Farnsworth Orthopedic Physical Therapy

Orthopedic Physical Therapy

Julie

Blood Flow Restriction Training

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BFRT

Blood flow restriction training, also known as tourniquet training, has been around since the 1960s. It was developed in Japan. Before 2008, blood flow restriction training (BFRT) tools were not easily accessible in the United States. Therefore, it didn’t have a lot of research done here. Since then, there has been a lot of research showing the important roles it can play.

The technology has improved over time.  Early BFRT was done by using straps or large elastic bands and pulled tightly around the desired body part. These days, BFRT is done more precisely. It’s done by calculating certain limb pressures that cause occlusion in a limb. It’s similar to how you take blood pressure at your doctor’s office. A cuff is pumped to a certain level and left for a while, or while specific exercises to be performed. There are protocols which your therapist will follow. Your therapist can also make you a specific plan that you can follow depending on your desired goals.

What is it good for?

The goals for BFRT may include to preserve muscle mass and strength, bone density and function, muscle size and strength, aerobic capacity, recovery, and to improve pain levels. As with most modalities, there are precautions and contraindications for the treatment, so a patient must be screened first to make sure it is appropriate. However, the most common uses for BFRT include post-operative recovery, pain modulation, and aerobic capacity. Doctors and research these days are showing quicker recovery times for surgeries including ACL, meniscus, and other knee surgeries as well as other lower extremity surgeries as well. Although, BFRT is more commonly seen in the lower extremity, there are certain diagnoses that can be appropriate in the upper extremity as well.

 

As research improves, BFRT has been known to be something that can help your recovery. It can also help you with “pre-hab” which is treatment that happens beforehand. If BFRT is something you are interested in learning about, please feel free to contact our office for more information and to set up a time to meet with a therapist.

 

Written by Casey Badder PT

Pool’s Gold

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The Arizona heat shows no signs of releasing its grip any time soon.  If you’re like me, you’ve likely visited the pool in order to maintain sanity through these hot months.  What you may not know is that you can take advantage of your time in the pool to do a little physical therapy.  It’s simple, it’s fun, and best of all it isn’t sweaty.

 

Doing pool exercises comes with some solid benefits.  Exercises in the water can help increase your blood flow and circulation.  It also reduces the amount of your weight that your body has to hold up.  This makes it easier on your joints, muscles, and tendons that you may be trying to rehab.  Getting some exercise in the pool can also improve your mood.  For one, you’ll be less hot, and that makes everyone happier.  And for two, it’s well established scientifically that getting exercise improves your mood.  Exercises in the pool can’t replace the therapy that you do on land, but they can be a great help in your healing process.

(Actual reenactment of a real human using weights in the pool)

Weights are a great thing to use in the pool because they are low impact and can help you work into more strenuous workouts.

Another great exercise in the water is noodle biking.  For this one you’ll need your favorite pool noodle.  You’ll hop on the noodle as if it were a bicycle, sitting in the middle of the noodle.  While floating, kick your legs as if you were pushing imaginary bike pedals.  You can make this exercise as slow or as fast as you want.

 

Walking is a really great exercise to do in the pool for a number of different body parts.  A pro tip is to bring something with you into the pool that you probably have never brought with you before: a cookie sheet.  That’s right, one of those metal pans you use to bake cookies.  Hop into the water and hold the sheet with both hands in front of you.  As you walk forward, the pan will create more resistance and make it somewhat harder for you to walk.  This can help strengthen your muscles.  You can also use this technique while standing still to work your arms as you move the pan away from you and back toward you.

If you’re jumping in the pool to escape the heat, why not take a little time to work out?  It can be a big help for patients looking for low impact exercise.  And when you’re done with that cookie sheet you can whip up a batch of chocolate chip cookies and call it a day.  What more could anyone want?

 

Written by Tom Farnsworth PT

Deep Vein Thrombosis

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DVT

Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) is caused by a blood clot (thrombus) forming in one or more of the deep veins in your body, most commonly in your legs. Deep vein thrombosis can cause swelling and/or pain, but also can occur without any symptoms.

Certain medical conditions that affect how your blood clots can make you more susceptible to getting a DVT. A blood clot in your legs can also happen if you don’t move for a long time, such as after you have surgery or an accident, when you’re traveling a long distance, or when you’re on bed rest.

Deep vein thrombosis can be very serious because blood clots in your veins can break loose, travel through your bloodstream and get stuck in your lungs, blocking blood flow (pulmonary embolism). However, pulmonary embolism can occur with no evidence of DVT.

When DVT and pulmonary embolism occur together, it’s called venous thromboembolism (VTE).

Symptoms

DVT signs and symptoms can include:

  • Swelling in the affected leg. Rarely, there’s swelling in both legs.
  • Pain in your leg. The pain often starts in your calf and can feel like cramping or soreness.
  • Red or discolored skin on the leg.
  • A feeling of warmth in the affected leg.

Deep vein thrombosis can occur without noticeable symptoms.

Prevention

Measures to prevent deep vein thrombosis include the following:

  • Keep Moving! If you have had surgery or have been on bed rest for other reasons, try to get moving as soon as possible. If you’re sitting for a while, don’t cross your legs, which can block blood flow. If you’re traveling a long distance by car, stop every hour or so and walk around.
  • If you’re on a plane, stand or walk occasionally. If you can’t do that, exercise your lower legs. Try raising and lowering your heels while keeping your toes on the floor, then raising your toes with your heels on the floor.
  • Don’t smoke. Smoking increases your risk of getting DVT.
  • Exercise and manage your weight. Obesity is a risk factor for DVT. Regular exercise lowers your risk of blood clots, which is especially important for people who sit a lot or travel frequently.

Don’t smoke and end up like Kramer.

 

Written by Clint Bunker PT

Plantar Plate Tear

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What is it?

Your plantar plate is a thick ligament that runs along the ball of your foot, connecting to the joints. A plantar plate tear is a common foot injury which is caused by repetitive overload. Your plantar plate is a ligament that is on the underside of the joints at the ball of your feet.

Persistent pain and swelling under the ball of the foot that extends towards your toes is often the first sign of a plantar plate tear. This pain may be reproduced by bending your toe upwards. Some swelling may be visible on the top of your foot. Sometimes there can be redness. Often a sensation of ‘walking on the bones of the foot’ will be described, and a ‘V’ sign between the toes may be present, where two toes have separated further from one another than what is normal due to a plantar plate tear. You may experience swelling, and tenderness underneath the joint.

Causes

The reasons for the overload can be due to the your individual anatomy, over pronation (rolling in), hyper-mobile joints and incorrect casual and/or running shoes.

Treatment

A special test called the modified Lachman’s test can be performed by your therapist to assess your situation. Ultrasound or MRI  can sometimes be important to determine the extent of a potential tear. This is especially true if you have a lot of pain or a claw toe deformity.

Treatment involves offloading the area using padding and stiff-soled shoes. A taping technique called ribbon taping can be used to reduce any claw toe deformity . Icing, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and active rest is also important to help settle the condition down.  An orthotic can be used once a positive result has been obtained using functional foot taping. A metatarsal pad is added onto the device as well to deflect pressure away from the affected area and to improve loading patterns.

Written by Travis Rohner PT

I Have a (Shoulder) Hunch…

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Good Posture

Good posture isn’t just for taking pictures with your family, there are real impacts to overall health that result from hunching shoulders. Our lives day to day shape our posture. Allowing bad posture to happen makes it more difficult to fix.  Over time, if you keep your shoulders hunched your muscles will become trained to think hunched shoulders and a bent neck are natural.

A Life That Leads to Hunch

Looking at our phones and sitting at a computer has become a major part of all of our lives. Unfortunately, both of these encourage really poor posture. Often, hunched shoulders develop unconsciously through a few different ways. It could be unsupportive chairs, frequently carrying heavy objects, or avoiding attention in uncomfortable situations. Hunched shoulders  negatively impact your appearance and body language. It also creates stress and pain in your neck, shoulders, and upper back. If left untreated poor posture can lead to chronic pain, fatigue and even difficulty breathing.

Diagnosis

Our physical therapists can judge if you have hunched shoulders and how severely. There are also simple tests you can do at home that can show if you have hunched shoulders. An easy way to check is to have a family member or friend look at your posture. One indicator is if you appear to be slouching even if you try standing up straight. Another sign is if the palms of your hands face behind you when you are standing at rest. With normal posture your thumbs face forward, and your palms face inward but hunched shoulders will force your thumbs to point inward and your palms to face back.

If you are experiencing low back, neck or shoulder pain, a physical therapist will be able to assess your posture and determine the source of your discomfort. If you are experiencing posture related symptoms, a physical therapist can develop personalized treatment plan aimed at correcting the corresponding weakness. Hunched shoulders could be a sign of more complicated weaknesses or dysfunction as well so it’s important to speak with a medical professional as soon as possible.

Treatment and Exercise

There are ways to treat and prevent hunched shoulders. A physical therapist will provide you with a unique exercise and stretch routine to address weaknesses or dysfunctions discovered during your initial evaluation. Just as the muscles and joints had learned to hold poor posture at rest, they can be strengthened and trained to hold good posture.

Stretches at Home

Handclasp

The handclasp stretch is simple and can be done every day. Standing up straight with your hands by your sides, reach your hands behind you to clasp them together.

Gently, pull your shoulders back, while being careful not to allow your neck to push forward.

Your shoulders should be pulled back until your chest opens and a deep stretch is felt. The position should be held for 30 seconds.

Shoulder Blade Squeeze

This basic exercise reminds your body what good posture feels like and helps build strength throughout the day.

Sitting up tall, you should move both of your shoulder blades together, as if trying to hold a tennis ball between them. As they flex, your shoulders should move down and away from your ears.

This position should be held for 10 seconds and repeated 10 times.

Come and See Us

There are many more stretches to be done at the physical therapy office and at home.  Come see our expert therapists who will teach you the stretches and exercises that will be most beneficial for your condition.  We will get you standing upright and in family picture shape in no time.

Vertigo

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A Common Ailment

Vertigo is an ailment that effects many people at various points in their lives. A trained physical therapist can often help your vertigo symptoms. The most common cause of vertigo is due to something called benign paroxysmal positional vertigo, or BPPV for short. It’s due to a problem in your inner ear. Everyone has small structures called otoconia in your inner ear. These are normally located in the utricle and saccule in the inner ear. These structures allow us to sense where we are in space. They can become dislodged into the semicircular canals and cause BPPV.

(Not to be confused with the classic Alfred Hitchcock movie, which is much more fun.)

BPPV Symptoms

  • Symptoms increase when you move your head and change positions, most commonly rolling over in bed, bending over or when you look up.
  • Common to have occurrences at the hair dresser or dentist.
  • Vertigo occurs within 1-30 seconds and resolves within 60 seconds when in the provoking position
  • Nystagmus (repetitive, uncontrolled eye movements) occur.
  • Nausea is common

 

Causes

  • Vertigo can occur randomly
  • Occurs in people with certain vestibular pathologies,
  • Trauma: car accidents, head injuries.

 

Can Physical Therapy Help?

A trained physical therapist can perform maneuvers in a few minutes that, most of the time, can resolve BPPV within 1-2 sessions. It really can be that simple! If you are suffering with this problem, schedule an appointment and get help! There are often people who live with this condition for months and even years without knowing how quickly a therapist can help them resolve it.  Not every type of vertigo can be solved with physical therapy, but we have helped so many people find the relief they have desperately needed.  Let our therapists evaluate you and see if this treatment is right for you.

 

 

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Areas Served:

Mesa, Gilbert, Chandler, Phoenix, Queen Creek, Apache Junction, Tempe, Globe, Gold Canyon

Postal Address

Gilbert Office
730 N. Greenfield Rd.
Gilbert, AZ 85234
Phone: (480) 633-0666

Mesa Office
342 N Val Vista Dr. Suite 106
Mesa, AZ 85213
Phone: (480) 325-3310