TAI ATs in the News

A while back I wrote a post about TAI’s Athletic Trainer program in Salem, Oregon.  That program continues to grow and gain attraction, most recently from a local newspaper, the Statesman Journal.  This article by journalist Justin Much follows the West Salem High School girls soccer team as they utilize our SAM (Speed-Agility-Mobility) training program. 

SAM is a comprehensive training program for athletes of all kinds, designed to increase athleticism while decreasing injury potential.  It was fully developed and is directed by certified Athletic Trainers.  SAM uses a dynamic warm-up approach and sport-specific activities to guide athletes safely and effectively through training.

TAI physical therapists and athletic trainers across the company are developing sports education and injury prevention presentations and accompanying materials for young athletes in a variety of different sports, including soccer, baseball/softball, running, basketball, cycling, and skiing.  Stay tuned for more information on how and when you can access these tools for your team. 

The Importance of Breath

We all know that the breath brings oxygen into the body but do you also know that the breath helps balance our body chemistry? When breath is dysfunctional, our body chemistry changes. Symptoms may be subtle at first, but the effects of even slightly altered body chemistry can have significant negative effects on long-term health.

BreathWorks Overview

Therapeutic Associates recently started a new specialty program called BreathWorks that looks specifically at breath and the role that it plays in a person’s musculoskeletal and emotional function and wellness.  Many people suffer from over breathing (when the body expires too much CO2) and other breathing inefficiencies.  This Program is intended to benefit a wide variety of people, including those with chronic pain, Fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue, athletes and performers, and even those battling with emotional disorders like depression and anxiety.  

How It Works

Our BreathWorks therapists (three PTs and a PTA who work at TAI clinics in Portland, OR) conduct an initial evaluation to study your current breathing pattern and determine if you can benefit from a care plan to restore a more efficient pattern.  The evaluation includes the utilization of a Capno Trainer (a machine that measures expired CO2 and is further used to observe and train balanced breathing).  If you are determined to be a candidate for this kind of work, your care plan would include a combination of meditation, therapeutic exercise, and manual therapy – all guided by our expert clinicians. 

Accessing the Program 

If you are interested in participating in a BreathWorks evaluation, contact David Deppeler, PT, OCS, FAAOMPT at davidd@taiweb.com.  Arrangements may be made for those outside of the Portland metro area for an evaluation.

TAI is proud to be at the cutting edge of this study and work.  If you have questions or would like to share information about your own work or research with regard to breath in physical therapy practice, please comment or email me at ldillon@taiweb.com.

Hillsboro PT and Sports Education and Injury Prevention

Several of our therapists have created strong outreach programs which extend their skills and services beyond the clinic walls. I was inspired by one recent program developed at our Hillsboro PT clinic in the Portland metro area. They are a Certified Clinical Site for Cincinnati SportsMedicine Research and Education Foundation and their SportsMetrics program. Hillsboro Director Tim Brinker, PT, OCS, FAAOMPT and his team have started a lecture and on-field training series with the soccer players and parents of FC Portland Academy. The first presentation was conducted in February for about 150 young female players and it focused on ACL (anterior cruciate ligament ) injuries. The same format presentation will be repeated for about 150 male players later this month.

Presentation highlights include:

• Statistics on female athletes and ACL injuries (e.g. Did you know that 1 in 100 female high school athletes and 1 in 10 female collegiate athletes will sustain an ACL injury and that female athletes are 4-6 times more likely to sustain a non-contact ACL injury than males?!)
• ACL injury overview, including a discussion of pertinent anatomy and function and, in this case, biomechanical and developmental contributions to ACL tears in women and what you can and cannot change about these contributions
• Review of the PEP Program, a dynamic warm up program that has been proven to decrease non-contact ACL injury in female athletes by 2-4x
• On-field training and education on Sportsmetrics WIPP Training (Warm-up for Injury Prevention and Performance)

• Overview of the SportsMetrics program where the athletes are evaluated to determine if they are at high risk of developing a non-contact ACL injury. This is done through SIT (Sports Injury Test) and video analysis.  For those athletes who are high risk or are returning from a knee surgery to sport, two different SportMetrics programs are offered: a 6-week group training session or a Return to Sport program, which have been shown to reduce the incidence of serious knee ligament injury by 80%.

Not only will Tim and his therapist team continue to work with these athletes, but he is leading a group of TAI therapists through a 2009 Sports Education and Injury Prevention program where clinics throughout the company will offer lecture demonstrations to young athletes in their communities in Soccer, Baseball, Athletic First Aid, Cycling, Running, and Speed and Quickness among other things. Not only is this kind of work timely and relevant (e.g. I have heard a number of stories on NPR in the last several months that point to the seriousness of injury in young athletes and the importance of proper attention and training to prevent injury), but it also points to our continued efforts to use our skills as musculoskeletal experts to make a positive difference in people’s lives.

If you are interested in finding out more about this programming, contact me or email Tim Brinker at tbrinker@taiweb.com.

Golf Performance Program

Several TAI therapists are TPI Certified Golf Fitness Instructors through the Titleist Performance Institute (TPI). TPI is a PGA and LPGA approved golf specific training program.  Clients who visit one of our instructors for a golf performance assessment go through, among other things, a biomechanical evaluation and develop of a custom exercise program to optimize swing results while minimizing risk of injury.

Our instructors are physical therapists and avid golfers so they not only have an interest in the sport, but an expertise in evaluating and treating biomechanical injuries and issues. Jeff Houser, DPT – a therapist at our Seattle Physical Therapy clinic and one of our TPI instructors – has highlighted some of the program’s features:

• Initial evaluation (60-minute scheduled appointment) of your physical ability as it relates to the golf swing. This 13-point physical evaluation allows the instructor to identify potential weaknesses or mobility limitations that can create erroneous swing patterns, which could be detrimental to your body. This evaluation is both for the golfer in pain, as well as the non-painful golfer who wants to maximize his or her potential by increasing their swing efficiency.

• Videotaping of your swing to identify major swing errors that may be creating your pain. There is also the option of working with a golf professional (through TPI) for a more complete diagnosis of swing faults and ideal corrections.

• Development of a Golf Performance Fitness Program. This is another 60-minute appointment where the therapist instructor and client review the findings from the above to then develop a specific exercise program to address weaknesses or mobility restrictions.

• Access to MyTPI.com, a site where you can view your swing, your personalized exercise program, and all progressions that are made, as well as get tips from the leaders in golf fitness at the Titleist Performance Institute. This is a home based program that will usually run over the course of 16 weeks.

More information on this golf performance program and other tips for active golfers will be found in the upcoming edition of Therapeutic Outlook, TAI’s bi-annual magazine that covers issues in PT, health, and wellness. You can receive your free issues in hard copy or via email. Thanks for reading!

Fairwood Physical Therapy and the GRAVITY SYSTEM®

General wellness programming is an exciting trend in outpatient physical therapy nowadays. Well designed and executed programs can not only draw new potential patients to a clinic, but can also keep patients healthy and active in the clinic even after therapy discharge. Several of our practices have endeavored upon various wellness and fitness programs in the last few years. In July 2007, our Fairwood Physical Therapy clinic in Renton, WA began offering GRAVITY classes. I recently connected with Jeannette Baker, NASM, CPT, a personal trainer who teaches the classes at Fairwood PT and asked her to explain the GRAVITY program and share some of its successes…

Lori: How does the GRAVITY program work?

Jeannette: The classes are taught mostly using a machine system called Gravity. If you’re familiar with the Total Gym that sells for home use . . . the Gravity machines are similar but a little more versatile and built for a health club/physical therapy environment. You can read more about the system on their website. The classes work using your muscles to lift a variable portion of your body weight and focus a lot on core strength as we build muscle strength, cardio endurance, and flexibility. During the course of the classes we also do some complementary exercises off of the machines to work on balance and core strength as well. Sometimes the classes are a total body workout and sometimes we spend a session focusing on a specific area of the body. I try to tailor the classes to each participant.

Lori: How many people at a time participate in a GRAVITY class?

Jeannette: We have a maximum of 4 participants in any given session so there is LOTS of one-on-one attention. The small classes also allow the participants to get to know one-another and have lots of fun! I have some clients that have been with me for 4 sessions now and thoroughly love the program!  The other instructors and I are constantly working to find new and fun things to do with the classes on the machines so that we don’t get bored too

Lori: So how long is a session?

Jeannette: We have our program structured in 10-week sessions – either coming twice a week for 30 minutes each time or once a week for an hour. We also do offer drop-in sessions (as space allows) but the pre-requisite for that is either having gone through our program once already or having a personal training session first with me on the machines so that you know the ins and outs of the machines (working on them, adjusting the machines, knowing some of the moves, etc) when you drop in. I also do individual personal training sessions with people. The group classes are offered in the early morning hours, evening hours, and on the weekends.

Lori: What benefit have you seen this program have on the participants? and for the clinic?

Jeannette: The initial measurable benefit that I have seen from the clients is their drop in body calculation figures . . . body fat, measurements, weight, blood pressure, etc. (All are measured at the start and end of each 10-week program – we’ve seen some amazing changes!) But far more impacting than those numbers has been the increase in self esteem that I have seen in each client.  At the start of the program many of the clients are pretty quiet and timid about the exercises and the levels that they push themselves. However, after they get through a few weeks of classes, a few “test days”, and some “workout pains”. . . they start to see their hard work pay off and become hungry for more and learn to enjoy the journey along the way. They learn how to push themselves appropriately, how to deal with and overcome minor setbacks in their program, and become proud and confident about the person they are. Just this last weekend I had a client come off the machine with a grin ear-to-ear after doing a set of pull-ups at an incline level 8 (the machines progress from level 1-8). She told me the first week she doubted that she would ever be able to even accomplish the exercise on a level 3; and now in her second session she has already made it to level 8! She then giggled and said “I know you’ll find a new way to challenge me on it though!” The clients also use the time we have together as a basis for a change in their overall lifestyle. We help the clients develop short and long-term goals at the start of their time with us. Many choose to adopt additional workout activities or healthy eating patterns in addition to our program to help them reach that goal. We provide knowledge and support to help them meet their goals.

As for the benefits to the clinic, the program creates more opportunities for the clinic to touch the community and promote healthy and active lifestyles. The classes are also quite often a bridge for clients between physical therapy (as a patient) and a safe new workout lifestyle. Clients who join the program feel that they are still in the safe and supportive environment of the physical therapy office that they have become familiar with, but are learning how to help themselves stay healthy on their own. I am able to provide my background knowledge from my personal training certification as well as interact with the therapists in the clinic to design a safe and effective program for the individuals. Some PT patients have witnessed the fun classes happening during their treatment times and have also been excited to work through their PT time and be released to join in the program – hopefully providing a good goal to help motivate their progress as well.

Jeannette Baker and two GRAVITY clients

Jessica Smith-Blockley, DPT and the Bogus Basin Nordic Team

The Bogus Basin Nordic Team (BBNT) is a competitive, non-profit Nordic ski team in Boise, Idaho for kids ages 8-18. Therapeutic Associates sponsors the team and TAI-Boise State Street therapist Jessica Smith-Blockley, DPT works with the young athletes. I asked her to share a bit more about this exciting and unique experience.

Jessica is an avid skier. She did cross country racing in high school, attended junior nationals for 3 years, skied during her undergrad career at Dartmouth and also coached high school and club teams after graduating from college. It only made sense that she further pursued this passion when she started working for us in Idaho – and incorporate it into her PT practice. Shortly after Jessica started working at the clinic, she connected with the Board of Directors for BBNT and began working with them as a volunteer coach during the 2007-08 ski season. She worked with all age levels and traveled with the older kids to regional races that served as qualifying races for junior nationals. She also worked with the competition team on strength training.

This year (08-09 ski season) Jessica serves as the development coach for the youth program (ages 8-12). She coaches 2 days a week and travels with the kids to local races in Idaho. Rob Barnes, Director of TAI-Boise State Street, has supported Jessica’s work with the team from the beginning, not only by connecting her to the organization early on, but also by allowing her to arrange her clinic hours around the team needs. She said, “Rob has been really flexible with my schedule, allowing me to maintain a 4-day work week so I am able to go to practice during the week, as well as arranging my schedule to allow me to travel for races on the weekends when needed.”

To further her work with skiers in the community, Jessica runs an annual pre-season conditioning class for downhill and cross country skiers. The proceeds from these classes are donated to the Bogus Basin Nordic Team and Bogus Basin Ski Education Foundation (a primarily youth-based alpine club team that TAI also sponsors). Working with BBNT has helped Jessica to get involved in and more integrated into the Boise and surrounding ski community and, as a bonus, it has resulted in increased in referrals and self-referrals to the clinic! Way to go, Jessica!!

2008-09 Bogus Basin Nordic Team

Preventative Medicine in the Workplace

Now more than ever, there seems to be a great deal of buzz about preventative medicine programs. Health care was, again, a major piece of both party platforms during our recent elections and I have heard President-Elect Obama speak about the importance of preventative programs. No doubt, more and more employers will turn to prevention to save on cost and maintain efficiency. While TAI’s primary service is outpatient, ortho PT via our private practice clinics, we have several specialty and wellness programs that go beyond traditional PT services to meet the needs of our communities. I’ll get into several of these in future posts, but today I want to share more on one of them that directly affects employers and extends beyond our clinic walls…

What is Work Kinetics?
Work Kinetics is a workplace-focused program that has been in place at TAI for 5 years. It provides employers with injury prevention/management, wellness programs and ergonomics services that not only create healthier and more productive work environments, but also reduce the direct and indirect costs associated with workers’ compensation and group healthcare premiums. Our Work Kinetics therapists have extensive experience in this area. They treat employees with traditional PT and OT but – and perhaps more importantly – they go to the work environments and provide on-site Physical Testing, Therapeutic Interventions, Consultation, and more.

Work Kinetics Products
Work Kinetics has also developed products to support their on-site programs. Therapeutic Associates Online Enterprise Safety (OES) is offered in partnership with Remedy Interactive, as well as RSIGuard software. It is a web-based product that provides injury prevention education, ergonomic risk assessment, and self-correction of injury risk factors for workers in various environments. Back Basics is an educational video created by Therapeutic Associates Physical and Occupational therapists, designed to improve manual material handling safety and reduce back injuries in the work place; be it office or industrial environments. This DVD guides users through customized training sessions taught by Physical Therapists.  OES and Back Basics are forward-thinking, cost effective, and comprehensive tools for employers to maintain healthy work environments and prevent injuries.

Jennifer Rappaport, MOTR/L

Meet the OT at the Forefront
Jennifer Rappaport, MOTR/L, is Director of Work Kinetics. She earned her Master’s in Occupational Therapy with an emphasis in Preventative Care in 2007. Interestingly enough, she holds an undergraduate degree in English Literature and spent time teaching, traveling and working as an Eco-tour guide before attending graduate school. Jennifer has worked with a variety of clients, including high-tech manufacturing, industrial/commercial construction, and office environments. She started working for TAI in 2007 and is based in Portland, OR.

To learn more about Work Kinetics, visit our website.