October is National Physical Therapy Month

“Treating the body to prevent injury is as important as treating the body due to injury.”

October is Physical Therapy month and I wanted to share with all of you what Physical Therapy is and what I personally treat as a physical therapist.  

 As a Doctor of Physical Therapy, I love working with all kinds of patients.  I have experience with pediatrics all the way to college and professional athletes. Currently I am treating out of the beautiful ESO Live Well Space in Newport Beach California, located rite across the street from the beach <3 In the space I provide Manual Orthopedic Care, Yoga, and Pilates based Therapeautic Exercise. Programs are custom designed with each individual patients personal history taken into account.  Current Diet and nutrition are also discussed to get to the root cause of what’s going on inside the body.(** Read my last post on “What is Holistic Nutrition” to learn more)

 Physical Therapy is a healing practice that includes postural awareness, soft tissue and joint mobilization, breath work, functional mechanics, visceral mobility, and therapeutic exercise. My main work as a physical therapist is to assess each individual’s human anatomy and analyze function.  Listening to each patient’s individual story gives me insight into what is truly going on and how we can work to fix it.  Finding the true root of the problem is key for long lasting results.  

 All shapes, all sizes, and all ages can benefit from Physical Therapy. Some of the goals patients can work on include improvements in activity performance, balance, fall prevention, post-pardum rehabilitation, weight-loss management and more.    Aside from current and past aches and pains Physical Therapy can help everyone in all walks of their life.  Prevention is key and maintaining health for long-term use is vital. 

Below are a few of the patients I am currently treating at the ESO Live Well Space.  They all work so hard and I am honored to be apart of their journeys.  Each one of them have dedicated time in their lives to better their health. 

Lauren Heald

Lauren has been with me for almost a year now and we work weekly on postural control, abdominal bracing, balance, Upper and Lower Quadrant strength, and functional skills.  Lauren is an athlete and participates in dance, swim, horseback ridding, yoga, and spin. She is a true Rockstar and my day is brightened knowing I get to treat her. 

Andrew Stellar

Andrew first came to Physical Therapy for manual care due to a herniated disc in his lumbar spine.  Andrew is a seasoned surfer with goals of traveling for waves and being active with his family. Andrew is a true athlete who is focused and works hard to achieve goals.  His favorite piece of equipment is the Balanced Body Core Align because he says it helps his duck dives on big swell.  

Rocco Azzarito

I have had the privlage of treating Rocco since he was only a few months old.  Rocco was born with a right-sided brain bleed at birth resulting in mild Cerebral Palsy. Rocco presents with spasticity in his Left upper and lower quadrant.  He is a true gentleman and at age 4 is such a hard worker.   Rocco and I use Yoga, Pilates, manual care and other functional exercises during our sessions.  Our goals are to improve range of motion, balance, strength, and efficiency in functional activities.  Our sessions are the best, especially when they are at the park on the beach! 

Carl and Linda Schiefer

Carl and Linda sought out my care to help with nutritional needs and overall physical health.  Carl has Parkinson’s Disease and Linda was dealing with a suppressed immune system.  We revamped their diet with simple and sustainable changes.  We cooked, went grocery shopping, and even made gluten free vegan Oatmeal Rasine cookies for Carl.  Physical Therapy focused on overall strength, balance, soft tissue mobility, fall prevention and functional tasks.  Their attitude on health has changed and they both work daily to better their lives.  

 Kim 

Kim is another dedicated athlete that has worked hard to maintain her movement health, which includes flying, sailing, race car driving, and more. Kim originally came to me to find a program that would keep her from straining her neck. Through our sessions we were able to find what we needed to strengthen and what we needed to correct with alignment, engagement and breathe.  We were able to find a program that was tough but also smart!  She is a super hard worker and I love our sessions. 

 The body is intricate and complex and paying attention to the messages we receive allows us to age with steadiness and ease. Everyone deserves to experience a body that works and functions for life, work, recreation, and performance. Body work through physical therapy is a continued practice of preservation.

Come visit me at the ESO space on October 13th from 10:30 to 12pm to go over Self-Care with Yoga Tune up Balls and Simple Core Stability Exercises. First 10 people to sign up on ESO Mind Body Online will get a free set of yoga tune-up balls. Sets of tune-up balls will be available for purchase at the workshop. Come visit me and ask questions about physical therapy and overall health!

Simple Neck Stretches and Mobility Exercises To Do at Your Desk Chair

Upper Traps

·      Start by sitting up right in your seat, balancing on your sits bones, and relaxing your shoulders down your back

·      Side-Bend your Right ear towards your Right Shoulder keeping your chin slightly drawn inward

·      Create some overpressure by placing your Right hand on your head and depressing your Left shoulder down.

·      Hold each stretch for at least 30-45 seconds and perform on each side. 

Sternocleidomastoidmastoid /SCM

·      Start by sitting up right in your seat, balancing on your sits bones, and relaxing your shoulders down your back

·      Side-Bend your Right ear towards your Right Shoulder keeping your chin neutral

·      Create some overpressure by placing your Right hand on your head and depressing your Left shoulder down.

·      Lightly start to look up towards the sky on the Left until you feel a comfortable stretch on the Left side.

·      Hold each stretch for at least 30-45 seconds and perform on each side. 

Levator Scapulae:

·      Start by sitting up tall with shoulders relaxed. Grasp the bottom of the seat with your Right hand.

·      Slightly turn your chin toward your left shoulder and lightly look down until a comfortable stretch is felt on the Right side of the neck. Hold that position for 30 seconds.

·      Repeat on each side

 Simple Neck Rotation

·      Start by sitting up tall with balance on your sits bones and your shoulders relaxed down your back

·      Try to keep your neck neutral by lightly drawing your chin in towards your chest

·      Take an inhale breath and draw your chin over towards your Right shoulder

·      Exhale and return back to the middle.

·      Take another inhale breath and draw your chin over towards your Left Shoulder

·      Exhale and return back to the middle

·      Repeat these rotations to the Right and Left 5-8 times each, matching the breath to each movement while sitting up tall. 

Upper Extremity Stretches

Seated Cat/Cow:

·      Sit up straight in your chair with your shoulders relaxed down your back.  Start with a simple inhale though the nose and pull your chest plate forward while retracting your shoulders back. 

·      On the Exhale breath bring your shoulders forward and dome through your back. 

·      Continue to flow though the two poses with your inhale and exhale breath pausing and holding if areas feel tight. 

·      Stay mindful of keeping your neck neutral by keeping your chin slightly pulled into your chest. 

Pectoralis Minor and Major:

·      Stand in a corner of your home and start by Goal Posting your arms and placing your hands onto the wall.

·       Stager your legs and aim for keeping the hips neutral. 

·      Lightly press your chest plate forward until you feel a stretch in the front of your chest. 

·      Alternate your arms from a Goal Post position to a wide T position to a Y position.   Hold each position for about 45-60 seconds to target the different angles of these muscles. 

·      Stay mindful of keeping your shoulders relaxed and your neck neutral by keeping your chin slightly pulled into your chest. 

Triceps:

·      Sit up straight in your chair with your shoulders relaxed down your back

·      Bring your Right arm straight up to the sky and bend at your elbow.

·      Take your Left hand and lightly hold the Right elbow while gently pulling back

·      Keep your shoulders relaxed and back neutral by engaging the belly. 

·      Perform for 45-60 seconds on each side. 

The Lat’s (Latissimus Dorsi)

·      Start by standing upright with feet hip widths distance and facing a wall

·      Place both hands from the shoulders onto the wall and press your body back as you hinge from your hips and fold half way

·      Think about pulling your hips away from your hands as you press your hands into the wall.  Hold for about 1 minute. 

·      To isolate each side stand with your arms reaching up to the sky and grab onto the Right wrist with your Left hand and reach over to the left side while your hips drift to the right.  Hold for about 15 seconds and switch to the other side.  Perform 2-3 times on each side. 

Biceps/ Wrist Flexors

·      Sit up tall in your seat and extend your Right arm out at a 90 degree angle while pointing your fingers down to the floor.

·      Use your Left hand for some overpressure to stretch the biceps and wrist flexors deeper. 

·      Hold this stretch for 30-45 seconds and switch to stretch each side

Wrist Extensors

·      Sit up tall in your seat with your shoulders relaxed down your back

·      Place both hands together in a reverse prayer position

·      Lightly draw the hands up until you feel a comfortable stretch into the wrists and hold for 30-45 seconds.