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. 

5 exercises to improve your balance

A few weeks ago, we shared why it's important to work on your balance abilities and today, we are excited to share a few of our favorite exercises that you can do right at home.

Practicing your balance serves as an important exercise for any age. There are a number of benefits, including:

• Improving your coordination
• Helping to strengthen your muscles
• Preventing falls
• Improving your overall fitness

These exercises don't require a lot of time to complete, making it easy to do no matter how busy your day may be. If you do have a fall history, osteoporosis or vestibular disease, do not perform these exercises on your own. If you frequently lose your balance, speak with your doctor or physical therapist to determine a program that works best for you.

Begin all five exercises by holding onto a counter until stable:

1. Stand on an unstable surface (e.g., using a pillow) using two feet, and then balance on one. You can do this exercises while you are standing or working at the counter. The unstable surface strengthens the nerves called proprioceptors that keep you upright and prevent you from falling when you trip.
   
2. Stay on the unstable surface for standing hip abduction, flexion and extension. Make sure your shoulders stay in the same place as your leg moves while keeping your abdominal muscles tight. Move the leg in a slow and controlled motion. If you feel burning in your hips or glute muscles, it's an added bonus!
   
   
   
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3. Holding on to the counter, walk heel to toe with and without head ties to the right and left as talking. As you become more advanced, you can move away from the counter to challenge yourself.
   
4. Do heel raises by starting with a double leg stance and working up to a single leg. Move your weight to the ball of your feet, raising your heels off the ground. Squeeze your glutes and abdominals for a stable pencil-like movement up and down.
   
5. Continuing to hold on the counter as you raise one foot off the ground. Extend one arm out, and reach towards the ground, while bending at the hips, making sure to keep your back straight and your abdominal muscles tight. Reach for the ground in a slow, controlled manner and slowly bring yourself back up.
   
   Beginners may not be able to touch the ground, but go as far down as you can and continue to advance as you do the exercises. Don't forget to alternate legs to practice your balance on both sides of your body. If you are more advanced, you can skip holding on to the counter.
   

Come see us for an evaluation at Beyond Therapy and Wellness in Dallas to learn how you can improve your balance and coordination.

Where to find us on social media

Did you know that Beyond Therapy and Wellness is on social media? You can find us on the following channels:

Facebook – Beyond Therapy and Wellness

We share the latest news that we find about health topics, as well as news about our clinic and recent blog posts. Stop by and say hi – we love getting your messages and hearing what's new in your world!

Twitter – Dr. Kristi Latham

Dr. Kristi Latham shares her thoughts and expertise on Twitter @kristilatham. In addition to sharing her opinions, Dr. Latham shares the latest news about physical therapy, pelvic floor resources and all things Dallas. If you are on Twitter, we'd love for you to follow us and say hi here, too!

Are you on social media? Leave your name and network below and we'll stop by and say hi!

How physical therapy can help with prostate cancer rehab

About one in every seven men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lives, with many receiving their diagnosis once they are over the age of 65.

Prostrate cancer often means a prostatectomy, which is the surgical removal of all or a portion of the prostate gland. Most of the surgical procedures used for a prostatectomy will use nerve-sparing techniques. These types of techniques help to preserve bladder and erectile function after the surgical procedure.

Because of the location of the nerves on the prostate, there is a chance that men may experience erectile dysfunction and urinary incontinence after surgery. This doesn't mean that you have to live with these health issues for the rest of your life, though.

Physical therapy can help resolve erective dysfunction and urinary incontinence quicker and more efficiently. The latest studies demonstrate that the first three months after surgery are essential to preserving erectile function. This is because starting a physical therapy program within the first three months after the prostatectomy helps the nerves receive increased blood flow, helping improve the chance of them healing completely.

So, what does physical therapy for prostate cancer look like? The rehabilitation program includes a physical therapist like myself conducting an evaluation to understand your current condition and pain. During the evaluation, the physical therapist will ask questions around your condition, pain levels and what your goals are for the future.

From there, the physical therapist will develop a program tailored to your needs. Some treatments that may be included:

• Biofeedback for pelvic floor muscle training, which includes your muscles around your prostate, bladder and reproductive organs
• Specific exercises to help strengthen your muscles in and around your abdomen, hips and pelvic floor
• Bladder training techniques
• Re-education of your neuromuscular system to help your nerves heal faster

  

If you have prostate cancer or recently underwent a prostatectomy, contact me to schedule your first appointment to conduct an evaluation.  

Pelvic floor health resources

Over the past few months, we've written a few different blog posts talking about your pelvic floor. Check out our top five posts to learn more about your pelvic floor and how a physical therapist can help keep it healthy:

What is pelvic organ prolapse?

If you've been told you have pelvic organ prolapse, it can be scary. After all, what does it mean and how do you treat it? We cover all the details in this blog post.

Don't let your bladder rule your life

Do you feel like you always have to go? Do you get a sense of urgency that you have to go to the bathroom as your keys turn in the lock? These are signs that your bladder is ruling your life. Learn what you can do to prevent this, and what your pelvic floor has to do with it.

Pelvic floor and pregnancy

The pelvic floor doesn't get the attention it deserves when talking about women's health, especially in terms of pregnancy. We share the importance of strengthening your pelvic floor muscles before, during and after pregnancy in this post.

What is pelvic floor dysfunction?

Ever wonder what muscles make up the pelvic floor? And what happens when they stop working? Learn more in this post, as well as symptoms that indicate you may have pelvic floor dysfunction.

Who should do kegels

You've probably heard about kegels, but how do you know if you should do them? In this post, we share who should integrate kegels into their daily exercises and offer insight into how to do them, too.

Is your pelvic floor causing you pain? Contact me to discuss treatment options to reduce pain and help you live your best life. 

The importance of balance training

No matter your age, balance training can be beneficial to your health. In addition to improving your balance, it can help you build your strength and flexibility.

For older men and women, it helps to prevent falls, which can result in broken bones and other serious injuries. For youth, it can help them improve their coordination, which can help them greatly in any sports that they may play. And for everyone else, it can ensure optimal health for your muscles and also improve your fitness.

So, what is balance training? Remember when you were a kid, and you would race your best friend to see who could hop on one foot the longest? Or, you practiced walking back and forth in your hallway with a book on your head?

These are considered balance training exercises, although there are more specific routines that are created today. Often times, balance training refers to an exercise program that has a number of exercises that focus specifically on helping you balance better.

These may include several exercises that complement your normal workout, or it may be something prescribed by your physical therapist in order to help you recover from an injury or strengthen a specific group of muscles, like your pelvic floor.

These exercises most often use specific tools like BOSU balls, which look like a stability ball was cut in half and rocker boards.

These tools help ensure that your exercises are isolating specific muscles, which will ensure that you are engaging one individual muscle to maintain stabilization.

On top of that, it can improve your neuromuscular coordination – helping to improve how your brain and muscles coordinate. Specifically, balance training can improve hip and core stabilization, which can improve your coordination and posture.

Stay tuned… we'll be sharing some of our favorite balance training exercises in an upcoming post!