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Thousands of Americans are injured every year with a spinal cord injury. Unfortunately, this can be caused by a number of different reasons - whether it be from a medical condition or from a severe accident. Perhaps you’ve sustained a spinal injury through sports? No matter how cautious you can be, unfortunately it can still happen to you. When a person damages their spinal cord, there are a multitude of effects it can have. These injuries can result in a loss in function, mobility and feeling. The nerves exit and enter at each level and they communicate with different areas of the body. Being that the spinal cord carries nerve impulses from the brain to the rest of the body, when damaged, you can see how it can greatly change someone’s life.

Spinal cord injuries are categorized into “complete” and “incomplete.”  The U.S. National Library of Medicine explains that a “complete” spinal cord injury means your spinal cord is unable to send signals to anything below it usually resulting in paralysis. You may have total paralysis, known as tetraplegia, or partial paralysis called paraplegia, which usually affects the lower part of the body. For those diagnosed with an “incomplete” injury, there is still some movement and sensation below leaving those with the ability to be able to move and function. Those with “incomplete” injuries are able to use various therapies, medicines, braces and other devices to rehabilitate. While you may not have a full recovery, there are aids and devices to help you live as comfortably as possible.

Upon experiencing a potential spinal cord injury, there are several emergency signs and symptoms to take note of. If you experience any of these symptoms or are worried you have a spinal cord injury, it is best to contact your doctor immediately. The first is extreme back pain and pressure in your neck, head or back. Next, if you notice weakness or numbness in certain parts of you body, which could be a sign. You may also have loss of bladder or bowel control and have issues balancing and walking. Last, you may notice that you struggle with your breathing or have an injury that leaves your neck or back in an odd position.  

If you find that you are a victim of a spinal cord injury, North Platte Physical Therapy is your local premier Casper physical therapy go-to to help you increase the quality of your life post-injury. We can work with peripheral nerve stimulation, bio feed-back and brushing/sensory integration techniques by transfer training, ambulation training, stretching, strengthening, balance and neuro-muscular re-education. Our top goals are to help you eradicate pain, increase function, instruct self-management and educate you on the biomechanics. Learn more about spinal injuries and other neurological services and fill out a contact sheet for more information.
 

Your first physical therapy appointment is quickly approaching - and you may be wondering...what does this mean? What should you bring? Who will you see. What paperwork will be involved? If you have never been to our offices or to any physical therapy, you might be curious about what to expect. Here at North Platte Physical Therapy, we want all your experiences at our clinics to be easy, straight-forward, and comfortable. 
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For your appointment, wear comfortable clothing that will allow the physical therapist access to the body part for which you are being seen. We suggest that you arrive 10 – 15 minutes before the start of your first scheduled appointment to complete the registration process. When you arrive, we will take your filled-out paperwork, any diagnostic reports, and get a copy of your insurance card and driver’s license. After that, the first part of your initial evaluation involves an interview, where you will meet with your therapist to discuss your medical history, the story of what brings you into therapy.

Be prepared to answer questions such as:

• What types of symptoms are you experiencing?
• How long have you been experiencing these symptoms?
• What aggravates and eases these symptoms?
• How did it start?

After your interview and evaluation, we will explain our assessment of your condition and your individual plan of care. After that, we will begin your treatment. And since you will only spend two to three hours a week receiving treatment with us, follow-through with your home exercise program will help you attain your goals much faster. After your appointment, please remember to check in with our receptionists on your way out. They will coordinate your follow-up treatments.

Thank you for choosing North Platte Physical Therapy. We suggest you browse through our common physical rehabilitation questions page, and check out our locations page for directions to the facility that is most convenient for you. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.
 

Unfortunately millions live everyday with chronic pain. Chances are your work with a physical therapist is reducing its effects but there may be certain things that you are doing that may actually be enhancing your pain. By avoiding these things you may be able to augment the effects of your therapy and lessening the effects of your chronic pain. As with anything, check with your doctor or physical therapist before making any dietary changes but making small changes in concert with the work of your Wyoming physical therapist may speed your journey to a pain free life.

How Physical Therapy Helps
The general goal of physical therapy is to target muscle areas where pain exists. When muscles are stronger they do a better job of supporting joints and improving mobility. Using resistance bands, weights, and low impact aerobic exercises will target weak areas and increase flexibility while lessening pain.

What to Avoid
Certain things can increase the pain itself or the effect of pain on your body and mind. Smoking is all around bad for you and it is known to increase chronic pain. When people are in pain, it causes stress and anxiety for which they sometimes turn to cigarettes as a coping mechanism. This only makes the problem worse, especially for those with back injuries as smoking contributes to spinal disc deterioration as well as osteoporosis. Tobacco use also makes users feel pain more acutely and increases sensations of discomfort. 

Stress can also enhance the body’s pain response as well as disrupting other systems such as sleep and cognitive functioning. Both of these are imperative to your healing process. Find productive ways to manage stress. Take up meditation or other mindful practices. Join a support group for others with chronic pain. Talking to someone who really understands what you are going through can be very helpful. If there’s a new hobby or skill you’ve been wanting to learn, now is the time. Finding a way to distract yourself is the best cure for pain as well as stress reduction.

Healthy Habits to Incorporate
The exercise that you do with your physical therapist is target specific and no doubt helping you with pain management. Speak to your therapist about other exercises that might be beneficial for you to do on your own that won’t risk re-injury or cause setbacks. Exercise naturally releases endorphins improving your mood overall while also blocking pain signals. Maintaining a healthy weight reduces joint stress aiding in flexibility and pain management.

Eating a healthy diet has a great many benefits and may also assist you in pain elimination. Foods that help with inflammation can be especially beneficial. Grill up some fatty fish such as tuna, salmon, sardines, or mackerel. The Omega-3 that they contain acts as a powerful anti-inflammatory. Green leafy vegetables boost antioxidants to speed healing and reduce inflammation as well. Berries such as strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries are a great source of ellagic acid which decreases inflammation and illuminates joint pain.

You will reap the benefits of adopting a healthy lifestyle long after your physical therapy has been completed. If you have questions about physical therapy as a treatment for chronic pain contact North Platte Physical Therapy Today!
 

While you are spending more and more time at home, you might have started to tackle some home improvement projects, including landscaping. In fact, there has never been a better time to start on your landscaping projects - including gardening! Many people turn to gardening to make their backyard a little more beautiful, while others enjoy it because of its proven ability to reduce stress and improve focus. But, gardening can also lead to a lot of aches and pains if you’re not careful about your posture and positioning. According to a physical therapist in Casper WY, you can avoid gardening pain by following these tips:

Stretching
Even though gardening is not a strenuous exercise, it does involve putting your body in uncomfortable positions, so it’s recommended that you stretch before and after the activity. Do gentle backbends and leg stretches to loosen the muscles in your lower body and prepare yourself for gardening.

Movement
Be mindful of how long you stay in one position so your body doesn’t begin to cramp or get sore. Set a timer on your phone or make it a point to adjust your position after every 10-15 minutes. Even if it’s a slight adjustment, it will help you prevent muscle stiffness, which will lead to aches and pains long after you have finished gardening.

Use Tools
Don’t try to carry heavy tools or bags of soil or mulch on your own—instead, use a wheelbarrow. But, you must operate the wheelbarrow properly in order to avoid aches and pains. Always keep your back straight when pushing a wheelbarrow, and if you have to strain to get the wheelbarrow to move, it’s too heavy for you. Take something out and try it again instead of putting yourself at risk of an injury.

Another easy tool to purchase? A gardening pad! Kneeling in the dirt can cause a great deal of discomfort. To avoid feeling this pain days later, buy a pair of knee pads designed for people who garden. This will put a cushion between your knees and the dirt, so you can sit comfortably and enjoy gardening.

At North Platte Physical Therapy, we’re dedicated to helping clients prevent injuries and live a pain-free life. But if you do injure yourself, 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
 

We all do it. We all say we are going to start a new habit, and most of the time never follow through. This is never more prevalent then when it comes to eating healthy/dieting, and losing weight. It often is never as simple as eating right and exercising, especially when your body adjusts to a certain weight or you have health issues that make it difficult to lose. The journey to live a healthier lifestyle is not one to go alone and you can definitely work your local Wyoming physical therapist to help.
 
Getting your mind in the right place to begin 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. 

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. 
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 Wyoming 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!