Drayer Physical Therapy Institute

It’s the season of New Year’s resolutions! Statistics suggest that fewer than 50 percent of resolutions survive for more than four months. Most common on the list is weight loss. You can be the author of a happy, healthy new year by taking charge of your fitness goals. Here are six keys to success: ... - Have a plan: A goal without a plan is only wishful thinking. If you don’t have a roadmap, how do you get to your destination? - Keep it simple: You don’t need the fancy gadgets and exercise machines advertised on TV. - Set realistic goals: Shedding 10 pounds in 10 days is not reality and will not stick. A better goal would be to lose 3 to 5 percent of body weight over the course of the year. - Find a partner: Whether a spouse, friend or colleague, a partner will help you through those difficult (lazy) times when you don’t feel up to working out. - Log your workouts and diet: Keep track of how much you've accomplished to hold yourself accountable. - Have a positive attitude: Along the fitness road you will have peaks and valleys and many turns. Just like in life, nothing comes easy, but reaching your goals is rewarding once you go through the right process. The greatest obstacle to success occurs inside of us, not outside.

TIME IS RUNNING OUT ACT NOW TO STOP MEDICARE CUTS Congress must act immediately to stop drastic Medicare cuts from effect on January 1st. These regulations, proposed by unelected government regulators, would cut some Medicare services by up to 10% - limiting access to needed care for seniors during a health crisis. There is pending legislation in both the U.S. Senate (S. 5007) and U.S. House (H.R. 8702) that would stop these Medicare cuts.... Your help is needed - contact your Senator and Member of Congress today. Ask them to support and pass S. 5007 and H.R. 8702 before the adjourn for the year. Time is running out text APTA to 52886 or visit our take action page. It takes just a few minutes to protect seniors from these unnecessary Medicare cuts. Don’t wait take action right now! #FightTheCut https://bit.ly/34iYwsR

Chronic pain is defined as pain that is present for more than 6 months and extends beyond the expected healing time of an injury. It can be the result of a previous injury like a muscle strain or an ongoing process like arthritis, but can sometimes occur without a known reason. Growing research supports that the underlying cause of these symptoms are due to central sensitization (increased sensitivity of the central nervous system). Did you know physical therapy can help? ... Physical therapy is recommended as a first line treatment for chronic pain by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) in their urge to reduce the use of opioids in favor of safer alternatives for chronic pain. The benefits of physical therapy include decreased pain, improved mobility, and increased independence as well as reduced risk of other health problems.

For all the risks you might associate with decades as a firefighter, it was a seemingly innocuous incident at shift change in his Arlington, Va., fire house that put Ralph Parsons’ career in jeopardy. Two days after Christmas in 2016, Parsons was performing his normal morning checks. As he attempted to climb into a parked fire truck, his foot missed a step. He caught himself by grabbing a hand rail. He immediately felt pain but dismissed it as just a pulled muscle. Returning... from a call that came in right after his accident, Parsons was hurting so badly that he couldn’t get his coat off without assistance. He rolled up his shirt sleeve to discover that his arm from the elbow up was no bigger than his wrist. Learn more about Ralph’s #UpliftedLives journey and how with the help of physical therapy he was about to return to the career he loves.

Happy holidays from our Drayer Physical Therapy family to yours!