Posted July 22, 2019 | Health & Wellness Blog
Most people spend a lot of time researching and weighing options for a large purchase or a decision like changing a job. When it comes to healthcare, however most people don't do much research or consider options at all. A 2010 Gallup poll showed that 70% of people feel confident in their doctor's advice and don't feel the need to do their own research or get a second opinion.
Posted June 19, 2019 | Health & Wellness Blog
VBC means a reorganization of systems around the needs of the patient, necessitating shifts in perspective and culture. Switching medical provision to teams and units that integrate the full cycle of care together is another key element. The integrated practice units (IPUs) are a group of wards that care for patients with similar clinical needs.
A switch to patient-focus drives benefits that patients can see. Sixty-seven percent of Leaders said patients were more satisfied with their care in the past year, versus 39% of Followers; 70% of Leaders said patients reported a better quality of life than a year ago, compared to 46% of Followers.
Posted June 14, 2019 | Health & Wellness Blog
Recent research is showing that surgery might not be needed as often as we think. A large review estimates that 10% to 20% of surgeries might be unnecessary. The reasons for so many unneeded surgeries being performed are varied, but the most common are that more conservative options aren't tried first, or lack of knowledge by the patient and health care team.
For musculoskeletal problems like back and joint pain, sprains, and strains, seeing your PT before a surgeon can help keep you out of the operating room and get you back to life without surgery. Studies have shown that physical therapy can be just as good if not better than surgery for a multitude of conditions and carries less risk. Some examples would include rotator cuff tears, meniscal tears, spinal stenosis, low back pain, and osteoarthritis.
Physical therapy can't fix every problem, and for some patients surgery IS the best choice. However, research is showing that surgery isn't a cure-all, and is sometimes very risky. In most cases, starting with physical therapy is the right choice, and for many patients, PT is the only treatment necessary.
Posted March 24, 2019 | Health & Wellness Blog
"Neurological symptoms and abnormal findings on MR images are keys to diagnose the spinal diseases. To determine the significance of MRI abnormalities, we must take into account the (1) frequency and (2) spectrum of structural abnormalities, which may be asymptomatic. However, no large-scale study has documented abnormal findings of the cervical spine on MR image in asymptomatic subjects."
Posted March 21, 2019 | Health & Wellness Blog
Degenerative changes are commonly found in spine imaging but often occur in pain-free individuals as well as those with back pain. We sought to estimate the prevalence, by age, of common degenerative spine conditions by performing a systematic review studying the prevalence of spine degeneration on imaging in asymptomatic individuals.
Posted March 19, 2019 | Health & Wellness Blog
Pain and swelling of hips, knees, ankles, and feet and other musculoskeletal complaints among runners were comparable with those among nonrunners.
Posted March 15, 2019 | Health & Wellness Blog
An estimated 27 million Americans have some form of OA. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1 in 2 people in the United States (US) may develop knee OA by age 85, and 1 in 4 may develop hip OA in their lifetime. Until age 50, men and women are equally affected by OA; after age 50, women are affected more than men. Over their lifetimes, 21% of overweight and 31% of obese adults are diagnosed with arthritis.
Posted March 11, 2019 | Health & Wellness Blog
Osteoarthritis (OA) is one of the most common joint disorders, especially in adults over the age of 60. Two of the most commonly affected joints are the hip and the knee. Common symptoms are morning stiffness, where you feel like you need to get up and moving for 20 or 30 minutes before you “limber up”, creaking or popping sounds from your joint, as well as pain and swelling which is typically worse towards the end of the day.
Posted March 8, 2019 | Health & Wellness Blog
What you can do before your very first appointment—and during physical therapy—to take control of that injury-related stress? First and foremost, it’s important to come prepared for physical therapy. And no, I’m not talking about dressing appropriately and arriving on time (or even better, 15 minutes ahead of your scheduled appointment). That stuff is important, of course, but there’s one thing you can do in the days leading up to your appointment that will set you up for success.
Posted February 23, 2019 | Health & Wellness Blog
Posted February 18, 2019 | Health & Wellness Blog
"Get a good degree. Intern. Network. Perfect your resume. Practice interviewing. Network some more. Work hard. Get to work early. Stay late. Go above and beyond. Be innovative. Work even harder.
These are all common steps associated with career success. The more time you spend at work, the higher you’ll climb, right? Wrong. By now we all know the potentially life-saving benefits of exercise (decreased risk for cancer, diabetes, obesity, etc.), but the positive effects spill over into your career as well. Numerous studies have demonstrated the correlation between regular physical activity and better work performance. Get moving and these benefits could be yours."
Posted February 14, 2019 | Health & Wellness Blog
"Certain groups of workers can be more susceptible to back pain than others. Care workers, for example, whose work involves a lot of lifting, twisting and driving between appointments are particularly at risk. The back care charity BackCare estimates that more than 70 percent of unpaid carers in the UK suffer from back pain, which is highly disabling in a third of cases.
Other workers at a heightened risk of back pain include:
office workers who sit at computers for long periods;
long distance drivers;
manual workers who regularly lift heavy weights, such as builders, agricultural or manufacturing workers;
those who spend long periods leaning over to provide treatments such as beauticians."
Posted February 10, 2019 | Health & Wellness Blog
"This study found that depression symptoms are related to work absences and impaired work performance, and results partly confirmed that work stressors add to this impact. Results suggest that workers with depression may benefit from care involving medical and vocational interventions."
Posted January 27, 2019 | Health & Wellness Blog
After losing her left leg below the knee in the Boston Marathon bombing, Adrianne Haslet thought her quality of life would be a zero. Her physical therapist and the rest of her health care team helped Adrianne to move and to believe again.
Posted January 24, 2019 | Health & Wellness Blog
If you’ve ever suffered from a bout of low back pain, then you know that finding relief is often any patient’s main goal. And with low back pain sending 2.5 million Americans to hospital emergency rooms every year, that’s a lot of patients seeking treatment options to relieve the pain.
Posted January 21, 2019 | Health & Wellness Blog
Four out of five Americans will experience back pain at some point in their lives. Today, back pain management often includes the overuse of treatments like surgeries, MRI, x-rays and medications. And it’s an expensive prospect: The annual tally on low back and neck pain treatment in the U.S. is at least $87 billion, according to a study in the Journal of American Medical Association.
Posted January 16, 2019 | Health & Wellness Blog
A rundown of the changes in premiums, deductibles and coverage:
Medicare costs change each year, so if you’re 65 or older, it’s important to understand and review your benefits for the upcoming year. Some new rules affect the cost of prescription drugs covered under Part D (Medicare’s prescription drug benefit) and change the times when you can revise your Medicare health and drug coverage.
Posted December 26, 2018 | Health & Wellness Blog
Today’s consumer has so many choices when shopping for just about anything from apparel to healthcare. But while it’s customary to shop for the best price for a goose down jacket (without sacrificing quality), shopping around for the best solution (and value) for our ailments is less typical. Doing our due diligence in healthcare may ultimately bring us back to the first proposed solution, but it also may introduce us to solutions that we didn’t know existed.
Posted December 21, 2018 | Health & Wellness Blog
Got back pain? You’re not alone. Eighty percent of Americans suffer from low back and neck pain at some point in their lives. Let that sink in. With such great odds that you—or someone close to you—will one day become a statistic, wouldn’t it make sense to arm yourself with preventive strategies and knowledge? Physical therapy is a good place to start.
Posted October 3, 2018 | Health & Wellness Blog
Did you know that the American Physical Therapy Association now recommends the use of Physical Therapy in the work force?