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  • Can Nutrition Make A BIG Difference for People with Parkinson's Disease...Part 3

    For readers of this series, you are drinking more water and planning your meals more like a caveman! Great! If you don't have the foggiest idea of what I'm talkinga bout, please check out parts 1 and 2 of this short series of blogs. Let me mix a few more topics into this blog...Free Radicals are these molecules that get screwed up in the body as a result in this case of eating certain foods like high glycemic foods like breads that are refined carbohydrates and sugars. They have an effect on your blood glucose and are more likely to generate free radicals which actually damage cells which are the building blocks of our healthy bodies. So, what do we do with Free Radicals...we send in Antioxidants to clean them up. The power of antioxidants to clean these cell damaging radicals out of your body is right in front of us when we walk into the grocery store. Things like dark grapes, blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, broccoli, nuts and even organic dark chocolate are full of these radical fighters that will save your cells in the same way that our beloved firefighters rush in to save a burning building. That's not a bad list either...some delicous foods on that list. How about inflammation in your body. It's actually a good thing...it's a reaction that sends little carpenters to fix any areas of your body that are damaged at the cellular level. We need inflammation to heal in acute circumstances. The problem is that when there is chronic inflammation that is present as a result of eating pro-inflammatory foods, the end result can be damage to the cells that may lead or contribute to worsening of chronic conditions like Parkinson's Disease. We want to avoid foods that contribute to inflammation such as refined carbohydrates such as bread, processed meat, white rice, sugar, soda, sports drinks to name a few. Eat more foods that are inflammation fighters such as green leafy vegetables, spinach, yellow peppers, quinoa, whole grain bread, oatmeal, fruites, tea, coffee and wine. It's just science people...it's not opinion...these are real food problems and they can have an impact on your symptoms with Parkinson's Disease. You have the power to determine if that impact if good or bad. Please take a look at our FREE Report on PD...information is so valuable when you are diagnosed with PD...get some of your questions answered. www.achievarehab.com/pdbook

  • 168 Hours Can Make ONE Weak!

    168 Hours Can Make One WEAK! Here Comes the Sun is one of my favorite Beatles tunes. George Harrison expresses optimism with both words and sound in that tune and the only reason I bring it up in this article is with hope that you’ll see the bright side of all the challenging things that are going on in the world right now. Be good to each other. The sun comes up every day. There are seven days in a week, although the Beatles may disagree with that number. And there are 168 hours within that seven day week. I’m bringing you a different way to think about what you do with your time over the course of those days. I have a simple concept and if you follow it, the 168 hours will NOT MAKE YOU WEAK. If you’ve read my past entries to this column, you will certainly know that I’m an advocate of eating right and exercising. For today, I’m going to simplify “exercise” by using the term “movement.” That is, if you are not an exerciser and have reservations about trying to fit “exercise” into your life, I simply want you to fit more “movement” into your life. My theory is that if you move more than you don’t move over the course of that 168 hours, you are much more likely to remain moving and moving without difficulty. It's just math to me. If you sleep about 6 to 8 hours per day, you are left with about 16 hours. When you are employed and working, you are likely to be moving regularly for 8 of those 16 hours. With retirement and aging, you find yourself with more time and less requirements during your days. The tendency is to use more of that time sitting, laying down, not moving your body. And when your body is not moving, science proves that you are more likely to have pain, weakness, balance problems and even overall health that suffers. You see, there is a direct relationship between how well someone can move with their overall health. In the end, if you move more, you are less likely to get sick and require medical care either by doctor visits or hospitalization or nursing home stays etc. So, in the interest of following the acronym Keep It Simple Stupid, KISS, I want you to move more because I know it will make you healthier, more mobile and happier. One of the easiest ways to do this for older folks is to get up and do something every hour. Take a long walk. Walk up your stairs one or two extra times. Stand up from your chair as many times as you can in a row. Other ideas would be to take up activities that either require more movement or that you can implement more movement into such as gardening, cooking. Nice weather will eventually get here…get outside and move. Stay inside and move. Move it or lose it! 168 hours in a week can make you strong! Use your time wisely. Be good to each other and Be safe!!

  • Statistics!! Or As They Say in Indiana…Satistics! Some Not-So-Fun Numbers About Falance and Fall Risk!

    If anyone remembers David Letterman, this was a joke that he used regularly to poke fun at his home state of Indiana whenever he would bring up statistics in his monologue. I recall it fondly whenever I hear that word. And now, I will bore you with statistics that may be very relevant and maybe even scary when it comes to your health and well-being. You’re welcome! One third of the population over age 65 falls each year. Falls are the leading cause of both non-fatal and fatal injuries among older adults. Every 19 minutes an older adult DIES from a fall. On the bright side, falling is NOT a NATURAL part of aging and YOU CAN IMPROVE YOUR BALANCE AT ANY AGE! Low back pain is the number one cause of disability in the world. About 80% of the population will experience back pain at some point in their lives. 39% of older people cannot participate in daily activities because of their back pain. Here is the good news: Back pain is NOT a NATURAL part of aging. And YOU CAN IMPROVE YOUR BACK PAIN AT ANY AGE. Obesity rates in the US are approaching 50% of the population for adults and near 20% for children. YES! Children! These are the highest rates ever documented. Waist size is now a predictor of life expectancy. That is right! The bigger your waist measurement, the greater your risk for premature death. I hope you are all aware of how this affects every single system in your body in a negative way. The good news is that gaining weight is NOT a NATURAL part of aging and YOU CAN IMPROVE YOUR WEIGHT AND HEALTH AS A RESULT AT ANY AGE. The common thread here is that these problems and a host of other physical problems that we may encounter as we get older are preventable but also fixable with exercise. Sorry…there is no magic pill, no late-night infomercial with a product that will change your life forever. It is hard work through exercise. Now, some of these issues require specialized knowledge so please make sure you seek that knowledge to get the best results. A physical therapist is a great place to start as they are exercise experts. But even general exercise to any degree, such as walking, is much better than nothing. It's medically proven that people who do regular physical activity have up to a 35% lower risk of coronary heart disease and stroke, up to a 50% lower risk of type 2 diabetes, up to a 50% lower risk of colon cancer, up to a 20% lower risk of breast cancer, a 30% lower risk of early death, up to an 83% lower risk of osteoarthritis, up to a 68% lower risk of hip fracture, a 30% lower risk of falls (among older adults), up to a 30% lower risk of depression, up to a 30% lower risk of dementia. What is next? Put down this paper, turn off your TV and get started. Not everyone exercises but everyone should! The greatest adventures start with one small step. Take that first step today toward a healthier you and make it contagious. Tell your friends and family and especially any young people in your lives…get moving so these statistics don’t apply to you!! Be well, be good, and do good!

  • Wow! I Never Heard of Achieva Rehabilitation!

    I never heard of Achieva Rehab's In-Home Physical Therapy Program. If I only had a dime for every time that phrase has met my ears, I'd have a lot of dimes. And usually the same folks that work with us after lacking awareness of our In-Home PT program also say that they are so glad that they found us because of the result that they got from our program. If I had a dime for every time I heard that, I'd have a pirate's booty! I'm trying my best to make people aware of what we do and how we do it and why we have overwhelming evidence and feedback that it's simply a better way to help people who are struggling to remain mobile and independent because of pain, weakness, falls, dizziness. So, I hope you will take time to read this and pass it along especially to older people in your lives so that more and more people will know about what we consider a hidden treasure. First, our program structure is exactly the same as any outpatient provider of physical therapy with SEVERAL HUGE DIFFERENCES. The first is that we see our patients in their homes and not a physical clinic. And secondly, because of that, we are able to see our patients one-on-one with no distractions and our complete focus for 60 minute visits. That's what the Achieva Rehab In-Home PT Program is. But, we go a little further...sort of like when you go out for dinner for your birthday and unexpectedly, the restaurant brings you a great big ice cream sundae for desSert...it's quite a great surprise bonus. So, the bonuses that you get with Achieva Rehab: As George Burns said "It's Just You and Me, Kid!" That's right...there are no other patients. There are no phone calls. There are no other therapists. There are no distractions. That allows us to focus 100% of our time on treating, training, and teaching our patients. 60 minutes of time is given completely to the patient. When compared to a traditional clinic with busy therapists and waiting rooms and distractions, that means we provide 2 to 3 times more than what a patient would be getting in a busy clinic. Speaking of waiting rooms...you don't have to get ready to go anywhere and you don't have to wait! We come to you and we get started as soon as we walk in the door! Speaking of busy clinics...you know why they are so busy? Because they have to pay for that clinic and pay for the equipment and funnel that money back to the corporation which guides their judgments....Achieva Rehab's owner is also a treating therapist and the financial bottom line is not the main concern. Speaking of equipment...why is it that people think they need equipment in order to improve their mobility and regain independence? Why do people need equipment to help them get stronger so that they can get out of a chair...let's work on getting out of a chair. Why do people think they need machines in order to do the steps better...let's work on the steps. Why do people think they need machines to improve their balance...heck, I could replicate any balance machine simply with a couch cushion! You don't need machines or equipment!! For anyone who might be skeptical as to what can be accomplished without machines, please see the dozens of reviews we have on our website or on Google or Facebook...those results had zero to do with machines and gym equipment and way more to do with the human spirit and ingenuity of great therapists!! 6. The Grandma Standard!!! Ahhhhh...Grandma (and Grandpa!!)...our Grandma Standard is our simple guiding principle for all that we do. Our decisions, treatment, education, time is given to all our patients as if you were our own grandmother! Simple...you just can't get that from other programs. There are great physical therapy programs out there and if you are affliated with one that works for you and your family, I couldn't be happier. You already know what our profession can do for you. I just want people to know Achieva Rehab's In-Home PT Program is an AMAZING choice for any older adult who is struggling with their independence or mobility. For anyone who is fearful that they may no longer be able to stay home alone or are afraid to go out into the community. Our website is full of information that can help you if you fall into that category and we are always here for you in Schuylkill, Luzerne, Carbon Counties. If you help us spread the word about this program, maybe we can help more people in more counties in PA! Fingers crossed! www.achievarehab.com Phone and Fax: 1-888-929-7677 Be well and do good!

  • The Life Story of Your Balance System....Can You Find Out Where You Are On The Timeline?

    The similarities between a wobbly toddler learning to walk and an older adult who has problems with their balance are striking. That young child falls quite a bit when they are learning to walk. But they eventually become successful and improve daily. The reverse is often true as we age into the “golden years.” Why does our strength and balance get worse when we get older? Hint…it has nothing to do with the number of years we’ve been on earth. Weakness and balance difficulties are not simply normal parts of getting older, despite what many people think. Why do we get weak and unsteady when we get older? One of the main reasons is that we stop moving the way we did when we were younger. You see, when the wobbly toddler stage is over, you embark on several decades of activity that move your body in many different directions and different speeds. The general result is that your balance system gets regular practice at keeping you steady with all different movements and body positions. Obviously, this occurs through youth and into early adulthood. But as our lives become more and more busy and more and more filled with responsibilities, we begin to neglect activities that replicate those same movements. Also, as years go by, we move not only less but mostly in a forward direction with walking. Of the 360 degrees in a circle around our body and really from a spherical or ball perspective (pretend you are in a large ball and all the different ways your body can move), when we get older, we generally just walk straight ahead. That drastically limits the movement practice that our body and brain need for us to have good balance. In addition, in general terms, as adults we sit more often than we did in our younger years. Sitting weakens your muscles to a great extent. Weak and slow muscles don't do a good job at fighting gravity. If lack of movement practice for your body and brain causes you to get weak and have a balance system that is not doing its job, then implementing regular movement would logically be the antidote. And that is why, once again, I will encourage you all to exercise. And do it consistently. If you don’t know what to do or need some specific training, a physical therapist is simply an amazing choice to help you on that journey. PTs are experts in human movement and should be a vital part of your healthcare team as an older adult. Wobble no more so that you can enjoy life safely for longer. Remember, it’s not the falling that is the problem. It’s hitting the ground that can be devastating. Finally, wobble is a really fun word to say, isn’t it? Be good and do good!!

  • Everyone with Back Pain wants to Move Forward. But! Moving Backward Might Work Better!

    The number of people who will develop back pain at some point in their lives that is debiliating is about 80%. When people begin with back pain or it is prolonged for months or in a lot of cases, years, they just want to move on, move forward and get rid of it. One of the biggest problems we see with people with back pain is that they move forward too much. You see..humans bend over in a forward direction over 3,000 times each day. That puts a great deal of stress on the structures of the spine in very small increments so often that the statistic above is no longer surprising. If you are one of the 4 out of 5 people with debilitating back pain, there are some things you can do. The secret to most of them is that we need to do them consistently and daily AND if it's not too late, we need to start thinking of preventing back pain by taking care of ourselves. All too often, we wait for something to go wrong before we try to address it...and that's the biggest flaw in healthcare today. Here are 3 things you can do on a daily basis to foster a healthy back. 1. Lean back (extend) instead of bend. Our spines need a steady balance of all the different movements that we have available but as noted above, things like brushing teeth, yard work, sitting slumped in a chair or car all involve bending in a forward direction. So, let's think about what makes logical sense. As long as it doesn't cause pain, stand with your hands places at your low back and lean backward comfortably. Hold it for ten seconds and repeat ten times. It may feel tense or tight and that is ok but we don't want it to be painful. Hopefully after a few days it will start to loosen up for you. If leaning backward causes your pain to get worse, you may be one of the few whose spine prefers bending forward, but consult with a specialist PT to assess you and educate and guide those decisions. 2. Always be aware of your posture. When you stand with good posture, you are supporting the natural curves in your spine which are there naturally. As you get older if you don't use your muscles to support good posture, eventually your spine will adapt and you may even get hunchbacked or another version of a postural abnormality. When you are sitting, try to keep a space between your low back and the chair. You can use a small towel roll to assist. When sitting or standing, keep your shoulder back so that you can feel the muscles between your shoulder blades working...they are your best postural muscles. Stand tall like you are resting a book on your head preparing to walk down the runway! 3. Stop sitting for long periods of time. This is my number one rule for everything. Gravity is never off and when you sit, you just invite gravity to pull your spine into a bent over flexed posture and your muscles, which support your skeletal system get weaker and weaker with every passing hour. We were designed to move. Get up and take a walk or do an exercise that feels good every 30 minutes. It's one of the easiest ways to keep your body engaged and fit and helps prevent forces on your spine that over the long run can be damaging. In the end, taking care of your body is just way more important than you think. We see people with back pain every day that just completely robs the joy from their existence. Prevention is easier than you think and way easier than dealing with a back problem when it starts or gets worse. For more FREE information, please consider downloading our FREE guide to sciatica and back paine here: Click HERE Be Well and Do Good!! www.achievarehab.com 1-888-929-7677 "With Our IN-HOME PHYSICAL THERAPY PROGRAM, We Help Older Adults Improve Balance, Strength, and Mobility So That They Can Enjoy A Safe and Active Life at Home and in the Community"

  • Parkinson's Disease...Fighting Back Works..Trust Us!

    Parkinson's Disease affects 1% of the population over the age of 60. That seems like not such a big deal. It may not be a big deal for the 99% but it's a huge deal for people suffering with the movement challenges and non-motor affects of PD. People with PD have difficulty initiating movement. That doesn't only mean starting a movement. It means changing a movement as well because a change in movement requires initiation of a new movement pattern. Think about every time you walk, how many directions you change without difficulty. Or think about walking through a doorway or changing from grass to concrete or flat to incline or carpet to stairs. All of these circumstances can wreak havoc on a person with PD. What happens is their feet get sticky...they actually feel as if they are stuck to the ground. It's called freezing and trying to power your way through it is even worse...and that's called festinating...the body above the feet keeps moving...and that's like trying to balance an ice cream cone on the point. What can you do if this happens as a person with PD? Well, first off, you must plan for it to happen. First, mentally stay about 10 to 20 feet ahead of you. Try to plan for that change of direction or the upcoming doorway or the narrowing of the walkway. When you do so, you can prepare yourself to use this little trick: Don't think of walking as moving one foot in front of the other. Think of it as moving one knee up in the air and alternating knees. See, when you have PD, you often think of your feet when your they get sticky and you try harder to move them forward only to make the stickiness worse. You have to put the mental power into the larger muscles from the knee up. When you think 10 to 20 feet ahead of you and prepare for what is coming and you tell yourself to "march" by lifting your knees through the next challenge, you are less likely to get sticky feet. More challenging is the starting of movement after being still for a long period of time such as getting up from bed. People with PD again have difficulty starting their movement first thing in the morning or when their bladder forces them to get out of bed in the middle of the night. And also the same thing applies to the daytime. If they sit for a while, they are going to be stiff and the legs will just not want to move...sort of like a car sitting out in the winter. Take some time to start and warm it up. Which is exactly what you have to do. If you are getting up from sleep, do what I call "wake up exercises" which are simply left and right alternating leg movements, either heel slides, or leg raises or scissors like snow angels, or rolling your entire body left and right. Do this for a few minutes and your engine will be more warmed up and suited to move the body. Those are just two of the challenges that people with PD experience on a daily basis. One of my passions is helping them learn how to deal with these as well as build a plan to fight every day against the relentless progressive disease of PD which is not unlike a heavyweight champion...always trying to put you down and keep you down. Fight back! Bonus tip: Music has a great positive effect on people with PD. It gives the brain a rhythm which is beneficial for walking. Try it out...put your favorite music on and move to the beat. Join the band and march on as you fight daily...I promise that you can battle this thing! We will be there with you...reach out and find out how our In-Home PT Program can help...kind of like a corner man in the ring! www.achievarehab.com

  • Fall Prevention Month is Every Month @ Achieva Rehab!

    In honor of Fall Prevention Month, I wanted to share this information with you hoping to reach as many people as possible on my personal and professional campaign to stop falling in the senior population and prevent unnecessary suffering and loss of quality of life. Disclaimer: It is not officially “Fall Prevention Month” but at Achieva Rehab, EVERY month is “Fall Prevention Month!” One out of every four older adults (65+) will suffer a fall each year. Every second of EVERY day, an older adult suffers a fall in the United States. In June of 2022, Congress actually started to take action and fund grants to support fall reduction causes across the United States. I’m sure that budget is far less than other department or foreign money allocations but it is something. I see older adults as treasures and they need education to really understand that they don’t have to just give up and live with feeling wobbly and scared that they will fall. They don’t have to live with being afraid to go outside or in the community with their family or friends to dinner or grocery shopping. Too many older adults have been told that poor balance is a natural part of aging. That is completely false…there is nothing natural about failing balance. Click HERE to watch my Balance and Falls Workshop for FREE! It's filled with education about your balance and what you can do about it. And YES! Balance can improve no matter how "old" you are!! Balance is quite complicated but there are generally some really simple reasons why older people have balance problems versus their younger counterparts. Since I believe heavily in education, I hope you will take a deeper look at all that we have to offer on our webpage that will help you understand more about balance problems. In the end, if we can reduce the number of falls each year by just 1%, we can stop 30,000 falls a year in older adults. If we can reduce the number of falls by just 10%, we can stop 300,000 of our dear older citizens from experiencing the pain and suffering and quality of life diminishment from a fall. Education is where that starts. The smartest people on earth can always get smarter. So, whether you are a person who is concerned about poor balance or you are a caregiver or family member of someone losing their balance or even a doctor who deals with older people, I invite you to learn why I think we can make a dent in those horrific numbers if we just started educating and working on exercises the minute there is a change in stability with increased fall risk. info@achievarehab.com www.achievarehab.com 1-888-929-7677 #inhomephysicaltherapy #physicaltherapyworks #balancephysicaltherapy #oneononephysicaltherapy

  • Fall Prevention...It's Worth Repeating!

    As we age, the risk of falling increases significantly. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), one in four older adults fall each year, and falls are the leading cause of injury and death among older adults. There are many factors that can contribute to the risk of falling as an older adult, including physical and medical conditions, medications, and environmental hazards. Some common physical and medical conditions that can increase the risk of falling include muscle weakness, poor balance and coordination, vision problems, and certain chronic conditions such as diabetes and arthritis. Medications can also contribute to the risk of falling, especially if they cause dizziness or impair balance and coordination. Environmental hazards, such as cluttered living spaces, slippery surfaces, and lack of handrails, can also increase the risk of falling. The consequences of falling as an older adult can be serious and potentially life-threatening. Falls can result in broken bones, head injuries, and other serious injuries, and can lead to hospitalization and long-term disability. In severe cases, falls can even be fatal. Falls are the leading cause of injury-related deaths among adults aged 65 and older. In fact, falls are responsible for over 95% of all hip fractures in this age group. The cost of falls among older adults is significant. According to the CDC, the total cost of fall injuries among older adults in the United States was $50 billion in 2015. This includes the cost of medical care, long-term care, and lost productivity due to disability. Older adults who have fallen once are at increased risk of falling again in the future. In fact, those who have fallen once are two to three times more likely to fall again compared to those who have not fallen. Falls are preventable. By taking steps to address physical and medical conditions and manage medications safely, and by making your living environment safer, you can significantly reduce your risk of falling. There are several physical factors that can increase the risk of falling in the human body. These include: Muscle weakness: As we age, we tend to lose muscle mass and strength, which can impair our ability to balance and maintain our posture. This can increase the risk of falls. Poor balance and coordination: Balance and coordination can be impaired by a variety of factors, including muscle weakness, vision problems, and certain medical conditions such as stroke, Parkinson's disease, and multiple sclerosis. Vision problems: Poor vision can make it more difficult to see hazards and navigate your environment, increasing the risk of falls. Chronic conditions: Certain chronic conditions, such as diabetes, arthritis, and heart disease, can increase the risk of falls by impairing balance, coordination, and mobility. Medications: Some medications, particularly those that cause dizziness or drowsiness, can impair balance and coordination and increase the risk of falls. Vestibular conditions, which are disorders of the inner ear and balance system, can increase the risk of falls in seniors. These conditions can cause dizziness, vertigo, and impaired balance and coordination, which can make it more difficult to navigate your environment and increase the risk of falls. Central nervous system conditions, such as stroke and Parkinson's disease, can also increase the risk of falls in seniors. These conditions can affect balance, coordination, and mobility, making it more difficult to maintain your posture and navigate your environment. To reduce the risk of falls in seniors with vestibular or central nervous system conditions, it is important to address any underlying medical issues and manage them effectively. Physical therapy and exercises to improve balance and coordination can also be helpful in reducing the risk of falls. In addition, it is important to make your living environment as safe as possible by removing tripping hazards and installing handrails and non-slip mats, if needed. The bottom line is that I will continue to repeat all of this super-important information over and over again for you to hopefully read so that you don't repeat a fall or encounter your first fall. This information is worth repeating!! Achieva Rehab specializes in helping people regain (yes! regain) their balance so that they can live a happy life without worry! www.achievarehab.com #balancetherapy #physicaltherapy #vertigo #dizzinesstherapy #physicalrehabilitation #homephysicaltherapy #physicaltherapyworks

  • Would You Like to Walk on The Moon? Float in Mid-Air? Learn How You Can Have BETTER BALANCE!

    If you lived through the time when man first walked on the moon, you are also likely at an age where you would prefer the amount of gravity that exists on the moon versus here on earth. What I mean is that gravity may be causing you to lose your balance or even fall regularly. If this is the case, you certainly have a fear of those things occurring as you are very familiar with stories of tragedy after a loved one or friend has fallen. Broken bones, head trauma, hospitalizations and maybe nursing home placement...or worse. Yes, you can perish if you fall. The gravity on the moon is 5 to 6 times weaker than here on earth. So, that means that if you were walking on the moon, you almost float and the risk of gravity actually pulling you down to the ground with significant force is not present. Here on earth however, gravity is pulling you down every split second of every single day and if your body is not ready for it at all times, you will fall. So, how do we make sure your body is prepared to fight the constant effects of gravity? Well, let me tell you that it's much, much easier than trying to float in mid-air. But in all reality, when people improve their balance, and YES! you can improve your balance by a great degree, it feels much like the accomplishment of being able to float. My recommendation to you is that you act early, very early. The first time you start to feel that your balance systems might be imperfect, you need to get physical therapy. It's the only thing that helps people improve their balance. Don't wait for a fall or several falls or close calls or your doctor to make a decision. Too many times in America, we wait until we are broken to get care that actually helps. Be proactive and figure out how to get yourself help. And did I mention that physical therapy is the only thing that can actually help people improve their balance and prevent falls? You may never float in mid-air but if you can keep yourself on your feet and off of the floor or ground, it may feel just as good. And that's what we do...we are in the feel good business! Get physical therapy as soon as possible. Be proactive instead of reactive. Struggling with Pain, Poor Balance, Weakness? Don't wait for something to happen to get help. Physical Therapy is freakin' AWESOME! Take advantage of it... We've proven to reduce need for meds, surgeries, injections, hospital stays. We help you stay in your home safe and mobile. C'mon people!!! #physicaltherapyworks #inhomephysicaltherapy #wellness #parkinsonsdisease #backpain #sciaticapain #healthcareshouldbeyourchoice www.achievarehab.com info@achievarehab.com

  • Better Balance Begins Here...Start Today..

    "If you've fallen or have balance problems and find yourself wobbling much more than you think you should, and you're afraid to be able to get up and around and move around the way you want to and do the things that you want to do, getting out into the community out with family and friends, I wanted to do this blog with our starter set of balance exercises. "People don't believe that balance can improve, but I've got, you know, a foundational set of exercises to start with today that you can progress on your own and you can apply to your life right away in order to improve your balance. My name is Joel, this is the Movement Approach where we believe if you move better, move more often, you're going to be healthier and live a happier life. "We're going to give you some basic exercises to do from a standing position and teach you how to progress them to have an effect on your balance so that you reduce the likelihood of a fall or just balance problems that are making you scared and anxious about going out to enjoy and do the things that you want to do and need to do. "So I have to preface this by letting you know that these exercises are designed to make you wobble. You're going to feel unsteady. But what I want you to understand is the exercises are designed to be safe and in a controlled fashion where that wobble is actually allowing your balance system to practice its response speed and accuracy. Those are the two things that we need from balance. Now again, these are extremely basic balance exercises. They're going to give you a foundation. If they have an effect on you today, if they challenge you today, you absolutely need to do these to start to improve your balance. "And no matter what anybody has ever told you, your balance can improve. You don't have to live with balance issues, even if you're an older adult. No matter what anybody has said, your balance can improve, and this is where we start. So the philosophy of the exercise is again, if we think about the balance system as a whole, there are parts of your body that are all working very closely together to make sure that you stay steady when you're moving about and you're walking about and doing whatever you need to do on a daily basis, no matter where you are, to make sure that you don't fall. That system is completely complex. But for the sake of today, what we want to do is make that balance system practice, because it doesn't practice as you get older. "As you get older, there's not a lot of activity that keeps it in its tip-top shape. And that's why a lot of older people find that their balance gets worse and they simply believe that they cannot improve it. This group of exercises will lay the foundation for helping you improve your balance. And as we advance to the further phases of progressing these exercises, as you improve on the foundational ones, your balance can get even better and better. And you'll feel yourself being more and more confident. You'll feel yourself being able to do the things that you want to do without as much anxiety. And you'll simply be able to move better, move more often, and live a happier, healthier life. So let's get started. "So the basic starting position of these exercises, at the lowest level possible, the beginner point of these exercises, is standing with your feet in your normal kind of stance. Okay, so that's phase one. You're starting at this lower level, and you're going to see what your body can handle. Whatever your body can handle without completely losing your balance, that's where we want you to exercise. So going back to the point where these exercises have to be in a safe, controlled circumstance, the best location for you to do these exercises is in an area where you're surrounded as much as you possibly can be by safety. So what do I mean by that? It might be standing in a corner in your kitchen where behind you on this side and behind you on this side is countertops. Okay? And maybe you put a chair in front of you so that you're surrounded in almost all directions by safety. And if you lose your balance, you're going to just bump into one of those things. Maybe it's next to your bed where you have the bed on one side, a bureau on the other, a wall behind you, and maybe a chair in front of you in that position. So you're completely surrounded where if you did lose your balance too much, the worst that happens is you bump and you pinball into one of those surfaces. Okay, so please make sure you put yourself in a circumstance that's safe. Please also make sure that you consult with your physician to make sure that these exercises are safe for you. And the safer way to do this is if you have somebody that can stand with you and simply just hold on lightly to your pants in case you need somebody to help you recover from a loss of balance. Okay, so what you have to do is you have to go through a process to test yourself to see where your baseline starting position is. If you stand with your feet in this normal position and you find yourself wobbling quite a bit, then this is your position. If you stand here in this position and you're completely solid and not wobbling and your balance feels good, then we need to make it harder. And there's different steps to do that. Step number one would be to place your feet directly together. So your feet are now directly together, and you assess yourself again. If your feet are together and you're wobbling this much, okay, then that's probably where we want to be. We want you to be with your feet together. That's your basic starting position for these exercises for you. If you place your feet together and you find yourself having to step or you're falling backwards into your walls or your countertop, it's too close. So the idea is to find your foot position that makes you wobble but doesn't force you to step to recover your balance. I hope that makes sense. So you have to find the foot position out of probably three or four foot positions that will allow you to wobble and feel like you're really challenged and working on your balance but it doesn't force you to step to recover. So let's go over that again. Foot position number one, so you're going to start normal stance. That's number one. The next harder one would be feet together. That's number two. The next harder one is your feet together but one foot about halfway ahead of the other. Okay, most people cannot handle anything past this because it gets too difficult. But the last, the fourth version that may apply to you is one foot directly ahead of the other. Okay, so choose whichever one of those four foot positions makes you wobble a little bit. If you're too solid and too steady in foot position number one, try number two. If you're too solid and steady in number two, try number three and so on. Okay, so again, feet together. I'm sorry, feet normal stance, feet together, feet together with one halfway ahead or feet one in front of the other. Those are your four choices for feet foot position. Okay, so then the exercise is just this. Let's assume that my foot position is feet together. Okay, what I'm going to do is I'm going to stand with my eyes open. And if I'm wobbling, that's great. That's what we want. That wobble is the exercise. You're going to feel your ankles is working hard. You're going to feel your toes digging into the floor. Your reactions are going to be all over the place, consistent, constant, regular, quick. That's helping your balance system practice. The next one is eyes closed. Okay, you're going to stand in this position with your eyes closed, which will make you wobble more. Okay, and again, that wobble, as long as you don't have to step to recover or you're constantly falling into the surfaces around you, that wobble is good. That's the exercise. We're not trying to have you stand in a position and be solid. We're forcing your system to practice. The only way to practice is experiencing that wobble. Okay, so first one is eyes closed. Second exercise would be eyes open, turning your head side to side. Okay, so you're going to look to the left, look to the right, look to the left, look to the right. Now, the thing that makes this exercise harder or easier is the speed with which you move. If you go really, really fast and you have to continue to catch yourself by stepping or bouncing, it's too fast. If you go too slow and your body feels like it's too easy, it's a waste of time. So you want to find the speed in between that makes your body really wobble and feel like you're challenged. Okay, number three would be your head up and down. So head up, head down, head up, head down, head up, head down. And again, your eyes are moving with your head. Okay, again, speed is the factor here that will tell you where you need to be. If you go too slow and it's too easy, that's too slow. If you go too fast, it's too hard. It's too fast. Somewhere in the middle. The last version of this exercise is a diagonal head motion. So you're going to take your head and your eyes and look at your ankle and then up and over your opposite shoulder, ankle over the opposite shoulder. And you're going to do both sides. Down the other ankle, up the opposite shoulder, down the other ankle, up the opposite shoulder. Okay, so let's review. You've got your foot placement that you know is appropriate for you. It's either normal stance, feet together, feet together with one halfway ahead or feet one in front of the other. Then your exercises are standing in that position with your eyes closed, standing in that position with your head and your eyes turning side to side at a speed that makes you wobble, standing in that position with your head and eyes moving up and down at a speed that makes you wobble, and standing in that position with your head and eyes moving on a diagonal, looking down to one ankle and up over the opposite shoulder, both sides. Those are the exercises. Okay, so how do we implement them? How often? What's our timing? How do we do this? So with each version, I love a minimum of two minutes for each of those exercise versions. I absolutely think four minutes is best, but a minimum of two minutes is where we want to live. Four minutes is absolutely better than two. And if you can reach four minutes and not have any effects that are bothersome, that would be perfect for each of those exercises. You can start off at one or two minutes and kind of work your way into it. You have to listen to your body. Okay, so for each of those circumstances, I'd like, in the long run, for you to practice being at two minutes and maybe up to four minutes. Four minutes for each would be amazing. Okay, take a break in between. Now, some additional information with those head motions. You may get lightheaded, you may get dizzy. You're stimulating your inner ear system, which is a huge part of the balance system in your body. And when the inner ear system doesn't practice a lot, it causes you to be dizzy when it's telling you it's tired. Okay, you have to kind of play with that. Send me a comment down below if that happens to you, and I can give you a little bit more guidance. I don't want you to do the exercises and have them make you dizzy for long periods of time in the day. If you do an exercise and it makes you dizzy and you rest and it goes away, that's the ideal. It's stimulating your balance system by doing so, and the dizziness will actually get less and less as time goes on. These exercises are foundational, they're basic, they're beginner exercises. It is best to have somebody be a consultant with you as you start to learn how to do them, but you can understand from the beginning what they're designed to do. They're designed to make you wobble to help your balance system practice. When your balance system practices more often, it's exactly the same as somebody who wants to be a better basketball player practicing shooting and dribbling. The more they do it, the better they will be. It's exactly the same as somebody who wants to be a better piano player. The more they practice their piano, the better they're going to be. And so on and so forth. Okay, so we hope these exercises will be beneficial for you. Give them a couple of weeks. Comment down below on what you're finding. Let me know if you have any questions. I'd love to be able to help. Again, this is Joel with the Movement Approach where we believe if you move better, move more often, you're going to feel healthier and happier. Be good and do good." www.achievarehab.com

  • Thaw Out the Freezing of Parkinson's Disease...Learn How to Keep Your Feet Moving!!

    So people with Parkinson's often experience what we call sticky feet. It can be called festinating or freezing, where it feels like your feet are just kind of choppy at certain points, where they want to kind of just flutter on the ground without actually lifting your feet to actually walk forward. What we find and is classic with people with Parkinson's is that when they experience that feeling, it's usually when they're changing direction, such as making a left or a right turn. It often occurs when they're going through doorways and the threshold is something that they have to think about. It often happens when they're approaching a more narrow space, and it often happens when they're approaching something new in their pathway, such as going in and out of a grocery store door or things like that. So if you have that feeling to any degree in your daily life with Parkinson's disease, I've got a few tips for you that help quite a bit if you employ them often. So what happens when you get that sticky feeling is your body and your brain try to continue to fight their way out of it. So you end up with this kind of fluttering feeling where your feet just don't want to come up, but it still feels like your body is moving forward. As you progress, that can be very dangerous because your body will continue to move and your feet will be stuck to the ground, and that leads to many falls. So what we encourage is the second you begin to feel that kind of freezy sticky feeling in your feet, you simply stop, relax yourself, don't try and move for at least 10 seconds, and that relaxes that sensation where you're not trying to push through it, you're just going to reset your system by the 10-second stop. After you stop and you reset, the most important, number two tip is to march your way through it by thinking about stepping with your knees. So when our lives are going well and we're not dealing with any kind of morbidities like Parkinson's disease, our walking is just natural. We don't have to think about it. Our brain tells our feet to move one ahead of the other. When we develop something like Parkinson's disease and there might be those sticky feet, your automatic response is to start thinking about lifting your feet higher so that you can get through that stickiness. What I think works much better is to generate some more force through the bigger muscles in the legs, which are more connected to the knees. So I find if you think about lifting and walking with your knees, lifting them up and marching, you have a much better chance of being able to prevent that sticky feeling. The other thing involved in the marching strategy is when you're changing direction to any degree, that might be making a left or a right-hand turn, it might be turning your body so that you're approaching a chair to sit down, you march through those direction changes. Now, you don't have to march where your knees are coming up to your chest, you just have to think about marching so that there's sort of a dance to it, left, right, left, right, left, right, and it's kind of musical. So if you're able to do that as you're going through your day, it helps quite a bit. Now, as you advance with your Parkinson's, you will notice this happening more often. So the earlier you start with these strategies, the better you are going to be. So if you feel the stickiness come on, stop 10 seconds, which resets your system. March through as you initiate that movement again to restart your walking. You're going to be thinking about lifting your legs with your knees, which will generate more power from the bigger muscles around your knees and your hips. When you have to change direction, march through those direction changes. Don't let your body lead the activity. March with high knee movement. If you have that freezy sticky kind of feeling with your feet with Parkinson's, I hope these tips can help you quite a bit. Please watch the video over again whenever you feel like you need a little guidance. It helps my patients quite a bit, and I think it can help you. If you like this video, literally press the like button, subscribe to our channel. We hope to be able to give regular content for people just like you in the future. www.achievarehab.com

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