Today’s post will highlight simple stretches for your neck muscles. Despite the sunny and warm spring weather, many of us may find ourselves sitting at a desk and working on a computer for long hours. Sitting with poor posture and for extended periods of time may cause discomfort and neck tension. To help relieve this discomfort, Dr. Alex Tan, PT, DPT demonstrates in our PTtip video how to properly sit at your workstation and two simple stretches for your neck that can be performed while sitting at your desk.

PTtip Desk Exercises Video

Proper Ergonomic Set Up Tips:

• Sit with your hips at 90 degrees or less.
• Your knees and elbows should be positioned at 90 degrees as well.
• You want to be looking slightly downward at the screen or have the monitor set up, so that it is no higher than eye level when you are looking at the top of the screen.

Exercise #1:

• Targets the upper trap. muscle.
• To stretch your right side, place your right hand under your right leg.
• Make sure to keep your shoulders level.
• Gently tilt your head toward your left shoulder until you feel a slight pull.
• If you don’t feel a slight pull, then gently turn head and gaze toward your left knee.
• Hold for 30 seconds and repeat 3 times.
• Perform this exercise on your left side as well.

Exercise #2:

• Targets the suboccipital muscles and strengthens the deep flexors of the neck.
• Bring chin slightly backward until you feel a slight pull at the base of the skull (you may also feel slight tension in the front of the neck).
• Hold position for about 10 seconds.
• Relax and then repeat for 10 repetitions.

Health Tip

Not only does the spring season bring warm, sunny weather, it also brings an array of fresh produce that is in-season and the perfect time to try healthy and new fruits and vegetables! As mentioned before, variety is one key component to sustaining a healthy, nutrient filled diet, and one way to ensure that your body is reaping the health benefits from a variety of vitamins and minerals is to try different fruits and vegetables.

One example of an in-season spring vegetable is spinach. Spinach is a great source of iron, vitamins A and C, and dietary fiber. There are many ways to enjoy spinach such as in homemade fruit smoothies (don’t worry you can’t taste it!), as a salad base, or even added to homemade pizzas, wraps, sandwiches, and pasta dishes. For an in-season fruit, consider trying fresh apricots. Apricots supply a great amount of vitamin A and C and are a good source of fiber and potassium as well. A few ways to enjoy fresh apricots are simply on their own, baked in the oven for a dessert-like treat, or even added to savory dinner dishes like baked chicken.

Make sure you watch the PTtip video to learn how to properly perform the above stretches, and if you have any questions or would like to make an appointment with one of our physical therapists, give us a call today at 1-855-PT-FIRST!

*As a reminder, always discuss any questions or concerns with your physician regarding your own health and dietary needs, as the information written should not replace any medical advice.

References

Produce for a Better Health Foundation. (nd). Apricots: Nutrition. Selection. Storage. Retrieved from: http://www.fruitsandveggiesmorematters.org/apricots-nutrition-selection-storage

Produce for a Better Health Foundation. (nd). Spinach: Nutrition. Selection. Storage. Retrieved from: http://www.fruitsandveggiesmorematters.org/spinach

Although it may be hard to believe spring is finally here given the harsh weather we had this past winter, it’s now time for the spring sports season to officially begin! With each sport, it’s important to remember to include a proper warm up and cool down routine each time you practice and play. In our PT Minute series, to get back into the ‘swing’ of things, Dr. Ray Moore, PT, DPT, OCS, OMPT highlights four of his favorite warm up exercises targeting your shoulders and upper extremity, to incorporate into your warm up routine for sports such as tennis or baseball:

PTtip Video: Warm Up Exercises for the Shoulders and Upper Extremity

• Door Way Pec stretch

  • May also be performed at a corner of a room.
  • Position elbows just below the shoulder and lean forward until you feel a stretch.
  • Hold for about 30 seconds.
  • Perform 3-4 repetitions.

• Towel Stretch

  • Targets internal rotators of the shoulder.
  • With a towel in hand, bring one arm behind the back and with your other hand, grab the other end of the towel and lift your arm upward until you feel a stretch in the shoulder.
  • Hold for 30 seconds.
  • Perform 3 sets.

• Foam Roller Exercise #1

  • Lay on a foam roller perpendicular and bring your arms overhead.
  • You should feel a stretch in the front of your shoulders (it should not feel uncomfortable).
  • Hold for about 60 seconds.
  • Perform 2-3 repetitions.

• Foam Roller Exercise #2

• Perform shoulder flexion overhead at a comfortable pace, alternating arms, and going as far as your shoulders feel comfortable.
• Stretches the latissimus dorsi (lat) muscle.
• Complete 20 repetitions.
• Perform 2-3 sets.

Health Tip

An important part to your training routine is proper nutrition and fueling your body with healthy, nutrient-rich foods. For this blog post, we will focus on carbohydrates, which are the main source of energy for your body. Carbohydrate needs vary from person to person depending on individual factors (i.e. age, gender, weight, type of sport), but as always, it’s beneficial to maintain variety in your choices and also to include whole-grain options in your diet.

One reason to include whole-grain foods in your diet is because these foods contain dietary fiber, which in turn, will help keep you feeling full. Examples of whole grain foods include rolled oats, whole-wheat toasts and pastas, brown rice, and whole-grain cereals. If you find that your diet is lacking in whole grains, one way to easily include them is by replacing white flour with whole-wheat or oat flour when making foods like homemade waffles, pancakes, or breads.

Make sure you watch the PTtip video to learn how to properly perform the above stretches, and if you have any questions or would like to make an appointment with one of our physical therapists, give us a call today at 1-855-PT-FIRST!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

*As a reminder, always discuss any questions or concerns with your physician regarding your own health and dietary needs, as the information written should not replace any medical advice.

References

American Heart Association. (2015). Food as fuel: before, during, and after workouts. Retrieved from: http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/HealthyLiving/PhysicalActivity/FitnessBasics/Food-as-Fuel—Before-During-and-After-Workouts_UCM_436451_Article.jsp#.VvAsUByCa0Y

United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). (2015). Nutrients and health benefits. Retrieved from: https://www.myplate.gov/eat-healthy/grains

USDA. (2015). Tips to help you eat whole grains. Retrieved from: http://www.choosemyplate.gov/grains-tips

Today’s post will highlight upper body exercises that can be performed using a thera-band. Thera-bands, also commonly known as exercise bands, are a great piece of exercise equipment to have in order to perform resistive exercise to assist in strengthening your muscles. Thera-bands are also great to have when ‘on-the-go’ as an easy way to incorporate exercise when traveling. As a general rule of thumb, the lighter the color of the thera-band, the easier it is to use when performing exercises.

In our PT Minute series, Dr. Maureen Ambrose, PT, DPT, OCS, OMPT, demonstrates three of her favorite thera-band exercises that target the upper body:

PTtip Thera-band Video

• Rows
• W’s
• Straight Apart & Diagonal Pulls

Recommended Guidelines:

• For these exercises, use a thera-band that is at a medium resistance level.

• Remember to keep good posture while performing the exercises.

• Keep your shoulders down; avoid letting your shoulders shrug upward.

Nutrition Tip

While it is important to make physical activity a part of your daily routine, we also like to emphasize nutrition and the importance of maintaining healthy eating habits. Our last post focused on fruits and vegetables as one component to a healthy well-balanced diet. Another component to a healthy diet is: protein. Proteins, alongside carbohydrates and fats, are one of the three major nutrients (called macronutrients) that we consume within our diets. Again, daily protein needs will vary from person to person depending on individual factors such as age, gender, weight, and activity level, but just like with fruits and vegetables, it’s beneficial to maintain variety in your choices and with protein, to also choose leaner options.

If you find yourself wanting to try protein sources other than meat or dairy, then consider getting creative and trying plant-based protein sources as well! One example includes beans such as garbanzo beans, black beans, kidney beans, and pinto beans. An easy way to try a healthy protein packed meal is to make homemade vegetarian chili by adding a variety of your favorite beans and vegetables. Beans can even be added to pasta dishes, salads, homemade wraps, or soups as another way to include protein into your diet.

If you have any questions or would like to make an appointment with one of our physical therapists to help with your mobility, give our office a call today at 1-855-PT-First!

 

*As a reminder, always discuss any questions or concerns with your physician regarding your own health and dietary needs, as the information written should not replace any medical advice.

References

United States Department of Agriculture [USDA]. (2016). Nutrients and health benefits. Retrieved from: http://www.choosemyplate.gov/protein-foods-nutrients-health

USDA. (2016). Beans and peas are unique foods. Retrieved from:

http://www.choosemyplate.gov/vegetables-beans-and-peas

Although American Heart Month has come and gone, it is still important to keep in mind EVERY month why we acknowledge the importance of heart health and ways to keep our hearts healthy. One way to help reduce our risk of developing heart disease is to maintain a physically active lifestyle. Walking is one easy way to achieve the recommended 30 minutes of activity per day. Not only is it important to incorporate physical activity into your every day routine, it is also important to maintain a flexible lower extremity to help reduce your risk of injury and keep you active!   In our PT Minute series, Physical Therapy First’s Dr. Alex Tan, PT, DPT, demonstrates three of his favorite stretches that target your lower extremity to perform during your cool down after walking: PTtip Stretches

Stretches for After a Daily Walk:

• Standing Calf Stretch
• Standing Quad Stretch
• Hip Flexor Stretch

Recommended Guidelines:

• Hold each stretch for 30 seconds.
• Remember to perform the stretches with both your right and left legs.
• Repeat each stretch for a total of 3 times per side.

Heart Health Tip

Another key factor for one’s heart health and overall health in general is maintaining a balanced nutrient-rich diet. Therefore, it’s important to incorporate a lot of fruits and vegetables into your food! The recommended serving of fruits and vegetables varies for each individual based on total caloric consumption. Factors that infuence this are age, activity level, gender, weight. One important thing to keep in mind is maintaining variety within your consumption! This means branching out and trying a wide range of different options for your body to reap the benefits of various vitamins and minerals.

Healthy Diet

An easy way to incorporate vegetables into your diet is by adding them to sandwiches. You don’t have to stick to just lettuce and tomato. Get creative and add on other great options such as shredded carrots, sprouts, sliced beets, cucumber, or zucchini! Extra vegetables like spinach, tomatoes, or broccoli, can even be added to homemade pastas, soups, or pizzas as an easy way to eat more vegetables. Incorporating fruit into foods like whole-grain oatmeal, waffles, or cereal can be an easy way to get a serving of fruit with breakfast. One example of a creative way to eat a serving of fruit is to blend together plain Greek yogurt with your favorite frozen fruit of choice to create a dessert-like treat!

If you have any questions or would like to make an appointment with one of our physical therapists to help with your mobility or with creating a ‘heart healthy’ aerobic exercise plan, give our office a call today at 1-855-PT-First!

*As a reminder, always discuss any questions or concerns with your physician regarding your own health and dietary needs, as the information written should not replace any medical advice.

References

American Heart Assocation. (2014). Why walking. Retrieved from: http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/HealthyLiving/PhysicalActivity/Walking/Why-Walking_UCM_461770_Article.jsp#.Vs4FRBzxJC9

American Heart Association. (2014). About Fruits and Vegetables. Retrieved from:

http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/HealthyLiving/HealthyEating/Nutrition/About-Fruits-and-Vegetables_UCM_302057_Article.jsp#.Vs9i2xzxJC8

United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). 2016. Variety. Retrieved from: http://www.choosemyplate.gov/variety

For the last topic in our workplace wellness series, today’s post will highlight the added benefit of sitting on an exercise ball throughout your workday. If you missed the last two posts featuring tips to staying healthy at work and tips on how to help minimize jaw clenching and relieve tension headaches, you can check them out here:

Helpful Tips to Stay Healthy at Work

Tips for Jaw Clenching and Tension Headaches

 

Posture

Sitting with good posture is important to help reduce both muscle imbalances and added strain on your body. Therefore, it is important to be mindful of your posture throughout your workday. Remember to take frequent breaks to stand up and walk around. In our PT Minute series, Dr. Maureen Ambrose, PT, DPT, OCS, COMT highlights the benefits of sitting on an exercise ball and offers her own tips on how to safely incorporate sitting on one throughout your workday:

Exercise Ball PTtip

In summary, Dr. Ambrose encourages you to keep these tips in mind, if you are considering using an exercise ball as a chair:

• Choose an exercise ball that is the right size for you based on your height.

• Ensure a proper set up by sitting on the ball with a 90-degree angle between your trunk, legs, and knees.

• If you are not used to sitting on an exercise ball, ease into sitting on one by starting with an hour at a time, for example. This will help to slowly build up your tolerance.

• Adjust your workstation downward (i.e. your desk and keyboard) to ensure you’re in a safe ergonomic position.

 

The Most Important Meal of the Day

Another tip to stay healthy in the workplace is to start your day with a nourishing breakfast. If you find yourself crunched for time in the morning, prepare your breakfast the night before. You could also take advantage of this time to make your lunch for the next day. This will  eliminate the temptation to skip breakfast altogether or grab something unhealthy for convenience. A balanced, nutrient-filled breakfast should include an adequate amount of lean protein, low-fat dairy, fiber, and whole grains, and will help keep you feeling full and energized until your next meal.

An example of an easy, yet nutritious, breakfast packed with vitamins and minerals is whole grain oats cooked in low-fat milk topped with nut butter or nuts (i.e. almonds or walnuts) and fruit such as bananas, apples, or berries. A dash of cinnamon and vanilla extract can enhance the flavor of your oatmeal as well!

Remember to keep the above tips in mind. Our physical therapists can work with you to create a proper workplace setup to help prevent or reduce ergonomic related pain. If you have any questions or would like to make an appointment with one of our physical therapists, give our office a call today at 855-PT-FIRST!

References

American Physical Therapy Association (APTA). (n.d.) Workplace wellness. Retrieved from: http://www.moveforwardpt.com/Resources/Detail/workplace-wellness

APTA. (2012). Physical therapist’s guide to carpal tunnel syndrome. Retrieved from: http://www.moveforwardpt.com/SymptomsConditionsDetail.aspx?cid=9f3cdf74-3f6f-40ca-b641-d559302a08fc

United States Department of Agriculture. (2016). MyPlateMyWins. Retrieved from: http://www.choosemyplate.gov/sites/default/files/misc/dietaryguidelines/MyPlateMyWins.pdf

 

*As a reminder, always discuss any questions or concerns with your physician regarding your health, as the information written should not replace any medical advice.

Keeping with the theme of workplace wellness, as highlighted in our last blog post featuring tips for staying healthy at work, another area to consider is one that you may not have thought of while working: jaw clenching. Jaw clenching can be a common problem for individuals under stress, and often times, jaw clenching can lead to headaches. Tension headaches are one of the most common complaints (APTA, 2011). Therefore, it’s important to be proactive by determining the cause of your headaches. Understanding the underlying causes can help mitigate the effects on your daily life and work performance.

If you find yourself clenching your jaw, consider keeping these tips in mind to help relax your facial and jaw muscles from one of our physical therapists, Maureen Ambrose, PT, DPT, OCS, COMT : PTtip Jaw Clenching Video

Causes of Jaw Tension

Another common cause of tension headaches is poor posture, especially when sitting. Modifying your workstation can help to improve your posture. Ultimately, this will prevent tension headaches by reducing pressure in your jaw and neck muscles. A few simple tips (APTA, 2011) include:

• Keeping your computer screen in a position that is no lower than eye level.
• Using a headset rather than a regular phone to help prevent added tension to your neck muscles.

Other Ways to Relieve Jaw Tension

Finally, incorporating softer foods into your diet can give your jaw a chance to relax. A few healthy soft food ideas include Greek yogurt, which is a great protein source, homemade fruit smoothies, and soft fruits. For a creative way to incorporate soft vegetables into your diet, try making mashed cauliflower. Start by pureeing cooked cauliflower and adding your favorite spices, which will give you a mashed potato-like dish, which is perfect to serve as a healthy side dish for you and your family.

Remember to keep these tips in mind, and if you have any questions or would like to make an appointment with one of our physical therapists, give us a call at 855-PT-FIRST today!

References

American Physical Therapy Association. (APTA). (2011). Physical Therapist’s Guide to Headaches. Retrieved from: http://www.moveforwardpt.com/SymptomsConditionsDetail.aspx?cid=fd8a18c8-1893-4dd3-9f00-b6e49cad5005

*As a reminder, always discuss any questions or concerns with your medical physician regarding your health and dietary needs, as the information written should not replace any medical advice.