Farnsworth Orthopedic Physical Therapy

Orthopedic Physical Therapy

posture

Welcome to Thoracic Park

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What Is It?

The thoracic spine is the middle, and longest, portion of the spine. It unfortunately doesn’t have anything to do with Jurassic Park or dinosaurs.

Specifically, it consists of 12 vertebrae and 12 pairs of nerves that branch from it. It spans from the base of your neck to the top of your lower back. This area also contains the only vertebrae that attach to your ribs. The thoracic spine houses several attachments for tendons, muscles and ligaments making it crucial in your daily activity.  What it doesn’t have anything to do with, is a park for dinosaurs.

Disorders

You’ll be shocked to find out what can go wrong here (your spine, not an island inhabited by creatures brought back from millions of years ago).

Some common types of disorders include scoliosis, abnormal kyphosis, and fractures usually derived from osteoporosis. The ability to have your thoracic spine flex and extend in both weight bearing and non-weight bearing positions will help reduce the risk for injury.

It’s important to maintain the mobility of the thoracic spine, especially if you work a desk job.  By improving the mobility in the thoracic spine, your postural muscles can be trained and activate properly to reduce complications. Functional scoliosis, or non-structural scoliosis, happens with repetitive movements, and reduces mobility too. We treat this with physical therapy intervention to improve the mobility and postural control in the spine.

Crucial For Athletes and the Rest of Us

Thoracic side bending and rotation is also essential for athletes and those who are physically active like Jeff Goldblum.

These motions are crucial for overhead athletes like volleyball, water polo and baseball. They are also important for athletes that require more agility like football and soccer. Golf is also another sport that requires a good amount of thoracic rotation to improve club speed and accuracy of the swing. These motions should be trained to make sure there is ample motion, but also to make sure there is proper control. Especially for anyone who wants to have a long career.  It would also be important if you needed to run away from a velociraptor.

 

As you can see, the thoracic spine is an important part of not only athletes, but everyday life. If you feel tightness in this region of the body or feel this area needs work, please feel free to schedule an appointment to see how we can further assist you.  You can rest easy knowing we’ll get your spine back in shape.

Written by Casey Badder PT

That’s a Stretch

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Stretching on a regularly can do a lot for your health. Many people know that stretching before physical activity is important but stretching every day regardless of physical activity is important too. Here are five benefits that stretching has.

The Fab Five of Stretching

1. Stretching can improve posture.

2. Stretching can improve range of motion and prevents loss of range of motion.
As we age, our joints lose range of motion. We can counteract this by stretching regularly. Even if range of motion in some joints is limited, stretching can help to improve it.

3. Stretching can decrease back pain. Stretching the leg muscles and the muscles mentioned for posture will likely help to decrease back pain.

4. Stretching can help prevent injury. If you stretch a muscle too far, it will become strained or torn. But if you stretch and increase the range in which a muscle can move, the likelihood of injuring it decreases.

5. Stretching can decrease muscle soreness. If you have soreness in a muscle or muscle group from a recent workout or from a muscle strain, stretching can help relieve some of this discomfort.

How often should I be stretching?

Ideally, every day. Sometimes even multiple times a day. We’ve gathered a collection of stretches to add to your daily routine. Even if you’re an adult with no pain whatsoever (which would be rare if you were), these stretches can bring added health benefits to your life.

Stretches

The first stretch is a seated hamstring stretch. This one can be done on a couch, a bed, or even using the aid of a kitchen chair. The idea is to place one leg on the table, bed, or chair while the other is down. Flex your foot so your toes are pointed at the ceiling. If you feel a stretch here, you can stay in this position. If you find yourself needing more of a stretch, you can bend over bringing your chest towards your thigh.

Next, we have a calf stretch using a towel. For this stretch you’ll need a bath or beach towel to aid you in your stretch. Sit comfortably on the floor, keeping your back straight. Fold your towel into a six inch strip, and place the arch of your foot inside. Using your hands, pull the towel tight while keeping your knee straight.

Your IT band runs along the outside of the thigh, from just above the hip to just below the knee, and is made up of fascia, an elastic connective tissue found throughout the body. Whether you have a job where you sit or stand, you probably have a tight IT band. A stretch you can do on the job is the standing IT band stretch. Keep one leg straight and bring your other leg in front, bending slightly at the knee. If this is too comfortable for you and you aren’t getting enough of a stretch, lean slightly to the side of your bended leg.

Our final move is one that is beneficial for your neck and upper back, which will be nice for anyone who has a desk job. Even nicer is the fact that you can do this stretch while sitting at your desk. Sitting upright in your chair with your back straight, grab your head in your hand and gently pull down towards your chest. Stop when you feel a comfortable stretch.

When Should I Do It?

I like to start and end my day with these stretches but they can be done multiple times through the day if you find that they are helpful for you. Each stretch will be most beneficial if you hold it for thirty seconds at a time, doing up to three reps every time you do it. If you are interested in getting a more specific, personalized stretch routine, come in and see us! We’d love to help loosen you up.

 

Post Written by Tom Farnsworth, PT

What’s worse? Sitting or Smoking?

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What is worse?

It’s a popular saying these days that sitting is worse for you than smoking. The truth is that sitting too much, or lack of movement does have very serious health effects. Sitting too much can be bad for your health. But, the problem is being sedentary, not the act of sitting itself. The best thing to do is to aim to reduce the number of hours you spend each day being sedentary. This could be when you are sitting, lying down, or standing. The more time you are required to be sedentary, the more you should do physical activities to balance it out. Changing positions during your day and building in frequent breaks from sedentary positions is very helpful. Keeping a good posture when you sit helps to reduce excessive stress on your tissues. Overall, movement and physical activity are the best tools to reduce your risk of health risks associated with sitting.

What to Do

While you should minimize prolonged periods spent sitting, it is unreasonable to remove it from your day entirely. Therefore, you want to ensure when you are in a seated postion, you are doing so in the best posture that you can. If you are having pain with sitting (or standing) at work, come see us at our physical therapy office. There is no “perfect” posture, but there are ideal postures given your individual anatomical structure. Below are guidelines to get you started on a general good posture when you sit:

  • Keep your hips and knees at 90 degrees.
  • Your spine should be in a neutral position. No slouching.
  • Most of your thighs should be supported by your chair, but not all the way to your knee.
  • Keep you head stacked in line with your torso, no hunching over.

(Not proper posture)

Sitting Has Betrayed Us

Doing it too much can actually get you injured.  It’s sad but true.  Sitting has betrayed us. There are many injuries that can be due to sitting for too long or too often. Some of the most common areas of pain and injuries of this type are:

  • Spinal pain: lower back (lumbar), mid back (thoracic), and neck (cervical)
  • Shoulder pain
  • Hip pain
  • Wrist/arm pain (for example: carpal tunnel or “tennis elbow”)

What can you do to avoid sitting (or standing around) too much?

One of the most important ways to avoid work related postural pain with desk jobs is to reduce the amount of time you are staying in the same position. A good goal is that periods of being sedentary (whether static sitting or standing) are only 30-60 minutes at a time. That means trying to do some active movement for 1-5 minutes at least once an hour. Setting a timer to remind you to move can help. Many activity trackers have settings that will remind you to move at this frequency. There are also apps you can download on your phone to give you reminders. This break from sitting can be as simple as going to the restroom or getting a drink of water. It’s even better if you can take a longer walking lap around your office or climbing up and down the stairs.

Ask yourself about whether there are work tasks that can be accomplished while moving. Using talk-to-text apps you can dictate emails while on a walk and often can take conference calls as well. If you can, take a longer walking or stretching break during lunch. Even briskly walking for 20-30 minutes each day during your lunch break can make a huge difference that you will notice.

Hamstrings

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Why are hamstrings important?

The hamstring muscles are a group of three muscles that sit in the back side of your upper leg, or thigh. These muscles often have limitations, either in mobility or strength. This can alter normal biomechanics during your regular daily activity or sports related activity. Some common hamstring injuries include a tear or strain of the muscle or tendon. Your hamstring muscles are also essential in low back health as you age. They are muscles that will constantly need work. They also assist in extension of your hip as well as flexion of the knee.

Issues

The attachment point of the hamstring muscles is the ischial tuberosity, which is part of your pelvis.  Tension is quite common in your hamstrings. This leads to a pulling in your pelvis. This will case a pelvic tilt and consequently, a flat back posture, which affects the normal curvature of your spine. We find this most commonly in the elderly. This can lead to weakness of the lumbar spine when your muscles are not able to contract properly and can lead to further back injuries. Stretching will improve the mobility of your hamstring muscles.  This also decreases the potential for further injury in your low back or legs.

Another common issue for your hamstring includes a muscle imbalance, in which there is a decreased strength of the hamstrings or an increased strength of the quadricep muscles. Research shows that quadricep muscles are often more powerful than the hamstrings. The hamstrings seem to fatigue quicker than the quadriceps. This can often lead to a muscle strain and occurs most commonly in the athletic population. Strengthening the hamstring muscles will help create a 1:1 ratio of strength in these muscles and decrease a risk for injury.

Come in and see us.

There are plenty of issues that occur in the hamstring which can lead to serious injury. It is important to assess the hamstrings and determine if flexibility or strengthening is better for you and to proscribe an appropriate exercise program. If you are experiencing any of these issues or feel that you could benefit from our services, please contact us.

Casey Badder PT

Head, Shoulders, Geeze My Phone!

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Is your phone killing your back and neck?

Are you reading this on your phone right now? If so, you might be doing the “smartphone slouch”. You’re tilting your head forward and downward to hunch over your phone.  You may not know this, but the human head weighs somewhere around 10 to 12 pounds.  But when you tilt your head forward it can cause strain on your back, neck and shoulders that is equal to you having a much heavier head.  How much heavier? Well at 15 degrees of forward tilt it equates to your head weighing 27 pounds. At 30 degrees forward, the strain on your neck equals a 40 pound head.  A 60 degree tilt is the same as if you had a 60 pound head!  That is some serious strain!

No one wants a head that big.

 

As you tilt your head, you also move your shoulders forward into a rounded position, which is another aspect of poor posture. All this excess strain creates extra wear and tear on the structures of your neck, upper spine and back.  The average person is on a computer or smart device between 2-4 hours every day.  That’s a lot of potential pain and strain.

What Can I do?

So how do you get your work done and use your phone and save your back and neck?  First, if you have to do extended work, don’t do it on your phone.  It’s much better if you do long tasks on a desktop computer.  If you have to do it on a laptop, make sure you’re positioned where you can have good posture.  Then, when you do have to use your phone, don’t hunch over it.  Instead, lift your phone up higher rather than tilting your head and rounding your shoulders forward.

 

Being aware of your posture is a great first step to relieving the pain of living life in the age of the smart phone.  But it’s almost inevitable that you’re going to have some pain and strain from time to time.  Here are a couple of things you can do to bring some much-needed relief to your upper back and neck.

First is the scap squeeze. It gets its name from your scapula, also known as your shoulder blades.  The goal is to squeeze your shoulder blades together.  Sit or stand up tall with your arms at your sides.  Keep your shoulders relaxed and down, not shrugged. Squeeze your shoulder blades together. Hold for 6 seconds, then relax.

 

Second, a lat pull down can help correct your posture and strengthen the muscles that will keep you from straining.  On a lat pulldown machine you’ll want to grab the bar with your hands shoulder width apart and be sure to pull the bar down to your chest and not behind your head.  You can see here and example of proper technique.  The goal isn’t to do this exercise with the most weight possible, but to get good steady repetitions in that will engage the muscles that help your posture.

 

Staying mindful of your posture, along with these simple stretches and exercises will help you beat the smartphone slouch.

Written by Tom Farnsworth PT

 

 

 

 

 

Posture in the Age of Working From Home

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Working From Home

Prior to COVID-19, working from home seemed like a luxury. Laying back on the couch in your pajamas while watching Netflix and doing some work on your laptop. However, now many Americans are realizing that it’s not all it cracked up to be. The kids are at home, we are physically unable to get outside of the home, and many of us have been experiencing some new neck and back pain. What is causing this influx of back and neck pain? Poor posture!

At-Home Posture Setup

The key to your successful work station includes a well-planned set up. If your work station is set up properly, you will not only be more effective and efficient in your work, but also decrease your risk for pain and injury. When you start to change this discipline, it complicates things. So, what exactly does a good work station for set up involve?

 

The key to any proper posture will start with the pelvis. Most sofas or recliners will tilt the pelvis and put the body at a mechanically and biomechanical disadvantage. Whether sitting in a desk chair, bed, recliner or sofa, a simple fix can be to put a folded towel toward the back of the seat to allow the pelvis to stay engaged and to prevent a posterior, or backwards, tilt. The next thing to consider is the position of the scapula, or shoulder blades.

 

Ideally, your shoulder blades should be pulled back and down to engage your proper postural muscles and to prevent you from slumping over a computer or phone. The final thing to consider is the position of the neck. It is essential to line the head properly over the shoulders and to avoid the head creeping forward in front of the shoulders. Prolonged time with a forward head posture will put serious stress on the neck muscles and can even cause headaches.

 

Despite the comfort of being in your own home, it is essential to keep good posture when working for prolonged periods of time. These three simple corrections can help you maintain a proper posture, whether sitting on a sofa or a desk chair.

Post written by: Casey Badder, PT

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

Postal Address

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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