Celebrating National Physical Therapy Month
October is American Physical Therapy Month, and a wonderful opportunity to celebrate our profession. But first, I find myself wanting to use this month to celebrate something even more meaningful to me: you.
Blue Sky Physical Therapy has always been about more than treating an injury or helping someone recover from surgery. It has been about relationships, trust, movement, health, and creating a community of people who feel supported in taking care of themselves. After 17 years—and still going strong—I am incredibly grateful for the community that has grown around Blue Sky.
To those of you who have been coming to Blue Sky for years—or even decades—thank you. Thank you for continuing to trust us with your health and wellness. Thank you for allowing us to be part of your lives through injuries, surgeries, setbacks, new diagnoses, aging bodies, new goals, transitions into Pilates and Wellness, and everything in between. We don’t take that trust for granted.
And thank you for being some of our best advocates. So many of the people who walk through our doors come because a friend, family member, neighbor, or coworker told them about their experience at Blue Sky. When you recommend us to someone you care about, you are not only supporting our small business—you are helping someone discover what physical therapy can do for their health.
One of the greatest joys of owning Blue Sky has been watching those patient relationships evolve into something much bigger. I have watched patients become friends, and friends become part of the fabric of our Blue Sky family. There are walks, coffee dates, lunches, celebrations, check-ins, and conversations that have nothing to do with physical therapy. Those relationships are some of the things I am most proud of. They remind me that healthcare is, at its best, deeply personal.
American Physical Therapy Month is also a good time to remind everyone of the breadth of what physical therapists can do. We often think of PT as the place to go after an orthopedic injury, surgery, or when something hurts. And yes, that is a huge part of what we do. But physical therapists are also trained to evaluate, screen, and help determine why something is happening and what the most appropriate next step should be.
At Blue Sky, our incredible team of physical therapists works with orthopedic injuries and surgeries, but our scope extends well beyond that. We specialize in vestibular, pelvic floor, and neurological conditions, and we regularly work with people living with chronic pain, fibromyalgia, autoimmune conditions, and other longstanding health challenges.
This is why I would encourage you to think of physical therapy as a first stop in your healthcare journey—not simply the place you go after you’ve already seen everyone else.
Sometimes the right answer is physical therapy. Sometimes our evaluation tells us that you should see your primary care physician, an orthopedist, a neurologist, or another specialist. Our job isn’t simply to treat you; it is to listen, evaluate, educate, and help you figure out the right path forward.
We want to be a trusted resource when something doesn’t feel right, when you aren’t moving the way you’d like, when pain is interfering with your life, or when you’re simply wondering, “Is this normal?” And sometimes, the best care we can provide is helping you find the right person to see next.
Ultimately, physical therapy is about helping people move through life with greater confidence, independence, and understanding of their bodies. At Blue Sky, we are incredibly fortunate to get to do that work alongside such an amazing group of people.
So, this month, my biggest message is simply thank you. Thank you for trusting us. Thank you for sending your friends and family our way. Thank you for letting us celebrate your successes and support you through the harder days. And thank you for making Blue Sky so much more than a physical therapy clinic.
You have created a community here—and I feel incredibly lucky to be a part of it.
Happy American Physical Therapy Month!
4 Benefits of Physical Therapy
A physical therapist can educate you about ways to move safer, use your energy more efficiently, reduce the risk of re-injury, and enhance the overall effects of your care. The benefits of physical therapy treatments include easing pain, reducing spasms, increasing circulation, and promoting healing.
- Physical therapy can help improve your joint range of motion and overall mobility: Our ability to move depends on how individual joints move and how the body’s joints move in concert with one another. Increasing joint range of motion and mobility of the connective tissues around your joints (including the tendons, muscles, fascia, and joint capsules) will help your joints feel better and move better.
This will also help you improve overall functional mobility and activity tolerance, essential for work, leisure, and simple daily functions. - Physical therapy can help strengthen weaknesses and compensation patterns: Through injury or surgery, muscles become weak and impact your ability to move and function normally.
For some, an old injury or abnormal movement pattern has led to weakness due to compensations. Physical therapists are skilled at assessing the whole body, identifying weaknesses, and teaching how to restore strength and function.
- Physical therapy can improve your overall health and well-being: When you see a physical therapist for pain and injuries, you will receive rehabilitation benefits to resolve the condition and a total body approach to health.
Physical therapists can recommend nutrition to improve pain, reduce inflammation, and improve overall health. In addition, physical therapists are movement experts and trained to help you move/exercise more, no matter your limitations or restrictions. More activity equals improved health! - Physical therapy can help you reduce the risk of injury: By implementing a holistic approach, we can improve and restore your function and prevent injuries. This may include all components of typical physical therapy including strength training, lifestyle changes, movement pattern retraining, and gait modifications.
Our team had a great time volunteering with The Park People for our 1st Annual Blue Sky Volunteer Day! We spent the day getting our hands dirty by weeding and planting bulbs at the Hazel Gates Woodruff Tribute Garden in Washington Park. It was a fun way to spend time together while giving back to our community!
Fall Prevention Workshop Series
October is American Physical Therapy Month, and a wonderful opportunity to celebrate our profession. But first, I find myself wanting to use this month to celebrate something even more meaningful to me: you.
Blue Sky Physical Therapy has always been about more than treating an injury or helping someone recover from surgery. It has been about relationships, trust, movement, health, and creating a community of people who feel supported in taking care of themselves. After 17 years—and still going strong—I am incredibly grateful for the community that has grown around Blue Sky.
To those of you who have been coming to Blue Sky for years—or even decades—thank you. Thank you for continuing to trust us with your health and wellness. Thank you for allowing us to be part of your lives through injuries, surgeries, setbacks, new diagnoses, aging bodies, new goals, transitions into Pilates and Wellness, and everything in between. We don’t take that trust for granted.
And thank you for being some of our best advocates. So many of the people who walk through our doors come because a friend, family member, neighbor, or coworker told them about their experience at Blue Sky. When you recommend us to someone you care about, you are not only supporting our small business—you are helping someone discover what physical therapy can do for their health.
One of the greatest joys of owning Blue Sky has been watching those patient relationships evolve into something much bigger. I have watched patients become friends, and friends become part of the fabric of our Blue Sky family. There are walks, coffee dates, lunches, celebrations, check-ins, and conversations that have nothing to do with physical therapy. Those relationships are some of the things I am most proud of. They remind me that healthcare is, at its best, deeply personal.
American Physical Therapy Month is also a good time to remind everyone of the breadth of what physical therapists can do. We often think of PT as the place to go after an orthopedic injury, surgery, or when something hurts. And yes, that is a huge part of what we do. But physical therapists are also trained to evaluate, screen, and help determine why something is happening and what the most appropriate next step should be.
At Blue Sky, our incredible team of physical therapists works with orthopedic injuries and surgeries, but our scope extends well beyond that. We specialize in vestibular, pelvic floor, and neurological conditions, and we regularly work with people living with chronic pain, fibromyalgia, autoimmune conditions, and other longstanding health challenges.
This is why I would encourage you to think of physical therapy as a first stop in your healthcare journey—not simply the place you go after you’ve already seen everyone else.
Sometimes the right answer is physical therapy. Sometimes our evaluation tells us that you should see your primary care physician, an orthopedist, a neurologist, or another specialist. Our job isn’t simply to treat you; it is to listen, evaluate, educate, and help you figure out the right path forward.
We want to be a trusted resource when something doesn’t feel right, when you aren’t moving the way you’d like, when pain is interfering with your life, or when you’re simply wondering, “Is this normal?” And sometimes, the best care we can provide is helping you find the right person to see next.
Ultimately, physical therapy is about helping people move through life with greater confidence, independence, and understanding of their bodies. At Blue Sky, we are incredibly fortunate to get to do that work alongside such an amazing group of people.
So, this month, my biggest message is simply thank you. Thank you for trusting us. Thank you for sending your friends and family our way. Thank you for letting us celebrate your successes and support you through the harder days. And thank you for making Blue Sky so much more than a physical therapy clinic.
You have created a community here—and I feel incredibly lucky to be a part of it.
Happy American Physical Therapy Month!
Call Us Today To Request An Appointment
The mission of our physical therapy clinic is to use compassion, encouragement, and motivation in the treatment of our patients and clients. We provide outstanding and personalized skills as movement and rehabilitation physical therapists through exceedingly high customer service and results!
Our goal is to positively impact people’s lives and improve their quality of life. Your therapy will be centered around helping you get back to doing the things you love without pain. We understand that no two pain conditions are alike, and no two treatment plans should be either.
Contact Blue Sky Physical Therapy to learn more about National Physical Therapy Month and the benefits of physical therapy.
If you’re struggling with a painful condition or experiencing a physical limitation, our therapists will work with you to ensure your success!
Your Progress Matters To Us!
Return to Blue Sky Physical Therapy and Let’s Continue Your Journey to Wellness Together. Schedule Your Appointment Now!
Exercise of the Month
LUNGES
(Knees, Hamstrings)
Stand tall with your feet hip-width apart. Step one foot backward and lower your back knee toward the floor, keeping your front knee aligned over your ankle. Push through your front heel to return to the starting position. Alternate legs with each rep.
3 Sets, 10 Reps (each leg)
I’m so happy I came to Blue Sky PT. The whole team has been great, but Renee has been especially amazing throughout my recovery from two bunion surgeries. She gave me exercises that really helped me get stronger and recover successfully, but what I appreciate most is how much she genuinely cares. She has been so good about following up, remembers the details of my recovery, and always takes the time to answer my questions. You can really tell she knows what she’s doing and truly wants her patients to get better.
I’m very grateful to Renee for helping me through this recovery. I couldn’t recommend her and the Blue Sky PT team enough!
Enjoy This Featured Recipe!
Roasted Harvest Quinoa Bowl
Bowl: 1 cubed sweet potato, 1 bunch chopped kale, 1 sliced apple, 1 cup dry quinoa, 1/3 cup toasted pecans, 1/4 cup pomegranate seeds, 1 tbsp olive oil, dash of cinnamon and salt.
Dressing: 1/4 cup tahini, 2 tbsp maple syrup, 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar, 1 tbsp lemon juice, 1 tsp Dijon mustard, 2–3 tbsp warm water, salt and pepper.
- Roast & Cook: Toss the sweet potato with olive oil, cinnamon, and salt. Roast at 400°F (200°C) for 25–30 minutes. Meanwhile, simmer the quinoa in 2 cups of water for 15 minutes, then fluff with a fork.
- Prep Kale: Massage the chopped kale with a drop of oil and lemon juice for 1 minute until wilted and dark green.
- Mix Dressing: Whisk the tahini, maple syrup, vinegar, lemon, Dijon, salt, and pepper. Stir in warm water 1 tablespoon at a time until pourable.
- Assemble: Divide the kale and quinoa into bowls. Top with the sweet potatoes, apples, pecans, and pomegranate seeds, then drizzle with dressing.
