Heather Lane's Blog Page

05Aug 2021 by Brigitte B

How to Improve Your Hand Arthritis Without Surgery

Health content

It seems like the older we get, the harder it is to perform precision movements like buttoning shirts or grip tasks like picking up a fork or opening a jar. Health conditions, such as hand arthritis, accelerate the hand’s aging through joint damage. This makes it even harder to complete mundane tasks with our fingers. But we can stop and even reverse the effects of hand arthritis with physical therapy. Here’s what to know about the condition and the exact exercises you can do to improve your pain and dexterity without surgery. Hand Osteoarthritis vs. Hand Rheumatoid Arthritis We hear a lot about arthritis in the hands, hips, and knees, but did you know there are two primary types of arthritis? Osteoarthritis (OA) is by far the most common, with…

05Jul 2021 by Brigitte B

Trading Opioids for Physical Therapy: Why It’s the Best Swap You’ll Ever Make!

Health content

Aging bones and bodies bring on a fragility that makes the elderly more susceptible to breaks, fractures, and surgeries. Many are offered opioid drugs as the best solution to deal with the unbearable pain that results. We are here to show you how moving away from your opioids and starting physical therapy practices could significantly change your life! But, more than 130 people die every day from opioid-related drug overdoses, creating an epidemic that is currently a national crisis. Is risking your health and life the only way to find relief from pain? Thankfully, it's not. Ahead is why trading habit-forming prescription drugs like opioids for physical therapy may be the best swap you'll ever make. 1. True Treatment of Pain Opioids make you feel better because they interrupt pain…

01Jul 2021 by Brigitte B

Stay on Your Feet: Decrease Your Fall Risk From These 7 Medications

Health content

As we age, we're often prescribed one medication after another to combat chronic medical problems or manage drug side effects. But normal changes that accompany aging coupled with adverse drug reactions land as much as 12% of seniors in the hospital. Taking as little as four medications can increase your risk of falling, and so can certain medications. We'll go over what these medications are and what you can do to stay on your feet. 7 Medications to Watch Out for Here are seven of the most common types of medications that many seniors take and that are likely to increase the risk of falls. If you take one or more of these medications with a number of other ones, you also likely have a greater risk. 1. Anticonvulsants Common antiepileptic…

28Jun 2021 by Brigitte B

Competing as an Older Athlete? Rely on Physical Therapy

Exercise, Health content, Prevention

At Heather Lane we’re all about keeping people active for as long as possible, so we were on hand in Albuquerque at the 2019 National Senior Games, where men and women compete in all sorts of sports and games in five-year age categories starting at age 50 and going past 100! We are hear to talk about how you can rely on physical therapy to help keep you competing well into your later years! “I never get surgery” We saw a lot of braces on knees, elbows, ankles—you name it. Barbara Warren, a 73-year-old swimmer and track and field athlete from West Virginia, clued us in a little about the ongoing struggles of senior athletes. Barbara has been a decorated athlete since her swim team days at Stanford…

24May 2021 by Brigitte B

Nagging Headaches? Why Physical Therapy is your Answer!

Health content

Almost half of the population suffers from headaches, with 3% experiencing them chronically. Living with migraines and tension, cluster, and cervicogenic headaches (secondary headaches arising from neck issues) leads to a decreased quality of life, but there are practical physical therapy treatments that can help improve your pain. Which Types of Headaches Can Physical Therapy Help Resolve? To date, hundreds of studies show the benefits of conservative physical therapy for the treatment of headaches. Physical therapists most commonly treat cervicogenic headaches, or referred pain headaches—so called because the headache pain is referred from another area of your body. These secondary headaches happen as a result of nerve, bone or muscle problems in the neck. Cervicogenic is definitely primary type of headache that PTs treat, but I also tend to…

18May 2021 by Brigitte B

Join Deep Breathing and PT for Powerful Results

Health content

Juggling life’s responsibilities causes many individuals to live in a constant state of stress. At any age, these stressors overwork our autonomic nervous system (ANS), affecting our blood pressure, breathing, and stamina. Below we discuss how your ANS works and how controlling it positively affects your rehabilitation. What Is the Autonomic Nervous System? The autonomic nervous system controls involuntary actions that keep your body functioning, such as your heartbeat and breathing. It also regulates your blood pressure, your digestive system’s response to food, the contraction of your bladder, the focusing of your eyes, and your body’s internal temperature. The ANS can be broken down into two separate systems, the sympathetic nervous system and the parasympathetic nervous system. The sympathetic nervous system controls your body’s “fight or flight” response. It prepares…

10May 2021 by Brigitte B

Is Proper Breathing the Answer to Your Chronic Neck or Low Back Pain?

Health content

Statistics show that 31 million Americans suffer from low back pain at any given time, while neck pain ranks as the fourth leading cause of disability. Americans also spent more than $134 billion between 1996 and 2016 on treating chronic neck and low back pain, $12 billion of which patients paid out of pocket. How Traditional Physical Therapy Helps Many seniors and adult patients of all ages have low back and neck pain mismanaged with unnecessary surgeries, injections, and other procedures. Opioids are also frequently prescribed, but there are better alternatives to unneeded surgeries and habit-forming prescription drugs that only treat the symptom. Traditional physical therapy works wonders for the chronic neck or low back pain adults feel because it addresses strength deficits, alignment issues, and muscle imbalances. Manual techniques…

09Apr 2021 by Brigitte B

How Better Breathing Helps Prevent COVID-19

Health content

Breathing may seem like a natural function, but did you know you can use it to optimize your physical health? Your breathing mechanics can play a significant role in the way your body handles viruses and other ailments; more specifically how better breathing can help you prevent COVID-19. How We’re Supposed to Breathe While it may seem like breathing is as simple as a breath in and out, the physiology is much more complex. Proper breathing mechanics include inhalation through the nose and diaphragmatic breathing. The diaphragm is the main muscle involved with inhalation. For optimal function, it requires both appropriate ribcage position and mobility. When you use your diaphragm to breathe correctly, you can improve airflow and reduce stagnant air in the lungs. The nose also humidifies…

03Mar 2021 by Brigitte B

Strengthen Your Quad Muscles to Prevent Injury and Maintain Independence

Arthritis, Health content

When you stand from a sitting position, you use your quads. When you straighten your knee or bend it, you use your quads. When you squat, run or jump? Again, your quads are working hard! It’s easy to see why quad strength keeps you in good shape and is the key to maintaining independence in order to live an active life. Physical therapy is one proven tool to keep quad muscles strong. Quads can weaken for several reasons, including: Injury or overuse. The wrong move during exercise or playing a sport can result in a quadriceps tendon tear, which in turn can cause pain to the knee. Simple overuse in athletics can trigger tendinitis (also spelled “tendonitis”), an inflammation of the tendon. Arthritis. Both osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis can inflame…

18Feb 2021 by Brigitte B

Are You Making the Most of Your Direct Access to Physical Therapy?

Health content, Pain, Prevention, Treatment

While many states places restrictions on access to physical therapy, Colorado is among those that permit "direct access" to PT. If you live in Colorado, are you reaping the benefits of that? What is direct access? Direct access to physical therapy means that insurance will cover your evaluation and treatment services with a physical therapist without requiring a referral from your physician or other healthcare professional. Direct access is sometimes called "self-referral," because you simply make your own appointment and go to a PT for treatment if you’re experiencing pain or other relevant condition. Direct access to physical therapy can save you time and money by getting the services you need faster. Who has direct access to physical therapy? All 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. Virgin…