Happy New Year! Now about those resolutions...

Happy New Year!  It’s the first day of 2014….  Have you set any New Year’s Resolutions?? More often than not, resolutions include:  eat better, lose weight, and be healthier…

These are admirable goals, and most of us do need to strive to be healthier.   However, many would agree, that the same resolution will be set again next year.  Why?  We all face our individual barriers, run into our own obstacles, and sometimes life just gets in the way.

Entropy Physiotherapy and Wellness is here to help!

Common difficulties in meeting fitness goals include:  pain, not having fun, and not being sure how to go about meeting those goals.

We can help with all of those obstacles!

•  Pain is not a normal result of exercise, and you really should be feeling ‘good’ while you’re going your work out.  Yes, you may be sore later, but you should also be able to function the next day!
•  Is leaking urine keeping you from running or participating in aerobics or kickboxing class? There’s help for that!  There's help for the high level athletes that leak too.  If your goal is the intensity of CrossFit we get it, and we can keep you powerful and dry too!
• Lack of motivation or shyness of going to the gym can also be a barrier.  Or financially, committing to a gym can be daunting.  There are so many, low-cost, enjoyable activities that you can do at home or outside, by yourself or with some motivated friends.  We are here to get you to your best and help you reach your goals.

Think of us like the ‘Genius Bar’ for your body.  Many aches and pains that people attribute to age, weight, or just being ‘normal’ aren’t actually normal or due to age or your weight.  Come talk to us about your goals, and we can help you get there.

Below Your Belt: Unlocking the Mysterious Box

Last Friday, we had the honor of hosting the Women's Health Foundation for a Girls' Night Out.  The topic?  The Mysterious Box below our belts.  The Women's Health Foundation is the most passionate champion for women's pelvic health in the country, and there's a lot to be said about keeping the pelvis healthy.  Many people already know about the Total Control Program, but there is more to pelvic health than continence! Friday, we were able to talk a little bit about the sensuous side of the pelvis.  I gave a talk on the Anatomy and Physiology of Orgasm.  I was given 15 minutes, and overestimated the amount of stuff I could say…  So if anyone wants to chat about orgasms, stop by Entropy and we can work something out...

Lucky for the full house, I was followed by the energetic Rachel Fiske, who took us through some gentle yoga, helping the group increase our pelvic awareness.  Her talk, 'The Key to the Home of the Goddess', was the perfect balance of movement and education.  I also learned my new favorite pelvic floor contraction cue:  Imagine a little kiss.  Much more inviting than 'contract like you want to stop the flow of urine'.

The evening ended with the eloquent Elsbeth Meuth, educating us on how to 'Boost Your Yoni Health with Tantric Infused Practices'.  We spent a glorious 25 minutes becoming aware of our pelvic energy, and that awareness can infuse the whole body with increased sensitivity and appreciation.

The Women's Health Foundation does know how to throw a great party:  wonderful food and wine, fun women who are looking to learn, and a program that encompassed different aspects of our pelvic awareness, health, and enjoyment.  My only question is:  When do we get to do this again?

Special thanks to the Women's Health Foundation for including Entropy Physiotherapy in this wonderful night!!

Understanding Pain - In less than 5 minutes

Pain is an experience most of us will have at some point in our life.  Thankfully, the scientific understanding of pain has improved drastically over the years.  Unfortunately, there are still lots of misconceptions and misunderstandings about what pain is and what to do about it.  Here's a short, fun clip that might help you think a little differently about pain. [embed width="320" height="240"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4b8oB757DKc&feature=youtu.be[/embed]

Stuck. Stiff. Glued together. Painful. - How can manual therapy help?

Stuck. Stiff. Glued together. Painful.

Those are pretty typical words for the sensation that your body just isn’t moving as easily as it should. That’s about the time most of us look for help to get back to our normal comfort. Make no mistake, moving easily is normal.

What can be done to improve the way you feel at rest and in movement? There are a few parts to the best answer:

1) Education: It’s important to understand the context of what is limiting you from moving or being comfortable. That is what a well-constructed evaluation and some specific pain and biology education will do. We will work together to determine what you need and come up with a plan to get you to your goals and a life without limits.

2) Movement Therapy: You will need to move. This can be so much fun, and needs to be something you enjoy. We can help you explore high quality movement options like Yoga, Tai Chi, Dance, BIG exercises, Eric Franklin imagery/movement, Walking, Running, Swimming… you get the idea? It’s movement. The type that works best for you is individual. We will find something you like.

3) Manual Therapy: Sometimes we need someone else to nudge the stuck spots and help to carefully get us back to moving. There is a place for well-trained and carefully selected manual therapy.

Manual therapy is a general term for any therapy applied with the hands. How are you supposed to figure out what is best, among all of the different types of manual therapy that are marketed under specific names?

• It’s comfortable and you move better/more when you are finished. • You aren’t bracing or guarding or in pain while it is happening. Really. You don’t have to hurt to get better and experiencing pain doesn’t make you more tough. There are easier ways to achieve your goals than paying for someone to help you practice protective responses! • You can measure progress. By how you feel, by how you move, by how long you can sit, by having sex without pain – if what you are doing is helping, you should be able to see change. We aim for measurable change that you can see somehow in the first few visits!

What do we have to offer at Entropy along the lines of specific techniques we have been trained in? • Myofascial Release: Find the stuck spots and apply gentle pressure until the stuck spot changes. It’s a non-forceful technique that means it isn’t a test of your endurance or pain tolerance. This technique is not terribly different than what some people would call craniosacral mobilization. • Visceral Mobilization: Find the stuck spot theory applies here too – also non-forceful and no more mysterious than the movement that happens when you breath. • McKenzie Technique: Looks at movement patterns and limitations, uses a common sense and rational approach to correcting stuck spots. • Self-treatment Techniques. This is the most important of all. It is likely that what we do with our hands is not as important as the opportunity that it creates – so that you learn how to move with ease again, with less fear of the movement or activity, with less pain, with more comfort. And most importantly, just like brushing your own teeth or hair, we want you to be able to learn to do this for yourself.

When do you need Manual Therapy? When moving is stiff, stuck or difficult and you need some well-trained hands to help you get back to your own comfort. We think that’s important.

Do You Really Have to Go?

Here's a super-short thought on what you can do to curb that 'gotta go' feeling...  Drugs aren't the only way to manage an urge!!  Check in with your local pelvic floor therapist for more information!!!

Over Active Bladder Simplified

An offering from Sarah on what might be going on with your bladder...

Runners: Lose the Leak!

 

Waylaid from exercise by having to stop to pee too often?

Don’t bother going out to run for fear that you will wet on yourself?

Have you had to give up the thing that you love because you leak when you run?

You are totally not alone.  Research shows that 1 in 3 women leak a little with activity.  Healthy, young and active women leak.  And it doesn’t have to be this way!  You can lose the leak.  Read on and get back to running with confidence.

Despite the TV commercials encouraging you to address your issue with  medications or to use a pretty pad, there is much more you can do than to settle for dry mouth or diapers for the rest of your life.  Your first step is to understand what is happening.  The next step is to take action to get back to what you enjoy.

Incontinence, the involuntary loss of urine, happens to over 25 million women in the United States alone. Many of these women are under 30 years old and have never had children.  A study on young girls and incontinence finds 20% of otherwise healthy young girls are giving up on exercise because they pee a little when they run.^1,2 Or jump. Or laugh.  This is not OK and it’s frustrating for the person, and for the pelvic health therapists who KNOW that we can make a difference in your lives.

Who leaks? Not just old or pregnant people!  One study asked 291 elite women athletes and dancers about if they leak and 51.9% said yes.¹ And not just during training or competition.  Another study found that 20% of young women stop exercising because of leakage.² Interestingly, a study of healthy fitness instructors also found 26% experience urinary incontinence.³

So what can be done?  The first thing that needs to be established, is what type of incontinence do you have?  The treatment for stress incontinence is different and urinary urgency or urge incontinence.  Some people have both!!  Now what??  Kegels may help (if you’re doing them right), but they might not!  A skilled Women’s Health Physical Therapist can help you learn what you need to do.  You may not need any exercises at all!!

References:

1. Thyssen et al. Urinary incontinence in Elite Female Athletes and Dancers. Int Urogynecol J (2002) 13:15-17.
2. Nygaard I et al.  Exercise and Incontinence. Obstet Gynecol 1990; 75:848-851.
3. Bo K, Bratland-Sanda S, Sundgot-Borgen J. Urinary incontinence among group fitness instructors including yoga and Pilates teachers. Neurourol Urodyn 2011;30:370-373.

The Magic Move

The other day Sandy and I were talking about the odd desire that physical therapists (at least in America) tend to want a protocol, including what exercises, are need to help a patient.  Sandy told me a great story of a very good occupational therapist she used to work with, who gave an inservice on his new shoulder protocol.  It was a handout of all the standard rotator cuff exercises, with one exercise scribbled out.  Which exercise doesn't matter for this story.

The patient was very compliant, but said that he didn't really care for most of the exercises, except for one that seemed to really help a lot.  When the therapist asked which one helped the most, the patient pointed to the one that was scribbled out.  He actually felt better moving his shoulder in a 'scribble' pattern.  It was amazing, he found his magic move! And it was not even in the protocol.

While the promise of simple instructions that can be applied to any person with a particular diagnosis is very seductive, I have observed 2 things.  First, most patients don't follow the protocol, usually because it is either 'too boring' or 'too long'.  The second reason is that we are not all the same.  We value different things, we enjoy different things, and we have different levels of motivation.

Admit it.  We all want that magic move.  The one thing that will make us feel better, the one thing that will 'fix' whatever is causing us pain, discomfort or loss of function.  If I find that move, I'm quitting my job, and doing a world tour and maybe some infomercials...

Until then,  we'll be here at Entropy, ready to help anyone who wants to find a program that works for them.

Alphabet Soup - What do all of those letters mean??

The medical profession is filled up with a variety of different letters:  PT, DPT, MD, DO, DC, WCS, certified, board certified....  All of those letters might instill a sense of confidence.  Or just confuse you.

I am as guilty as anyone for 'collecting' letters.  Sandy Hilton actually tells me I need a QR code for all of them (she is exaggerating just to irk me).  Some people collect letters as a symbol of accomplishment, some to make themselves more marketable.  Regardless of the letters after anyone's name, we have to remember those letters do not make that person a great clinician.

These letters can help a patient find a practitioner who specializes in something specific.  People 'earn' letters by completing advanced degrees, undergoing a written or practical test, or completing other advanced training.  But other times those letters may just translate into someone who has jumped through appropriate hoops and paid the necessary fees.

The whole purpose of this post is to just encourage patients, consumers and practitioners to consider what those letters mean.  Look them up, or ask the person who has the letters what they mean.  But then ask them what they had to do to get them.  Decide if those letters impress you as much after you know what they mean.

Thanks for listening :-)

Sarah J. Haag, PT, DPT, MS, WCS, Cert. MDT

PT=Physical Therapist (licensed physical therapist)

DPT= Doctor of Physical Therapy (professional degree, 2 or 3 additional years of schooling)

MS = Master of Science (in women's health, back to school again!)

WCS = Women's Health Certified Specialist (Board Certified Specialist in Women's Health Physical Therapy through the American Board of Physical Therapy Specialties)

Cert. MDT = Certified in the Mechanical Diagnosis and Therapy through the McKenzie Institute

Why Entropy??

We get several different reactions when we say that we just opened a clinic, and it's called, 'Entropy Physiotherapy & Wellness'. The first bit that seems to baffle people is 'Entropy'. Some people look confused. One guy grinned a little, but then couldn't remember why he would know what entropy is.

Entropy is the third law of thermodynamics. (Thanks, Mr. Kruse, my physics teacher at Bradley-Bourbonnais Community High School, for making this make sense). Entropy simply put is the tendency of the world to get messy. It is natural for us to seek the state which requires the least amount of energy to maintain, which also tends to be the most 'disordered'. Think of sitting up straight vs. slouching. One takes a bit of effort, but looks lovely and orderly. The slouching you do not even need to be conscious to do (no energy, lots of disorder).

All of that being said, Entropy is what happens to most of us when we have that crick, hitch, ouch, or even that incapacitating sciatica. It wasn't a traumatic event. But it also didn't really even hit us out of the blue (even if it feels like it did). As a very wise man once said (Morten!!), most of our pains took years of careful preparation.

So why Entropy? Mostly because we're falling apart in one way or another. Thankfully, entropy is a reversible process.

Once we have adequately explained entropy, the next question is: What's Physiotherapy?

Other than sounding just a bit more sophisticated than 'PT' or 'physical therapy', it is what every other country calls the profession that specializes in physical rehabilitation. And we just like it.