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Late Night Health Radio Show, Mark Alyn talks with Marianne Ryan

Marianne Ryan was recently interviewed by Mark Alyn for his radio show on Late Night Health. Mark is a well-known and award-winning radio host based in Los Angeles and his show is broadcast on many major radio stations.
During the interview they discussed many aspects about the physical therapy profession. They first started talking about what a physical therapist can do, and how PT’s can help the listener if they are in pain or need to improve movement.
Mark admitted he really never knew what a physical therapist does until he went for PT  treatment for lower back pain one and a half years ago. He also mentioned that he was surprised most of his friends were not aware of what a physical therapist can do, and he wondered if Marianne knew why. Marianne went on to explain that there is a problem with consumer awareness, and even many doctors are not sure what a physical therapist can do.

The discussion continued and they talked about the different specializations in the physical therapy profession. There are some therapists who specialize in treating sports injuries, others may specialize in treating hand and wrist problems. Marianne Ryan mentioned that she works with a general populations of patients but also has advanced training in two specialties, Women’s Health and TMJ Pain.

TMJ dysfunctions can cause pain in the jaw, orofacial pain and headaches. Many people do not realize that there is a specific treatment program available with the right physical therapist.

MRPT Physical Therapy offers Women’s Health treatment programs for pelvic pain and issues related to pregnancy and postpartum. Stay tuned for furture shows where they will discuss an exciting new exercise program called Baby Bod® designed to flatten a woman’s postpartum belly. So far the Baby Bod® classes have been fabulously successful and MRPT Physical Therapy is looking forward to offering more classes this fall.
Listen to the show 

How Do I Know If I Should See A Physical Therapist?

This article was written by Ann Wendel, PT, ATC, CMTPT and published in northernvirginiamag.com. 

Most people have heard the term “physical therapist,” yet when asked, they can’t answer the question, “What is physical therapy?” After 20 years in this field, I can honestly say that I still love what I do, and I’m excited to share my profession with you. I want to address some common misconceptions about physical therapy and provide information to help you get the care you need. 

1. Who do physical therapists treat and why?

Physical therapists care for people of all ages in hospitals, private practices, outpatient clinics, schools, home health agencies, sports and fitness facilities, nursing homes and work settings. Physical therapists often consult with other health professionals to work to improve your mobility.

2. What types of problems can a physical therapist treat?

Physical therapists can help you regain flexibility, joint range of motion, strength, endurance and balance after an injury, accident, illness or surgery. We can also help you minimize the risk of injury by designing an exercise program for you, and we can help you manage a chronic health condition like diabetes, arthritis or fibromyalgia.

3. What kind of degree do physical therapists have?

All physical therapists are currently required to receive a graduate degree–either a master’s degree or a clinical doctorate—from an accredited physical therapist program before taking the national licensure examination that allows them to practice. State licensure is required in each state in which a physical therapist practices. Most physical therapists have a four-year undergraduate degree and a three-year Master’s or Doctorate level degree.

4. Do I need to see my doctor before scheduling physical therapy?

In Virginia, D.C., and Maryland, patients can access physical therapy directly. This means that you can call a physical therapist to schedule an appointment for an initial evaluation without having a doctor’s visit first. We will review your medical history and conduct a very thorough physical exam at your first visit. If the results of our examination lead us to believe that you need to consult with another healthcare professional, we will refer you to the appropriate provider. Studies show that early access to physical therapy positively affects outcomes, so if you are injured, you may be able to schedule a physical therapy appointment to start treatment without waiting for an appointment with a specialist.

5. How do I know if I should see a physical therapist?

If you have pain or discomfort that limits your daily activities like taking off a shirt overhead, fastening your bra, walking up and down stairs or getting in and out of the car, you may benefit from a physical therapy consultation. If you have nagging pain that prevents you from doing activities you enjoy, we can help you determine the underlying cause for your pain, and help you get on the road to recovery. If you have an acute injury, such as an ankle sprain, neck or back pain, or painful shoulder, we can help you through early evaluation and treatment before your injury becomes a chronic problem.

6. What should I expect at my first appointment?

You may be asked to fill out paperwork prior to your first visit. This helps your physical therapist in understanding your past medical history, and informs us of surgeries you have had and medications you take. You may be asked to change into a gown or shorts and a tank top. Your physical therapist will have a conversation with you to review your history and your reason for seeking treatment; then, he/she will conduct a thorough physical examination. Your physical therapist will discuss the findings from the exam, and explain the plan of care to you. You may receive treatment on the first visit depending on time. I spend one hour with all of my patients, and conduct all aspects of the evaluation and treatment myself. Some clinics utilize other staff to oversee the exercise portion of treatment. Our goal is always to find the source of your problem and provide treatment to get you moving again in as short a time as possible. These are just some of the ways that a physical therapist can help you return to your active lifestyle.

To see the original article on http://www.northenvirginamag.com click here.

To Contact Ann Wendel, PT, ATC, CMTPT use www.prana-pt.com

Kate’s Post #Baby-Bod Tummy is NORMAL!

By Marianne Ryan PT, OCS
Clinical Director MRPT Physical Therapy

This article quotes several parts of an article by Ceridwen Morris and posted on Yahoo.com

What a picture of a fairytale story come true! We all rejoiced in the birth of the first prince of this century with pictures of “a beautiful, healthy baby, a doting, proud father, and a glowing, serene mother. But wait! Look closely. When Kate passes the swaddled heir to her charming William, she reveals a real-life new mom belly. Round as a six month pregnancy. Clear as day.”

What’s up with that?

“Can anyone tell me why Kate’s stomach still looks pregnant after the baby isn’t inside her anymore? I had no idea that happened … Is it fluid or something?”

“Women are often surprised to learn that looking very pregnant is not only normal for the first few hours or days after giving birth but for weeks or more. Women have 40-50% more blood volume during pregnancy; all that excess fluid doesn’t go down overnight.  Also, the uterus must shrink back down to a fraction of the size it was during pregnancy. But it can take about a month or so.”

What can Kate do to help her belly heal and flatten faster?

Studies have shown that compression helps to heal wounds faster, even post baby-bod bellies, but it has to be the correct amount of compression. To facilitate healing there should be enough elastic in the garment to compress the belly without pressing so hard that the garment takes over the work of the abdominal muscles.

Many of you may have seen articles written about celebrities who claim wearing very tight abdominal binders for a few months helped them to develop a flat tummy after childbirth. Nothing could be further from the truth!

As a physical therapist who specializes in treating postpartum women, I would like to give a warning that tight abdominal binders will not help to flatten your tummy; and using an abdominal binder actually weakens stomach muscles. Another problem with abdominal binders is that they create compressive downward forces which push internal organs down towards the worn out muscles at the bottom of the pelvis (pelvic floor muscles). This can lead to problems such as chronic urinary leakage and pelvic organ prolapse.

The answer to how to help heal and flatten your post baby-bod tummy is to wear a compressive garment that will help to encourage your abdominal and pelvic floor muscles to contract and to hold your organs “up and in”. So, you need to wear a garment that will offer compressive support at the bottom of your pelvis and your tummy. As I mentioned before, you need to use just the right amount of compression. “Shape wear” under garments, the ones we see advertised all over the internet, are too tight and can weaken the abdominal muscles. To date, I am not aware of a garment available on the market that I can recommend. So, for now, try using a sports top, like a yoga top, and underpants with enough elastic to give your pelvic floor support.

Should you have a baby over 40? Essentially Fit Radio Show

Marianne was recently interviewed by Wess Murray for his Essentially Fit radio show on the subject of “Should you have a baby over 40?”

During the 50 minute show they discussed a number of issues including:

 

• Why you must take care of your joints during pregnancy.
• Having a 2nd child later in life: what steps should you take?
• Exercise after childbirth The pros and cons of having a baby after 40
• How modern technology has made it possible to have children
• How to have realistic expectations when losing weight after a baby

Click here to listen to the show

You can also download the show here from I Tunes

Prevent Pelvic Organ Prolapse (POP) with Better Birthing Techniques.

By Marianne Ryan PT, OCS
Clinical Director MRPT Physical Therapy

A very common side effect of childbirth is Pelvic Organ Prolapse, POP, some studies show up to 25% of women will develop it at sometime in their life.

What is Pelvic Organ Prolapse?

POP occurs when organs such as the uterus or bowels slip down from their normal positions inside of the pelvis.

There are different degrees of how much the organs slip, in severe instances organs can protrude outside of the vagina, especially when performing activities that require abdominal bracing such as heavy lifting, sit-up exercises and even passing a bowel movement.
POP can lead to several complications such as incontinence, pelvic and back pain and sexual dysfunctions.

Prevent Pelvic Organ Prolapse With Better Birthing Techniques:

Did you know that certain childbirth techniques could reduce the risk of developing pelvic organ prolapse (POP)?
The more strain placed on the pelvic floor during childbirth, the more a woman is at risk of developing POP. Choosing better positions, breathing techniques, and timing can benefit both mom and baby.

To read more about this in an article I wrote for the Association for Pelvic Organ Prolapse, “Reduce the Risk of Developing Pelvic Organ Prolapse: Birth Techniques For Less Strain on Pelvic Floor Muscles”, click here.

Did You Know Physical Therapy Treatment Can Reverse or Reduce the Severity of POP?

In an earlier post I discussed a study that shows that  1/3 of the surgeries performed to reverse Pelvic Organ Prolapse fails within 7 years. That is a really bad statistic! click here
What most people do not realize is that physical therapy treatment has been proven to reverse or lower the severity of the amount of slippage, and therefore may be used in the treatment of incontinence, pelvic and back pain and sexual dysfunctions.

Victoria Beckham Causes Shoulder Pain? “Poshitis”?

Do you have shoulder pain? Maybe you can blame it on Victoria Beckham, the fashion designer,  and known as Posh Spice.

Victoria Beckham is a known fashion trendsetter and her signature look of carrying a huge designer bag may not be such a good idea. Large bags can pull down on your shoulder and neck and cause pain. Doctors have nicknamed the shoulder pain related to carrying large handbags as “Poshitis”, and it looks like these women will need physical therapy.

The good news is that according to other fashion experts, large bags are out and smaller bags are now in. Just in time to save millions of womens from neck and shoulder pain.

Click here to see GMA video: http://gma.yahoo.com/video/women-risk-poshitis-toting-large-124905771.html

Scoliosis: The Schroth Method

We are very excited to announce that our Therapist, Carola Monroe is now certified as a Schroth Scoliosis Therapist. There are less than 50 American therapists who are trained in this method and
Carola is one of the few New York based therapists who is a certified Schroth Scoliosis Preactitioner. As a result , we are seeing more and more scoliosis patients around the practice.

What is the Schroth Method for Scoliosis Treatment?

The Schroth method is a conservative physical therapy approach for people with scoliosis. It is used to treat patients of all ages as a measure mainly to prevent surgery, and also before and after surgery.

Used successfully in Europe since the 1920s, the Schroth method was originally developed in Germany by scoliosis sufferer, Katharina Schroth. She developed this program to counteract scoliosis deformities. The program has been the primary treatment method for Scoliosis in Europe for many years.

The method is based upon the concept of scoliosis as resulting from a complex of muscular asymmetries (asymmetric weight bearing or loading of the spine) that can be at least partially corrected by targeted exercises.

The Schroth Method first assesses and classifies the patient’s curve. Following this, the patient is taught exercises that are specific to his or her curve. The exercises are designed to help the patient counter the effects of gravity and uneven muscle pulls on their spines. They learn to correct their postural positions by incorporating exercises during their activities of daily living.

Click here for more information

Painless Parenting the Radio Show

Marianne Ryan PT, OCS is interviewed by Move Forward Radio on the subject of Painless Parenting.

“Parenting provides challenges but it doesn’t have to be a pain. In this episode, Marianne Ryan PT, OCS discusses how to help parents avoid the minor aches and pains – and even significant injuries – that sometimes occur during pregnancy and after childbirth”.

Tell me what you think?

Click below to listen to the show:

Listen to Move Forward Radio’s segment about Painless Parenting or dowload the podcast on Itunes.

Common Pregnancy Pains. Did you know..?

Moms you are not alone!
Did you know “Fifty percent to 70% of pregnant women experience low back pain during pregnancy. In addition, 30% to 50% of pregnant women report low back pain severe enough to cause lost time from work. It’s more manageable, however, than most women (and their doctors) think”.

Did you know that physical therapy treatment is the best way to get rid of and to prevent back pain while pregnant?

Move Forward PT posted some great tips on how to avoid and treat pregnancy aches and pains:  Click Here

http://www.moveforwardpt.com/Resources/Detail.aspx?cid=8d523b23-9f02-4ac7-a107-c464ae6840b2