Complimentary injury consultation sessions will help determine the best injury treatment options & plan to help return the injured student athlete back to the game healthy & strong.
Includes:
Thorough history of athlete and review of injury
Injury screen looking at strength, mobility, stability and impairments
Education for athlete and parent/guardian on nature of symptoms and best course of treatment (PT, referral to MD, home rehabilitation program)
Call 406-284-4262 to schedule your complimentary student athlete injury consultation.
What do you think of when you hear physical therapy? Most individuals may have experienced or know of someone who experienced physical therapy with a pastinjuryor surgery. This is the bread and butter of what we do as physical therapiststhroughrehabilitating individuals back to what they love to do; however, most people do not know the benefits of seeing a physical therapist for “prehabilitation” or “wellness checkups” prior to a possible or potential injury from occurring.
Just as one goes to the dentist for a biannual checkup for prevention of possible future dental issues, physical therapy has and can be an option for the public in addressing possible musculoskeletal impairments, muscle strength deficits, and range of motion deficits in the body. As most of us all know, exercise has been suggested to aid in multiple health benefits such as preventing chronic disease, boosting mental health, increasing overall longevity, reducingrisk of cardiovascular disease, and improving bone health – just to name a few. As orthopedic physical therapists, we are trained and knowledgeable in rehabilitation and appropriate exercise prescription following injury and/or surgery, but we are also trained in injury prevention by providing patients and clientsresources for reducing their chance of an injury.
As spring is approaching and we are gearing up for the beautiful Montana summer, physical therapy may be of benefit to you or someone you know to increase your chances of a healthy, active, and injury-freeyear. It is typically easier to address these possible impairments before an injury may emerge versus after an injury has occurred. Most everyone, including you, may benefit from a “biannual checkup” with physical therapy!
Matt Schumacher, DPT, MTC, CAFS, CSCS received his Doctorate in Physical Therapy from the University of Mary in Bismarck, ND where he was recognized as a nominee for Outstanding Student Award in his physical therapy class demonstrating excellence in academics, volunteering, and servant leadership. Following graduation, he received training from Gray Institute with a Certification in Applied Functional Science (CAFS). Matt also completed a rigorous year-long program with Evidence in Motion (EIM) achieving his Manual Therapy Certification (MTC) gaining advanced training in mobilization and manipulation techniques for common diagnoses of the spine and extremities. Matt specializes in assisting individuals following post-operative rehabilitation, sports medicine rehabilitation, and orthopedic injuries/ailments of the spine and extremities utilizing advanced knowledge and skill with manual therapy and appropriate exercise prescription.
Over-pronation (the inward roll of the foot while walking or running) is a common contributing factor in the development of several lower extremity injuries including plantar fasciitis, Achilles tendinopathy, patellafemoral knee pain and other overuse conditions. Recent research addressing the contributing factors to the development of plantar foot pain (pain at the bottom of your foot) has emphasized the importance of training the muscles of the foot to keep the arch from collapsing inward. It has been proposed that the intrinsic plantar muscles of the foot play a similar role in arch preservation as the core muscles play in the stabilization of the trunk and spine. This concept provides a great foundation for direct treatment of conditions associated with over-pronation.
A recent study by Mulligan and Cook, published in the journal “Manual Therapy,” presented this concept and sought to test if the performance of a series of exercises (named “Short Foot Exercises”) directed at isolating the recruitment of the plantar foot muscles could decrease pronation after four weeks of training. They discovered a small, but significant difference in arch height and these differences were preserved after eight weeks without continued training. While these exercises are tedious and initially challenging, our patients here at Excel Physical Therapy are responding well to these exercises. If you have been dealing with plantar foot pain and are not responding to other therapies or orthotics, consider training the “core” of your feet with Short Foot Exercises.
Be sure to contact a licensed health professional before starting any exercise plan and for a thorough evaluation or diagnosis of your issue. We can help. Call us in Bozeman at 406.556.0562 or in Manhattan at 406.284.4262.
Matt completed his Doctorate in Physical Therapy at Eastern Washington University in Cheney, Washington. During his clinical experience with the Sports Medicine and Extremities team at The Orthopedic Specialty Hospital in Salt Lake City, Matt was exposed to a wide variety of surgical and non-surgical conditions and developed a solid foundation for the assessment and treatment of orthopedic conditions related to the extremities. Matt is an avid rock climber, telemark/backcountry skier and mountain biker. Matt regularly practices yoga and enjoys frequent adventures in the mountains with his wife and their Alaskan Malamute.
A new multicenter prospective study (good evidence!) shows physical therapy is very effective in the treatment of full-thickness rotator cuff tears. In the October issue of the “Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery”, JE Kuhn et al. showed that people with full thickness rotator cuff tears that were not the result of trauma (their injury was not the result of a fall, or blow to the shoulder) did very well with a 6-12 week course of physical therapy. People with rotator cuff tears had improved pain-levels and shoulder function after 8-15 visits of physical therapy. Furthermore, after a 2 year follow-up less then 25% of people elected to get surgery for their torn rotator cuff. The authors conclude that “Physical therapy is effective in the nonoperative treatment of atraumatic full-thickness rotator cuff tears…” and “…physical therapy is highly effective in alleviating symptoms.” This means that if you have a rotator cuff tear that was not the result of trauma you could save a lot of time and money by pursuing physical therapy instead of surgery.
Reference:Kuhn JE, et al. Effectiveness of physical therapy in treating atraumatic full-thickness rotator cuff tears: a multicenter prospective cohort study. J Shoulder Elbow Surg. 2013; 22(10) 1371-1379.
Questions? Contact Jason for more information how physical therapy can help you at 406.556.0562.
Here are the links to the injury prevention handouts and resources from Excel Physical Therapy’s Community Education Series Fall 2013 Seminar “Why Do Kids Get Injured? A Youth Sports Injury Seminar for Parents, Coaches and Athletes Ages 18 & Under”
For additional information, please contact Jason Lunden, DPT, SCS at 406.556.0562 or by email: jason “at” excelptmt.com
Jason Lunden, DPT, SCS specializes in the rehabilitation and prevention of sports-related injuries, with a particular interest in the biomechanics of sporting activities – running, cycling, skiing, snowboarding and overhead athletics. He has published on the topic of shoulder biomechanics and the rehabilitation of knee injuries and has a strong commitment to educating others. Jason serves as a physical therapist for the US Snowboarding and US Freeskiing teams and is a frequent, well-received local and national presenter on the topics of sports rehabilitation and injury prevention. He is a recent recipient of the New Horizon Award from the American Physical Therapy Association and he as received advanced training in dry needling techniques for the extremities.
Wednesday, Sept. 7, 2011 7-8pm Bozeman Public Library Community Room
•Learn how to recognize common overuse injuries that occur in cycling
•Discover how to apply self-treatment strategies to aid in recovery from overuse cycling injuries
•Understand the relationship between improper bike fitting and the development of an overuse injury
•Q&A session
Jason Lunden, DPT, SCS specializes in the rehabilitation and prevention of sports-related injuries. A published medical journal author, local and national presenter, Jason has obtained extensive advanced training in physical therapy and bike fitting: Doctor of Physical Therapy degree – University of Minnesota; Masters of Arts in Cell and Molecular Biology – St. Cloud State University; Bachelors of Arts – St. Olaf College; Minnesota Sports Medicine Sports Physical Therapy Residency; Sports Physical Therapy Clinical Specialist Board Certification – American Physical Therapy Association; Certified Bike Fitter
Bike adjustments and strengthening tips are generalizations, and may not work for your individual needs. If you have tried the above suggestions without success or want an individualized fit, you would benefit from a professional bike fitting. The fitting I perform is both a static and dynamic bike fit, where static measurements and adjustments are combined with a dynamic movement analysis and orthopedic examination. A proper bike fit is a marriage between the bike and the rider, so one needs to look at both the bike and the person when performing a bike fit. Getting a professional bike fit can significantly reduce pain associated with your riding, reduce the chances of developing future overuse injuries, and perhaps, best of all improve, your performance.
In addition to an improper bike fit, muscular imbalances can lead to overuse injuries in cycling. For example, weakness at the hip muscles can cause the knee to be improperly positioned at various points during the pedal stroke. The improper positioning of the knee can result in an overuse injury. Therefore in addition to getting your bike properly fit, focused hip strengthening and pedaling drills are usually required in order to rehabilitate knee pain associate with cycling.
Complimentary Student Athlete Injury Consultations for ALL Manhattan High School, Manhattan Christian High School and Three Forks H.S. Student Athletes
