The Secrets to Combating the Effects of Aging on our Musculoskeletal System
““It’s not a matter of how many years we can live, but how well we can live the rest of our life.””
Aging is inevitable. It marches forward with time bestowing gifts like wisdom and more free time to pursue hobbies.
Concurrently, aging diminishes our cells’ ability to repair, regenerate, and fight disease, impairing function and our enjoyment of the gifts of advancing age.
We can’t stop the aging process and, although scientists are working on it, we can’t yet reverse it. What we can do is control our response to aging by adopting a healthy lifestyle and a positive outlook. Easier said than done, I know!
Our five-part series shares secrets that help delay the onset and slow the progression of many age-related changes to our nervous and musculoskeletal systems (nerves, bones, joints, ligaments, muscles, and tendons).
Slow the Effects of Aging Part 1: Dry Needling
Slow the Effects of Aging Part 2: Strengthening Resistance Exercise
Slow the Effects of Aging Part 3: Cardiovascular Exercise
Slow the Effects of Aging Part 4: Balance and Proprioception
Slow the Effects of Aging Part 5: Flexibility
Subscribe to our blog to catch all of our posts with our secrets to combating the effects of aging on our musculoskeletal system. As aging marches on, using these secrets in your everyday life will help you enjoy the gifts aging has to offer.
The Unexpected Benefits of Trail Running
I had put off trying trail running because I worried that, with unstable ankles, I’d injure myself. The results were just the opposite: trail running helped strengthen my ankles.
TRAVEL CHANGES - COVID-19 Clinic Policy Update as of July 1, 2020
The new COVID-19 guidelines issued by the Kansas Department of Health on June 29, 2020, impact CoachAmyPT policies.
Due to these new guidelines, people and people with household members who have recently traveled to the following states should wait two weeks before visiting the clinic:
Alabama
Arizona
Arkansas
Florida
South Carolina
In addition to the restrictions above, patients or patients who have household members who have traveled out of the country or have been on a cruise ship or river cruise within the past two weeks should also wait two weeks before visiting the clinic.
The following policies reflect the CoachAmyPT COVID-19 clinic policy as of July 1, 2020. Please note: the only changes to the following policies are reflected above and address the June 29, 2020, Kansas Department of Health guidelines regarding travel.
CoachAmyPT continues to offer all types of appointments, including maintenance and performance-based treatments and running evaluations. As before, and as always, our number one priority is the safety and well-being of our patients and their families. Please review the following policies:
Who should NOT come in?
Patients or patients with household members who have been ill in the last 2 weeks.
Patients or patients with household members who may have come into contact with someone who has been experiencing symptoms similar to COVID-19 symptoms within the past two weeks.
Patients or patients with household members who have traveled out of the country or have been on a cruise ship or river cruise within the past two weeks.
Patients or patients with household members who have traveled to Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, or South Carolina within the past two weeks.
What do I do if I have to cancel my appointment?
If you are delaying your appointment due to travel restrictions or came into contact with someone with COVID-19 symptoms, schedule for two weeks from your return/your last contact with an ill person. Review our policies before coming in for your rescheduled appointment.
If you are ill, please wait until you are healthy to schedule. Schedule two weeks from when you are symptom-free.
What is being done to protect against contamination?
The waiting area is closed indefinitely. Our patients wait for their appointments in the comfort of their vehicles. Text Coach Amy upon your arrival. She will inform you when it is safe to enter.
All providers and patients wear masks while in the building and during treatment.
Patients are being asked to reschedule if they meet the above-stated specifications regarding illness and travel.
Cleaning and sanitizing processes follow the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines, including using alcohol-based products on all surfaces following each patient visit, including devices used for payment and recording patient notes.
Patient payments are made online when possible.
Coach Amy follows CDC and WHO recommended processes for handwashing for anyone entering the clinic.
Coach Amy takes her temperature twice a day and takes the temperature of anyone entering the clinic.
We are closely monitoring recommendations from CDC and WHO.
Email reminders are sent to patients the week of their appointments reminding them of clinic guidelines.
Thank you for your trust, confidence, and cooperation. We wish you all the best of health and will continue to keep you up to date.
Tips for Getting the Appointment You Need at the Time You Want
Two of the main benefits of working with Coach Amy—always working one-on-one with Amy and access to in-demand treatments like dry needling and cupping—can also impact your ability to get an appointment as soon as you’d like and at the time you’d like. Consistent, weekly, or bi-weekly appointments are important to progress, performance, and recovery. Follow-up and tune up appointments can significantly improve the overall results of treatment.
These scheduling strategy tips can help you get on our schedule quickly and conveniently, ensuring treatment consistency:
Book Appointments up to 4 Weeks at a Time: The CoachAmyPT scheduling system allows you to schedule up to 4 weeks in advance. Schedule as many appointments as you need in this 4 week block.
Reminders: Set a reminder on your calendar at the end of each week to book your appointments for the next available week.
Get on the Waitlist: When the schedule is full, the best way to let Coach Amy know that you need an appointment is to get on the waitlist. Select ONE time for each day of the week that you are available. This selected waitlist time is not set in stone. It simply alerts Coach Amy to notify you if anything opens up on that day.
“One client who always schedules 4 weeks out shared a tip: every time he leaves his appointment, he schedules the next four-week out appointment from his car before leaving our parking lot. ”
To cancel or change an appointment, please login to your account and make changes at least 24 hours before your appointment.
Please watch for an update regarding clinic policies following the July 1 Kansas Department of Health announcement.
We look forward to seeing you at the clinic!
Announcing New Pricing Structure
Please note that beginning August 1, CoachAmyPT will be adjusting our pricing structure. As always, your entire appointment—including evaluation, hands-on treatment, therapeutic exercise, and movement instruction—is always one-on-one with Coach Amy. Appointment lengths will remain 40 minutes each, with the exception of 15-minute Just Needling appointments.
Ensuring that our patients continue to receive the highest quality of care is always our number one priority. The CoachAmyPT team appreciates our valued patients. Please reach out with any questions about our new pricing structure.
Coach Amy is Now Certified in Advanced Neurological Dry Needling
Coach Amy applies electrical stimulation with advanced dry needling techniques to decrease inflammation in the knee joint without the use of medication or steroids.
Patient function is Coach Amy’s ultimate goal. To further her ability to help her patients, Coach Amy earned her certification in Advanced Neurological Dry Needling (ANDN) from the Integrative Dry Needling Institute this spring. With these advanced techniques, she can more effectively reduce inflammation. When inflammation is reduced and the nerves are no longer irritated, muscle guarding decreases, and biomechanics are restored.
ANDN is effective in the treatment of many ailments including:
Headaches and migraines
Temporomandibular dysfunction (TMJD)
Shoulder, neck, back, hip, knee, ankle, and foot pain
Chronic pain
Acute and overuse sports injuries
Sports performance enhancement
“Regardless of the cause of injury, the source of pain is irritated nerves. The best way to calm irritated nerves is by restoring their normal chemistry. In all my years of practice, I’ve found that neurological dry needling is the most effective way to restore normal chemistry.”
Treatment typically takes 1 to 6 visits. Several factors impact the number of visits needed:
Chronicity of the problem
Age and overall health of the patient
Complexity of the injury
Usually, ANDN does not completely correct the problem. Coach Amy uses other treatment methods in combination with dry needling to address the root cause of an injury, including addressing gait mechanics, proprioceptive deficits, posture, training errors, and limitations in stability and mobility.
To start reducing pain and inflammation with ANDN, schedule an appointment with Coach Amy PT today.
COVID-19 Clinic Policy Update as of June 21, 2020
Great news! As CoachAmyPT continues to follow official guidelines to keep our patients safe during the pandemic, we are pleased to report that we are now able to welcome patients or patients with household members who have recently traveled out of state.
Patients or patients who have household members who have traveled out of the country within the past two weeks should not come into the clinic until they’ve been back in the country for two weeks.
The following reflects current COVID-19 clinic policies. The only changed policy is regarding out-of-state travel, as referenced above.
CoachAmyPT continues to offer all types of appointments, including maintenance and performance-based treatments and running evaluations. As before, and as always, our number one priority is the safety and well-being of our patients and their families. Following are the policies in place for our clinic.
Who should NOT come in?
Patients or patients with household members who have been ill in the last 2 weeks.
Patients or patients with household members who may have come into contact with someone who has been experiencing symptoms similar to COVID-19 symptoms within the past two weeks.
Patients or patients with household members who have traveled out of the country within the past two weeks.
What do I do if I have to cancel my appointment?
If you were traveling out of the country or came into contact with someone with COVID-19 symptoms, schedule for two weeks from your return/your last contact with an ill person. Review our policies before coming in for your rescheduled appointment.
If you are ill, please wait until you are healthy to schedule. Schedule two weeks from when you are symptom-free.
What is being done to protect against contamination?
The waiting area is closed indefinitely. Our patients wait for their appointments in the comfort of their vehicles. Text Coach Amy upon your arrival. She will inform you when it is safe to enter.
All providers and patients wear masks while in the building and during treatment.
Patients are being asked to reschedule if they meet the above-stated specifications regarding illness and travel.
Cleaning and sanitizing processes follow the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines, including using alcohol-based products on all surfaces following each patient visit, including devices used for payment and recording patient notes.
Patient payments are made online when possible.
Coach Amy follows CDC and WHO recommended processes for handwashing for anyone entering the clinic.
Coach Amy takes her temperature twice a day and takes the temperature of anyone entering the clinic.
We are closely monitoring recommendations from CDC and WHO.
Email reminders are sent to patients the week of their appointments reminding them of clinic guidelines.
Thank you for your trust, confidence, and cooperation. We wish you all the best of health and will continue to keep you up to date.
Cupping comes to CoachAmyPT
Exciting news! CoachAmyPT added cupping to our services menu!
Cupping is trending now, but its ancient origins date back to 1550 BC with the ancient Egyptians. It became widely known in modern times when Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps sported cupping’s telltale “purple dots” after receiving cupping treatment to assist his recovery and to treat muscle soreness and pain during the 2016 Olympics.
Cupping is a manual therapy technique that uses suction to elongate connective tissue such as skin, fascia, and superficial muscle layers. This process increases fluid flow within the tissues to help eliminate inflammation and pain.
Coach Amy places the acrylic cups in areas of restrictions within muscles and fascia and along seams between muscles that are not moving past each other correctly. Cupping helps treat many conditions, including tendonitis, bursitis, tension headaches, and fascial syndromes.
Depending upon the problem, cups may remain in place for 1 to 15 minutes. Amy then manipulates the cup along restricted areas to break up adhesions and release the tissues from all directions. She combines active and passive patient movement while the cups are in place to restore proper biomechanics and function.
“Typically, it isn’t enough to place the cups or to manipulate them. The primary benefit of this treatment is gained when functional movement is incorporated with the cupping.”
Cupping is another tool in Coach Amy’s toolbox, along with dry needling, active release technique, and applied functional science. Amy finds that using cupping in conjunction with other treatment methods is helpful and uses it especially when dry needling and ART are contraindicated. Manual therapy techniques like cupping work best when incorporated into a full rehabilitation program. This includes a home exercise program to train the tissues to move correctly again so they no longer cause pain or dysfunction.
As with all physical therapy treatments, the number of treatments needed depends on a number of factors. Typically cupping is done one to three times. Tune-ups every one to six months may be needed when patients continue to perform activities that build up trauma to the tissue, such as repetitive activity for work, hobby, or sport.
Cupping is included with your physical therapy treatment at no extra charge for both self-pay and insurance-covered patients.
Interested in adding cupping to your treatment protocol? Ask Coach Amy if this is an effective treatment for your problem at your next appointment. Not yet a patient? Our schedule is frequently full with a waitlist. If you cannot find an open appointment, please check back soon.
Hello Summer and New Health and Fitness Goals!
It’s hard to believe when the Stay-at-Home-Order first went into effect that we were still in the season of Winter. Many of you so courageously embraced the drudgery of winter weather and declared it as a season of growth and development towards personal goals. Some of those goals such as practicing daily gratitude and working on consistency may have blossomed despite the circumstances. However, with gym closures, race cancellations, and social distancing requirements, many personal fitness goals were yanked out from underneath us.
One of the keys to surviving and thriving in the face of adversity is to innovatively adapt. I am so impressed by the motivation and discipline of CoachAmyPT patients and RRKC athletes who continued core strength work “at home” vs. at the gym, pushed through long distance runs and bike rides solo without the comradery from fitness buddies or friends, or incorporated daily walks or activity into their previously semi-sedentary schedules. With so many factors of daily life that we can’t control, it feels good to take ownership of some health and wellness goals that we can control.
Before Coronavirus, I was planning on training for and running the Portland Marathon in Maine with my RRKC friends in October, but after much consideration, I’ve changed my plans. It is doubtful that Fall races will be held due to the forecasted spike of Coronavirus in the Fall. I venture to guess that until there is herd immunity or a vaccine, that race organizers will not find it safe to hold races.
Even if Fall races are held, according to the CDC travel still increases your risk of contracting and spreading COVID-19, so I’m opting to stay local for now. I’ve also changed my race distance goal to a half marathon instead of my planned marathon distance to decrease the strain on my immune system.
But choices and goals, as always, are not one size fits all. These are my personal choices that take into consideration that I treat patients and live with family members that are at high risk for complications from COVID-19. Each person needs to consider their own situation and with the current state of things, we may have to get creative with our goals, but we don’t have to surrender them all together.
What are your Summer goals going to be?
Here are mine:
Return to strength training 2x/week
Return to healthy eating habits
Run regularly at least 4x per week
Set a base to get half marathon race ready (just in case)
If you’re stumped with trying to come up with Summer goals, perhaps it’s because the purpose behind your goals needs to change. If you’re motivation to train for that destination half marathon was to take a fun trip with friends, you’ll have to find a new purpose for running those miles this summer. We may just have to dig deep within ourselves to find the purpose.
Perhaps your purpose is improved health, increased stamina, raising money for a charity, or staying healthy despite this pandemic. Vocalizing and writing down goals increases the likelihood that we’ll achieve them. Identify those goals and sign the CoachAmyPT clinic “wall of fame” or share with us on Facebook. We’re here to support you all the way.
COVID-19 Clinic Policy Update as of May 17, 2020.
We are happy to report that CoachAmyPT is open now for all appointment types including maintenance and performance based treatments as well as running evaluations. As before, and as always, our number one priority is the safety and well-being of our patients and their families. Following are the policies in place for our clinic.
Who should NOT come in?
Patients or patients with household members who have been ill in the last 2 weeks.
Patients or patients with household members who may have come into contact with someone who has been experiencing symptoms similar to COVID-19 symptoms within the past two weeks.
Patients or patients with household members who have traveled out of state within the past two weeks.
What do I do if I have to cancel my appointment?
If you were traveling or came into contact with someone with COVID-19 symptoms, go ahead and schedule for two weeks from your return/your last contact with an ill person. Just be sure to review the parameters again before coming in for your rescheduled appointment.
If you are ill, please wait until you are healthy to schedule. Schedule two weeks from when you are symptom-free.
What is being done to protect against contamination?
The waiting area is closed indefinitely. Our patients wait for their appointments in the comfort of their vehicles. Text Coach Amy upon your arrival. She will inform you when it is safe to enter.
All providers and patients are wearing masks while in the building and during treatment.
Patients are being asked to reschedule if they meet the above-stated specifications regarding illness and travel or have nonessential needs.
Cleaning and sanitizing processes follow the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines, including using alcohol-based products on all surfaces following each patient visit, including devices used for payment and recording patient notes.
Patient payments are made online when possible.
Coach Amy follows CDC and WHO recommended processes for handwashing for anyone entering the clinic.
Coach Amy takes her temperature twice a day and takes the temperature of anyone entering the clinic.
We are closely monitoring recommendations from CDC and WHO.
Email reminders are sent to patients the week of their appointments reminding them of clinic guidelines.
We will continue to keep you up to date.
Thank you for your trust, confidence, and cooperation. We wish you all the best of health.