Professional Baseball Athletic Trainers (PBATS) Baseball Conference

The days are getting longer, which can only mean one thing . . . baseball and softball seasons are right around the corner. Brian Ommen, DPT and Cole Abernathy, ATR recently attended the Professional Baseball Athletic Trainers (PBATS) Baseball Conference in Baltimore, MD. 

This continuing education opportunity covered common baseball injuries from head to toe.

One of the most heavily covered topics (and rightfully so) was the throwing shoulder and arm. Many games, seasons and even careers have ended due to shoulder and elbow injuries. 

Increased chance for injury can usually be attributed to three things: poor strength/conditioning, overuse and poor throwing mechanics. 

Poor rotator cuff and scapular strength is often the culprit when assessing a throwing injury. It is vital to maintain strength both during the season as well as through the winter. To strengthen these muscles, high reps with low weight will target the muscles needed to stabilize the shoulder region.

Overuse is also common in throwing injuries and is the most avoidable of the three mentioned above. Most youth baseball leagues now have pitch counts to avoid extreme overuse. A few things to think about when assessing overuse include: feeling of arm fatigue/soreness, participating in multiple baseball/softball leagues, age, and even perceived performance.

Poor throwing mechanics will frequently put unneeded stress on the throwing shoulder and elbow. Most people think of the shoulder as generating the throwing power when in actuality the majority of power comes from the legs and trunk. By not using the proper step, rotation and follow-through the chance of injury increases with every throw. To assess throwing mechanics, depend on coaches and even video analysis to evaluate or correct the throwing motion.

Baseball and softball seasons are a great time of the year. The proper precautions and preventative training will help to ensure an enjoyable season. PLAY BALL!

Bike Fit

Do you ride a bike for fun, exercise or competition?  Are you suffering from different aches and pains that might be related to biking?  Do you have a new bike that needs to be fit to your current body?  Are you hoping to ride more and go faster this summer?

If any of these statements sound like you, make sure to read this and learn more about Bike Fit!

Rusty Wallman, MPT, ATC, Owner and Stephanie Winters, ATR, CPT of OSR Physical Therapy attended a Clinical Bike Fit Certification this past weekend in Kirkland, Wa.

Stephanie, Paul (Bike Fit founder), and Rusty

As humans our bodies are very asymmetrical.  Bikes on the other hand are very symmetrical.  It is no wonder that a lot of us at some point will suffer from injury or pain as we try to put our asymmetrical bodies on symmetrical bikes.  When you buy a bike there is a lot to consider, cost, size, weight and the list could go on.  After you buy that bike it's a matter of finding the right fit!  There are a lot of things that could be adjusted on the bike which makes that challenging.

Looking at the above problems and possible solutions makes it hard to know where to start.  That's where a Bike Fit Pro comes into the picture.

In the past we have all looked at bikes, sizes and thought it was easy to know where to put the seat and handlebars.  After the Bike Fit course it was soon discovered that there are a lot more variables when it comes to biking.  Pain can be caused by so many things on and off the bike so it is not only important to have a proper fit but also home work exercises and stretches to aid your riding.

A full Bike Fit can take 2-3 hours.  Your Bike Fit Pro will go over your history, watch you ride, perform flexibility and strength assessments and adjust your bike as necessary.  Some Bike Fits can be easier and other can be quite complex.  The Bike Fit Pro will make adjustments from the side, front and rear of your bike.  There are some circumstances where new equipment will be recommended for you to purchase to get the most of of your riding experience.  

The Clinical Bike Fit course was more in depth than most Bike Fitting courses.  Bike Fit also takes into account anatomy, injuries and limitations where most other bike fitting is based on a computer and numbers. 

If you are interested in learning more about Bike Fit, having a Bike Fit performed or talking with a health professional about your injuries and limitations when it comes to biking give us a call at 952-873-7400.  A bike fit is truly a great way to prevent and minimize injury while increasing performance when it comes to biking.

 

Physical Therapist Education

This week, many of our staff members are traveling for continuing education. Stay tuned in the coming weeks for summaries and key tips from:

• Bike Fit, which will help you learn to set up your Triathlon bike for optimal performance and injury prevention
• Great Lakes Seminars, which is a system of using hands on techniques, taping, and follow up exercises to teach all of the joints in your body how to work together for optimal injury recovery.

Let it Snow!

It's snowing in Minnesota and across many other states as well. Have you ever wondered how to shovel without hurting your back or knees?

Here's a how to video from the American Physical Therapy Association: 

Check out the American Physical Therapy Association's Blog Post on this topic for more information! Have specific questions? Leave us a comment. Comments go to email, so we will respond individually, or to the blog as appropriate.

Is Sleep Affecting Your Outcomes?

You're going to school or working your job, engaging in fitness and sport, and trying coming to Physical Therapy to fix an injury. How can you be putting in so much effort, yet your injury might not be improving at the rate you expected?

Many times this slow rate or even lack of improvement comes down to a few factors. Most of the time the answers revolve around looking at your lifestyle, nutrition, and sleep.

The body relies on getting enough sleep in order to repair injury, fight infection, optimize mood and memory, and serve in weight management.



How much sleep do you need?

The National Sleep Foundation makes the following recommendation:

Adults: 7-9 hours

Teens (10-17): 8.5-9.25 hours

School Age Children (5-10): 10-11 hours

Check out these resources, referenced in the creation of this post, for more information:
Sleep Chart for All Age Groups
The National Sleep Foundation
Harvard Health

Back Pain, Neck Pain, Headaches . . . How are you Breathing?

In patients that have back, neck pain, or headaches, I often find that they are breathing in a way that provokes their pain.
 

Many times they have forgotten how to exhale. This then elevates the front of the rib cage and "squishes" the low back.



This can also push the head forward into a forward head posture.



Do you think this might affect you? Read this blog post that I wrote a few months ago for another blog. It will take you through some experiments that can help you learn how to breathe better!

Get the Most out of Your Physical Therapy

Try filling out this worksheet to help obtain the fastest recovery possible for your injury!

In order to get better, I need to:

1. Attend and Actively Participate in Physical Therapy ____ x/week for ____ weeks. In this time frame _____ % of people with my injury get better. (Some take longer, some take less time).

2. Do my home exercises ____ x/day. These will take me about ____ minutes/day.

3. I need to avoid activities that will make my injury worst. Those activities are:
____________________________________
____________________________________
____________________________________

I need to avoid these things for ____ weeks.

4. There are some activities I need to modify, but could still do with my injuries. Here are the modifications I need to make:
____________________________________
____________________________________
____________________________________

5. I should use (ice/heat) on my injury _____ minutes at a time, _____ x/day. (Ask your PT if Ice or Heat is the right choice).

6. I need to get enough rest to allow recovery. For most people, this is 7-8 hours/night. Here is what I will modify in my schedule to make rest a prioritiy:
______________________________________
______________________________________
______________________________________

Have questions? Bring this worksheet to Physical Therapy with you and ask your rehab team to help you fill it out! We wish you well soon! Do you have other items you think would be valuable in this worksheet? Please share them with us!