What Kind of Old Person Do You Want to Be?

My husband Paul and I have quite the long and active bucket list, which we have been busy checking off. Now, we are not dying but given the inevitable, we decided to make a list of things we wanted to do before that day. As a physical therapist, I have an understanding of the aging body that has made me realize we should set a time line. I have also seen a great variety in this aging process and it is not all genetics but also very active-dependent. 

So about 10 years ago, after noticing that my husband was ignoring my workout suggestions (as husbands do), I finally pushed the right button. I said, “Paul, with all your plans for the next 50 years, I was wondering what kind of old person do you want to be?” This got his attention! He wanted to know more. So I explained what sitting at a desk for 10-12 hours a day would do to him. I went on to describe how working out only certain areas of this body (pects, lats and rectus abdomens with push ups, pull downs and sit ups, plus 20 minutes on the stair mill 3-5x a week) although good in many ways was also causing imbalances in his body. These imbalances would probably end up in joint problems in his neck, shoulders, back, hips, knees and feet and eventually hip, knee, shoulder or back surgeries and maybe even joint replacements. These life-changing events might get in the way of his biking, skiing, water skiing, tennis, golfing, climbing and hiking.

I definitely had his attention and Paul, agreed to let me help him get properly evaluated and instructed in a balanced exercise regime which included a FMS (functional manual screening), sports performance improvement program, functional training, strengthening, balance and stretching. This has resulted in performance improvements and a couple of minimal injuries, which consisted of a minor calf strain and a few fractured ribs showing off how low he could get to the water while water skiing.

Without these improvements Paul may not have been able to fully experience Kilamanjaro, the Everest base camp, Fitzroy and Torres del Pain in Patagonia, the Milford pass in New Zealand or 54 holes of golf at St. Andrews in 12 hours this past August for his 54th b'day just to name a few. I am sure as he continues his program he will complete this ever-growing bucket list and be the kind of older person he envisioned. 

 How does this story affect you? 

Well, along our travels we met some people who were unable to accompany their partners up the mountain due to injuries or they were just not fit enough. Bad knees and backs now limit others we know who thought they were fit. Unfortunately, now that they have the time to travel they are no longer able to climb up to see the sites or are unable to play golf without a golf cart. 

How can you be the kind of older person you want to be and when should you start thinking about this? 

Now is the answer and Duffy & Bracken can help you design a customized program. 

• An FMS delivered by a highly skilled physical therapist will give you the knowledge to empower you to get on the right path. 

• A performance improvement program - if you play a sport - will give your body the right tools to begin performing the skill you have been having trouble with, no matter what sport or coaching you have tried. 

• GTS classes will give you a balanced exercise program and teach you how to exercise in a balanced way, push yourself and get results. 

• Happy Feet will evaluate and teach you how to take care of your feet by wearing the right shoes for you. 

• An Ergonomic review for your home or office desk will help you get the right set up to avoid straining your body 8-12 hours a day. 

Let us help you, help you!

Ann Duffy, P.T., M.A

If you would like to read another story of the importance of a FMS evaluation, balanced exercise programs, balance and stretching click on this link and see how these same principles are being used to reduce Standford’s football team injuries from 18 to one a year. …

Strengthening Your Weak Link!

Kinesiology is the study of movement. It is what physical therapists are experts at. In kinesiology, a leg or an arm is often referred to as a "chain." The reason being is that a leg or an arm is comprised of parts with links, those links being joints. Muscles originate on a bone, cross a joint and anchor on another bone so it can stabilize and move a joint. So when we hear the expression, "a chain is only as strong as its weakest link," we could easily apply that idea to a human chain. That's a very important concept especially if you are an athlete. 

Aside from being a Physical Therapist, I have been an avid martial artist for a good 20 years. In that time I have suffered a nice bouquet of injuries; everything from a broken bone, to torn muscles in my mid back. After a four year hiatus, I recently joined a new martial arts school. I wanted to see how well prepared I was physically to go back into this very demanding activity so I had myself evaluated by Renuka Pinto (the supervising PT here at D and B) using the Functional Movement System (FMS). The FMS system, is a movement screen that is often used to assess an athletes' quality of movement by studying each kinetic chain. It can also be used on a non-athlete to evaluate how well they are functioning in their body in terms of movement. The individual scores are added together to create an overall final score. The FMS helps to identify not only the athletes limitations or weakness but also the compensations that cover up those weaknesses. The test takes about 20-30 minutes. It is broken up into subsections that look at very specific movement patterns. What's great about the FMS, is that not only does it identify these weaknesses, with each section, it will also give specific exercises to help improve the areas the athlete is weak in making it a very clear systematic approach.

By the end of the test, I had a good idea of where my weak links were. Renuka and her student (Karen), gave me exercises to improve my weakness and  enlightened me on my compensations. So not only will the FMS help refine whatever game you compete in, but more importantly, will help identify what injuries you are predisposed to. Whether you are a golfer that wants to improve that vital finite control in your swing, or you are an Ironman competitor that is looking to improve your endurance, the FMS will help you improve your practice and prevent injury so you can keep doing the game you love to do... So for all of you athletes out there that are preparing for an event or want to maximize your chances of preventing injuries I would highly recommend the FMS here at Duffy and Bracken. It is one of the many programs we offer to try to maximize how we can help you. If you are interested, ask anyone of us and we'd be happy to answer any questions. 

 

Happy Training!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Johann Howard, DPT, LMT

Learn to Move Again With Physical Therapy

I have been a sports and musculoskeletal therapist for over 15 years working with professional tennis and soccer players, marathoners, triathletes etc. But since the birth of my first child last year, I have a renewed interest in motion analysis and rethinking the way in which we adults move.

Babies develop motor patterns and discover how to get around by learning to balance and control the force of gravity. They start with head control, then rolling and gradually progress to walking. Fast forward into adult life and we let gravity control us --- yes as babies we learn to control gravity and therefore move but as adults we let gravity take control --- and when we do we increase our risk for musculoskeletal breakdown.

Musculoskeletal conditions are the number one contributors of health care costs in the USA. It comes at no surprise that low back pain tops the list. We spend hours at our computer desk and we let the computer screen and office set up decide our neck and spine posture --- the result.... chronic neck pain, low back stiffness and postural headaches. We have gotten very good at compensating; walking with our necks, climbing subway stairs with our backs, we can't even roll in bed without crying "ooh aah ouch". All of this is because we aren't aware of how we move. As babies we move with a purpose to learn to use our bodies efficiently. As adults we move to take care of stuff. And this stuff has caused us to tune out.

ALAS! It's not too late to relearn what you have forgotten. You can RE-MEMBER your body again! Your hips and ankles can work in synergy the same way your shoulder girdle can work with your pelvis. Most overuse injuries can be prevented; most strains can be avoided if we can get balance again.

All of the above is preventable - a concept we must embrace - PREVENTION!

Step 1: know there is help and it is affordable without MRI's.

Step 2: get help --- do a Functional Movement Screen to identify the compensation.

Step 3: relearn what is already part of your own developmental muscle memory i.e. learn to control gravity again.

Then hit DELETE to all faulty movement patterns!

Here at Duffy & Bracken Physical Therapy we teach you to move again. We offer Functional Movement Screens daily to identify the areas where you most likely will break down. Plus, we have a studio that offers Gravity Training classes to work on your strength and movement efficiency. Visit our website to learn more about our wellness programswww.duffyandbracken.com.

Renuka Pinto, MPT, PGDR, CSCS, CES

Renuka@duffyandbracken.com