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Year: 2018

Total Sports TherapyNews2018
By Admin 0 Comments TST Partners

TST welcomes new sports partner

FC Batavia (FCB) and Total Sports Therapy (TST) are pleased to announce a new partnership. Starting January 1st, 2019, TST and FCB will work together to provide FCB athletes with the best possible soccer training and sports therapy services. This natural fit will benefit both TST and FCB, but most importantly it will benefit the players.

FCB injured players will get able to get timely injury evaluation and physical therapy by TST.  FCB coaches will be also educated by TST in injury prevention and treatment while TST will be the official club medical trainers at future FCB events like tournaments, games, practice, etc.

Rick Tillman, owner/director of coaching, for FC Batavia says, “We are excited about our partnership with TST. Besides the obvious advantages like sponsorship and name recognition, we are looking forward to the medical benefits our players will now be offered. Unfortunately, injuries are part of youth soccer but with TST we know our young athletes are in very capable hands and will recover from their injuries as fully and as quickly as possible.”

We are are excited to be working with FC Batavia. Please check out their website for more information: https://fcbatavia.com/

vertigo
By Admin 0 Comments Therapy

How can Physical Therapy help with Vertigo?

vertigoDizziness is an experience that 20-30% of all adults will experience throughout their lifetime but not all “dizziness” is easy to explain.  Vertigo is defined as “sensation of whirling or movement that results in error message in the central process of position, space, and time” or in other words spinning.

90% of all disability caused by “dizziness” is Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV).  BPPV is caused by the dislodging of sensory crystals within inner ear that can “get lost” in the semi-circular canals causing miscommunication to the brain on your position in space.  Signs and symptoms of BPPV are usually triggered by specific changes in head positioning and include:

  • Sudden sensation of spinning
  • Dizziness
  • Loss of balance
  • Nausea
  • Vomiting

Treatment

When researching you may find “self-treatments” for vertigo but it is recommended to avoid such treatments as it is possible to make symptoms worse.  A certified physical therapist (PT) can perform canalith repositioning techniques (CRT) to resolve symptoms in as little as 1 visit.  These include a series of strategic movements that the PT will direct in order to guide the crystals out of the semi-circular canals and eliminating symptoms.  Your therapist will also provide you with post-care with modifications to make daily for up to one week, reducing chances of symptoms returning.  If your symptoms are not caused by BPPV the therapist will further assess the cause.  In most cases a referral to a physical therapist is not required (dependent on insurance) but a cash rate is always offered to provide same day treatment.

thanksgiving picture
By Admin 0 Comments Uncategorized

Happy Thanksgiving: How to cut 1000 calories from your Thanksgiving Meal!

thanksgiving picture

Happy Thanksgiving from the staff of Total Sports Therapy!  Did you know the average Thanksgiving meal is over 2,000 calories and that is before you have a second serving!  Here is the average Thanksgiving meal:

  • Turkey, white & dark meat, with skin, 6 ounces
  • Gravy, 1/3 cup
  • Mashed potatoes, 1 cup
  • Cranberry sauce, 1/3 cup
  • Green bean casserole, 1 cup
  • Sweet potato casserole topped with marshmallows, 1 cup
  • Dinner roll, 1
  • Butter, 1 tablespoon
  • Apple pie, 1 slice
  • Vanilla ice cream, ½ cup

To burn 1,000 calories you would have to:

  • Run – 9 miles
  • Bike – 22 miles
  • Jump Rope – continuously for 90 minutes

For many, it may be easier to just cut 1,000 calories from the meal.  Here are some simple ways to do this.

  • Turkey – eat only 3 oz. of Turkey without the skin (Average calorie savings 200)
  • Sweet potato casserole – ½ cup, without marshmallows (Average calorie savings 270)
  • Green bean casserole – ½ cup, without the french onion topping (Average calorie savings 140)
  • Mashed potatoes – ½ cup instead of 1 cup (Average calorie savings 200)
  • Apple pie – ½ cup low-fat vanilla or low fat whipped cream (Average calore savings 160)

By eating slowly you will feel the sensation of being full quickly and will be less inclined to go back for seconds.  Have a Happy and Healthy Thanksgiving!

hip flexor
By Admin 0 Comments Exercises, Therapy ,

Check your hips for back pain

Your low back pain may be coming from your hips

Having back pain is miserable, and not knowing why you might have back pain can be frustrating.  Often in treatment people focus purely on the back muscles, and getting very little relief.  This may be because they are focusing on the wrong muscle groups that may be causing your lower back pain.  In some cases the hip flexors may be causing your low back pain (see diagram below).

hip flexor

The hip flexors include the Psoas muscle which is a large muscle that originates at the lower levels of the lumbar spine and attaches to the femur.  Because the Psoas muscle originates at the lumbar spine, it can often be the root cause of your low back pain.

How do the hip flexors and more specifically your Psoas muscle cause low back pain?

Consider this, you spend most of your day with your hips in a flexed position, from sitting, sleeping (when side-lying), and even in exercising.  By putting your hip flexor muscles in a shortened position for long periods of time you eventually tighten this muscle so when you are standing or laying flat on your back with legs fully extended, you may experience back pain.

How to test if your Psoas muscle is tight

A simple test anyone can do is to lay flat on your back with legs fully extended.  How does this position feel?  Now, while laying flat on your back raise your knees while keeping your feet flat on the surface you are lying on.  Does this position feel better?  If so, this is a good sign that your Psoas muscle is tight.

How to stretch the Psoas muscle

Because the Psoas muscle is so deep it is very difficult to get to and isolate when stretching.  If you try these stretches and don’t get relief, seek a physical therapist.

Try the following stretches based on tolerance:

Supine single knee to chest – Keep one leg straight, while laying on your back, and pull the opposite knee to your chest. Do not let the straight leg flex at the hip.  Stretch should be mild.  Hold for 30 seconds for 3 repetitions.  This is a good stretch to start with for the hip flexors.  Once you feel that you can tolerate easily, progress to supine leg drop.

 

 

 

 

 

Supine leg drop – Laying at the edge of a table or bed, drop one leg over the edge so your hip is able to extend.  Pull the opposite knee to your chest. Stretch should be moderate.  Hold for 30 seconds for 3 repetitions.  Once you feel that you can tolerate easily, progress to kneeling hip flexor stretch.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kneeling hip flexor stretch – From a kneeling position, place one foot flat on the ground directly ahead of you.  Keep your other knee on the floor and press your hips forward. Stretch should be moderate to significant.  Hold for 30 seconds for 3 repetitions.  The stretch intensity can be controlled by adjusting how much you lean forward into the stretch.

By Admin 5 Comments Sporting ,

Are Ankle Braces Bad For You?

Are ankle braces bad for you?

We often get asked, should I wear an ankle brace?  So, are ankle braces bad for you or good for you?  The right answer is that “It depends”. It depends on the history of your ankle, the type of activity you are doing, the type of terrain you are on, and the type of shoe wear.

For years ankle braces were provided to athletes and people who had pre-existing ankle sprains to help provide for the support that has been lost.  Recently a study from the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health showed that high school basketball players who wore stabilizing lace-up ankle braces had 68 percent fewer injuries than athletes who did not.  This group included athletes that had both pre-existing ankle injuries and athletes that did not.  Evidence supports that a healthy un-injured ankle can benefit from ankle bracing.

When it comes to activity, you need to consider if you even need to brace.  Going for a walk on flat pavement, riding a bike, working out in the gym, are not activities that an ankle brace would necessarily be needed.  Sports and activities that require quick lateral movements, the ankle brace can help provide more support and help prevent injuries.

Walking on flat pavement the foot has good contact with the ground.  Trail hiking often exposes you to very unstable and uneven surfaces where an ankle brace can help protect you from injury.  Consider this also when playing field sports.  Often there are hidden holes and loose ground that your foot might come in contact with, so brace accordingly.

Wearing proper footwear is important for ankle to do its job.  Proper grip in shoe wear helps establish the proper base for the ankle to support the body.  Like, wearing an ankle brace while wearing flat bottom tennis shoes on a wet field.  You are still going to slip and lose balance putting extra strain on your ankle, that even the brace may not be able to support.

Ankle bracing is a very good preventative accessory to many people who are active.  Overuse of an ankle brace can be bad for you because it can affect your ankle strength and balance.  If the ankle doesn’t have to do the work for balance and support, then it gets weaker, increasing the risk of injury.   Make sure that when there is minimal risk of injury to your ankle that you allow the ankle to do the work without the support so that you have strong supportive ankles for a lifetime.