We Can Reduce Pain and Restore Mobility

Many orthopedic conditions and injuries can make regular exercise feel difficult (if not impossible).  Osteoarthritis, herniated discs, tennis elbow–all can make you feel like it’s easier just to sit this one out. In reality, though, all these conditions (and others) benefit from regular exercise.

Dealing with persistent pain or limited mobility? Our physical therapists offer several options for pain relief, including several manual therapy techniques, such as soft tissue manipulation, joint mobilization, or myofascial release. We use these techniques as the first step in preparing your body for regular movement.

We’ll also show you targeted, tailored exercises to reduce pain in the affected area. Joint pain often stems from muscular imbalances or postural impairments that stress the impacted joint, leading to discomfort and setting you up for more serious injuries. Strength training will help reduce your pain and get you moving again.

We Can Let You Know If You’re At Risk for an Injury

Did you know you don’t have to wait until you’re in pain to visit the team at Blue Sky Physical Therapy? We’re in the business of preventing injuries, not just treating them–and we can help you enter into a new workout plan without fear!

Our comprehensive physical evaluations test the following:

• Muscle strength and endurance
• Overall mobility
• Biomechanics, which looks at how your body’s systems work together to get you moving
• Balance and fall risk
• Posture
• Walking patterns
• Functional movements that you might perform for work, hobbies, or recreation

During the screens, we’ll look for potential impairments that might cause injuries down the line and suggest corrections to address them–before they become a problem.

For example, let’s say that you want to take up running after some time away. During your assessment, we notice that you tend to bend forward at the waist when jogging. This habit means that every time your foot hits the ground, you cause more impact in your feet than necessary, which could, eventually, lead to an injury. 

By catching the form mistake now–and working with our physical therapists to correct it–you lower your chances of suffering a knee injury (which could prevent you from exercising altogether).

We Can Help You Exercise with Confidence

Starting a new exercise program for the first time–or restarting one after some time away–can be deeply intimidating. You don’t know which exercises you should do. You have no idea if you’re performing movements correctly. You’re not even sure what types of exercise you would enjoy.

Our physical therapists can help with all these concerns and more. We can suggest an exercise program that suits your abilities, interests, and goals and work with you one-on-one to guide you through any unfamiliar movements or equipment. We can also suggest movement or activity modifications if something’s too difficult and offer reassurance that even small changes can have a big impact.

Our team doesn’t just help beginners, either. As you progress, you may find yourself plateauing or struggling with certain aspects of your performance. Our therapists can get to the bottom of things and develop a performance improvement plan so you can see the results you’re looking for.

3 Tips to Improve Nutrition in the Fall

What do you think of when you hear the word fall? Crisp refreshing days? Bonfires and changing leaves? Pumpkin carving? What if you were to focus on your nutrition this fall?

The food we eat has a significant impact on several elements of our health, particularly our heart health. Obesity, weight gain, physical inactivity, stress, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol all increase the risk of heart disease and other cancers.

Considering the importance of nutrition, it’s never the wrong time to think critically about your diet. At Blue Sky Physical Therapy, we know that fall can be busy, which is why we want to give you a few simple tips on how to improve your nutrition this season. 

1. Try to eat more root vegetables 

The majority of root vegetables are available all year, but they are most ripe from fall to spring. During the cooler months, garlic, onions, ginger, turnips, carrots, sweet potatoes, beets, and parsnips provide plenty of flavor and nutrients. 

Many root vegetables are high in folate, which is essential for cell growth and metabolism!

2. Make a hearty soup

Making a large pot of soup every weekend is a great way to improve your nutrition throughout the week. Soups, while they can take several hours to cook, usually require very little active time.

When it comes to recipes to try, your options are virtually endless. There’s hearty bean soup,  pureed root vegetable soup, winter squash soup, traditional chicken noodle soup, chili, and so much more! And with temperatures dropping, what tastes better than a warm stew?

3. Select leaner sources of protein 

Did you know that regularly eating red meat and processed meat can raise the risk of type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease, stroke and certain cancers? 

So, instead of opting for red meat, select leaner sources of protein for your meals and recipes. This can include chicken, turkey, beans, lentils, low fat yogurt, fish, tofu, and nuts.  

If you think you need a little more help developing a healthy diet this fall, contact Blue Sky Physical Therapy today. We can help you develop an exercise and nutrition plan that works for your needs.