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As the weather warms up, spending more time outdoors is a treat! Spring and summer are a great time to play sports outside, such as basketball, soccer or tennis, or for go for a nice jog. If you haven’t been as active during the winter, it is best to ease yourself into a regular fitness routine. From how to get back into the swing of things and proper warm-up and cool down techniques to top ways to avoid an injury, try some of these tips from your local physical therapist in Newcastle, WY.

How to get back into the swing of things

When getting ready to get into a workout routine, you will want to start out slow. Create a plan of how many times per week you would like to work out. Even if you want to be ambitious, you need to go easy on yourself to avoid injury. Mix up your activities and make sure to give yourself at least a day or two of rest each week. It is also a great time to set some goals to work toward. Add this to your plan and set realistic milestones—so whether you would like to run a certain distance or lift weights at a certain amount. If you are looking to lose weight, be sure to set realistic goals there too. While it’s easy to say “I want to lose 10 pounds in a month!” It might not happen as easily. Avoid setting yourself up for failure by setting unrealistic goals.

Proper warm up and cool down

A good workout should begin and end with a warm up and cool down. According to the Mayo Clinic’s article, Aerobic Exercise: How to Warm Up and Cool Down, a proper warmup and cool down session is crucial for reducing stress on your heart and muscles. To warm up, you want to gradually get your blood flowing by stretching some of your larger muscle groups. The Mayo Clinic says to focus on the big areas and then any target areas that you’ll use most often during your activity. You can also go for a walk as well. Then once your workout is complete, don’t forget to do your cool down. This can consist of a nice walk. It will help lower your heart rate back to normal and end your workout on a great note.

Ways to avoid a sports injury

During your workout, injuries might seem inevitable. Of course, accidents happen. However, if you can, it is best to avoid situations that can lead to them. Your warm up and cool down will help to decrease your chances, but that isn’t all. Make sure you are using proper form at all times. If you need to refresh your memory on form for your sport, talk to a local coach, gym employee or someone knowledgeable. When running and twisting, use caution to avoid an injury to your knee. Last, be careful to not overdo a workout. While certain exercises can be difficult, you don’t want to be doing anything that causes pain.

If you become injured due to an injury, North Platte Physical Therapy is your premier physical therapist. Our sports medicine services will provide you with quality one-on-one time with a physical therapist to help you recover. Contact North Platte Physical Therapy today to get started.

Are you one of the over 60 percent of Americans dealing with neck pain? Neck pain can be a painful condition that leads to many other issues and symptoms that you may not have even realized stemmed from your neck. However, you do have options to help ease symptoms and potentially cure some of your top issues for a better quality of life. Learn what neck pain is, signs and symptoms to watch out for and how physical therapy in Nebraska can help you recover.

Overview and causes

For many, pain in the neck region can start small and gradually get worse over time. In fact, according to the American Osteopathic Association’s Chronic Neck Pain, neck pain is the third highest reason for chronic pain. For many, it could have stemmed from an injury or wrong movement, and if not cared for over time, worsens. Poor posture, improper lifting techniques at the gym, odd movements, torn muscles or ligaments and more are some of the leading causes the American Osteopathic Association says leads to neck pain.

Signs, Symptoms and Common Issues

While pain in the neck area is one of the go-to signs of an issue, there are many other issues that can occur that stem down from neck pain and injuries. Neck pain sufferers may experience frequent headaches, dizziness, issues picking things up, numbness in the arm and various types of pain such as quick, sharp pains, overall soreness or a burning sensation. For many, their neck pain is due to degenerative disease, a herniated, bulging or ruptured disc, cervical fusion or cervical laminectomy/discectomy. Each of these things should not be ignored and treated by a local physician and physical therapist.

Treatment and How a Physical Therapist Can Help

As a neck pain sufferer, it is best to self-care in addition to what your doctor has told you for treatment. Make sure you always maintain good posture, avoid activities that lead you to lean your neck to one side for long periods of time and take an anti-inflammatory medication. Applying heat or cold to your injury can also help, and varies from person to person. You can test out on your own to see what helps or work with your doctor or a physical therapist to see which of the two is better for you. Last, working with a physical therapist can help. Learn more about physical therapy treatments for neck pain from your premier physical therapist in Nebraska.

If you live with chronic neck pain, or have recently sustained an injury that has led to neck pain, help is available. When it comes to any of your neck pain issues, North Platte Physical Therapy is your local therapy group. With over 22 offices, you are sure to find one near you to help you overcome your neck injury. We will support you with a customized plan to get you on your way to recovery. Don’t live with chronic neck pain any longer! To get started, contact North Platte Physical Therapy today and discuss with us your issues.

If you have good balance, it means you can walk in a straight line, stand up without stumbling, and bend over without falling to the ground. Unfortunately, many people are unable to do these activities because of balance issues. Anyone can suffer from balance problems, but senior citizens are at a much higher risk. If you have balance problems that are interfering with your life, it’s important to understand how Casper physical therapy can help.

Prevention Strategies
What shoes do you wear on a regular basis? Do you have loose rugs in your home? A physical therapist can assess these different areas of your life to determine if any steps need to be taken to reduce your fall risk. For example, a physical therapist may recommend you buy a pair of slip-resistant shoes and secure all rugs that could trip you. Learn more about the causes, risk factors, and prevention of falls.

Build Confidence
If you’ve ever fallen before and seriously injured yourself, you may live in a constant state of fear that it’s going to happen again. No one should have live to like this. A physical therapist can help you build confidence in your ability to stay balanced so you can face your fears and move on with your life.

Build Strength
If you are concerned about your balance, a physical therapist will most likely recommend that you build strength in your core. Experienced therapists can show you low impact exercises that target your core and build strength that will help you improve your overall balance.

Balance Exercises
There are two types of balance: static, which occurs when you are either sitting or standing still, and dynamic, which occurs when you are in motion. A physical therapist will determine which type of balance you need to improve, and then customize a treatment plan based on your individual needs. The treatment plan will include exercises that are designed to improve static, dynamic, or both types of balance. As you move through each exercise, your physical therapist will stand by and adjust your body as needed or provide pointers on how you can get more out of each move.

Correct Posture
Not only can poor posture lead to long-term pain, but it can also throw your body off and cause balance problems. Luckily, a physical therapist will be able to closely examine your posture while sitting, lying, and standing to determine if any adjustments need to be made. You may only need a few tweaks to see a huge improvement in your ability to balance.

At North Platte Physical Therapy, we’re dedicated to helping clients get back on their feet. But accidents happen, so if you do lose your balance and suffer an injury during a fall, contact North Platte Physical Therapy to learn more about how we can help you recover. Our staff is praised throughout the Wyoming and Nebraska areas for our commitment to our clients. We can fulfill comprehensive physical therapy services, and would be happy to customize a treatment plan for your personal needs.

If you’re an active person, you’ve probably heard that you need to stretch and warm up before a workout, but do you know why? Many people assume that stretching and warming up are the same, but according to a physical therapist in Wyoming, they’re actually quite different. Here’s what you need to know about both of these activities:

Stretching

Stretching on a regular basis can help improve your flexibility and increase your range of motion. Additionally, stretching can relieve tension that you may be holding in your muscles and make you feel less stressed out. It can also help you keep your muscles loose so you don’t feel any aches or pains after a tough workout. If you are experiencing pain related to bad posture, stretching can also help you realign your body so you can correct your posture problems and prevent future pain.

The American College of Sports Medicine recommends that you stretch at least two times per week, and even more if you are elderly or exercising on a daily basis. It is best to think of stretching as something that should be part of your everyday life instead of limiting it to only before and after workouts. Learn how to stretch here.

Warming Up

Although many athletes often say they injured themselves because they forgot to stretch prior to a workout, they could be mistaken. Many injuries are actually caused by not properly warming up. What is warming up? Before engaging in any type of physical activity, you should get your body ready by starting off slow to gently engage each group of muscles and prepare them for a more strenuous workout. When you warm up, your heart rate starts to increase, which means your muscles will receive more nutrients and oxygen. Warming up also increases your body temperature, which leads to your muscles becoming more pliable, and thus lowering the risk of injury.

Although stretching and warming up both increase the flexibility of your muscles, warming up goes one step further by getting your whole body prepared for the workout. So, the next time you plan on working out, start off with low intensity cardio by speed walking or going for a slow jog. It’s best to warm up for about 10-15 minutes so your heart rate and temperature have enough time to increase and get your body ready for the work ahead. Getting into the habit of warming up before you exercise can keep you healthy and injury-free!

At North Platte Physical Therapy, we’re dedicated to helping clients prevent injuries as they enjoy their favorite physical activities. But accidents happen, so if you do injure yourself while exercising or because of an accident, contact North Platte Physical Therapy to learn more about how we can help you recover. Our staff is praised throughout the Wyoming, and Nebraska areas for our commitment to our clients. We can fulfill comprehensive physical therapy services, and would be happy to customize a treatment plan for your personal needs.

When you think of physical therapy, images of older or injured adults recovering from surgery probably come to mind. However, physical therapy is not just for those who are aging or injured. In fact, special needs children such as those with autism can greatly benefit from regular physical therapy in Cheyenne WY. Here’s how:

Imitation Skills

Children who have autism often do not develop imitation skills on their own. What are imitation skills? When children are young, they often imitate what they see people around them doing. These skills will eventually help children socialize and learn to speak, so they are crucial to a child’s development. If your child has not mastered his imitation skills, a physical therapist can help. For example, trained physical therapists can use fun songs such as “Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes” to help children learn how to mimic movements. Learn more about imitation skills.

Motor Skills

Children with autism typically have limited motor skills, which makes it difficult for them to navigate through their daily lives. A physical therapist can work one-on-one with affected children to help them improve their balance and develop the muscle strength they need to perform daily activities. After attending regular physical therapy sessions, children with autism may see improvements in their ability to sit upright, walk, run, and jump without assistance.

Physical therapists can also help children learn how to use these motor skills to play on their own or with others. For example, therapists can work with kids to help them understand how to climb on a playground or kick a ball in a game of soccer. They can also help them improve their motor planning skills. For instance, kids with autism may be able to climb into a swing, but they still might not be able to figure out how to pump their legs to get the swing to move. In this case, a physical therapist can focus on motor planning to fine tune these skills, which will help the child become more socialized as he learns how to play with others.

Posture

If you’ve ever seen a physical therapist after an injury, you know the importance of good posture. Practicing good posture can prevent painful injuries caused by slouching your shoulders or hunching your back. Unfortunately, children with autism often suffer from generalized joint hypermobility (GJH), which can cause weak muscles, and therefore bad posture. A physical therapist can help by correcting any misalignments that are often found in the postures of children with autism and teaching them the importance of sitting up straight to elongate their spines.

At North Platte Physical Therapy, we’re dedicated to helping clients of all ages and abilities. If you’re curious about physical therapy, contact North Platte Physical Therapy to learn more about how we can help you and your children live healthier lives. Our staff is praised throughout the Wyoming and Nebraska areas for our commitment to our clients. We can fulfill comprehensive physical therapy services, and would be happy to customize a treatment plan for your personal needs.