| Michael Westphale has always been active. From hiking and biking in summer to skiing and hockey in winter, Michael made the most of his formative years in Steamboat Springs. But everything changed in 2003. Michael was hit by a drunk driver and spent 22 days in a coma. He had severe internal injuries, a brain injury and fractures of the pelvis, femur and sternum. Determination and hard work combined with the support of a dedicated rehab team helped Michael get his life back. And he wants to pay it forward.
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| "I'm passionate about helping patients get and stay motivated during rehab so they can return to all their activities without worry about a previous injury." |
Becoming a PTA was perfect. Michael knows how to encourage and support others in the rehab process. And he's eager to educate patients about the root cause of painful problems. Though Michael has worked with professional athletes in hockey, soccer, and rugby, he is just as happy to treat anyone who needs help reaching their physical therapy goals. And talk about passionate, Michael loves ASTYM! Here's what ASTYM can do for you: Achilles tendinosis, tennis elbow, and plantar fasciitis are painful conditions that can hobble people for months. Though sufferers are often tight, stretching alone is futile in addressing the tightness. But that doesn't mean there are no answers to these common musculoskeletal problems. ASTYM was invented in 1996 to tackle myofascial tightness as never before. Using a small plastic tool and some gel, an ASTYM trained therapist can deftly increase range of motion in layers of connective tissue where fibrosis and scarring have left you stuck and tight.  To be effective, ASTYM is applied to the entire kinetic or movement chain. So, for an Achilles problem, connective tissue is treated from the hip to the foot. The technique requires the pressure to be applied in the line of the fibers. While movement is being restored, being active is critical. Not only should you stretch initially several times a day, but activity is essential to restore fascial movement along the normal lines of stress.
Talk to your ALTA therapist to see if ASTYM is appropriate for you! |
around with both arms behind my back - my left hand holding my right elbow - because he was tired of telling me to stand up straight. He learned during PT school way back in the early 50s, that bad posture caused pain and physical therapists have been sharing that story ever since. Postural exercises are a staple in most physical therapy programs, and PTs routinely look at posture when examining a patient. Our professors taught us that if we fixed bad posture, we'd alleviate pain. But we've been wrong all along - as shown in multiple studies, bad posture does not cause pain and good posture doesn't alleviate it. 
