Posted by Bud Ward on Fri, Apr 23, 2010 @ 11:28 PM
At Arundel Physical Therapy & Fitness, we are committed to providing the best outpatient physical therapy experience possible in the Glen Burnie area. We've added a new online customer satisfaction survey to allow you to give us feedback about your experience in our practice. There are links to the survey on our website, in our newsletter, and in the image below. Please take time to give your feedback so that we can continue to offer the best experience possible.
Posted by Bud Ward on Fri, Apr 23, 2010 @ 10:18 PM
We started our newsletter back in November 2009 as a way to share information about health and fitness topics with our patients, referring physicians, and the community. The feedback that we've received has been incredible! We now have nearly 200 subscribers who receive the newsletter on the first and third Mondays of each month.
Many of you may have noticed that we changed the format a bit for the April 19th edition. The new format is an html (web) version that offers a more streamlined appearance and allows you to click links directly to areas on our site.
As always, the newsletter page on our site contains links to archives of previous editions. This area has also changed slightly and now includes not only pdf copies of the newsletter, but also a link to the original web version.
In an effort to improve the accuracy of newsletter delivery, we have moved to a company called MailChimp. This new service offers improved delivery accuracy, a cleaner design, and improved management of the subscriber list.
If you subscribed to our newsletter, but have not yet received the email, please check your junk mailbox in your email application. You might need to change the security setting to allow our message. If you still have trouble receiving the email, please feel free to call the clinic or email me at bward@arundelpt.com.
We hope you enjoy reading our newsletter!
Posted by Bud Ward on Mon, Mar 22, 2010 @ 11:28 PM
The ligaments surrounding the ankle are surprisingly fragile. A
seemingly harmless motion has the potential to cause serious sprains.
Ankle ligaments are elastic structures that hold the ankle joint
together to prevent (or minimize) excessive twisting and turning that
can lead to injury. These ligaments are able to stretch slightly to
accommodate normal movements, but as with everything, they have an
inherent limit. When they are stretched beyond their natural limits, the
result is a painful sprain.
You probably know the
feeling...
Anyone can suffer from ankle
sprains, from trained athletes to a regular Joe. A few actions that can
lead to ankle sprains are:
- Running, particularly if you
plant your foot at an awkward angle
- Walking on uneven surfaces
- Missing a step while
climbing stairs
You can even sprain your
ankle just from stepping out of bed, if you happen to step down on
something that twists your ankle at an unnatural angle. In fact, 25,000
U.S. citizens sprain their ankles every day, both from athletic
activities and day-to-day missteps.
When you sprain your ankle,
here’s what happens:
Blood
rushes into the injured area, causing inflammation. The ankle swells
up, causing increased sensitivity of the nerves, leading to pain.
Attempting to move the ankle, standing or walking on it can be extremely
painful. The injured ankle might also become red and overly warm
because of the increased blood flow.
Typically, a sprain is minor
enough to heal by itself by the next day. However, if the ankle gets
swollen and standing or walking on it becomes unbearable, a fracture
needs to be ruled out. So be sure to go to the hospital and seek an
X-ray or consult your physician at the very least.
Posted by Bud Ward on Wed, Mar 03, 2010 @ 11:23 PM
If you’re a sports fan, you've probably heard of ACL injuries but do you know how they are treated? In a nutshell, an ACL injury is a tear in the Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL), which is a ligament inside the knee that connects your upper leg and lower leg. It helps keep the knee stable. ACL injuries can range from minor injuries to complete tears, which can cause severe pain and immobility.
What causes ACL injuries?
ACL injuries are common in contact sports, especially football and soccer. If your foot is planted on the ground and something causes your knee to bend backward, twist, or move from side to side, your ACL could tear. Jumping and other sudden movements can also damage the ACL. Therefore, skiers and runners are at risk for ACL tears too. An ACL tear can affect any athlete. In fact, the NASCAR title favorite Denny Hamlin tore his ACL playing baseball, as reported by the Associated Press on January 26, 2010.
Individuals who do not engage in contact sports could also suffer from an ACL injury as a result of falling off a ladder or twisting their knee while climbing stairs. As with the rest of our bodies, the ACL gets weaker and more prone to injury with age, making individuals over 40 at a greater risk for injury.
How will I know if I have an ACL injury?
Typically, the first sign of an ACL injury is moderate to severe knee pain, but there are other symptoms as well:
- A popping noise or sensation in the knee when the injury happens
- Severe knee swelling within the first hour or two after the injury, which could indicate bleeding inside the knee
- The inability to move your knee because of the pain, swelling, or both
- An incredibly unstable feeling in your knee when you try to walk, or if it buckles or gives out on you
Remember, don’t let it go untreated. If you do, you can cause more damage to your knee joint. So be sure to make an appointment with your doctor if you suspect an ACL injury.
Posted by Bud Ward on Fri, Feb 26, 2010 @ 12:29 AM
I found this video about total hip replacement. It gives good information about the procedure and the reasons that someone might undergo the surgery. The video notes that physical therapy is a key to recovery.
Posted by Bud Ward on Fri, Feb 12, 2010 @ 11:06 PM
Human balance is very important in performance and safety during functional activities. Maintaining your balance is a complex process that uses sensory information to create muscle responses to keep you from falling.
There are 3 basic components that affect your balance:
1. The Vestibular System: Complex mechanism in the inner ear that controls balance by monitoring the position of your head.
2. The Visual System: Uses input from your eyes to detect the changes in the floor surface.
3. The Somatosensory/Proprioception System: Uses sensory input from your lower extremities to give your brain feedback about the floor.
How do these systems affect your balance?
If you have an inner ear disturbance, such as an infection, it causes your body to react incorrectly when your head position changes. This will present as dizziness during movement.
If you have visual impairment, you might have difficulty detecting changes in the ground surfaces during low light situations, such as going to the bathroom in the middle of the night.
If you have sensation problems in your feet, such as neuropathy, you will not get accurate feedback to your brain about the ground surface.
Why is this important and can physical therapy help?
Knowing which of these 3 systems might be impaired can help physical therapists set up the plan of care. For example, a patient who has diabetic neuropathy in his feet relies heavily on the vestibular and vision systems to maintain balance. It would be important for this patient to know that he should turn a light on if he needs to use the bathroom in the middle of the night. This will reduce his risk for falling.
Understanding the 3 systems also helps physical therapists improve balance. One way to improve balance is to improve the function of the impaired system. There are specific techniques to improve vestibular function and proprioception/balance training can improve lower extremity feedback.
Another way to improve balance is by compensating to enhance the function of the systems already working well. For example, proprioception activities, such as standing on one leg or standing with eyes closed, can teach the body to rely more on sensory feedback from the legs. This can be very helpful in a patient who has difficulty with vision in low light.
Understanding and training these 3 components of balance, can greatly improve balance and reduce fall risk.
Posted by Bud Ward on Fri, Jan 29, 2010 @ 10:50 PM
I found this great animated video that demonstrates how total knee replacements are performed. It should help you understand the procedure better and give some clues about why physical therapy is so important.
Posted by Bud Ward on Mon, Jan 04, 2010 @ 09:34 PM
Just a quick message to let you know what's new at Arundel Physical Therapy & Fitness -
We've made some changes and updates to our website. There is now a menu bar on the right with quick links to our newsletter, new patient information, a secure payment page, and other resources. Our new patient intake forms and newsletter archives are now available for download.
We finally have new neighbors in the building! For those of you who have been with us since the beginning, you'll notice that our community now includes many other medical specialtists from areas such as retina/eye care, sleep studies, and primary care.
We've also established social network sites on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. Become a fan on Facebook and interact with our staff. Follow us on Twitter and gain access to our posts and retweets of other interesting topics. Check our YouTube site as we continue to add new content and post favorite links!
As always, we strive to improve the lives of our family of patients and fitness clients. Many of you are already taking advantage the website, the social media sites, and our newsletter. For those of you who have not, take the time to check them out. Please feel free to contact us with any questions regarding physical therapy, fitness, or your health.
Posted by Bud Ward on Fri, Jan 02, 2009 @ 09:05 PM
A new year usually means optimistic predictions and setting new resolutions. This year might be a little different for many people with the economy in a slump and jobs being lost. Many of us are under a great deal of stress. We all know that stress is bad for us, but it can difficult to avoid. That's why we decided to start the year with a few tips to help reduce stress.
1. Get Organized
A lack of organization can create a great deal of stress. Most of us have many things that we are responsible for doing. These things can include work tasks, family commitments, or any other "things" that we must do. A great place to start is writing down anything that you can think of that you are responsible for doing. If your head is cluttered with all of those "things", it's very difficult to decide where to start. Once you've written everything down, you can set a plan.
In his book Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity, David Allen discusses how all of our to-do items can increase our stress level if they aren't managed well. He also presents a great system for getting things under control. For more information about the "Getting Things Done" or "GTD" concept, check out his website at www.davidco.com.
There are many other tools on the market to help you get organized. If you search Google or Yahoo for "GTD applications" for either Windows or Macs, you will find a number of links. Here are a couple of my favorite organization tools:
Things from Cultured Code - Mac only, but offers a free trial version
ThinkingRock from Thinking Rock - Mac or Windows offered free
Highrise, Basecamp, & Backpack from 37signals - offers free & paid versions of their web-based programs
2. Exercise Regularly
Exercise helps to increase blood flow, decrease stress, improve muscle function, and guard against injury. The 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans gives more information about the types and amount of exercise that is recommended. The key is to find something that you enjoy and do regularly. You can find a link to the 2009 Guidelines on our homepage.
3. Sleep
Getting enough sleep is more important than you might think. When your body is sleep deprived, your blood pressure and stress hormones increase. A good night's sleep gives you energy and makes you more alert. It can improve memory, keep your heart healthy, and help maintain proper body weight. Lack of sleep can cause a deficiency in serotonin which can lead to depression. While you sleep, your cells produce protein that forms building blocks for cells and helps repair damage.
4. Distract yourself
Focusing too much on stressful issues is exhausting and unhealthy. It's good to distract yourself from your daily stressors. Spend time with family, find a new hobby, or learn to play an instrument. It's important to realize that it's okay to put your "to-do" lists aside sometimes.
Posted by Bud Ward on Fri, Dec 26, 2008 @ 10:20 PM
It has been a while since I posted a new blog article. Although I have a few drafts, I haven't found time to finish and post them. Today, I had an experience that I felt compelled to share.
I had been feeling ill since returning from vacation last weekend. At first, I thought that I was getting a cold. By Christmas Eve, it was clear that it was probably a sinus infection. Because of the holiday and our family plans, I waited until today to seek medical care. My primary care office was closed so I called a local immediate care center.
When I called to schedule an appointment, they offered me a 12:20pm time slot. I thought it was great that they could see so early in the day. When I arrived, I had to fill out the usual paperwork which took five minutes. I was instructed to take a seat and I would be called back shortly. At 12:55pm, my name was finally called and I entered a treatment room. Almost immediately, a friendly nurse came in to take my vital signs. She finished in about five minutes and left saying that the doctor would be right in. As we all do in this situation, I waited . . . and waited . . . and waited.
At 1:40pm, I finally opened the door and asked a staff member if someone would be in soon. I explained that I had been in the room for over 40 minutes already. A couple of minutes later, a medical tech stepped in and said that the doctor would "be right in". At 1:50pm, the doctor finally arrived in the room. He asked me a couple of questions. He listened to my breathing. He tapped over my sinuses. This process took exactly 2 minutes. He confirmed that I had a sinus infection and he was prescribing an antibiotic. Then, he was gone.
I returned to the front desk at ~1:55pm to check out and to get my prescription. The person at the desk informed me that they could fill my prescription on site if I wanted to wait for about 15 minutes. Keep in mind that I had already been in the office for nearly 2 hours. Since their previous time estimates had been so inaccurate, I decided to drop the script at my usual pharmacy.
I shared this story, not so much as a way to vent, but more to make a point about waiting times in health care. The reality of the situation was that it was the day after Christmas and many people needed to be seen. There was only one doctor and one nurse practitioner on duty. The problem started when the staff severely over booked the schedule. The problem worsened with a lack of communication. I was in the office for nearly 2 hours and received ~7 minutes of medical care. Not once, did any of the staff members apologize for the wait or offer any explanation. This was not a great patient experience.
When I started managing physical therapy clinics in 2000, I decided that I never wanted a patient to have this type of experience in one of my offices. At Arundel Physical Therapy & Fitness, we continually monitor our schedule and our processes to ensure little to no wait times for our patients. We are committed to delivering the best patient experience in an outpatient physical therapy clinic.