posture Archives

20Feb 2023 by Patrick Donovan

3 Strategies for Bone Health

Prevention

3 Strategies for Bone Health Bone loss is considered the "silent thief" of aging. You can’t see it like you can with muscle loss (or grey hairs!). When I talk about bone health in the clinic, I am more interested in your unique fracture profile. How likely are you to fall? What faulty movement patterns are you using? Are you engaged with a bone-centered diet? With the right strategies, we can reduce your fall risk profile. Please don't wait - you can start today. Today, we have three videos for your indulgence. 1. Three strategies to improve bone health 2. An effective exercise to improve posture 3. Recommendations for adequate protein intake to prevent osteoporosis." 3 Bone Building Strategies Those with low bone mass may be asking: is walking enough…

10Feb 2023 by Patrick Donovan

3 Home Health Tests For Posture

Health content

Today, we're sharing 3 home tests you can do for to gague and improve your posture. Ultimate Spine and Shoulder Posture Test The Dowel Overhead Test measures an overlooked aspect of health - your posture. By taking this measurement, you can improve flexibility and reduce restrictions in your arms and spine for a lifetime of upright posture. Get started today with improving your posture, but measure your baseline first! The Easiest At-Home Posture Test This test is a part of every physical exam I do for osteoporosis. So why not get started with it at home? Measure the fingerbreadths to the closest whole value. It could kickstart your motivation to expand your chest muscles, improve lung capacity, and decrease your risk for vertebral compression fracture. Your goal is 4 fingerbreadths,…

19Jul 2022 by Patrick Donovan

What One-Legged Standing Can Tell About Fracture Risk

Health content

The Purpose of This Test What one-legged standing can tell you is your fracture risk. We always hear how balance becomes an issue as we age, but at what point do we need to take balance training? You can watch the above video for a quick and dirty test that you can perform at home. From this one-legged standing test we can learn how to decrease the risk for: Future fracture, Osteoporosis complications, and Hip fractures In older adults. This demographic has the most far-reaching consequences in terms of disability-reduced quality of life and increased mortality. I know it all seems like bad news, but I've got some good news coming your way. Hip Fractures How do hip fractures occur to anyone from falls, so the more we can do…

18May 2022 by Patrick Donovan

Building Physical Resilience Part 2

Health content

"Life is not about how fast you run, or how high you climb, but how well you bounce back." - Vivian Komori I've always referred to this when talking to our patients. We want to be able to bounce right back to where we started when we have a negative stressor. These negative events and setbacks in our life are inevitable, but we want to pop back up. I encourage you all to think differently ahead of your potential next setback. With aging, these setbacks get even harder to bounce back from. When people with less resiliency have a setback, they don't quite bounce back right to where they started. Whether they're in the hospital for a night, or something negative happened emotionally in their lives, it's hard to bounce back.…

21Jan 2021 by Brigitte B

Hunchback Starting? 3 Physical Therapy Videos Can Help Set Your Posture Straight

back, Balance, Exercise, Health content, Prevention

Do you have hyperkyphosis? You probably know it as hunchback. If your spine is curving more than it has in the past, you're probably chalking it up to aging. But who wants to look old? Let's tackle that hunchback posture with some physical therapy before it gets worse. Treating and preventing hunchback posture If the mirror tells you that you may be suffering from hyperkyphosis, a trained physical therapist has the tools to evaluate your condition and may refer you to a specialist. Medication can ease pain from the hunchback posture, and in some cases surgery may be recommended. At Heather Lane Physical Therapy, following the evaluation we design and implement either a treatment regimen or a preventative strategy—whichever is appropriate for your specific needs. In the three videos below, Heather…

14Mar 2018 by Patrick Donovan

3 Treatment Videos For Your Hunchback Posture

back, knowledge, Prevention, Treatment

What Is “Kyphosis”? The spine is separated into three different regions – cervical, thoracic, and lumbar. Each region has it’s own natural curve. Kyphosis occurs naturally in the middle portion of the spine – the thoracic – and includes your ribs and chest plate. What Can I do About My Hyperkyphosis? Age-related hyperkyphosis is an exaggerated hunch in the thoracic spine that occurs commonly with advanced age. This causes your head to be set more forward from your shoulders. This condition is associated with other issues such as low bone mass, vertebral compression fractures, and degenerative disc disease. If hyperkyphosis is not treated, people can have difficulty performing normal tasks such as bathing, getting out of a chair, bending, or walking. There are effective treatments including physical therapy, pain medication,…