Latest News and Information

If you have an office job and a long commute on your way to it every morning, you know firsthand how much time you spend sitting down during the day. Unfortunately for office workers, sitting for prolonged periods on a daily basis is linked to a number of different serious health issues, including heart disease, diabetes, and obesity. Sitting can also cause weaker muscles and back pain, which puts you at a greater risk of injuring yourself. How can you combat the “sitting disease” without giving up your career? Here are some tips from the Casper physical therapy experts at North Platte Physical Therapy:

Stand during phone calls.

If you spend a lot of your day sitting on conference calls with clients and co-workers, use this time to stand up at your desk. This is a great way to break the cycle of sitting for eight hours straight per day without impacting the amount of work you’re able to get done. Plus, standing helps you improve your posture and tone muscles that gradually become weaker during periods of excessive sitting.

Go for a lap.

Do you have any meetings scheduled with one other person? If so, ask that other person if they would like to skip the conference room and go on a walk instead. This may seem like a crazy idea, but walking can actually improve your ability to think creatively, so it could lead to major breakthroughs in the office. Learn more about how walking helps us think.

Think NEAT.

Because sitting poses such a danger to our spines and strength, it’s important to think NEAT, which stands for non-exercise activity thermogenesis. Dedicate about 10 minutes per hour to your NEAT exercises, which should include stretching, bending and twisting your body around while standing by your desk. This helps you stretch out all of the muscles that remain in the contracted, tense position while you work at your desk. Standing up and moving around can also help engage muscles that are not used in the sitting position, which prevents them from weakening over time.

Drink more water.

Staying hydrated is great for your hair, skin, and overall health, but it can also help you combat the sitting disease at work. The more water you drink, the more you will have to use the restroom, which will force you to get away from your desk and walk for a few minutes. Keep a refillable water bottle at your desk and fill it up at a water fountain every time you use the restroom to motivate yourself to get up and moving throughout the day. Contact North Platte Physical Therapy to learn more about the sitting disease and the effect it can have on your body. 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 that can help you go to your job everyday without developing the dreaded sitting disease.

Tennis Elbow is a painful and debilitating condition that can impair your ability to use your affected arm, hold objects, or perform daily tasks. However, many orthopedic physical therapy treatments can help you quickly and effectively rehabilitate from the condition. If you are experiencing pain or loss of functioning in your arm, you should learn about tennis elbow and the many treatments that premier Wyoming physical therapists can provide.

• Symptoms

North Platte Physical Therapy services can treat the symptoms of tennis elbow. Despite the name, most patients do not incur the condition while playing tennis. Tennis elbow refers to elbow pain that is caused by an injury to the muscles and tendons that connect the forearm to the elbow. The technical name of the condition is lateral epicondylitis, for the injured forearm muscles connect to the lateral epicondyle bone in the elbow. Because you must use your elbow to grip, lift or carry objects, many factors can cause tennis elbow. You can incur the condition by placing excessive strain on your forearm, awkwardly twisting your hands and wrists, or overusing your elbow while performing normal daily functions or intense athletic events. Certain symptoms can indicate that you are suffering from tennis elbow. Common symptoms include an aching pain on the outside of your elbow, a loss of functioning in the affected arm, and an inability to stabilize your wrist to hold even small objects.

• Rest Treatments

Rest treatments can help treat tennis elbow conditions. Top Wyoming physical therapists can utilize alternating heat and cold treatments to reduce the inflammation and relieve the pain. The therapy experts can also apply elastic bandages to facilitate proper elbow rest. These bandages can provide additional support to your elbow, alleviate the pressure from the injured muscles, and protect your arm from experiencing any strain that could exasperate the injury or hinder the rehabilitation process.  

• Modalities

Physical therapy services can also use innovative physical therapy modalities to help you recover from tennis elbow. Manual therapy and massage treatments can reduce the pain and pressure from the injured arm. However, technological devices can also accelerate the recovery process by generating and circulating beneficial electrical currents throughout your body. Common modalities used to treat tennis elbow include ultrasounds, Tens Units, Graston Techniques, and electrical stimulation devices.  

• Exercises

You can't always Save Yourself From Tennis Elbow which is why physical therapy specialists can also design many exercise programs to help you recover from tennis elbow. The best Wyoming physical therapists can develop customized exercise routines that are most conducive for your body and that would most effectively treat your condition. Physical therapy exercises for tennis elbow often involve stretching routines for your wrist, forearm, and shoulder areas. The stretching can increase the range-of-motion and flexibility of your arm to help you recover from the injury and to prevent similar injuries from recurring. The exercise routines also typically involve strength exercises for the muscles around your elbow. These exercises can strengthen your affected arm, restore the proper functioning of your elbow, and allow you to stabilize your muscles and perform daily tasks. Additionally, the therapists can also show you exercises that you can perform at home to further assist the rehabilitation process.

Contact North Platte Physical Therapy to treat your tennis elbow condition. Our expert staff is revered for providing superior physical therapy treatments throughout the Wyoming and Nebraska areas. We can fulfill comprehensive physical therapy services, we have access to the best treatment techniques available, and we would be happy to customize a treatment plan that can help you overcome the symptoms of tennis elbow and maximize the functioning of your arm.

One of the biggest health challenges facing the US today is childhood obesity. Obesity in kids puts them at risk to early development of health problems such as diabetes, heart disease, as well as joint problems. It also increases stress on ligaments and joint support systems limiting mobility and sometimes causing pain. Wyoming’s premier physical therapists at North Platte Physical Therapy pediatric department can not only help your child to get to a more healthy weight but also teach them skills that will help them maintain optimum weight and good healthy habits throughout their lives to lessen the danger that overweight kids will become overweight adults.

According to the Center for Disease Control, the childhood obesity facts are cause for alarm. In the past 30 years pediatric obesity has doubled in kids and quadrupled in adolescents. Currently more than one third of our youth can be classified as overweight or obese, which means they have a Body Mass Index (BMI) that is at or above the 95th percentile for kids the same age.

The health risks for overweight kids are many. They include cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, and diabetes or pre-diabetes. If obesity continues, young adults are also at greater risk for all of the above in addition to stroke and arthritis. Obesity is also associated with increased risk of certain cancers including breast, kidney, colon, pancreas, ovary, thyroid, prostate, and Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Kids can also suffer from emotional issues such as stigmatization and low self-esteem.

The good news is that physical therapy can be extremely effective. Physical therapists will start by assessing each child’s weight gain and root causes. The child may have a genetic condition predisposing them to obesity or it may have more to do with activity level or eating habits. The road to wellness will begin with education for both children and their parents. Specific lifestyle changes will be targeted and fully explained. The first goal will likely be to increase cardio vascular exercise and reduce sedentary time in front of the computer or television. An exercise program will be designed based upon the child’s interests to make it fun for them as well. Challenging but attainable goals will be set providing kids with a much needed self-esteem boost when accomplished.

As the cardio workouts begin to help the patient shed weight, strength and flexibility conditioning will also be instituted. Kids that are overweight as their bones are growing are developing can be at risk for a variety of conditions including Blount's disease. Excess weight on the tibia causes the leg to rotate inward and develop improperly. This condition cannot be reversed so it is important to tackle their weight problem as soon as possible. Weight training will strengthen muscles that support joints reducing the risk of injury and damage. Core strengthening will also improve posture reducing the strain on the spine and back muscles.

To find out more about North Platte Physical Therapy pediatric treatment plans, including childhood obesity and diabetes, fill out our contact form. After the holiday’s are over, it’s a perfect time of year to adopt a new and healthy lifestyle. Start today!

1. Mindset: Getting you mind in the right place to being a weight loss journey is the best way to get started. It may be one of the most important things you do. Many people are overwhelmed and think they must drastically cut calories and have intense workouts, when in fact, if you aren’t eating enough for your body, it could lead the weight to stay. When beginning your weight loss journey, start small. Determine small changes you can make and work on them, even if it is just one thing at a time. Maybe you are a heavy soda drinker and you make the transition to diet soda or water. Or perhaps you make the effort to walk each day for 30 minutes. When you try to overwhelm yourself and do too much at once out of your comfort zone, you increase your chances of giving up and gaining more weight back.
2. Nutritional Counseling: One of the great things about working with a local physical therapist on your weight loss journey is personalized nutritional counseling. They will help you change your habits and create plans that will work for your lifestyle. These healthier food choices will take in consideration your medical history, exercise levels and all other lifestyle habits. This will help you to stay on track and have the accountability and support you need.
3. Physical Therapy: Incorporating physical therapy into your weight loss routine will help you define what your physical abilities are and will help you get to where you want to be. After taking into consideration your BMI (body mass index) and your measurements, your physical therapist can help you find the exercise that you can handle. Joint pain, current exercise, medical history and any ailments will be taken into consideration. From there, you will have help in a variety of ways from being on a cardiovascular or strength training program, to learning proper conditioning and stretching techniques to strengthen the quality of your muscles. Pool therapy is another technique used in physical therapy that is much easier and less impactful on your joints and can be a successful way to help you lose weight. This method is great as it puts less stress on your body and also may help reduce swelling to encourage muscle strengthening.

If you are ready to see how a physical therapist in Cheyenne, WY can help you, North Platte Physical Therapy can help! We are your go-to premier physical therapy solution with a variety of options to help you lose weight. Learn more about our obesity and weight management solutions and fill out a contact form to get your weight loss journey started!   

For those experiencing muscle pain, local Casper physical therapy can definitely help you reduce or eliminate your muscular pains through dry needling. Not to be confused with acupuncture, this method goes deep within your muscle’s tissue to eliminate any knots.

1. What is dry needling? Dry needling is a great treatment for those who have experience acute or chronic pain, sports or other injuries or would just like to participate in a prevention method to prevent injuries. This therapy, also known as “trigger point dry needling” or “functional dry needling,” will have a physical therapist use a tiny monofilament needle to treat those small trigger point ailments. The trigger points are basically hard knots in a muscle. The Journal of Orthopedic and Sports Therapy says many use this method in their arms or neck. The needles are gently pushed through one’s skin directly into the knot and they explain studies have shown this decreases pain and improves function.
2. How treatment relates to Myofascial pain syndrome: Dry needling is one of the top treatments for those suffering from myofascial pain syndrome. People are affected by this after one of their muscles continuously contracts. The Mayo Clinic explains this is different from your average muscle pain because it persists and worsens over time. The pain is typically a deep ache and you can notice a knot in the muscle (which is where dry needling comes in).  
3. Does it hurt? Some people feel the needles going in and the goal is to create a twitch in the muscle that some find similar to an ache or cramp. Some people that use dry needling are sore soon after treatment in the areas they received treatment in for one or two days at most. Many that have experienced this treatment explain it can be painful and feel the effects for a few hours, but all very worth it as it relieves them of their symptoms. Ice or heat can be best to reduce soreness and bring back the quality muscle you are used to, pain-free.
4. What makes it different than acupuncture? The Colorado Springs Independent explains it well: Acupuncture is like snorkeling and dry needling is like deep sea diving. When one gets acupuncture, there is a needle settling just under the skin’s surface, they said. For dry needling, the needles go deeper and into the muscle. So for many, while it may be temporarily painful, it has been their go-to solution.
5. Preparing for your appointment: If you decide to try dry needling to help resolve your trigger points, Every Day Health has a few great tips. First, take a dose of Tylenol or ibuprofen soon before your appointment to help prevent you from clenching your muscles and overall try to keep your muscles relaxed. Next, make sure you are dressed so you can easily move clothes around for your physical therapist to handle you’re the procedure. After treatment is over, follow their instructions and last, the more treatments you do, let your physical therapist know you think you might be overdoing it.

Do you think you are ready to try dry needling to solve your muscle pain? North Platte Physical Therapy specializes in dry needling and can help you decide if it is a good solution for you to try. Learn more about our premier physical therapy Casper, WY dry needling services and fill out a contact form to get started.