Recovery Archives - Chesapeake Bay Aquatic & Physical Therapy

Importance of Strength Training

As we spend more time on our computers, and smart phones, and sitting for work tasks (which has significantly increased since the start of the COVID pandemic) we are advised to “get up and stretch” throughout the day to prevent injury, prevent back pain, improve posture, etc. Patients coming into my clinic often point out muscles that feel “tight” and comment about how they know they “need to stretch more.” While stretching and flexibility is important, it is not the only thing your body needs – your body also needs strength!

While flexibility during activity is important, recent studies show that stretching without strengthening is not effective at injury prevention. In a 2014 study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, it was found that stretching alone had little to no impact on injury prevention, but that strength training consistently had a positive impact of preventing injury. In addition to preventing injuries in athletes, strength training can also be effective in reducing chronic pain, as was found in a 2012 study. In a review of over 1500 physical rehabilitation patients, resistance training was found to decrease chronic pain and improve mobility in a variety of conditions including low back pain, knee osteoarthritis, and chronic tendinopathy. Even plantar fasciitis pain – a condition that is commonly associated with stretching to relieve pain – has better outcomes when patients participate in strength training.

Muscles work together on both sides of a joint to create what should be a balance of mobility and stability throughout our body. However, our daily activities can often create imbalances between those muscles, leading to instabilities when we need support and restricted movement when we need mobility. This can sometimes lead to pain, but the cause of that pain is sometimes a hidden culprit. For example, if you sit at a desk or computer, you will most likely at some point find yourself sitting with a slouched, rounded back posture (we all do it from time to time, especially when we are feeling tired or concentrating hard.) Doing this often overtime will lead to tight pectoral muscles in the chest, causing the muscles in the mid and upper back to be pulled into a stretched posture. The area where we feel pain after sitting in that posture for a prolonged period of time is usually in the back, but it’s not our back that needs to be stretched, it’s actually our chest. Our back muscles need to be strengthened to better support our posture.

So, the question is, when should you stretch, and when should you strengthen? Part of a physical therapist’s job is helping you figure that out. Physical therapists and physical therapist assistants are “movement specialists” – our primary goal is to improve your muscle function. A physical therapist can evaluate your posture, your muscle length, and your muscle strength in all areas of your body. They can determine whether you are lacking stability or mobility, and how one area of the body is impacting another. They can then choose the best exercises and treatments for you to get you moving the right way, prevent future injuries, and improve your quality of life.

References:
Lauersen JB, Bertelsen DM, Andersen LB
The effectiveness of exercise interventions to prevent sports injuries: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials

British Journal of Sports Medicine 2014;48:871-877.
Kristensen J, Franklyn-Miller A
Resistance training in musculoskeletal rehabilitation: a systematic review

British Journal of Sports Medicine 2012;46:719-726.
Rathleff, M.S., Mølgaard, C.M., Fredberg, U., Kaalund, S., Andersen, K.B., Jensen, T.T., Aaskov, S. and Olesen, J.L. (2015), HL strength training and plantar fasciitis. Scand J Med Sci Sports, 25: e292-e300. doi:10.1111/sms.12313

https://leadpilates.com/tight-pecs-back-pain-love-story/

Importance of Hip and Pelvis Functional Stability

As humans, we tend to be moving around a lot throughout the day in many different positions. In order to complete these activities as they become more challenging or as we age, it is important for us to have strength and stability throughout our body. This idea is called Dynamic Kinetic Chain Integration that helps us to coordinate global movement patterns involving the upper body, trunk/core, and lower body to enhance our overall stability.

The overall goal when you come to Physical Therapy is to get you back to doing the activities you enjoy in a safe way, and that is with global dynamic functional stability. Most people have underlying weakness that we need to address, which may mean we are starting with more simple exercises (steady and stable) in simple positions (lying on your back). The reason for this is to gain strength and stability locally so when we progress to higher level global and dynamic tasks that are more activity specific, you are able to demonstrate better mechanics, which means – less pain!

One of the most important stabilizers in our body is our pelvis, and the muscles that surround it to assist in this stabilization is hip and core muscles. Your body needs to recruit as many muscle fibers as it can within the full range that a joint has – and with good control and form– to gain speed and endurance. We also want to move in different planes of motion including back to front, up and down, side to side, and even some reciprocal and rotary movements, as you get stronger some of these movements will also be combined to replicate more day to day activities. Starting with lying on your back, to lying on your side, then your stomach, then hands and knees, and finally – standing upright. We need to focus on strength and control locally (just legs, or just arms) then progress into movement patterns (combining movements) in each of these positions.

I know this may sound slow and boring; but understanding breathing patterns and pelvic positioning for optimal stabilization when lying on your back will be key with progressing to more challenging positions. Then we can progress to added resistance and increased speed and time in each position to prepare your body for the challenges of our more complex day to day movements. Whether you’re retired, a working individual, a high level athlete, or a weekend warrior this progression for optimal stabilization is the key to success with all your daily and recreational activities!

Chesapeake Bay Aquatic & Physical Therapy is privately owned and operated by highly-trained physical therapists.

Aquatic Therapy and its Benefits in Post-Surgery Rehabilitation

As anyone who has ever had surgery knows, post-op rehabilitation can be a painful recovery process. Luckily, there is an alternative to traditional physical therapy and rehab that could help eliminate much of that pain.

The Solution: Aquatic Therapy!

Aquatic therapy is the closest thing to a pain-free rehab that any post-op patient can hope for. This is because the buoyancy of the water helps reduce the stress exerted on the joints and injured tissue. This makes for a much more comfortable and relaxing post-op rehab experience.

Post-op patients who opt for aquatic therapy can actually start the rehab process quicker, typically just 3-4 days after surgery. This helps to decrease swelling and discomfort much sooner than those patients opting for traditional physical therapy.

Aquatic therapy allows for painless motion with added resistance, thus strengthening the muscles faster while also minimizing the loss of range of motion.

Chesapeake Bay Aquatic & Physical Therapy: Aquatic Therapy Centers throughout Maryland

Chesapeake Bay Aquatic & Physical Therapy offers aquatic therapy to treat a full range of outpatient physical therapy needs, including Post-Op Rehabilitation. We are privately owned and operated and have been proud to serve the communities of Bowie, Laurel and Severna Park, Maryland for nearly 10 years.

If you have any questions about Aquatic Therapy, please contact Chesapeake Bay Aquatic & Physical Therapy by visiting cbayaquapt.com today! And if you are a new patient, please review our New Patient Forms page before your first visit.

Thank you for choosing Chesapeake Bay Aquatic & Physical Therapy!

Post-Op Rehab in Severna Park

The path to recovery following total knee replacement can be long and painful. But does it have to be? According to a German research study led by Dr. Thoralf Liebs, “…beginning aquatic therapy just six days after total knee replacement may lead to improved results…”

Liebs studied two groups of individuals who had just undergone total knee replacement surgery. Each individual was randomly selected to begin 30-minute aquatic therapy either six or 14 days following surgery. These sessions occurred three times a week up to the fifth week after surgery. Liebs evaluated each patient’s physical function, pain and stiffness six, 12 and 24 months after surgery.

The Results:

All of the outcome measures were better in those patients who started aquatic therapy six days after their surgery. But why? Liebs hypothesized that the force of the water during aquatic therapy reduces the buildup of fluid in the knee joint, thus alleviating pain.

Aquatic therapy uses the physical properties of water, including buoyancy and resistance, to speed rehabilitation and healing while also reducing pain.

Chesapeake Bay Aquatic & Physical Therapy: Your Severna Park Physical Therapy Center specializing in Post-Op Rehab through Aquatic Therapy

At Chesapeake Bay Aquatic & Physical Therapy, we offer aquatic therapy to help speed recovery and provide better outcomes for our patients. Our therapists have a wide range of experience treating professional and recreational athletes, individuals who have suffered injuries at work, and those rehabbing from knee replacement surgery.
If you have any questions about Aquatic Therapy, please contact Chesapeake Bay Aquatic & Physical Therapy by visiting cbayaquapt.com today! And if you are a new patient, please review our New Patient Forms page before your first visit.