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Stronger Body, Stronger Mind: Why Physical Therapy Isn’t Just for the Body

2024-10-09T22:45:30+00:00

Being ‘healthy’ is more than just avoiding illness or eating fruits and veggies every day. It’s about maintaining balance in your physical, mental and social well-being. While you may begin physical therapy with the goal of reducing pain or healing an injury, PT can also provide significant benefits for your mental health.

It’s not uncommon with chronic pain or physical limitations to experience mental health struggles such as depression, anxiety or sleep disorders. Being restricted by pain or feeling frustrated because you’re unable to participate in the activities you love, limits your stress outlets and takes a toll on your emotional state. When your therapist creates your treatment plan, they consider both the physical and mental aspects of your health.

We know exercise enhances mood, concentration and alertness. However, when you are restricted or injured and can’t do activities you normally do, much less things you enjoy, it’s easy to question what to do safely. The exercises your therapist designs for you are specifically tailored to your body to strengthen your muscles, increase mobility and reduce your pain. Learning how to move your body in a way that promotes healing and builds confidence in performing activities safely, goes a long way for your emotional well-being! Having a supportive team of people dedicated to enhancing your health increases adherence with a plan of care, gives you resources to turn to with questions and cheers you on in the road to recovery. A byproduct of reducing your pain – you’ll experience lower stress levels and emotional relief, leaving you feeling calm and capable.

While the overall goal of PT is to improve your physical function, we are ultimately working to improve your quality of life!  Strengthening your body will strengthen your mind, helping you build confidence, independence, and resilience. Dealing with chronic pain or an injury can be mentally exhausting, but it doesn’t have to control your life.

Move your mind. Mind your movement.

Stronger Body, Stronger Mind: Why Physical Therapy Isn’t Just for the Body2024-10-09T22:45:30+00:00

Celebrating 15 Years of IP

2024-09-16T19:06:46+00:00

We recently celebrated 15 years of business. What a milestone! Your team at IP is proud and honored to be apart of the health community in Northern Colorado for over a decade…and we couldn’t have done it without YOU!  To show our appreciation, we opened our doors and put our party pants on. There was tacos, yard games, a popcorn machine, IP challenges, prizes and Dr. Ian’s goats!

We are grateful for our community and the ability to help so many on the path to recovery and healing. Thank you for your trusting us with your care, your journey and allowing us to be a part of your stories. Your successes are our greatest rewards.

We look forward to the future with optimism, will continue to embrace innovation, expand our reach and continually uphold a standard of excellence. Cheers to 15 years of healing and cheers to the future of IP!

Celebrating 15 Years of IP2024-09-16T19:06:46+00:00

From Couch to Course

2024-08-01T16:55:31+00:00

So, you’ve decided to trade in your slippers for sneakers, but now you find yourself wondering where to start? How to prevent injuries? How to make it enjoyable? Truth is, all you need is a pair of shoes and a little encouragement to get you out the door.

As many of you know, one of our therapists, Case, is an ultra-marathon runner. What is an ultra-marathon runner you may ask? It’s someone crazy enough to run distances longer than a marathon, races that are 50k, 50 miles and even 100 miles long! For Case, running is habitual now, but he had to start somewhere too. His biggest piece of advice for new runners? Try the run/walk interval method.

Start off with a one-minute walk and follow it with a one-minute run. Repeat this off and on for 20-30 minutes, or for 1 mile. Once you’ve got the hang of that, for your next run, increase your run time by a minute, but keep the walking intervals at 1 minute. Continue this pattern while keeping your run time the same. This style of training will improve your endurance and help your body adjust to the new stressors running puts on your body.

Case says the hardest part when you start running is finding a pace that you can sustain for an extended period. You want this pace to be moderate, not a full out sprint. You don’t want to be huffing and puffing, but instead, should be able to hold a conversation. The best way to find this pace is this run/walk method.

The key to improving in running is consistency. Keep showing up, and you’ll be crushing a 5k in no time!

If you are interested in training for a race or just starting to run, talk to Case at your next appointment about techniques, injury prevention and a beginner’s training plan!

From Couch to Course2024-08-01T16:55:31+00:00

Taste the Rainbow to a Healthier You

2024-04-18T17:39:09+00:00

Looking to add some color to your meals?  Try tasting the rainbow.  Not skittles, silly! Colorful fruits and vegetables provide rich nutrients that help improve mood, cognition, sleep, and protect you against illness.
You should aim to get 4 servings of vegetables and 5 servings of fruit per day. You can create variety with soups, smoothies, muffins, roasted veggies, etc. The more color on your plate, the better! But what is a serving?

For Fruits:

  • 1 medium fruit
  • ½ cup of fresh, frozen, or canned fruit
  • ¼ cup dried fruit
  • ¼ cup fruit juice

For Vegetables:

  • 1 cup of raw leafy vegetables
  • ½ cup of fresh, frozen, or canned vegetables
  • ½ cup of vegetable juice

It’s important to eat the recommended number of servings, but it’s also important to get a variety of fruits and vegetables! Each color of the fruit and veggies provides different important nutrients, like antioxidants. What are antioxidants? They are natural substances that help prevent or delay some types of cell damage.

Green: Rich in cancer-blocking chemicals; help balance hormones and mood
Red: High in an antioxidant that protects against prostate cancer, heart disease, and lung disease
Yellow orange: Contains antioxidants  such as beta-carotene that improve your cardiovascular system
Blue Purple: Contain antioxidants such as anthocyanins that help your heart by reducing the formation of blood clots
White: Contain antioxidants such as quercetin that aid in lung health; onions also provide anti-bacterial/anti-viral properties

Check out our suggestions on how to eat a rainbow with every meal!

Taste the Rainbow to a Healthier You2024-04-18T17:39:09+00:00

Snack Time? Snack on Some Movement!

2024-02-09T21:38:52+00:00

Everyone loves snacks. They’re quick, easy to access, and can be downright satisfying. The team at IP always loves a good snack… but not all snacks are created equal. When the weather is cold and midnight seems to come at 5 in the evening, it can be easy to reach for the snacks we have lying around while we wait to see the sun again.

Did you know movement can come in snack sizes too?? Movement snacks can be a great way to break up long periods of sitting; long days at the computer, passing the time while you wait watch your favorite team play, or while you wait for the credits of your favorite show to end before the next episode starts.

We know movement is good for us. It nourishes our joints, it gets our hearts pumping, and it helps us to generally just feel better. Movement snacks don’t need to complicated. In fact, the simpler the better! Accessibility is all part of the equation. We know it’s hard to get moving sometimes, especially if you’re feeling stiff and achey, or just tired.

Things like:

• Air squats
• Planks
• Tandem walking
• Standing on one leg as long as you can
• Jumping jacks
• OR if you’ve been keeping up with our New Years Challenge- a water skier squat!

You can keep it simple, or you can go a little more complex with things like:
• Rotating lateral lunge for some rotational movement
• Dead bugs to get some core engagement
• Or bear crawls for strength and stability.

So the next time you need something to break up some monotony in your day, try a movement snack! And while you’re at it, snap a picture and tag us in it on Instagram. We’ll be rooting for you the whole way!

Snack Time? Snack on Some Movement!2024-02-09T21:38:52+00:00

Resolve to Refresh and Rejuvinate with Movement in the New Year

2023-12-20T16:02:58+00:00

With the new year approaching, many of us are setting goals for personal and professional growth.  While working to achieve these goals, it’s important that we remember to prioritize the our bodies, the machines that keep our lives running!  Physical therapy can play an essential role in strengthening our resolutions for a healthier, active lifestyle. This new year, let’s not let our injuries limit us from achieving our health and wellness goals. Check out some ways that physical therapy can be beneficial for you when working to become your healthiest ‘elf’!

  • Say goodbye to chronic pain!

So many of us have gotten used to chronic pain and pushed it off as something that we just ‘have to deal with’.  Our physiotherapists can identify where the pain is coming from and develop a plan of care to help address your discomfort. 

  • Prevent injuries, before they are injuries!

Whether you’re new to working out or have an extremely active lifestyle, everyone has things they can improve on. Addressing our weaknesses and possible incorrect movement patterns can help reduce the risk of future injuries.

  • Move for Mobility!

Improving your flexibility and joint function will help you move with ease. Increasing your range of motion will allow you to move freely and have fewer limitations when working on your health goals. 

  • Set realistic, ACHIEVABLE goals

Striving to improve your health is a lifelong quest. Working with a professional can help you set goals that are achievable. It’s easy to get in over your head when working towards a goal, but by setting smaller achievable goals will make your hard work more productive. 

  • Mindful resolutions

Incorporating mindfulness can help with stress reduction and keep your mind right. Intentional movement will help you not only prioritize your physical health, but also prioritize your overall wellbeing.

Your team at I.P. is here to support your 2024 health goals and keep you moving to your best self.  Call us to schedule your 2024 appointments if you haven’t already!

Resolve to Refresh and Rejuvinate with Movement in the New Year2023-12-20T16:02:58+00:00

The Science Behind Being a Human Pin Cushion

2022-10-11T17:07:14+00:00

Here at IP, dry needling is a frequently utilized treatment that contributes to a comprehensive, personalized treatment plan. There are some great benefits to dry needling that include, but are not limited to, quick pain relief, improving range of motion, achieving a quicker path to recovery and more! Dry needling is also called trigger point dry needling or myofascial trigger point dry needling. The word “myofascial” is made up of the roots “myo” (which refers to muscle) and “fascia” (which refers to the tissue that connects muscle). 

Injections into the myofascial trigger points were first proposed by medical doctors Janet Travell and David Simons in the early 1940’s. Travell discovered that certain nerves and neural hyperactivity were linked to pain in tender parts of the muscle and fascia. She and Dr. Simon carefully identified most of the trigger points located in the human body. They injected various substances including corticosteroids, painkillers, saline, etc. into the trigger points. That was the beginning of how modern dry needling was established. Dr. Travell was well respected and actually became President John F. Kennedy’s White House physician!

Seeing how the process originally used liquid to treat the trigger points, it’s a wonder why the procedure itself would be coined as “dry” needling. However, after Dr. Travell’s initial discovery, a study done by a Czech physician, Dr. Karel Lewit, found that the needling is what made the treatments effective, far more than the substances that were injected into the muscles. Further research proved that dry needling is more effective and not as invasive as “wet” needling, though it was only in 1976 when the procedure became a recognized practice in the healthcare industry. It was Dr. Chan Gunn who further developed the concept of dry needling. He researched the technique of Intramuscular Stimulation (IMS). IMS is a technique for the treatment of myofascial pain based on a comprehensive diagnostic that identifies the cause of the pain due to disease or dysfunction in the nervous system. It specifically identifies the nerve root as the generator of the anatomy, so it is referred to as a radiculo-neuropathic model. 

Muscles can develop knotted areas called trigger points. These trigger points are very sensitive and can be painful when touched. Our PTs will insert needles through the skin into trigger points. Those needles are used as a reset for the golgi tendon organ (GTO) to stimulate the tissue, not to inject medication. 

Pain affects how your body moves. Dry needling changes the way the brain and muscles talk to each other to help your system return to normal function.

You may experience different sensations when being needled. Muscle soreness, aching and an elicited muscle twitch when a needle is inserted are considered good signs of effective needling. The needles may be placed deeply, for various amounts of time, depending on what type of pain is being treated and pathology. Shorter periods of time would mean that the needle would stay in the muscle for seconds, while longer periods could mean 10 to 15 minutes.

Now you have a basis of where dry needling comes from and why we use it. Never hesitate to ask us more, we are all happy to explain why we love dry needling!

The Science Behind Being a Human Pin Cushion2022-10-11T17:07:14+00:00

Taking a break from movement…what about sleep?

2022-06-22T22:35:50+00:00

Did you know that humans spend roughly a third of their lives sleeping?  Even though we sleep to “rest”, your body and brain really need that down time to keep your body functioning optimally.   In the U.S., 62% of our population experiences sleep problems several nights per week.  We know there’s mounds of evidence that poor sleep can lead to a myriad of health issues such as diabetes, dementia, increased fall risks, to name a few. So how does your team at I.P. address your sleep health when typically, your sessions at the clinic are far from restful?!? Because an added bonus from your PT sessions and a question we are always interested in throughout your rehab process – are you sleeping better?

Sleep quality and pain perception are inversely related. The worse sleep you get, the higher sensitivity to pain you have. The more pain you have, the harder it is to get to sleep, stay asleep, and sleep efficiently. Poor sleep over the lifespan is closely related to cardiovascular issues, depression, anxiety, cognitive function and impairs motor skill learning. All of these contributing factors can make the rehab process slower than it should, or could be. 

The therapists at I.P. care about how you’re sleeping – we ask questions about whether symptoms flare at night, how your symptoms vary before and after waking. The immune system works in synchrony with your body’s sleep-wake cycle. We have pro-inflammatory processes that enable our body’s immune response to be working overtime while we sleep. Additionally, our stress systems (like the sympathetic nervous system) downregulate during sleep, allowing us to fight off illness and promote tissue healing in the body.

The work we do at I.P. promotes a healthy sleep-wake cycle during your sessions, and our therapists are able to make specialized sleep hygiene recommendations to help your sleep cycle improve. Exercises or postural adjustments to your sleep habits can also help to reduce disturbances that are causing sleep disruption.

 Check out this gentle exercise that’s simple to perform right before bed!

Taking a break from movement…what about sleep?2022-06-22T22:35:50+00:00

Physical Therapy & Your Immune System

2022-01-31T21:41:11+00:00

Overwhelmingly, studies show that regular exercise boosts your immune system. The somewhat obvious caveat to this is that you must not overtrain or injure yourself in the process…this would lead to a major decrease in your immunity. In comes physical therapy to save the day!

Did you know physical therapists do way more than just address acute and chronic injuries? They prescribe series of movements and exercises that will protect and enhance your overall physical functionality (our therapists do this in a very specific way). These series of targeted exercises can help boost your immune system in ways regular exercise does not. One example of this, is that some exercises can be prescribed can help flush bacteria out of lungs and airways which reduce the likelihood of getting sick with a virus (Virvick & Zieve, 2020).

Another great example of how physical therapy can strengthen your immune system, is by improving the quality and amount of sleep you are getting. If you are one of the 60 million Americans that has sleep related problems, physical therapy can help reduce the underlying pain or discomfort that prevents you from great, uninterrupted sleep. Through expert evaluation and analysis, our team can work directly with you to resolve those underlying ailments and get your resting easy again!

Finally, physical therapy can reduce stress related hormones that suppress the immune system. Physical therapy can reduce these stress hormones in a number of ways. One way is the indirect benefit of being pain free. Pain is a leading cause of stress; physical therapy can help reduce pain which will directly reduce stress levels. Similarly, studies have shown that elevated levels of anxiety can negatively affect systemic systems in the body and ultimately lower your ability to fight disease (Otto et al., 2007). Physical Therapy can target and improve the performance of these systems to keep your body functioning and healthy.  Staying healthy is more important than ever, especially now!!  Contact your I.P. team with any questions or to see how we can help you start boosting your immune system today!

References

Otto, M. W., Church, T. S., Craft, L. L., Greer, T. L., Smits, J. A., & Trivedi, M. H. (2007). Exercise for mood and anxiety disorders. Primary care companion to the Journal of clinical psychiatry, 9(4), 287–294. https://doi.org/10.4088/pcc.v09n0406

Vorvick, L., & Zieve, D. (2020, January 23). Exercise and immunity: Medlineplus medical encyclopedia. MedlinePlus. https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/007165.htm

Physical Therapy & Your Immune System2022-01-31T21:41:11+00:00

Prehab vs Rehab: How Physical Therapy Increases Outcomes

2021-12-08T16:15:44+00:00

What is prehab? And why does it matter?  Prehab is just a fancy term for physical therapy before an event or occasion. This could be surgery [surgery is a top one] but PRP, marathon/military training or even activities of daily living are included. Prehab differs from rehab in that it is a proactive plan designed to prepare you for whatever life brings at you next. Here at IP, you know we love pumpin’ prevention to help patients optimize their potential!

Prehab has recently gained more traction in the research community. On the surgical side, prehab before surgery increased the likelihood of a successful recovery by 38% in one study (Gillis et al., 2014). Another study showed that patients who pre-habbed prior to surgery reduced the total health care costs to the patient by 45% (Gometz et al. 2018). Meaning that prehab can not only set you up for a better and easier recovery from surgery but can save you money in the process.

In non-surgical situations, prehab seriously decreases the chances of injury. Getting ready for hiking or ski season, but know it always bothers you knees for days afterwards? Preparing for a race but feel like your back has always held you back from really hitting your peak? Trying to pass physical testing for military testing? Prehab at IP would be of benefit to you! With our specialized biomechanical tips and tricks, we can help you prevent falls, sports injuries among other orthopedic ailments.

If you or someone you know is interested in learning more about how prehab could benefit you, ask one of your IP team members and we are more than happy to help get you started!

Gillis, C., Li, C., Lee, L., Awasthi, R., Augustin, B., Gamsa, A., Liberman, A. S., Stein, B., Charlebois, P., Feldman, L. S., & Carli, F. (2014). Prehabilitation versus rehabilitation: a randomized control trial in patients undergoing colorectal resection for cancer. Anesthesiology, 121(5), 937–947. https://doi.org/10.1097/ALN.0000000000000393

Gometz, A., Maislen, D., Youtz, C., Kary, E., Gometz, E. L., Sobotka, S., & Choudhri, T. F. (2018). The Effectiveness of Prehabilitation (Prehab) in Both Functional and Economic Outcomes Following Spinal Surgery: A Systematic Review. Cureus, 10(5), e2675. https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.2675

Prehab vs Rehab: How Physical Therapy Increases Outcomes2021-12-08T16:15:44+00:00

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