From Slice to Relief: How Physical Therapy Can Help Your Golf and Tennis Game

From Slice to Relief: How Physical Therapy Can Help Your Golf and Tennis Game

For many, golf and tennis are more than just sports; they're a passion, a social outlet, and a way to stay active. But what happens when a swing gone wrong or a backhand that backfires leaves you sidelined with pain? Here's where physical therapy steps in to help you get back on the court or course, feeling stronger and more confident than ever.

The Common Culprits of Golf and Tennis Injuries

Both golf and tennis involve repetitive motions that can stress your body, leading to injuries. Here are some of the most common:

• Rotator Cuff Issues: The repetitive swings in both sports can strain the rotator cuff muscles and tendons in your shoulder.

• Tennis Elbow/Golfer's Elbow: These overuse injuries affect the tendons in your elbow, causing pain and inflammation.

• Low Back Pain: The twisting and bending involved in these sports can put stress on your lower back, leading to pain and stiffness.

• Knee Pain: Sudden stops and changes in direction can strain your knee ligaments and tendons.

• Wrist Pain: Improper technique or overuse can cause pain in your wrist.

Physical Therapy: Your Rehabilitation Partner

Physical therapists are movement experts who understand the unique demands of golf and tennis. They can create a personalized rehabilitation program to address your specific injury and help you achieve a full recovery. Here's what you can expect:

• Pain Management: Physical therapists use various techniques like manual therapy, therapeutic exercise, and modalities (ice, heat, ultrasound) to reduce pain and inflammation.

• Improved Flexibility and Strength: Specific exercises will target the muscles and joints involved in your swing or serve, improving flexibility and strength to prevent future injuries.

• Movement Analysis: Therapists will analyze your swing or serve mechanics to identify any imbalances or faulty technique that might be contributing to your injury. They will then work on correcting these issues to improve your overall form and prevent future problems.

• Post-Surgical Rehabilitation: If you've had surgery for a sports injury, a physical therapist can help you regain strength, flexibility, and coordination to get back to your sport safely.

Beyond Rehabilitation: Enhancing Your Game

Physical therapy isn't just about recovering from injury. It can also help you improve your game in the long run. By addressing any underlying weaknesses or imbalances, physical therapy can lead to:

• Increased Power and Accuracy: Improved strength and stability can lead to longer drives in golf and more powerful serves in tennis.

• Enhanced Stamina and Endurance: A physical therapist can help you develop a conditioning program to improve your stamina and endurance, so you can play longer and stronger.

• Reduced Risk of Future Injuries: By correcting any faulty mechanics and strengthening your body, you can significantly reduce your risk of future injuries.

Getting Started with Physical Therapy

If you're experiencing pain from golf or tennis, don't let it sideline you. Call us for a PT consult in Naples, Bonita Springs, Palm Coast, St Augustine, or Ponte Vedra — our team is ready to assess your injury, create a personalized treatment plan, and help you get back to enjoying your favorite sport pain-free. Remember, a proactive approach to injury prevention and rehabilitation can keep you swinging and serving for years to come. Call us today 904-568-1156

3 Tips for Home Physical Therapy During COVID-19

Changes

The Corona virus (COVID-19) has effectively shut down many businesses. Bars, movie theaters, and even many physical therapy operations have shut their doors. Physical therapy often requires manual work, close contact for cuing during exercises, and close eyes to spot for problems and other issues. COVID-19 may have limited some of these capabilities of your local physical therapists, but there’s hope if you are struggling with some recent back pain or joint problem. Below we are going to offer 3 tips on how you can effectively manage your pain and issues from home with physical therapy and exercise.

Tip #1: Call or message your local PT

If you have a standing relationship with a local PT in Naples or St. Augustine, call them and ask them to help you. Many PTs have transitioned to tele-health and virtual consultations. A phone conversation can help the PT create a history and offer a chance to screen for other major medical issues. A virtual consult can provide the PT a “visual” of how you are moving and what your condition looks like. Moreover, a virtual session can offer a PT a chance to implement exercises, which a PT can correct thanks to the visual feedback. If you are needing manual therapy such as massage, joint mobilizations, or manipulations, a PT can also guide you through your own techniques to reduce your pain with your own hands. It may not be the same as how your PT does it but it is better than not getting the skilled advice at all. When going this route expect for the PT to still bill your insurance or ask for cash payment (depending on the practice). Also, be aware that sessions are usually capped at around half an hour, so don’t expect long calls or virtual meetings.

Tip #2: Pick up your home exercise program, again!

Did you already have that achy knee or low back pain several months ago? The best advice most PTs will offer you is to restart your home exercise program (HEP). Many patients will often backslide or regress when they stop doing their exercises, so ultimately the most logical step would be to start exercising again! Dust-off that HEP and get moving. Start basic and focus on movements that are pain-free. Simple walking, basic strength movements with body weight, and light stretching can often be the home-based cure for many PT ailments! This is likely rare, but worth stating: if you are in severe pain or have markedly limit motion, call your PT first before starting your program again.

Tip #3: Progress your home program

Were you on a treatment plan after your total knee replacement or back surgery but had to stop going to therapy because of the Corona virus? You likely have been doing your HEP religiously but have been feeling “stuck” or noticing some of the pain coming back. Your best bet is to progress your routine slightly. One easy way to progress is to add a few more repetitions to an existing movement. If you’ve been doing 10 squats, progress to 15; push 15 band rows to 20 rows. Another method is to increase your weight with a movement: increase your upper body weight by 2-5 lbs or lower body weights by 5-10 lbs. This can be tough at home if you don’t have weights but don’t stress. Most people have soup cans, detergent, gallon jugs of water or milk, and suitcases. Here’s a sample of what these weigh:

1. 16 oz soup can = 1 lb

2. 2 liter of soda = ~4 lb

3. Gallon of water = 8 lb

4. 150 oz of detergent = 10 lbs

You can use the suitcase to load items in it for more weight or to better customize to your needs. Adding weight takes some creativity but can be fun. Lastly, adding more exercises can also help you progress your routine. Many of our patients have been using Nike Training Club app ,HEP2Go, and similar programs to get useful ideas for new movements. Recall the movements should be pain free, fun, but challenging. Ultimately if you aren’t certain about adding exercises or are having severe pain or problems, call your PT!

Be safe, stay moving, and eat well!

Drs. Wells, Lauzon, and Otto

Image source: Marco Verch, no changes made, CC BY 2.0.

Keywords: physical therapy, home, naples, st augustine, ponte vedra

Dr. Wells Speaking with Dr. Robin Roth: Hyatt Naples, Tues Feb 26 at 6pm

Come and check out Dr. Roth and I speaking on health and nutrition next week at the Naples Hyatt. Walk away with new research and health tips to make 2019 a better year. Click the link below to learn more and register for free. Naples Daily News Physical therapy

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/start-the-new-year-right-with-fitness-and-nutrition-tips-from-the-experts-tickets-55243003310

#health #Naples #physicaltherapy

Home Health PT: Do Your Need More Therapy?

Have you recently been sent home from the hospital after an illness or surgery and received Home Health Care physical therapy? More often than not patients that receive Home Health Care physical therapy are short changed due to time constraints and productivity measures with physical therapist too busy with paperwork. As a result, therapy sessions are cut short and the time that is supposed to be spent on exercise is actually spent on paperwork.

Within the past couple years my team and I have been Consulting with Physicians and surgeons to provide an additional level of Home Health Care physical therapy gives the patient more exercise and additional oversight. We work with the existing physical therapists and their medical teams ensuring that rehabilitation exercise is delivered to the most. Often times we also serve as advocates for the patients and can catch early signs of issues when the Home Health Care team is discharged and move on.

Our personal training services give us the extra Edge to work with patients so it does not violate Medicare. We can also transition into maintenance physical therapy after Medicare PT exits the case.

If you are a physician or surgeon interested in our services, contact us through our contact page.  if you're patient or a family member consider utilizing our services or set us up in advance to a surgery so that we can help you or your family member the most!

Text Neck: Real or Fake?

Do you check your phone often? Notice the burn in your neck or arm? Last year, I had a patient who had numbness down his left arm when he looked down at his phone or screen. Was this "text neck", the phenomenon of neck pain caused by frequent checking and texting from a mobile phone? Perhaps...it clearly was cervical radiculopathy, or a compressed/irritated nerve root in the neck. Fortunately my keen PT skills and few steroids later helped to get this patient back to work and pain-free neck movements. But it left me wondering -- did the phone lead to his issue?

A recent study done in Brazil puts into question whether "text neck" even exists. They took pictures of these kids as they looked at their phones, had experts analyze the pictures, and then cross-referenced the postures in the pictures with reported neck pain. This study did not show an association between text neck and neck pain in 18–21-year-old young adults. The findings challenge the belief that neck posture during mobile phone texting is associated to the growing prevalence of neck pain.

Obviously more goes into neck pain than simply posture: exercise status, nutritional care, psyche, medications, and more. Check out the article, pay attention to your posture (maybe), and contact us to learn more!

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00586-017-5444-5

Does California Cause Cancer, or Just its Coffee?

A California judge recently ruled that some stores must label coffee as potential cancer-causing because it contains a compound known as acrylamide (https://www.yahoo.com/news/apnewsbreak-california-judge-coffee-needs-212748202.html). The unfortunate reality in this situation is that the defendants of the case, the coffee industry, did not have an opportunity to really express the potential health benefits of coffee. Research has shown that coffee is a strong antioxidant, reducing the risk of some neurological decline and Parkinson's, as well as promoting GI motility, which may reduce the risk of gut cancer. Large epidemiology studies show that coffee may even reduce the risk of death by roughly 6-15%, with consumption up to 6 cups per day. As such, does coffee really cause cancer from acrylamide?

Very unlikely. If there is any industry the California government and lawyers should be attacking it would be the potato chip and French fry manufacturers. Potato chips and french fries have the largest concentration of acrylamide (https://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/jf020889y#/doi/abs/10.1021/jf020889y). Analyzing a report from the FDA, it shows coffee to report ~90 parts per billion (PPB) on average in most coffees. Meanwhile potato chips and french fries stack in at ~300 to 400 PPB. Of course, the acrylamide level referenced in the court case may have been higher than 90 PPB, but shouldn't there be a sign warning for potential cancer on the package of your potato chips or menu for twisty fries? The big issue here is we're just discussing one compound, acrylamide. The cancer caused by alcohol and meat seemingly get a pass.There are countless carcinogens out in the world…should California have a sign posted on its borders as you enter: this state is known to cause cancer?

New Health Model for PTs: Wellness and Prevention

Insurance physical therapy at your hospital or local clinic is steeped in tradition: find the one problem, focus on it, and fix it. The services are reimbursed based on a fee-for-service model. The more care the more payment that is given, regardless of outcomes or future setbacks. Physical therapist's (PT) education skews also towards the model of problem-based learning, exam, and intervention. Lost in the mix of the insurance and educational maelstrom is the patient: what other issues are lurking, how do they address the "whole" patient and not just the one body part or pain, and how can they continue living healthy and happy?

Fortunately a new model of PT practice emerged. The Health-Focused Therapy Model (HFPTM) promotes PTs to recommend notions like smoking cessation, regular physical activity, and even nutrition, when/where appropriate. Researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham produced the new model which hopes to only enhance what PTs currently offer.

Your Doctors of Physical Therapy at Wells PT embrace, endorse, and put into practice the Health-Focused Therapy Model of care. From smoking cessation, exercise interventions, physical activity promotion, and nutritional counseling, Dr. Wells and Lauzon want the best for the whole YOU -- not just your knee or shoulder. Use the Contact tab on our webpage to set up your consultation today for the best Physical Therapy you've ever had.

Balance

Balance training is a useful intervention in rehabilitation of postural stability impairments as well as in training programs for performance enhancement. Active elderly people should be challenged with balance and proprioception exercises. One scientifically-based approach, the Sensorimotor Training, has shown great success. It can be characterized as a progressive balance training program using unstable surfaces such as foam pad, air disc, exercise ball which provide adequate challenges to the active senior. Proper balance training will enhance their postural stability and improve their activity level.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3812830/

-Dr Lauzon

Arthritis: Exercise and Food for Your Joints

More than 80% of older adults over the age of 65 have some form of osteoarthritis, also more commonly known as arthritis. In fact,  arthritis has more than doubled in the last 50 years! How did we get to this point? Is it just a matter of better Imaging or are we actually seeing a change within our bony structures? More importantly what can we do to prevent the continual growth of osteoarthritis within our population?

The answer lies within several studies that were published recently. Epidemiologists and researchers going back and measuring our skeletons of our ancestors have shown that physical exercise and activity have been a integral part of our lifestyle and bodies. With modern technology and changes to our lifestyle we have become less agrarian and less active. As a consequence our bones and bodies have changed. We have gained a little bit more weight, or joints have not gotten used to not being used, and we suffer from other ailments related to changes within our diet. In a study just this year in the Journal of American Medical Association shows that weight gain and lack of physical exercise is probably the biggest driver for inflammatory arthritis.

Studies show that the current American diet promotes inflammation and can actually worsen arthritis. Several studies show that those that are on a plant-based Mediterranean style diet have less inflammation and are less likely to have osteoarthritis. From excessive fat, excessive meat consumption, and pro-inflammatory processed foods help to drive arthritis.

Some of the best things that we can do for arthritis include exercise and lifestyle changes. The exercise that can offer the best benefit typically involves strengthening the muscles around the joint. For example for knee and hip arthritis, exercises that strengthen the upper thigh muscles and hip muscles has been shown to improve strength, function, and pain. Another component that can greatly help physical therapists and patients alike, is a drastic change in Foods consumed. Adopting a plant-based diet will likely offer the biggest anti-inflammatory benefit for those with arthritis. In addition a plant-based diet will confer benefits for the heart, blood sugars. Diabetes, body weight, and mental health.

So, as you're considering getting a steroid injection, surgery, or even a joint replacement, consider that exercise and diet probably have a bigger role in treating your arthritis than the traditional medical model. Because in the end, with the exception of joint replacement, there are no other truly evidence-based treatments for joint arthritis. Contact us today to schedule a consult for our physical therapist to evaluate you and provide you with a maintenance Physical Therapy Program specific to your arthritis needs.

Source: https://www.villages-news.com/osteoarthritis-doubled-past-50-years/

Gluten: Friend, Foe, or Just Food?

Unless you have been living under a rock the last 5 years, the gluten free movement has produced massive shifts in product lines, menus, and people. Gluten, a protein, found in wheat has been around for thousands of years. How did it go from an essential food, in some areas of the world, to a eschewed substance of inflammation and disease?

Let us start first with facts: gluten allergies occur in less than 1% of the population. Those allergic can have skin rashes, intense gut pain, diarrhea, weight loss, and malnutrition. A researcher studying children in Belgium after World War II saw these findings in young kids after their country went from near famine to feasting on poinds of bread. Shortly after, the substance gluten was isolated and taken out of their diets to improve the kids' symptoms: it worked and so started the investigations that lead to celiac disease.

Celiacs disease is an inflammatory bowel disease due to gluten. The gold standard diagnostic test is a gut biopsy. Celiacs disease is autoimmune in nature; the body attacks the gut as gluten passes through after consumption. Celiacs was well-known in Europe for decades, perhaps due to its identification in Belgium. In the United States, little was known about celiacs, let alone gluten, save for the last decade and a half. The question that remains with many: can you have gluten sensitivity and not an allergy?

Many doctors and researchers are binary regarding gluten's issues. Some strongly feel that gluten wrecks havoc on your gut, promotes inflammation, and can promote other diseases like obesity. Unfortunately, the studies for such notions are limited in scope, small in size, or flawed in their methods. In many studies, participants are given doses of isolated gluten to eat, which is unrealistic given we eat whole foods. As we eat whole wheat bread, for instance, any inflammation boosted by gluten is more than negated by the whole wheat's anti-inflammatory properties such as vitamins, fiber, and sterols. Moreover, several studies have highlighted how taking out a whole grain products, like wheat, can negatively impact your heart disease risk, gut, and blood profile. Gluten free (GF) options tend to be low in fiber, higher in sugar, and cost 3 times as much as regular products. As such, going GF may not be a best option for you. Regardless, people will still state they feel better without gluten, or at least moderated gluten consumption. This makes sense, as if you ate any food excessively you likely with see several side effects. Eat 2 bags of broccoli and you will likely have gas and bloating from the sulfur.

Why do TV doctors, oddball neurologists, some dieticianss, and even a few PTs recommend all their patients avoid gluten? Misinformation perhaps, or simply it is popular. Do the right the thing: ask questions, seek answers through testing and elimination dieting, and enjoy this great Freakanomics podcast: The Demonization of Gluten http://freakonomics.com/podcast/demonization-gluten/

Is there a magic amount of time to exercise for arthritis?

In a study of 1,600 adults with osteoarthritis (OA), researchers from Northwestern University found the right amount of time to exercise for sustaining function and keeping pain down. The study showed any activity or exercise is better than none; however, those who did at least 45 minutes of moderate activity (such as fast walking, moderate cycling) had the best functioing and pain scores after a 2 year follow up. Unfortunately only 10% of adults with OA meet the 45 minute goal, many due to the misinformed notion that pain means they are damaging their joints further (a concept debunked by modern pain science). So, get out and move or call your local PT today for a tune-up before you start!