Why sleep is important to your health

In today's fast-paced world filled with long work days and busy social schedules, it can be really hard to make time for one of the most important things for your health: sleep.

This week, we celebrate National Sleep Awareness Week to improve everyone's knowledge about sleep and it's benefits. In fact, most people don't know how much sleep they should get a night.

The majority of experts recommend that adults get between 7-9 hours of sleep each night for optimal health. It doesn't usually happen though, with research showing that most adults get around 6 hours of sleep.

At the very basic level, enough sleep is important to make sure your brain is functioning properly. This ensures that you have the best mental and emotional health.

There are a number of benefits that sleep offers for your physical health, too:

• Healing and repairing your heart and blood vessels: While you are sleeping, your body can focus on repairing various parts of your body, including your heart and blood vessels. In fact, ongoing sleep deficiency has been linked to a number of heart-related conditions, including heart disease and high blood pressure.
  
• Decreases the risk of obesity: Obesity is a serious issue in our country. There are a number of contributing factors, and one of those is lack of sleep. Studies have shown that as people lose sleep, their risk for obesity increases.
  
• Reduces your risk for diabetes: Diabetes is a serious medical condition that never goes away once you are diagnosed with it. Lack of sleep can change the way that your body responds to insulin, which controls your sugar levels in your blood. Sleep deficiency has been linked to increasing your normal blood sugars level.
  
• Supports healthy growth: Children and teenagers should get more sleep than adults, with experts recommending about 10 hours a sleep at night. This is because while they are sleeping, their body is busy at work! Deep sleep ensures natural growth and helps repair and tissues. It is also an important component of puberty.
  
• Keeps your immune system healthy: When you don't get enough sleep, your immune system isn't as strong as it could be. As a result, you have a higher chance of being susceptible to the cold, flu and other viruses. Getting enough sleep can make you less likely to get sick.

When combined with a healthy diet and exercise program, you can ensure that you are living in optimal health.

Need help determining the best exercise program for your body? Contact us at Beyond Therapy & Wellness to schedule an evaluation.

Restorative yoga classes now at Beyond Therapy & Wellness

In response to a strong need from our clients, we are starting a weekly gentle/restorative yoga class taught by seasoned yoga instructor, Susan Rainey.

What is restorative yoga? It is completely different than traditional yoga classes, which focus on pose after pose. Restorative yoga is known as the gentler version of yoga, as it focuses on using passive stretching to open the body and slow down.

In addition, this type of yoga uses props – like blankets and pillows – to support your body. It's extremely helpful for those who have chronic pain.

This article also provides some insights into the benefits of restorative yoga.

The classes will be offered on Wednesdays at 12 p.m. Please RSVP by sending us an email, giving us a call or letting us know on Facebook that you'll be attending.

What is diastasis rectus abdominis?

Nearly two in three of all pregnant women will have diastasis rectus abdominis, which is more commonly referred to as ab separation. Interestingly, it is also quite common among newborns, but it goes away on its own.

What does "ab separation" mean?

Your abdominal muscles are made up of two different muscles, and when these separate, it causes ab separation. Diastasis rectus abdominis occurs when the left and right sides of the rectus abdominis muscle separates and creates a ridge that runs down the middle of the belly area.

What causes diastasis rectus abdominis?

During pregnancy, there is increased tension of the abdominal wall as your body prepares for pregnancy and to give birth. When you have ab separation, however, it only leaves a thin band of connective tissue to hold your bowels, uterus and other organs in place.

Can diastasis rectus abdominis cause any health issues?

When you experience ab separation, it means that a thin band of connective tissue holds your bowels, uterus and other organs in place. This can cause a number of issues, including constipation, urine leaking and lower back pain. As you grow during your pregnancy, it can also make it more difficult to breathe and move.

In addition, it can result in a more difficult vaginal delivery. However, there are things that you can do to minimize the separation and reduce the pain throughout.

How can you prevent ab separation from happening during pregnancy?

There are several things that you can do to ensure that ab separation doesn't occur during your pregnancy and if it does, to mitigate its severeness.

For instance, watch out for lifting heavy things – which can strain your connective tissue. In addition, watch out for how you exercise when you are pregnant. Crunches, press-ups, front planks and push ups can actually make ab separation worse.

It's important to address this issue with your doctor and consult a physical therapist, who can help reduce the separation between your abdominal muscles and decrease the pain.

Are you suffering from ab separation? Contact us at Beyond Therapy and Wellness to schedule an evaluation to discuss in further detail.

Thank you!

Thank you for everyone who joined us to celebrate the grand opening of our new location a few weeks ago. Whether you were able to attend or not, we appreciate everyone's support the past few years as you've helped to grow Beyond Therapy & Wellness into the physical therapy clinic it is today.

If you weren't able to join us for our Open House, stop by! You can see our new address and office hours on our website. We'd love to show you around!

In the meantime, we'll share a few pictures of our new location.

Our upcoming Open House at our new location

We are so excited to announce that Beyond Therapy and Wellness will be moving to a new office location at 1705 Forest Ridge Drive in Forth Worth. To celebrate, we will be hosting an open house celebration for residents and patients on Friday, November 20 at 3 p.m. – 6 p.m.

Our clinic first opened in the Bedford area in 2012 and are so thankful for the support that we've received from the local community. The new clinic features a warm, welcoming and upscale environment, more than doubling the amount of treatment space from its previous location. 

We've earned a reputation as being one of the only clinics in Tarrant County to offer pelvic floor and lymphedema treatment. We focus on offering specialized wellness services for women, and also treat both men and children. Our staff offers a variety of treatment, from specialized therapies like cold laser therapy and services for cancer recovery, osteoporosis treatment, female-athlete specific rehabilitation and prenatal and postpartum pain. 

Our new clinic location will be open from Monday - Friday from 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. with appointments available outside of clinic hours upon request. 

Breast cancer recovery and physical therapy

It's estimated that one in eight women will develop invasive breast cancer at some point in their lifetime, and about 1 in 1,000 men will develop the disease.

October marks breast cancer awareness month, which helps to increase awareness about the disease. It also serves as a reminder to have your own plan to detect breast cancer early. After all, if it is detected early, and in the localized stage, the five-year relative survival rate is 100%.

If you do have breast cancer, you can return to your full life after treatment. In fact, physical therapy can help you regain energy during and after chemotherapy. There has been research that shows that patients can improve your energy levels when they participate in cardio during and after treatment.

A physical therapy program focused on helping you build your energy and skills after treatment will start with an evaluation. That way, the program can be tailored to meet your current abilities and help you meet your future goals.

For some people, they want to return to a favorite sport that they used to play; while others just want the opportunity to run around with their children and grandchildren again. Whatever goal you have, a physical therapy program can help you get there.

Most programs will focus on building your strength and regaining range of motion after surgery. Exercises will focus on building up strength in your arm and shoulder, which may be affected after treatment. A physical therapy program will help you learn essential exercises to improve your range of motion and keep these muscles healthy over time.

In addition, physical therapy programs will also focus on radiated areas, where you may experience restrictions and tightness. Physical therapy treatment methods, like myofascial and scar reduction techniques, are commonly used to decrease any pain or discomfort that you may feel in these areas.

Lastly, your physical therapist will be able to provide insight into lymphedema – including symptoms, signs and risks, as well as what to do at the earliest signs to prevent future progression.

Contact us to set up an appointment to start your post-breast cancer treatment therapy.

All about physical therapy with Dr. Kristi Latham

In honor of National Physical Therapy Month, we are taking over Dr. Latham's blog and featuring her thoughts on physical therapy and why she became a therapist. Feel free to ask any additional questions that you have for her in the comments!

1. When did you know when you first wanted to be a physical therapist? 
9th grade! I am a planner and searching for my plan for life. I asked my mom  ( a registered nurse) what I should be and she suggested I look into physical therapy. 

2. Why did you want to become a physical therapist?
To help people, stay active myself by not sitting at a desk and help to others stay active. Also to be able to may a visible positive impact in the daily lives of people. 

3. What do you love about being a physical therapist? 
Turning frowns upside down! Being able to give people hope about getting back into life and walking them through that plan. 

4. How do you think physical therapy will change in the next 5, 10 or even 15 years?
Unfortunately with declining reimbursement, there will be a push to see more patients is less time. With this there will also be a pressure to join larger hospital groups. This will provide an excellent opportunity for private practice clinics to shine with better than ever customer service and patient experience. 

5. What advice do you have for aspiring PTs?
Never stop learning and never undervalue the importance of establishing a report with patients. Our goal is to make patients better. If they do not believe their therapist truly understands what they are experiencing they will be less likely to trust the treatment and be compliant with their physical therapy program. 

Happy National Physical Therapy Month!

October marks National Physical Therapy Month as a way to spread awareness and increase knowledge about the profession. In honor of the month, we'll have a series of blog posts covering various topics related to physical therapy. Have a topic you'd like to see? Contact us!

To celebrate National Physical Therapy Month, today we'll share some great resources to learn more about physical therapy and what it can do for you. Enjoy!

Resources

Move Forward PT: Hosted by the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA), Move Forward PT serves as the top consumer resource to learn about what physical therapy can do for you. It features patient stories, helps you find information about what physical therapy can do for you and can help you assess your symptoms.

APTA: The APTA is a membership organization that represents physical therapists around the country. Here, you can find a PT in your area and you can also read the latest news and studies related to physical therapy. The news on this site tends to be a bit more technical than what you would find on Move Forward PT.

Beyond Therapy & Wellness on Twitter: If you don't already, make sure you follow us. We share our blog posts, the latest research and news on a daily basis.

My Choice PT: Stay updated on the latest news about physical therapy in Texas – in particular, direct access, where you would have the opportunity to visit a physical therapist under your insurance without getting a referral from another medical professional.

PT Pintcast: Put together by physical therapy students and recent graduates, the PT Pintcast serves as your virtual happy hour where you can learn about the latest trends and hear from experts in the industry. You can access a list of their previously record podcasts here.

The wellness benefits of yoga

September brings cooler temperatures (which I know all of Texas is excited for!), football and a celebration of yoga. This month marks National Yoga Month, a meditative movement practice that has become quite popular in the fitness world in recent decades. It's estimated that nearly 10 percent of American adults – or about 21 million – practice yoga.

Yoga itself offers a number of wellness benefits, including:

• Improve balance: In August, we shared the importance of having good balance and it offers a number of benefits for people of all ages. Yoga can help support this and ensure that you are getting the balance training that you need.
• Reduce stress: Yoga tends to focus on more than just the physical wellness of your body, but also the emotional fitness. Instructors will work to teach you how to clear your mind, which can help reduce stress and improve your mental health.
• Improve flexibility: Perhaps one of the most well known benefits of yoga, the various movements within the type of exercise focus on stretching and engaging your muscles. As a result, you can improve your flexibility, which also feeds into improved fitness and balance.

Restorative yoga, which focuses on deep breathing and gentle progressive stretching, can be great for beginners on their yoga journey. It helps to reduce stress and anxiety, and also gradually builds your flexibility along the way.

When you choose a yoga class, engage with the teacher to understand his or her teaching style. A good teacher will show you modifications for your body so all levels can participate fully, meaning that if you are a beginner, you don't have to be nervous about attending your first class.

The benefits of yoga often are felt and enjoyed over time, so it may take a few classes to fully see any gains in your fitness – both physical and mental. In today's busy world especially, it can be hard to turn off your mind and experience the mental benefits of the exercise. Make sure to give it time.

As always, before engaging in physical exercise like yoga, make sure to see your doctor or give us a visit to determine a program that works best for your fitness level.

Have additional questions about yoga, or not sure what would be best for your current fitness level? Contact us at Beyond Therapy & Wellness for an evaluation.