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Running and jogging are some of the best forms of exercise! If you are looking to incorporate running into your regular exercise routine, there are some things to be aware of. By being aware and preparing yourself, you will be setting yourself up for success. From your pace and breathing and apparel, to incorporating physical therapy in Casper, WY and all our other office locations, there are some top things to add to your to-do list as you prepare to become a runner.  

Pace and Breathing

The key to longevity when it comes to being a runner is to have the proper pace and breathing skillset. It may be harder to learn for some, but once you practice often and have it down, it will help you with your success when it comes to running. The first step to proper breathing is posture. Make sure you start off with everything aligned. This not only helps in general, but with the breathing in and out. Next, be aware of your breathing. You will notice it is easier to maintain when walking, but when you begin to go faster, it can become more difficult. Also, use your mouth to breathe when running and take deep breaths. You can’t take as deep of breaths through your nose. As you start to run, come up with a system that works for you. You can also download apps to help you with breathing such as the Couch to 5K program.  

Apparel

When trying to be a successful runner, not only do you need to know the basics, but you also need to have the right apparel. This is your shirts, shorts or pants, socks and underclothing. You want to find clothing that fits you well and doesn’t keep you focusing on your clothing as you want to spend time focusing on yourself. Shoes are one of the most important places to start. When investing in your new hobby, you do not want to take a route that is cheaper. A quality pair of shoes can pay off in the long run. You can visit a local shoe store and have your sizing and measurements done. From there they can pair you with an expert who will show you the types of shoes that might be best suited to your needs. When running in cooler climates, it is best to be prepared. However, do be aware that the longer you are running and your body warms up, you may want to quickly lose a layer. You can work to find items that can be taken with your or easily added.

When to See a Physical Therapist

If you become injured during a run, a premier physical therapist is one of your go-to options. Now, if you experienced a pulled muscle, you might be fine after a few days. However, for more serious injuries, a physical therapist can help. They will teach you proper stretching techniques and exercises to help get your muscles back in shape and ready for use.
 
As you work to become a better runner, North Platte Physical Therapy can help. As a top physical therapist in Wyoming, we will help you along your journey. Make sure you know what will happen on your first day of therapy. From there, they will guide you through the rest. Contact us today to get started!

When it comes to feeling better and possibly losing weight, did you know how much food and exercise comes into play? As you work on ways to improve your health, there some so top things you can do. From tips to quality, healthy eating and benefits of exercising regularly to incorporating premier physical therapy in Douglas, WY, try some of these tips to improve your overall health.

Tips for Healthy Eating

Sugar is a culprit for health issues, diabetes, heart problems and much more. Did you know sugar is added to most of the foods you eat every day? Not only is sugar in most of the sweets you consume, but also added to everything from sauces to packaged foods. By cutting back or eliminating added sugar, you may feel better, have skin issues clear up, have more energy and much more. By eating a diet of lean protein, fats and vegetables, you may also eliminate digestive issues and many other problems you are having. Many of the foods today have additives that leads to inflammation in the body. This can create a variety of problems. By cutting back or eliminating these foods, you will notice a major difference how you feel. For more tips on food, read Health’s 10 Easy Ways to Slash Sugar from Your Diet.

Benefits of Regular Exercise

Many associate exercise with weight loss, but exercise should be incorporated into your weekly routine for a variety of reasons. While it can help with weight loss, regular exercise will help reduce your risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, cancer and a variety of other conditions. Even just 20 minutes a day of exercise will help to reduce your risks. Regular exercise will also build up your strength and over time will help to give you more energy. This can help in a variety of ways. In addition, exercising on a regular basis is one of the best ways to get better sleep at night. You may also notice that you feel more positive and are able to accomplish more throughout the day.

Incorporating Physical Therapy

If you are a person that deals with pain on a regular basis, exercise might be difficult if it is painful. This is where incorporating local physical therapy can help. Working with a physical therapist can help you create a plan personalized to you and your situation. Whether you have bursts of pain or chronic pain, they can assess your situation. From here, they will work with you on ways to improve your quality of live. Through various exercises, you will work to improve strength and your overall wellbeing.

If you are looking for a go-to physical therapist to help you combat your chronic pain or feel better overall, North Platte Physical Therapy can help. We have a variety of services to help you with a variety of issues.  Don’t let pain and discomfort persist, get help from a physical therapist. Get started to learn how physical therapy can improve your health and contact North Platte Physical Therapy!

If you are injured on the job, do you know what to do? There are steps in place that need to be taken in order to receive workers’ compensation benefits. There are also key things to know while you are working on your recovery. It is best to be proactive and know what to do in the event of an emergency both with your employer and on your path to recovery.

Learn what the go-to initial steps are if you become injured at work, top tips for filing a claim and more about the recovery process, using Casper physical therapy to help:

Initial Steps

When injured on the job, first and foremost you should assess the situation and make sure you are okay. You should also be ready to put together a report for your employer. This will help to kick off the workers’ compensation claim. However, it is important to be proactive and know what to do if you are injured. This means finding your employer’s information and learning what the stipulations are if you are hurt on-the-job. This way if the unfortunate time comes, you know what the proper steps are based on your own company’s practices.

Filing for Workers’ Compensation

If you are injured on the job, you will need to file a workers’ compensation report. According to the Department of Labor and Employment’s Workers’ Compensation, you must notify your employer as soon as possible. If you must be taken to a hospital or immediate care right after the injury, you can have someone write a report on your behalf. You have up to four days after your injury to put together your report in writing. From there, they have 10 days to submit the claim for insurance, in which you will be contacted on how much compensation you are entitled to no later than 20 days after. With workers’ compensation, you will have to see the physician recommended by your employer in order to take advantage of the benefits. They also note that payments are paid on a bi-weekly basis.

Recovery and Physical Therapy

There are a variety of injuries that can happen in the workplace. One of the best ways to help speed up your recovery is through physical therapy. A physical therapist will help you create a plan for your recovery so you can get back to work quickly and in premier quality shape. This plan can target the different areas you may have been injured to help you regain strength and full mobility. Your physical therapist can also go over your day to day motions to help you to never repeat the injury again.

For a local physical therapist that can help you with your workplace injury, North Platte Physical Therapy can help. Make sure you read our guide Workplace Safety and How Casper Physical Therapy Can Help with Work Related Injuries. For help with your workplace injuries, contact North Platte Physical Therapy and schedule an appointment at a location near you.

After you have finished cancer treatment, you will be on the road of recovery. While you have looked forward to this stage of our treatment since day one, there is still work to be done. However, there are quality resources available to help manage pain and help you through this stage. Learn what to expect after your treatment, top tips for recovery and how to incorporate premier Cheynne, WY physical therapy.

What to Expect After Your Treatment

Once you have finished your treatments for cancer, you are on the road to recovery. However, it will take time to get back to your normal self. You can work with your doctor to make sure the way that you feel is normal, but there are many common symptoms that people feel during this stage. One of the top symptoms is fatigue. You may feel drained and out of energy as your body is working to recover. Work on making sure you consume healthy foods and have a good diet to help you while you are on the mend. Others may experience lymphedema, which is a swelling of an area where lymph fluid has built due to your treatment. It is best to discuss this with your doctor on ways to treat. There may also be general pain as well for a variety of reasons depending on the different types of treatment you have had. A variety of medicine, plus proper nutrition, can help with these. Learn more about caring for your body after treatment.

Recovery

In order to recover quickly, it is crucial to care for your body during this time. Even when it’s hard to move or function, pushing yourself will help you recover more quickly. First, make an effort to exercise, even it if it is walking a little outside. You don’t need to focus on hardcore workouts at the gym, just work to build your strength up. Next, make sure you are you eating a proper diet. Work to incorporate vegetables, protein and healthy carbohydrates in with each meal. In addition, eating fats are important as well. This can be from things such as nuts or avocado. Protein is also very important, you just want to make sure you focus on lean meats, fish, poultry and other healthy proteins.

How to Incorporate Physical Therapy

There are many ways a physical therapist can help with your post-treatment recovery. As you work to regain strength and begin to become more active, they can help teach a variety of exercises and training to help you regain your strength. Also, if you are experiencing lymphedema, they can help create a plan for your to help those fluids in the areas drain.

As you are recovering from your cancer treatment, North Platte Physical Therapy if your local physical therapist that can help. Our go-to post cancer treatments range from caring for lymphedema to helping to increase your energy levels and get you back to regaining strength for day to day activities. Contact us today to see how we can help you or a loved one.

For many, the weather impacts them in a variety of different ways. It can alarm your allergies, make your hair frizzy or bring discomfort to your joints. Some notice joint pain before it rains, while others might struggle once it begins to get cold. Did you know there is a connection between the two? Learn about the correlation between weather and joint pain, tips for coping with weather related changes in your body and the overall benefits of physical therapy in Douglas, WY.

Correlation Between Weather and Joint Pain

If you start to feel aches and pains before weather changes, you aren’t alone. How is this possible? It’s possible because the barometric pressure, also known as atmospheric pressure, changes. For an in-depth look into barometric pressure, read Britannica’s Atmospheric Pressure. For many, when these changes happen and the weight of air presses the earth’s surface, it causes a variety of problems for people from headaches to aches and pains. Physical therapy can help with this type of discomfort.

Tips to Coping with Pain Due to Weather Changes

There are a variety of symptoms for those who experience pain when the weather changes. For some, it’s headaches and migraines. For others, joint pain plays a huge role. There are even some individuals to have muscles tighten. If you experience pain, it’s important to speak with your doctor. They can also go over with you if you have any vitamin deficiencies. While seeing your doctor is a top priority to manage pain, there are additional things you can do as well like increasing the amount of time spent warming up before exercising. You can also use a heating pad as well. Next, make sure you’re getting proper nutrition and be aware of food groups that may not agree with you. Consuming these foods plus changes in barometric pressure can make things worse.

Benefits of Physical Therapy

If you experience joint pain, working with a physical therapist can help. You can meet with a physical therapist to discuss any triggers and techniques to help cope. A physical therapist will also help you develop proper form and posture for you to carry out with exercising or just every day normal tasks. Together, you will develop a plan for treatment in hopes to make pain management a little easier. They can also go over additional methods for pain management in addition to physical therapy, such as diet and how to properly use heat and cold. Once you have been working with a physical therapist for some time, you may find some relief when the winds of change come and the weather changes.

If you are experiencing any type of joint pain, whether it is general or you think there is a correlation to the weather, North Platte Physical Therapy located in Douglas, WY can help. To learn more about when you would help ease joint pain with cold or heat, be sure to read our article Treating Pain with Ice vs. Heat, What’s the Difference? To get started on your treatment plan, contact us today!