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Dear Friends,

As those who read my last article knew, I was really down because I had had my necessary vaccinations, ate well, exercised 3-5 times a week, and still got Covid. I guess I had thought I was invincible. One month later, I am back to feeling strong, yet a bit less sure of my invincibility.

I would like to attack one of the biggest myths with regard to our health; the myth of sitting for long periods of time because it’s relaxing and, at times, decreases pain. I think there must be a reason when we are young that we don’t like to sit for long periods of time. I realize, as we age, that we sometimes feel better sitting. Unfortunately, we don’t realize that too much sitting is not in our best interest. Have you ever noticed after sitting for too long how difficult it is getting up out of the chair? If it is painful and difficult getting up, you may have sat too long.

My 94-year-old Dad, who is legally blind in his right eye and can see, to some degree in his left eye, has inadvertently run into a few things and fallen several times lately. As a result, he has some pain in his back, knees and hips. His physician tells him to take it easy and move less often. This sounds like good advice. However, I have to disagree with this physician! I have patients who have come to our clinic for years between the ages of 80-102 years old, and they are still very healthy and active, moving around better than you might imagine. If it weren’t for this, and if I hadn’t read a book called The Blue Zone Solution, which discusses the areas in the world where people are living healthy lives into their 100’s, I might also be condoning prolonged sitting.

The key is getting up every day and trying to get moving. Could this be a challenge? Absolutely! Would it be worth it? You bet! A quick example is my Dad. My Dad was independent up until October of 2020. At that time, he was coming out of Macy’s carrying too much and trying to open his car door. Unfortunately, he fell and was taken to the emergency room via ambulance. At the ER they diagnosed him with 4 fractured ribs and possible hip and spine stress fractures. He was in a great deal of pain and was sent to a rehabilitation center for 2 weeks. It was during these two weeks, he was over medicated, treated as a feeble 92-year-old and almost died. Thank God I am a physical therapist who has access to a number of very knowledgeable physicians in South Bend. With the help of these physician friends, I was able to negotiate control and get him out of this center.

After this fall we did move him from his independent living situation to assisted living. I was able to get him physical therapy, which I monitored closely, and he was able to slowly clear his head and body of the medications. He is back to exercising and getting around with his walker. He is more independent than is necessary in assisted living,but doing well.
Over his lifetime, his medical history involved; open heart surgery at 47 years old, 4 stents over another 5-7 years, 2 total knee replacements, 2 hip replacements, two rotator cuff repairs and a corneal transplant. For most of his life, he drank 5 cups of black coffee a day, ate a lot of tube steaks (we call them hot dogs), burgers and fries. He also drank diet soda! I would not call this a healthy diet.

What was the one thing he did that may have contributed to his longevity, besides his genetics? I believe it was his strong commitment to exercise as often as possible and sitting as little as possible. He also volunteered at senior living facilities to help the elderly. (He didn’t seem to realize he was part of this category 😊.) Helping those in need and his faith also played a part.

I hope I have not lost you all with my story. The whole point of this story is to emphasize the importance of getting up and moving as we age. Do not sit for long periods of time. I realize it is easier and comfortable, but if you want to live a long, less stressful and mobile life and be more active with your children, grandchildren and great grandchildren, please get up from the chair and avoid sitting for long periods of time. Start walking. You can begin walking tomorrow one minute more than you do now. All you need to do is begin and make yourself implement it into your daily routine, like brushing your teeth! Try to keep getting stronger every day!

I hope you are safe and enjoying your journey
Fran McDonald, PT,DPT,OCS
 Physical Therapy Guide to Neck Pain

Neck pain is pain felt in the back of the neck – the upper spine area, just below the head. When certain nerves are affected, the pain can extend beyond the back of the neck to areas such as the upper back, shoulder, and arm. It is estimated that neck pain affects approximately 30% of the US population each year. Neck pain can be caused by sudden trauma such as a fall, sports injury, or car accident, or by long-term problems in the spine.

Neck pain most frequently affects adults aged 30 to 50 years. Some studies indicate that women are more likely to suffer neck pain than men. Poor posture, obesity, smoking, repetitive lifting, office and computer work, and involvement in athletic activity are all risk factors for developing neck pa

How Can a Physical Therapist Help?

Recent research has shown that physical therapy is a better treatment than surgery or pain medication (such as opioid medication) for relieving many cases of neck pain. Physical therapy treatments often can help people avoid the need for surgery or medication altogether.

Your physical therapist will work with you to design a specific treatment program that will speed your recovery, including exercises and treatments that you can do at home. Physical therapy can help you return to your normal lifestyle and activities.

The time it takes to heal each condition varies, but an individualized physical therapy program can be effective and efficient and help heal neck pain in a matter of weeks.

Your physical therapist will work with you to:

Reduce pain and other symptoms. Your physical therapist will help you understand how to avoid or modify the activities that caused the injury, so healing can begin. He or she may use different types of treatments and technologies to control and reduce your pain and symptoms. These may include gentle hands-on techniques, known as manual therapy, that he or she will perform for you; specific neck movements that you will be taught to perform yourself; and the use of technologies, such as electrical stimulation or traction, as required. Physical therapists examine each person individually to determine exactly what type of approach will help reduce pain.

Avoid surgery. In most cases, a physical therapist can design an individualized treatment program to help relieve neck pain—even severe radiculopathy (pain that travels from the neck down into the arm or hand)—to help individuals with neck pain avoid surgery. In rare cases, radiculopathy requires surgery to relieve its cause.

Improve posture. If your physical therapist finds that poor posture has contributed to your neck pain, he or she will teach you how to improve your posture so healing can occur.

Improve motion. Your physical therapist will choose specific activities and treatments to help restore normal movement in any stiff joints. These might include "passive" motions that the physical therapist performs for you to move your spine, or active exercises and stretches that you do yourself. You can perform these motions at home, in your workplace, and before your sports activities to help hasten healing and pain relief.

Improve flexibility. Your physical therapist will determine if any of the involved muscles are tight and teach you gentle stretching exercises that you can perform at home. He or she also may supervise your performance of special stretches during your physical therapy treatments.

Improve strength. If your physical therapist finds any weak or injured muscles, he or she will choose and teach you the correct exercises to gently restore your strength and agility. For neck pain, "core strengthening or stabilization" is commonly used to restore the strength and coordination of muscles around your spine.

Improve endurance. Restoring muscular endurance is important for people with neck pain. Your physical therapist will develop a program of activities to help you regain the endurance you had before the neck pain started.

Learn a home program. Your physical therapist will teach you strengthening, stretching, and pain-reduction exercises to perform at home. These exercises will be specific for your needs. If you do them as prescribed by your physical therapist, you can speed your recovery.

Return to Activities. Your physical therapist will discuss your activity levels with you and use them to set your work, sport, and home-life recovery goals. Your treatment program will help you reach your goals in the safest, fastest, and most effective way possible. For spine problems like neck pain, your physical therapist may teach you correct ways to lift objects (called "body mechanics") that will help protect your spine from further injury.

As your neck pain is improving, it will be important for you to continue your new posture and movement habits to keep your neck healthy and pain free.

Following Surgery
In rare cases of neck pain, surgery is necessary to relieve pressure on a nerve or on the spinal cord. If you undergo surgery, your physical therapist will work closely with you and your surgeon to help you regain motion and strength more quickly than you could on your own, and help you return to your daily activities as quickly as possible.

*from choosept.com
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McDonald Physical Therapy
(574) 233-5754