Author Archive: Meghan Tezik

Have a Pain Free Holiday!

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The holidays are here!

No matter what you celebrate around this time a year, there are so many traditions to follow. Whether it is lighting candles, rolling out cookie dough, or decorating a tree. There are tons of beautiful moments to share with your family and friends. So many of these activities involve your upper extremities. What if you were hindered because of hand, wrist, or arm pain? Thankfully we are here to help!

How can we help?

With the help of occupational and physical therapy, we can get you back to making holiday memories.

First…

We would want to look to strengthen and mobilize the muscles that are impacted. We would want to build up the muscles that may be weaker and hope to improve the overall movement of any sort of joint or muscles that may be affected. This can be done with various stretches, exercises, and hands on manipulation from our therapists!

Next…

We would want to analyze any activities you wish to complete and see if there is any way to modify your activities to complete them pain free. This could involve repositioning your hand and wrist placement to use other muscles that may be stronger. This new placement could take pressure off of underperforming muscles, giving yourself less pain. Or we could implement  different gadgets that could be used instead of doing everything by hand. For example, tubing could be added to utensils to make a grip bigger, this way you use larger muscles in your hand then smaller muscles that may be weaker. 

Finally

We would be here to support you every step of the way, whether it be in one of our clinics or in your home! We are happy to visit your home and assess for safety, furniture placement, and modifying everyday activities to keep the pain from recurring even after the holidays are over. 

Come visit us!

Elite is happy to help you be your best this holiday season and into the new year. Call today to schedule therapy so good, it’s Elite!

Long COVID? No Thank You!

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The U.S. is officially two years into the COVID-19 pandemic and we are continuing to see it’s effects on our communities and families. Many who are infected with COVID-19 have been able to recover, but there is still a portion of survivors who are suffering from on-going symptoms. Mallory Yu of NPR reported, “A study published in JAMA Network Open found that about 30% of participants across multiple age ranges reported persistent symptoms more than six months after their COVID-19 infections.” Yu goes on to explain that there were an estimated 200 symptoms that patients are experiencing post COVID, ranging from the nervous system to the brain to the musculoskeletal system. 

These symptoms that follow COVID, or the patients that suffer these symptoms, are known to be suffering from “Long COVID” or could be called “long haulers.” And recovering from these long-term conditions can be difficult when assimilating back into everyday life. If there is an occupation where someone stands on their feet all day, or has to teach a class of students, recovery can now look impossible. Instead of waiting for symptoms to go away on their own, or accepting that this might be a new reality, there are ways to start improving your strength, mobility, balance, and overall confidence. Thankfully, physical therapy is here to help!

 

There are multiple kinds of recovery a person can experience. A person can go through recovery after a surgery, after an injury, or even after an illness. With physical therapy, a patient is able to see increased strength, use adaptations in their everyday life to make tasks easier, and create more stability physically and mentally. There are some long term symptoms of COVID that may stick around, but with the help of a physical or occupational therapist, navigating those symptoms to get back to normalcy becomes much easier. But in the best case scenario, physical therapy can relieve those symptoms! Terry G., a former patient of Elite Therapy Solutions, stated, “I want to thank the whole crew for the 8 weeks of rehab here.  It has been a tremendous comeback after 5 weeks in the hospital battling COVID-19.  I am back to almost all of my normal activities thanks to them!”

 

Do not let COVID slow you down, call today for physical therapy so good, it’s Elite!

Benefits of PT Post-Operation

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A surgery can be life changing, and the recovery process can vary from person to person. Whether it’s a hip replacement, knee replacement, or anywhere else in your body, physical therapy can help! Physical therapy can be vital in the healing process for many reasons. It increases blood flow, flexibility, range of motion, and it can even discourage scar tissue from forming. The many benefits combine to contribute to an overall lack of pain coming out of recovery. When there is less pain and swelling, a patient does not need to use as many pain killers or other extra medication to cope post-operation. Instead you can have a shorter recovery time, increased mobility, and more money in your pocket!

Once you master your mobility, a physical therapist can assess your needs and show you how to potentially alter your everyday activities to make your days of recovery easier. A physical therapist can show you how to correctly get out of bed, lean down to the bottom shelf of a grocery store, and guide you through the best ways of navigating to not only heal quicker but prevent complications in the future!

 

Without the necessary movement, stretching, and exercises after surgery, a patient’s condition could continue to get worse. The lack of blood flow and increased risk of scar tissue development makes the muscles stiff and immobile, making the site of surgery weaker than before. As a result, a patient’s weaker muscles make it a harder transition to normalcy, and could impact them negatively down the road. Instead of coming out of any surgery feeling defeated, weak, or discouraged, physical therapy can bring you back to your daily life, new and improved!

National Active Aging Week

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We are all aging, every second of every single day, and that is something worth celebrating! This week is National Active Aging week, and it doesn’t mean that we are all actively aging; but it means that we should all try to remain active while we age. Regardless of if you are 23, 43, or 63, continuing to stay active is crucial to our health and that is what this week is all about.

Did you know, as we age, our physician visits increase by 30%? Our body is more susceptible to wear and tear as we get older, which keeps us from doing the things we love. Some of the most common conditions that individuals over 50 years old suffer from are:

  •         Arthritis
  •         Osteoporosis
  •         Joint Replacement
  •         Balance Disorders
  •         Overall Deconditioning and Muscle Weakness

Thankfully, we have seen amazing results at managing these conditions after going through physical and occupational therapy with Elite.

Everyday activities like gardening, going grocery shopping, and so much more can be made easier. Don’t let your age keep you from doing what you love, let us help you get back and better than ever!