maintaining proper cervical mobility (including the ability to look up).

The key to eliminating pain is to improve the mobility of the thoracic spine, so the neck and shoulders no longer have to compensate for the lack of thoracic mobility. Be sure to subscribe to my e-mail list to gain immediate access to My Top 8 Stretches to Eliminate Neck, Upper Back, and Shoulder Pain for foam roller mobilizations and stretches that are designed to counteract the stresses and postures of daily life and to restore the normal mobility to the upper back.

In this video, I demonstrate the McKenzie method for cervical retractions in order to improve your neck motion. This secondary technique, called the side bend with rotation, may also help you to look up without pain if the problem is in your upper cervical area. I highly recommend the following book, Treat Your Own Neck, by Robin A. McKenzie.

CLICK HERE TO WATCH NOW

Ideally, you should be able to self-treat your problem of not being able to tilt your head up by improving your posture (with my recommended foam roller mobilizations and stretches) in addition to using these two techniques (cervical retractions and the side bend with rotation) that I demonstrate in the video.

If you’re not experiencing relief after trying these self-treatment techniques, contact your local physical therapist for an assessment and help in managing the condition. The American Physical Therapy Association offers a wonderful resource to help find a physical therapist in your area.

Which of these two techniques (cervical retractions and the side bend with rotation) worked the best for you? Please share below. 

If you have a question that you would like featured in an upcoming blog post, please comment below or submit your question to contact@thePhysicalTherapyAdvisor.com. In case you haven’t already, be sure to subscribe to my e-mail list and YouTube channel as well as join our community on Facebook by liking The Physical Therapy Advisor!

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My Top 3 Most Popular Videos

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, more and more people are realizing the value of taking control of their health care and personal well-being. In today’s health care environment, we all need to learn how to treat common aches and pains proactively instead of reactively. We must get to the root of the issue instead of placing a Band-Aid over it. We must realize that our individual health is our responsibility. We cannot rely on others to make decisions for us. Our present health care system in America is not designed to help you optimize your health–that is your job!   

The purpose of The Physical Therapy Advisor is to help people like you to take control of your health and to save money by learning how to safely self-treat and manage common musculoskeletal, neurological, and mobility related conditions safely and effectively.

I created a YouTube channel in 2015, and I have been adding videos ever since in order to show you a variety of different things including my favorite tips and tricks, how to properly perform exercises, and how to use mobility bands and cupping.

The following videos are my most popular, but I encourage you to take a look around on my channel to see what is most pertinent for you and be sure to subscribe. Also, please let me know if there is a specific topic or condition that you’d like me to address in an upcoming video.

My Top 3 Most Popular Videos:

How to Use Shoulder Pulleys to Regain Shoulder Motion – Shoulder pulleys are an excellent way to use active assistive motion to regain motion in the shoulder post injury or surgery. In this video, I explain the basics of how the shoulder pulley works. They are frequently utilized early in the rehabilitation process to not only help regain motion, but to also promote blood flow which aids in the healing process.

How to Properly Perform Pendulum Exercises – In this video, I explain the basics of how to properly perform pendulum exercises. Although these exercises are basic, they are typically performed incorrectly by utilizing active motion instead of a passive motion. Pendulum exercises are commonly utilized after rotator cuff repair, sub acromial decompression surgery, collarbone fracture and/or surgery, total shoulder replacement/total shoulder arthroplasty, and frozen shoulder (adhesive capsulitis).

How to Use an Exercise Ball to Improve Posture and Treat Shoulder, Neck, and Back Pain – In this video, I demonstrate how to perform I’s, T’s, and Y’s exercises on an exercise ball in order to address lower and mid trapezius and scapula muscle weakness. Poor posture (due to poor thoracic mobility) and poor scapular muscle strength are often major contributors to neck, shoulder, and upper back pain.

Thank you for supporting The Physical Therapy Advisor! If you have a question that you would like featured in an upcoming video or blog post, please comment below or submit your question to contact@thePhysicalTherapyAdvisor.com. In case you haven’t already, be sure to subscribe to my e-mail list and YouTube channel as well as join our community on Facebook by liking The Physical Therapy Advisor!

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How to Perform a Key Lower Leg Stability Exercise

Weakness in the deep external rotation muscles and poor lower extremity single leg balance are commonly associated with many lower extremity overuse injuries. A simple and effective exercise to improve strength, balance, and general stability of the deep hip external rotator muscles is the clock exercise (also called the star drill).

The important points to remember in this exercise are to keep the stance knee unlocked (the leg you are standing on) with the patella (knee cap) slightly externally rotated (usually pointing towards the 3rd or 4th toe). The rotation must come from the hip, NOT the ankle. The stability of the hip and activation of the deep hip external rotators needs to be the primary focus.

Slowly touch the ground very gently with the opposite leg. The amount of pressure touching the ground should be so slight that if there were a package of crackers taped to the bottom of the foot the crackers would not break. Performing the drill on a balance pad will significantly increase the difficulty level of the exercise.

In the following video, I demonstrate how to use a balance pad to perform the clock exercise, a key lower leg stability exercise for treating knee pain, hip pain, and foot and ankle related issues as well as balance.

CLICK HERE TO WATCH NOW

For additional videos on my recommended exercises to increase hip strength and stability, be sure to check out:

For prevention strategies and to learn more about on how to self-treat the most common lower extremity overuse injuries, be sure to check out the Resilient Runner Program, which is designed to help YOU meet YOUR training goals by insuring you have the tools to avoid injury, recover quickly, and train at a peak level.

Have you performed the clock exercise before? If so, what was your experience like? Please leave your comments below.

If you have a question that you would like featured in an upcoming blog post, please comment below or submit your question to contact@thePhysicalTherapyAdvisor.com. In case you haven’t already, be sure to subscribe to my e-mail list and YouTube channel as well as join our community on Facebook by liking The Physical Therapy Advisor!

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How to Perform a Key Hip Stability Exercise

Hip pain, knee pain, and even foot pain (such as plantar fasciitis or posterior tibialis syndrome) can have an associated hip external rotation weakness. An important yet often overlooked component to proper lower extremity stability is how the deep hip external rotator muscles need to work along with other hip external rotators and hip abductors, such as the gluteus medius, to insure proper lower extremity positioning when the leg is in full weight bearing. Particularly, in a single leg stance position during walking, running, skipping or landing from a jump as the leg accepts full weight bearing while the opposite leg is in swing phase.

The deep hip rotators, also known as the short external hip rotators, are a group of muscles consisting of the superior and inferior gemelli, obturator internus, quadratus femoris, and the piriformis. This group of muscles is extremely important for stability of the body, pelvis, and leg as the leg/foot initiates full ground contact.

Weakness in these muscles is often associated with many of the more common lower extremity overuse injuries:

  • Foot injuries: Plantar Fasciitis, Achilles Tendinitis, Posterior Tibialis Syndrome
  • Knee injuries: Patella Femoral Pain Syndrome (PFPS), Iliotibial Band Syndrome (ITBS)
  • Hip related issues: Piriformis Syndrome, Hip Bursitis,  Hip Impingement

A simple and effective exercise to improve strength of these muscles is the standing hip 3-way exercise. The important points to remember in this exercise are to keep the stance knee unlocked and in a “soft” stance with the patella (knee cap) slightly externally (laterally) rotated (usually pointing toward the 3rd or 4th toe). The rotation must come from the hip, NOT the ankle. The stability of the hip and activation of the deep hip external rotators should be the primary focus.

In the following video, I demonstrate how to use an exercise band to perform the standing hip 3-way exercise, a key hip stability exercise for treating hip pain, knee pain, and foot and ankle related injuries.

CLICK HERE TO WATCH NOW

For additional videos on my recommended exercises to increase hip strength and stability, be sure to check out:

For prevention strategies and to learn more about on how to self-treat the most common lower extremity overuse injuries, be sure to check out the Resilient Runner Program, which is designed to help YOU meet YOUR training goals by insuring you have the tools to avoid injury, recover quickly, and train at a peak level.

Do you suffer from hip, knee or foot pain? If so, hip external rotation weakness may be part of the reason for the ongoing pain as you overload and overuse other structures trying to gain extra lower leg support. Additional discussion can help others to manage this condition more effectively. Please leave your comments below.

If you have a question that you would like featured in an upcoming blog post, please comment below or submit your question to contact@thePhysicalTherapyAdvisor.com. In case you haven’t already, be sure to subscribe to my e-mail list and YouTube channel as well as join our community on Facebook by liking The Physical Therapy Advisor!

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Balance: What Is It and How to Improve It

Balance is so important–particularly as we age. We are concerned about balance because we are concerned about falling (and we should be). Falling is the number one cause of hip fracture. Nearly 20% of all hip fractures in the elderly will result in death within the first year, and 50% of people will never regain their prior level of function.

Poor balance and the fear of falling are the primary reasons for declining mobility and can ultimately affect how well you age. Lack of mobility leads to further decline including: worsening balance; worsening arthritis and pain; and negative effects on diabetes, heart disease, and osteoporosis. It generally leads to a declining quality of life.  Mobility is an important element of life. The worse one’s balance becomes, the more difficult it is to be mobile.

Understanding Balance

Balance is primarily affected by five different body systems working in combination with each other:

  1. Muscle Strength and Boney Stability – In general, we have to have the strength and bone structure to actually hold ourselves upright. If we don’t have this, the other aspects of balance don’t mean much. Consider a baby or someone with paralysis. Without adequate strength or if you have a severe fracture, you are unable to balance.
  2. Somatosensory – This is the integration of the neurological system (including the brain and nerves throughout the body) with the musculoskeletal system. This includes all the touch and movement nerve receptors in the muscles, tendons, and joints. This also includes our ability to distinguish between hot and cold. One term you may be familiar with is proprioception. It’s a fancy word describing our brain’s ability to know where we are located in space. For example, if we close our eyes and lift our arms overhead, we know where our arms are located. A common problem affecting the somatosensory system is neuropathy. One very common form of neuropathy is from diabetes. Neuropathy is when the nerve cells (typically in the extremities like hands and feet) will die. This may be due to poor blood supply, trauma, infection, disease or even side effects from medication. The death of the nerve is the “neuropathy” which presents initially when a person may feel cramping, shooting or burning pain. Ultimately, it affects the one’s ability to feel sensations which causes numbness. Having numb feet makes it very difficult to balance!
  3. Eyesight – Humans are very eyesight dependent when it comes to balance. We rely heavily on our eyesight for mobility and to know where we are located in our environment. Have you ever tried closing your eyes when standing or been in a room that was so dark it was hard to tell which direction was up? Now imagine you have an eye condition such as glaucoma, cataracts or you wear bifocals. This affects your ability to see and your depth perception—ultimately, affecting your balance. Your eyesight is not just about the acuity at which you see, but is also important when you think of how you see. Gaze stabilization is how well you can stabilize a target in your field of vision. For example, can you stay focused on a moving object or can you move and keep the object in focus? Your eyes must be able to hold an object in focus or quickly move from one object to the next. Your eyesight is also interconnected with your vestibular system.
  4. Vestibular System – Our vestibular system is our inner ears. It provides us with information on head acceleration and gravity. It also works closely with our brains to process information on the head’s position in its environment. It helps us produce reflexes which affect our sense of equilibrium and our eyes’ ability to hold a gaze on a desired target. If you have ever experienced vertigo, then you understand how bad it feels when your vestibular system is malfunctioning. Like a child on the merry-go-round, this system may be fun to stimulate. The vestibular system is one of the more adaptable systems, and with practice, it can be improved.
  5. Central Nervous System – The brain is responsible for coordinating all of the information gathered by the body’s other systems. If the brain is damaged through trauma such as concussions, motor vehicle accidents, and war, then its ability to process information relating to balance could be affected. Another factor could be infections from virus, bacteria, fungal or a disease process such as Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s disease.  Strokes or aneurisms can also affect balance. If you have been affected by any of these, treatment should be sought from a qualified medical practitioner.

The key to helping you improve balance is to understand why your balance is worsening in the first place. Balance is affected by any one or a combination of the body systems listed above.

In my video, Prevent Falls, Improve Balance, and Age Well, I address the five body systems that are responsible for helping us maintain balance in more detail and what can we do to improve them.

CLICK HERE TO WATCH NOW

Now that we understand some of the basic components to balance, it’s easy to understand why balance is so complicated, yet so important, and why it must be an area of focus. To effectively treat balance disorders, we have to determine what system or systems are leading to the deficits. That is usually the most difficult part.  If a person spends time evaluating why his/her balance has worsened, then an effective treatment program can be designed to address the issue.

For specific and practical approaches to improve balance in each of the five body systems, please refer to How Do I Improve Balance? (Part I) and How Do I Improve Balance? (Part II).

What is one area that you can focus on to improve your balance? Please share below.

If you have a question that you would like featured in an upcoming blog post, please comment below or submit your question to contact@thePhysicalTherapyAdvisor.com. In case you haven’t already, be sure to subscribe to my e-mail list and YouTube channel as well as join our community on Facebook by liking The Physical Therapy Advisor!

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3 Easy Exercises to eliminate Wrist and Elbow Pain

Hand, wrist, and elbow pain is all too common (particularly, with computer, tablet, and phone use). Pain in any one of these locations affects all of us from time to time. The two most likely reasons for developing hand, wrist, and elbow pain are from overuse and poor posture.

Poor wrist, shoulder or thoracic mobility is also commonly related to hand, wrist and/or elbow pain. If the wrist cannot flex or extend properly, it not only causes wrist pain, but excessive stretching of the forearm muscles and strain on the elbow (possibly leading to pain). Poor shoulder or thoracic spine mobility can also cause excessive strain on the elbow, wrist and/or hand.

In this video post, I describe three easy exercises to help you quickly eliminate pain in your hand, wrist, and elbow. I demonstrate two simple stretches with an easy variation to improve their efficacy and teach you how to easily improve your hand and wrist strength using a simple rubber band.

CLICK HERE TO WATCH NOW

Posture plays a critical role in the positioning of your extremities with movement and even when sitting (including office and/or computer work). Improper posture combined with poor ergonomics is a top reason to develop not only elbow pain, but also neck, upper back, shoulder, and wrist pain. Regardless if the activity is weightlifting or typing, your posture matters!

For additional ways to easily improve your posture and reduce pain in the arm/hand as well as the neck and shoulder, be sure to subscribe to my e-mail list to gain immediate access to My Top 8 Stretches to Eliminate Neck, Upper Back, and Shoulder Pain for step-by-step exercise instructions and photos.

Hand, wrist, and/or elbow pain can be debilitating and limit your ability to exercise, work on the computer or even use your phone. Be proactive in your care and management. If the pain persists, seek additional help. Don’t let the pain linger. The longer it’s left untreated, the more potential for harm and damage which potentially could lead to a longer recovery. The American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) is an excellent resource for learning more about physical therapy as well as locating a physical therapist in your area.

Do you have any other favorite exercises or stretches to reduce hand, wrist or elbow pain? Please leave your comments below.

If you have a question that you would like featured in an upcoming blog post, please comment below or submit your question to contact@thePhysicalTherapyAdvisor.com. In case you haven’t already, be sure to subscribe to my e-mail list and YouTube channel as well as join our community on Facebook by liking The Physical Therapy Advisor!

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Playing it SMART to outwit Dementia

Preventing dementia is a critical component in successful aging and a healthy lifestyle. Regardless of age, it’s never too early or late to fight against dementia. Dementia is not actually a specific disease. It’s a term used to describe a group of symptoms affecting a person’s memory or ability to perform activities of daily living (ADLs). There are six basic ADLs: eating; bathing; dressing; toileting; transferring (walking); and continence.

At least two brain functions, such as memory loss and impaired judgement, need to be affected for a person to be diagnosed with dementia. A person may experience memory loss along with difficulty of performing ADL tasks such as how to cook or drive. Loss of memory only would not necessarily mean that a person has dementia. Although there are many potential causes of dementia, Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia.

The good news is that the fight to prevent dementia may be easier and more fun than you might think. Combining healthy and fun activities is the smartest way to remain consistent with the behaviors that can help to prevent dementia. Continue reading for 7 tips on how to outwit dementia and cognitive decline.

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How to Quickly Fix a Kink in Your Neck

Have you ever woke up from a good night of sleep with a kink in your neck? How about not being able to move your head without pain? Yeah, me, too. How about a sore neck or a stiff neck after exercising or doing an activity like painting? Yep, I have had that, too.

So often this “kinked neck” or “stiff neck” feeling is easily self-treatable. In the following video, I demonstrate a very simple and effective method to self-treat that painful stiff neck feeling that we all get from time to time.

CLICK HERE TO WATCH NOW

If you want a more detailed explanation of neck pain and ways to prevent it from occurring, be sure to read my post on neck pain, headaches, and the “core” muscles of your neck. You will discover why it’s important to insure proper cervical core strength in order to not only alleviate neck pain and headaches, but also to prevent them from reoccurring.

For additional ways to easily improve your posture and reduce pain in the neck and shoulder, be sure to subscribe to my e-mail list to gain immediate access to My Top 8 Stretches to Eliminate Neck, Upper Back, and Shoulder Pain for step-by-step exercise instructions and photos.

Also, please refer to my video, What to Do When You Can’t Look Up.

Have you ever suffered from a stiff or painful neck? Which treatments have worked the best for you? Please share below. 

If you have a question that you would like featured in an upcoming blog post, please comment below or submit your question to contact@thePhysicalTherapyAdvisor.com. In case you haven’t already, be sure to subscribe to my e-mail list and YouTube channel as well as join our community on Facebook by liking The Physical Therapy Advisor!

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5 Strategies to Improve Your Physical Resiliency

Why do some people age well while others do not?  The answer may in part lay in a person’s resiliency.  Resiliency is defined as an object’s ability to return to an original form or position after being bent, compressed or stretched.  When this definition is applied to a person, it gives us a clue as to why some people recover quickly after illness or injury.  This more scientific definition helps us understand why resiliency is nothing more than your own margin for error in life.  The greater margin for error you have, then the less likely something catastrophic will occur.  Continue Reading to discover 5 Strategies to Improve Your Physical Resiliency.