Patient Education

What is a fitness/wellness assessment?
A fitness/wellness assessment is a comprehensive evaluation of a persons health risks, cardiovascular endurance, muscular strength and endurance, body composition, posture, flexibility, and overall baseline health readings.

Why is this important?
Evaluating an individual's baseline for overall wellness allows possible risk factors to be identified early. This enables us to establish a safe and effective program specifically for you.  If dangerous risk factors are identified then the appropriate medical interventions can be started prior to beginning a new wellness/fitness program thus avoiding further medical issues.

A baseline fitness assessment also provides you with comparisons to the standardized norms for individuals of the same age and gender. It also allows for future re-testing to identify the progress you've made towards your personal wellness goals.

What is cardiovascular endurance?
Cardiovascular endurance is the body's ability to perform exercise or activity over a period of time.  With training this period of time can increase allowing you to participate longer in the activities you enjoy.

What is muscular strength and endurance?
Muscular strength is the ability of a muscle to produce force. Muscular endurance is the ability of a muscle to produce for over a period of time.  Increasing muscle strength and endurance you're able to do daily activities with more ease which means it takes less energy (this will leave you with more energy to do the things you really enjoy).

What is body composition?
These are scientific methods of identifying what your body is made up of (meaning your lean muscle tissue vs. fat tissue).  This will help you establish your personal goals and also may identify health risk factors you weren't even aware of.

Why is flexibility important?
Flexibility allows the muscles and joints to move in the directions they are supposed to.   When your body isn't able to move correctly you will compensate for the limitation which can lead to injuries (tight hamstrings can lead to low back pain).

How do you assess posture?
Before starting a program you need to look at the basic “body map”.  Spine alignment, foot positioning, knee deformities, and overall joint positioning can positively or negatively affect physical activities.  By identifying any problem areas first your program can be adjusted to keep you safe, pain free, and working towards your goals.

What does this all mean for you?
Having a wellness/fitness assessment prior to starting a program allows you to establish a solid baseline, have a licensed physical therapist identify needs before they become a problem, and allows you to establish an efficient plan to meet your personal goals.

Anodyne Therapy and Neuropathy - how can it help?
Peripheral neuropathy can cause decreased sensation and/or pain in the legs and feet. It is prevalent among people who suffer from diabetes or have circulatory issues. These deficits can lead to muscle weakness, poor balance, and put a person at higher risk for falls. Anodyne therapy is a non-invasive, infrared light system which can be used to temporarily increase circulation. It uses monochromatic infrared energy to release nitric oxide in a patients red blood cells. This is an important factor to improve nerve function and make new blood vessels in order to improve circulation.

An anodyne therapy treatment takes 30 minutes. Four pads are placed on each leg (2 on the calf and 2 on the bottom of the foot). A slight warmth may be felt, especially with concurrent treatments as sensation increases. Along with the anodyne therapy the patient will participate in a physical therapy exercise program. The program will consist of muscle strengthening, balance activities, proprioception training, and neuromuscular re-education. It is recommended to have 12 sessions and then re-evaluate the progress being made. The overall goal is to improve balance and gait thus reducing the risk of falls while also teaching the patient a comprehensive home exercise program.

GravityTraining System
The Gravity Training System provides a workout for the entire body. Participants use their body weight as resistance against the pull of gravity. The controlled movement on a free rolling glideboard allows multi-plane movements that recruit multiple muscle groups at the same time while also working the core stabilizers. What this means is an all over body workout that is effective and time efficient. The equipment is used both for one-on-one personal training and physical therapy rehabilitation.