Duffy & Bracken Physical Therapy Blog

No one wants to live with pain everyday. Yet, many Arthritis sufferers do just that without the hope of one day being pain free. According to the Arthritis Foundation, 1 in every 5 American adults has being diagnosed with Arthritis and contrary to popular belief it does not only affect the elderly. It is a fact that Arthritis is a painful disease that tears down your joints, bones and other connective tissues but in many cases it does not have to rob you of your quality of life.

So how do you accomplish this?

One way to get your life back is by scheduling an appointment to see a Physical Therapist. Believe it or not, physical therapists are not just useful after a sprained ankle or herniated disc. Rather than relying only on prescription pain medication, people suffering from Osteoarthritis and even Rheumatoid Arthritis can see a physical therapist to treat their pain.

A therapist is able to:

1. Educate you on your condition.

2. Help you manage your pain.

3. Assist you in improving your function.

It is understandable that many Arthritis sufferers would shy away from physical activity. For some, the fear of exercise doing more harm than good could certainly hinder them from keeping active. Here is the good news...exercise does not have to mean more pain. When done properly, remaining active will do just the opposite, it can help you to alleviate or manage your pain.

Here at Duffy & Bracken we offer a Full Body Wellness Evaluation for individuals with chronic illnesses and conditions like Rheumatoid Arthritis, Parkinson's, Diabetes, Multiple Sclerosis and Osteoporosis. Our full body evaluation guides you to the right pain management method as well as assists you in designing an exercise program that's best for you. Call us and take charge of your life today!

Kieffer Pearce

Director of Public Relations & Marketing

212-402-5430

The sun is out and the warm weather calls many of us to go outside to run, but any new activity means using muscles in ways they haven’t been used and can lead to injury. We were "wearing" these muscles all winter long but haven’t used, trained, or conditioned them to turn on at the right time and be strong for running. These overuse injuries creep up on us one day and can prevent us from running for weeks and that won’t be fun if the sun continues to shine without you!

The most common injury is called Patellofemoral pain, otherwise known as "Runner's Knee."
Symptoms include: Pain in your knee when running, going up or down stairs, squatting, when sitting for prolonged periods of time, and sometimes walking. 

 Xrays reveal no structural damage and may show your kneecap, or "patella" is mal-tracking, which means it is not in the correct position and improperly aligned during movements. MRI is not immediately necessary and your doctor will send you to physical therapy instead.

Diagnosis: A physical therapist will ask you for a detailed history of your knee pain. Then, with a thorough evaluation of your hips, knees, ankles, feet, core, and running form, the cause of your knee pain will be confirmed as patellofemoral pain vs. other knee injuries. Your PT will also analyze the movements of your trunk, hips, knees, and ankles to see how they are contributing to your pain.

Causes of patella mal-tracking: Muscle imbalances (tightness and weakness in the muscles that control the hip, knee, and ankle) cause the soft tissues around the patella to get irritated with repeated motions. This leads to mal-tracking of the patella. Excessive wear and tear of the patella will cause the cartilage to break down, leading to pain. Muscle imbalances are caused by inadequate stretching, repeated vigorous activity using muscles that are not conditioned, improper running form (which can also be caused by foot abnormalities such as flat feet), and/or improper footwear.

Treatment with Physical Therapy

Joint mobilizations: your PT will perform specific hands-on techniques to mobilize any joints that are stiff or improperly aligned, which are affecting your body mechanics during movements.

Exercises: A stretching and strengthening program will be designed specifically to meet your body’s needs based on the findings from your evaluation. You will learn how to stretch the muscles that are tight and how to strengthen the weak muscle groups, which are contributing to your painful runs.

Pain management: modalities, such as ice, may be applied to sore areas in order to alleviate pain.

Injury Prevention

·         General conditioning - Keep all major muscle groups surrounding your hips, knees, and ankles in good condition through regular strengthening exercises 2-3x/week. Don’t forget to keep your core strong too because that is the foundation of your body.

·         Warm up - Before running, walk briskly for 3-5 minutes.

·         Increase miles gradually - Avoid sudden increase in the duration and intensity of your running.

·         Proper footwear - Run in shoes that are right for YOUR foot type, not any sneaker that sounds promising in TV commercials.

·         Use proper running form - Ask your P.T. to assess your running form to correct any improper movements in the trunk and legs that can lead to injury and pain.

·         Stretch - After your run, spend at least 10 minutes performing a stretching routine for every muscle group that has just been used.

P.T. is extremely successful in treating this problem. However, prevention is the best way to have a healthy, fun, and active lifestyle this summer, so before you start a new activity, consult a physical therapist so you won’t have to come face to face with pain.

Helen Nam, DPT

It seems like just yesterday we were watching the ball drop as we toasted to the fresh start of a New Year. As we speed thru the first hundred days of 2012, many of us have forgotten the resolutions and promises we made to ourselves. We had all sorts of plans, goals and aspirations that we wanted to attain. Then somewhere along the way, we lose heart, as the hustle and bustle of everyday life gets in the way. Some of us have even given up all together on the things we wanted to accomplish. Feeling that it is too late to start now or settling back into old habits is not uncommon. But whether your resolve was to quit smoking, lose weight or to save more this year, it's NOT too late to pick up right where you left off.

Here are some useful tips to help you finish what you started:

1. Be realistic! Set a specific achievable goal that allows you to plan out exactly how you can accomplish it. Instead of saying "I want to lose weight" say, "I want to lose 10 pounds."

2. Don't take on more than you can handle! Pick just one goal to focus all your energy on and make tiny steps towards reaching it.

3. Teamwork makes the dream work! Find someone with a similar goal that you can work with to achieve your goal together. Using the buddy system helps to keep you motivated.

4. Tell other people! Discuss your objectives with trust worthy family and friends so that they can support you through the process.

5. Eliminate people, places or things that encourage old behavior! Your environment can make you or break you. So keep motivated by being around others who will encourage you, not hinder you.

6. Stick it through! Be patient with yourself. Keep in mind that change is a process, so don't give up prematurely. Remember that life is a marathon not a sprint!

Kieffer Pearce

Director of PR & Marketing

Duffy & Bracken, PT

If you are reading this, you probably have already encountered a reason to see a Physical Therapist. For those of you that have never had to, the question you might ask yourself is, when is the right time to see a Physical Therapist?

It wouldn't surprise you that many initiate PT because of an injury, painful condition or neurological disorder. On the other hand, it might be surprising to know that physical therapy can be essential to resolving other conditions like vertigo, TMJ dysfunction, headaches or bowel and bladder dysfunction.

Accidents do happen and physical issues arise, seemingly from nowhere, and when they do, care is certainly needed. A visit to a physical therapist can open up a world of possibilities when we step away from the disease model and embrace a prevention approach to PT.

Too often, resources are used to recover and not prevent! What if those same visits for treatment of acute back pain were used to learn how easy it is to practice good posture (if you know that's not one of your strong points) or to find out specifically, what muscle imbalances you might be developing and what to do about them.

What if those nagging aches or pains that have slowly changed your lifestyle were addressed BEFORE they reached "injury level" and you discovered what you needed to do for physical longevity, BEFORE, you started making those lifestyle changes?

Many of us have an annual medical exam to follow the progress of our overall health. We are all used to practicing good dental hygiene because our dentists have done a good job of teaching us how to take care of our teeth and see them once or twice a year for....Yes That's Right...PREVENTION!

Those 32 bones in our mouth tend to be well taken care of, but what about the other 108 bones you use to sleep, sit, stand, walk, climb stairs and do everything else? Now wouldn't it be novel to have a physical therapist consultation from time to time, to find out specific ways to keep your body supporting all those activities throughout all the stages of your life?

So to start to answer the question we started with, the right time to see a physical therapist can come for many reasons, but the message here is that knowing specifically how to improve or maintain your body and feeling the results of doing so can contribute significantly to your quality of life.

Sara Lewis, PT

Duffy and Bracken Physical Therapy

If you enjoy your sleep as much as I do, I am sure you cringed yesterday as you set your clock ahead an hour for Daylight Savings Time. Thankfully, springing forward allows us an extra hour of daylight that we can use to enjoy the outdoors and make the most of our days. Here at Duffy and Bracken we encourage everyone to use this time to 'Spring Into Action'. We know that keeping active and moving can have a positive impact on our overall health.

A little can go a long way, so here are some simple tips to keep you moving

forward:

• Take the stairs instead of the elevator
• Get up and walk around your office
• Enjoy a leisure walk for lunch
• On the weekends spend a half hour outdoors
• Safely diet by combining good nutrition and exercise

Here's some tips from the women at Duffy and Bracken on how to keep healthy and active outdoors:

Renuka: ‘Run outdoors! Use body weight exercises to stay in shape instead of a closed gym environment.’

Sara: ‘Now that it's not so cold, get off the train one stop early and walk ten more blocks. Get away from the hustle and bustle of the city by walking in the park.’

Ann: ‘People who walk after dinner live longer, so go out for a 20 minute walk or walk-run on your own for some peace or with family or friends.’

Helen: ‘Transition to outdoor activities after being sedentary all winter! If resuming an outdoors-only sport that hasn't been touched for months (golf, baseball, tennis) to prevent injuries a proper, supervised pre-hab is necessary.’

By the Therapists at Duffy and Bracken Physical Therapy:

Ann Duffy

Renuka Pinto

Helen Nam

Sara Lewis

75 Maiden Lane, Suite 404

New York, NY 10038

Phone: 212-402-5430

Fax: 212-40205432

This week we have that extra day in February --- yes I’m talking about the leap year 2012…. It’s a day that comes around once every 4 years --- this week is that week!

Rather than looking at it as just another Wednesday --- Perhaps we should look at it as an extra day that comes around --- It’s a bonus day --- a day for those of us who are planners should go unaccounted for.

So here’s my challenge to you this Wednesday --- take a five minutes of the day --- to take Stock on your health status --- check all the portfolios --- blood pressure, optimal heart rate, body fat, BMI, waist size, diet habits, exercise routine.

--- Take mental notes…then answer the question

“ IS THIS THE OPTIMAL YOU?”

If the answer is yes; then I urge you to celebrate this bonus day that comes once every four years around…. Celebrate it with a smile, celebrate it someone dear to you, celebrate it because --- its your life!

If the answer is no; then perhaps you can use this bonus day to make the commit towards improving the not so optimal you… get into an exercise based program, find a exercise buddy, make that long awaited trip to the dietitian or just make that promise to yourself.

And if you don’t know where to go…..

Come to us here at Duffy and Bracken

We have programs to meet your needs at an individual level………..

Whether its our

Wellness program—for those with chronic illness like hypertension, diabetes, arthritis

Or

Functional Program---for those who need to get through their work week

Or

Sports program – for those weekend athletes who need the extra edge

Or

Fitness Program—for those looking to shed those extra pounds

Let us be your springboard as you make that LEAP!!!

By

Musings of a Physical Therapist

Renuka Pinto is the Director

• Learn how to fall properly
• Invest in gloves with built in wrist guards.

Hollywood has started this year with a flurry of award ceremonies. The Golden Globes were awarded earlier this month and the celebrities have now walked the red carpet and claimed their awards at the SAG this weekend --- a precursor to the much-awaited Oscars!!!

In the recreational world we can draw a similar comparison the SAG a precursor to all other sports.

SAG = Swimming; Athletics; Gymnastics are the corner stones the foundation to all other sports. Lets look at each one individually…

Swimming—repetitive single symmetrical motion in an unchanging medium viz. water. The rhythmic constant roll of the trunk on the surface of water while the arms and legs work; both over and under the surface to allow for a good cardiac and endurance muscle work load.

Athletics—is the big umbrella for track and field activities-- with the key element running. Running a symmetrical repetitive motion of trunk in the transverse plane with the arms and legs in the frontal plane. Single arm throws like the discus, javelin, and hammer – all distance throws find its way into modern day baseball and football

Gymnastics—now here there is 3 dimensional movement in the vertical plane in addition to the horizontal and frontal planes. The base for all sports that involve jumping movements. And you thought the backward flips on the football field were a coincidence!! What about slam dunk that happens at the hoops at MSG?

Like everything in life, a solid strong base is essential for the pyramid on top to balance. Good side to side agility is important for tennis, good stop and start or braking is important for basketball, a good squat position is essential for downhill skiing…. the list is endless.

Your performance in any sport is only as good as the foundation both in technical skill and physical prowess.

So come on over to see us here where I can teach you to challenge yourself in our studio be on the gravity training system, sliding board, hurdles or medicine ball.

What are you waiting for --- come claim your own award!!

Renuka Pinto

Sports and Musculoskeletal Therapist

CSCS CES

PT at Beijing Olympics 2008

Post Prostactomy may patients suffer from urinary incontinence during the
first few weeks of recovery, for some it lasts months or years. Physical
therapy in particular pelvic floor muscle training or (PFMT), is recommended
and improves the capacity to increase urethral closure during stress
episodes.
A recent study indicates that PFMT is better than no therapy because it
reduces the episodes of incontinence by almost 72%. In January 2002-2004
the University of Florence conducted a trial for patients post prostate
cancer. Patients were enrolled and gathered into group A and B with similar
homogeneous situations. Group A underwent Pelvic Floor Rehab for 6 months
and was taught to hold a pelvic contraction in a supine position as well as,
sitting, standing, squatting, and going up and down stairs. Group B was the
control group with no therapy.
After one-month continence was achieved by 29 patients in group A (19%) and
only 8% in-group B. After three months 74% regained continence in group A
while only 30% percent in group B. In addition, the costs to controlling
incontinence issues in men after prostate surgery is close to $7,000 dollars
while people who undergo therapy cut that cost in half.
In support and recognition of Prostate Cancer, Men's Health is Sponsoring
Septembeard. To get involved men can throw out your razor, liberate
yourselves, and start growing! You can track your stats and growth on the
Septembeard page and see how you compete against other men in beard growth! You may also donate to the top 6 prostate research centers and
hospitals in the country.
Duffy and Bracken Physical Therapy's Jimmy Sherman is down with the beard
and prostrate awareness. We are also a Pelvic Floor Rehabilitation
Facility. If any of you have any questions or concerns, needs or
suggestions, please call 212-402-5430. We can help.

Duffy and Bracken Physical Therapy and Wellness
75 Maiden Lane, Suite 404
New York, NY 10038
Phone: 212-402-5430
Fax: 212-402-5432

We are all guilty of choosing shoes solely based on how they look.  After an hour walking the streets in them we are regretting our purchase and at the Duane Reade searching for heel protectors, or a box of bandaides. 

Renuka Pinto Duffy and Bracken's Shoe expert helped me to reccomend staying away from these types of shoes to avoid foot pain and wasted money on shoes you can't wear regularly.

Summer-  The easiest shoe of all-  We wear them all summer long.  Yet, they were not meant to be everyday shoes.  You know them well.  FLIP FLOPS.  The name says it all.  Your foot flips and flops in them offering your arches extra work and exposing your feet to future damage.

Fall-They are the latest fasion, but unfortunately offer no foot support at all.  The ballerina slipper/shoe.  Have you ever seen a real ballerina's feet?  I'm sure if you have, you wouldn't be spending too much time in these shoes.

Winter-Uggs started the trend.  Only difference is, Uggs holds the market in making this particular kind of shoe the best.  The replicas or cheaper versions of the sweater boot are similar in function to that of wearing an actual sweater as a shoe.  Because the bottom of these boots have no traction, your foot moves around inside the boot.  This makes you more likely to experience arch pain and exposes you to unstable footing.

Spring-Wedges continue to reinvent themselves.  If you are going to spend money on a wedge shoe get one that has a wedge in the front as well as the back.  Those that have very little frontal support with a high wedge are similar to wearing a high heel shoe all day.