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Osteoporosis: a disease where the bones lose tissue and become brittle and fragile. In fact, according to the International Osteoporosis Foundation, 8.9 million fractures occur each year due to an osteoporotic fracture, or every three seconds. If you think you might be experiencing Osteoporosis, or you know you are, take a look at our guide. There are some physical therapy techniques that you can use to help with your recovery.

Warning Signs

Early symptoms of osteoporosis have little to no obvious symptoms. Some of the most common symptoms?

• Back pain
• Loss of height
• Stooped posture or frequent bone fracture

That’s by no means an exhaustive list of symptoms, but they tend to be the most common. Please do not self-diagnose yourself. It’s always important to go get looked at by a physical therapist or primary care physician. 

Women who have experienced menopause or those with Vitamin-D deficiencies are at higher risk to get osteoporosis, but just because you do not fall into either of those factors does not mean you are not at risk. It is definitely something to discuss with your doctor. If you experience any of the signs above, or pain or spine curvature, bring this up to your doctor.

Prevention

While you can not present osteoporosis 100% - one of the best ways you can “prevent” is to get diagnosed early. Be sure to be screened regularly, starting at 65. Healthy habits can also help to lessen your risk for osteoporosis. Exercising at least 30 minutes of day (including strength training) can help to strengthen your body. Of course a healthy diet is going to be essential in this as well - including plenty of calcium! Calcium is found in many vegetables and soy products. Last, you can talk to your doctor about your Vitamin-D intake.

Physical Therapy

Upon receiving an osteoporosis diagnosis, physical therapy can help you with a treatment plan to prevent further bone breakage, and recovery from a fracture. It is also a great preventative method, in addition to the methods listed above. Physical therapy will have exercises to help you build bone strength in various weight-bearing activities from walking to weight lifting. Your physical therapist will provide you with a routine that is the best for you-- one which you can work on in the office, and at home as well. This will help reduce your risk for future bone fractures.  

North Platte Physical Therapy is your go-to premier physical therapy group in rural Wyoming and western Nebraska with a variety of services, including assistance with osteoporosis management. Whether you are dealing with the affects of osteoporosis or want to take preventative action, you can count on our local offices to help you get strong. Learn more about osteoporosis and methods and procedures, and then fill out a contact form to get started.

Getting enough exercise isn’t just good for your health. It’s also the best way to prevent injuries and keep your body functioning at peak performance levels for years. Unfortunately, there’s a right way to exercise and a wrong way to get your sweat on. If you’re not careful, you could end up making mistakes when exercising that will leave you working with a Wyoming physical therapy team for months just to get back to normal. Here are a few key mistakes you’ll need to avoid with your exercise routine.

Not Stretching Before AND After

Stiff muscles can make working out painful at best and lead to injuries at worst. By stretching both before and after your workouts, you’ll keep your muscles loose and better able to move through their full range of motion. That flexibility can make all the difference in keeping you limber and reducing your risk of injuries as you work out.

Following the Same Routine Every Day

When you find a routine you love, it’s easy to get into a rut. Unfortunately, following that same routine over and over is a great way to overdevelop certain muscles and neglect others. This makes your body unbalanced and increases the likelihood of muscle strain in the underdeveloped muscles. By changing your routine up and working out different muscle groups throughout the week, you’ll help your body stay balanced and healthy.

Focusing Only on Cardio

Everyone seems to focus on cardio and cardio alone. After all, it’s what helps you burn calories and reach your ideal weight. But doing so can make the rest of your body more prone to injury and muscle strain. Worse, it can cause your weight loss to plateau. Instead of focusing solely on cardio, start incorporating some strength training elements into your workouts. You don’t even have to lift weights. Just running through some bodyweight exercises is enough to build functional strength without building bulk. Those muscles you build can also help your body burn more calories and decrease fat stores, making it easier for you to maintain your ideal weight in the long run.

Pushing Yourself Too Hard, Too Fast

New workout goals often come with the temptation to push yourself as hard as you can, as quickly as you can. But pushing yourself as hard as possible too fast can lead to serious muscle strain and you’ll need weeks to recover if you want to work out without pain. Instead of going all out on your workouts, take things a bit slower. Ease into routines and build your stamina and strength over time. Then, once you’ve built up to it, you can start pushing yourself harder. 

Avoid Making These Mistakes at All Costs

No matter what your goals are, make sure you avoid making these mistakes when you start exercising. As long as you stretch, change up your routine, and give yourself permission to rest when you need to, you’ll be able to reach your goals and get fit quickly. If you start to feel a twinge that won’t go away, schedule a consultation with the physical therapy team at North Platte as soon as possible. 

Seeking treatment from a physical therapist can appear intimidating at first. Any time you enter a medical office for the first time, you may have a variety of questions and concerns regarding what to expect from your experience. While anything that is new can initially seem like a scary process, this does not need to be the case, specifically if you are seeking services from your physical therapist in Cheyenne. If you are in the process of finding a new physical therapist, you will want to have the right questions in mind before you go in for your first appointment. With that in mind, here’s why seeing a physical therapist in Cheyenne can be incredibly proactive for your health. 

A Cheyenne Physical Therapist Can Improve Your Health and Prevent Injury

Many people think of physical therapists as only being able to treat injuries or other ailments after they occur. Rehab is often a major component of physical therapy, but it is not the only thing that a qualified Cheyenne physical therapist can provide to their clients. If you’re wanting to improve your physical health and reduce the chances that you will struggle with an injury down the road, especially if you engage in high-intensity physical activities, you should consider seeing a physical therapist. A PT will be able to provide you with the relevant exercises and stretches that can help you prevent suffering any serious injury, especially if you are an athlete or are thinking about ways you can be proactive with your health.

A Physical Therapist Can Help You With Minor Injuries As Well As Serious Ones

If you are struggling with a chronic issue that requires intervention, you should seriously consider contacting your local Cheyenne physical therapist who can help you improve this situation. Instead of simply resting on your laurels and letting the problem get worse, seeing a physical therapist can help you return to your ideal physical health. You shouldn’t let a problem get to the point where it will require much more serious intervention. Many people assume a physical therapist is only good for serious injuries, but the truth is a PT can also help you deal with minor or nagging injuries as well. 

If you are in need of physical therapy, or have questions about what physical therapy consists of, contact North Platte physical therapy today and we will be happy to assist you with your first steps towards recovery. We offer our clients the best possible care and service and we are committed to helping all of our clients reach their individual treatment goals. If you are recovering from an injury or need to work on improving your overall health, we are happy to help assist you in this process. You shouldn’t have to suffer unnecessarily in your recovery from a serious injury or surgery and we want to help you get back to where you deserve to be. 

After a particularly grueling workout, you can expect one thing once the endorphins wear off: sore muscles. Those sore muscles can make being active the next day far less appealing. If you’re like most people, you’re probably tempted to soak off that soreness in a hot tub. After all, even serious athletes soak away the tension, right? But is soaking in a hot tub after an intense workout really in your best interest and can it help you speed up your recovery when used in conjunction with your physical therapy treatment? Here’s what you need to know.

Soaking Is Good for Your Muscles
The rumors are true. Soaking in a hot tub can help you reduce soreness and speed up your recovery from a particularly challenging training session. But you need to use the hot tub in the right way to see the results you’re looking for. 

Cool Down Before You Get In
The best way to use a hot tub as a recovery tool is to cool down after your workout completely. This means you shouldn’t ever hop right in as soon as you’re done with your training session. Instead, wait until your core body temperature is closer to normal and your heart rate is slower. 

Most athletes need to cool down for at least 10 minutes before they’re ready to soak. As a general rule, if you still feel hot and are still trying to catch your breath, you’re not ready to soak. Wait until you’re cooler and then hop in the hot tub.

Keep a Water Bottle Handy

Any exercise and recovery routine that makes you sweat puts you at risk of getting dehydrated. You need to replenish after you’re done exercising, but you can’t stop hydrating just because you’re soaking. You need to keep a water bottle handy while you’re in the hot tub. Sip on water the entire time and continue to do so once you’re done soaking. This will give your body the tools it needs to recover faster.

Don’t Forget to Stretch Afterward

Soaking is great but it’s not the only thing you need to do to recover after a tough workout. You still need to stretch out your major muscle groups. But do this after you soak for best results. The heat from the hot tub will loosen your muscles and make them more flexible so you can get deeper stretches and a more complete range of motion with each movement. 

If you’ve been going through a physical therapy treatment, this is the perfect time to run through some of those stretches and exercises your therapist recommends. You’ll get more out of them in the long run.

Soaking Is a Useful Tool

Soaking in a hot tub is a useful tool that you can and should use when you’re trying to recover after a tough workout. Just make sure you’re using it the right way and stay hydrated while you’re in the hot water. That said, using a hot tub is not a substitute for physical therapy. If you’re dealing with an ongoing injury, contact our team to schedule a consultation today. 

Meditation has a reputation for being a strange new practice that’s taking the world by storm. But the truth is that people have been meditating for millennia. And for good reason: it helps your body and your mind become stronger. Believe it or not, incorporating meditation into your injury recovery process can actually make your physical therapy treatment more effective. Here’s how it can help.

It Helps Reduce Pain and Discomfort

Stiffness is one of the biggest causes of discomfort and pain when you’re recovering from an injury. And not all of that stiffness will result from the injury itself. Instead, a lot of it comes from the tension you pick up and carry with you during the day. The tighter your muscles are, the harder it is for your body to recover from your injury. 

Meditating can help alleviate some of that tension by taking your focus off of your worries. This, in turn, helps your muscles relax. When they’re loose and relaxed, you’ll feel less pain and discomfort as you move throughout the day. Over time, that lower amount of pain can make it easier for you to run through the exercises your physical therapy team asks you to do between sessions.

Meditation Alleviates Stress

When you’re hurting and not able to do the things that make you happy, it’s normal to feel stressed. That stress can have a negative impact on your body’s ability to recover from injuries quickly. It suppresses your immune system and makes you more vulnerable to viruses and germs. When you get sick, your body has to divert its resources to help you recover from the illness, taking away from its ability to heal your injury quickly.

By meditating, you’ll reduce your stress levels significantly. That, in turn, boosts your immune system and allows your body to focus on healing your injuries as fast as possible. That will make your physical therapy more effective.

It Can Help You Sleep Better

Sleep is essential for recovering quickly from injuries. It’s the time when your body can relax and focus on healing rapidly. If your sleep schedule isn’t normal or consistent, it can be hard for your body to get the rest it needs to recover quickly.

Meditation can actually help your body restore its natural sleep rhythms. It does this by reducing feelings of stress and anxiety. This gives you the quiet mind you need to fall asleep and stay asleep each night. 

Meditating Is a Great Supplement to Physical Therapy

Incorporating meditation into your physical therapy routine can make the exercises more effective each day. But starting meditation can seem overwhelming if you’re new to the practice. Take it slow. Start by focusing on your breathing for a minute at a time. Sit in a comfortable position, close your eyes, and focus on each breath you take. As you get used to meditating, you can try different free guided meditations to make the stress relief even more pronounced.

Keep in mind that meditation is never a substitute for physical therapy. If you’re dealing with an injury that you can’t seem to recover from, contact us to schedule a consultation.