Ability Rehabilitation Specialists Blog

These simple exercises, performed regularly, may help with strengthening and balance to avoid falls and possible fractures.

Important: These exercises should never be performed alone if you are already having difficulty with balance and strength. It is important to have a trained caregiver, family member or therapist to assist you at all times.

-Swing hips 5 times in a large clockwise circle, then counter-clockwise.
-Stand on toes of both feet for 5 seconds, then come down. Repeat 10 times.
-Stand on left foot for 5 seconds, then the right. Repeat 10 times each leg.
-Take 5 small steps to the left without crossing your feet while moving your hands along the edge of a countertop; take 5 steps back. Repeat 10 times.
-Stand on left foot and move right leg out to the side and back again. Repeat 10 times, alternating legs.

Seniors, especially postmenopausal women, are often prone to falling due to medications or impaired strength, balance reactions and vision. Weak bones are slow to heal, so even a minor fracture can be disabling to a senior. If you or a family member needs physical therapy, please call Ability Rehabilitation Specialists.  We specialize in neurological, balance and fall prevention therapy, and provide education to caregivers or family members who may assist the senior.ll pr

P.S. Call for details about our Tuesday evening Balance class!

Sprains are common injuries that involve damage to ligaments and can vary in severity. So how do you tell if a sprain is minor or severe?

Minor Sprain: Little swelling or bruising, may be tender.  Usually able to weight bear.

Moderate Sprain: Moderate pain and tenderness.  Can be difficult to move the joint.

Severe Sprain: Increased swelling, bruising and difficulty moving the joint, significant pain.   Joint may feel unstable.

Notify your doctor if you have a moderate sprain. For a severe sprain, emergency care should be sought.

Stretching is especially important to reduce the incidence of sprains.  A flexible muscle with a greater range of motion is less likely to suffer ligament damage.

Another component is strengthening.  Sports can result in injuries from improper training.  Ability Rehab therapist’s are specialists in sports-specific rehab and training.  Call Ability Rehab today to rehab an injury, prevent injury, and enhance your performance!

P.S. A severe sprain requires ice application and immediate professional attention to assess whether it is a fracture or dislocation rather than a sprain.

During the summer months golfers, runners, softball players, and other outdoor sport lovers seem to engage in their favorite activities more frequently. All too often, overly enthusiastic players and exercisers fail to take flexibility into account by stretching muscles, ligaments, and tendons before they work them. Incorporating stretching exercises into their fitness routines is vital in preventing injuries. Contracting muscles need to be stretched to prevent tightness and to maintain function. To this end, a regular stretching session of 5 to 15 minutes performed consistently before playing a sport will significantly improve flexibility, as well as improve performance through increased mobility and agility. A flexible muscle with a greater range of motion is also less likely to suffer strains, pulls, or tears.

Sports like running, football, baseball, tennis, swimming, and weight training can result in injuries from improper training. Various sport injuries are treated and preventable with physical therapy including rotator cuff tendonitis, shoulder injuries, knee pain, ACL injuries, ankle sprains, fractures, back pain, tennis elbow, golfer’s elbow, and hip pain.  Our therapists are specialists in their fields and this translates into better and faster results.  Call Ability Rehab today to treat an injury, prevent injury, and improve performance in your sport.

P.S. Always warm muscles with light aerobic activity before stretching. Raising the body temperature makes the muscles more supple.

Patients who have undergone physical therapy for the treatment of low back pain are probably familiar with the concept of strengthening their “core” – the muscles of the abdomen, lower back, and pelvis. These muscles are located between the rib cage and the hips. Core conditioning is based on research that shows that, before people move an arm or leg, those with healthy backs automatically contract their core muscles, especially the transverse abdominal muscles, which wrap from the sides of the lower back around to the front. Thus, it was concluded that well-coordinated core-muscle use stabilizes the spine and helps create a firm foundation of support for virtually all movement. Core strength is essential for averting back pain and other problems.

At Ability Rehab we are experts in treating back pain and injuries.  Our Healthy Back Program focuses on your full recovery and also prevention of future injuries.  Our therapists utilize manual therapy, stabilization exercises, and strengthening exercises uniquely designed for the individual. Collectively, your treatment at Ability Rehab will provide you with a strong core and a healthy back to enable you to live your life fully without pain.

P.S. To be safe and effective, core muscle strengthening exercises require proper alignment and progression from one type of exercise to another under the supervision of a physical therapist.

On April 30, 2011 Ability Rehab staff members participated in the 2011 MS Walk. This year we had the privilege of walking with Dr. Jody Corey-Bloom’s team from the UCSD MS Center.  We would like to thank those of you who already donated on-line or in person to the MS Society.  The walk, benefiting the Pacific South Coast Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society was a huge success, raising $1,464,250.00 and counting!

It’s not too late to donate!  Go to www.mswalk.com or stop by our office for details.  Your support will help the 400,000 people in the U.S. affected by this debilitating neurological illness, sometimes severe enough to cause paralysis or blindness and leaving many sufferers wheelchair bound.

Ability Rehab specializes in neurological physical therapy and treatment for Multiple Sclerosis. We can help individuals improve or maintain their mobility, strength, and independence while enhancing overall health and fitness. Our Balance Class on Tuesday nights is FREE for MS Society members.

P.S. If you or a loved one has MS please contact Ability Rehab to schedule a FREE 15 minute screening with one of our therapists.

A recent study shows that stroke survivors can improve their brain function and fitness by working out on a treadmill as part of their rehabilitation.

Treadmill use addresses two specific challenges many stroke survivors encounter in their recovery.  For one, a treadmill workout helps them learn how to walk again with the guidance of a physical therapist. Additionally, regaining the ability to walk on the treadmill helps patients recover the cardiovascular fitness that they have lost.  The study also reveals that those patients with the most improved walking also show the greatest increase in brain activity.

Many external factors influence a person’s recovery after suffering a stroke. Finding the right physical therapist that specializes in stroke recovery will produce optimal results.  Ability Rehab’s Stroke Program is dedicated toward improving movement and function.  We customize our therapy and fitness programs to address your specific needs, whether it is to recover from an injury or surgery, improve your mobility or independence, or maximize your balance to prevent falls.

P.S. When stroke patients use the treadmill, they should have supervision, use the handrails, and have their heart rates monitored (to achieve the level of exertion needed).

It is important to know that regular moderate exercise improves the odds of a favorable outcome should a subsequent stroke occur later in life. This finding comes after an examination of first-time stroke victims enrolled in the Ischemic Stroke Genetics Study. Researchers found that patients who hardly exercised prior to suffering a stroke faced much worse odds for recovery compared to those who exercised regularly three times a week. Fit patients have a better prognosis due to improved cardiovascular reserve.

Optimal recovery from a stroke also depends on receiving expert rehabilitation. It is imperative to find physical and occupational therapists that specialize in the treatment of stroke recovery. Enlisting the neurological physical therapy experts at Ability Rehab maximizes results and speeds up your recovery. Our Stroke Movement Recovery program aims to get you moving optimally and independently.

Call now to schedule an evaluation and see how our team of physical therapists can help you. We get the results you need and desire.

P.S. Call our office to learn more about our free balance screenings and our group balance classes held on Tuesday evenings.

When suffering injury due to disease or trauma, patients should submit themselves to diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation. It is the last element of this formula for restoring health that will be the subject of this blog.

Our purpose is to inform and advise about the variety of therapeutic and rehabilitative techniques and services available. They may be of considerable value in restoring comfort, strength and function to body and soul.

In simple terms, physical therapy offers patients their best assurance that they will “get back on their feet” after a physical setback. The blog will also be useful in providing information that can help avert injury in the first place.

Treating an injury or pain expediently is crucial for successful recovery. Our staff of dedicated experts is committed to serving the community with high-quality physical therapy to accomplish the patient’s optimal life function.  Our detailed, comprehensive programs include orthopedics, sports training, neurological therapy, and balance and fall prevention.

Call today to schedule an evaluation and see how our team of physical therapists can help you recover from an injury and prevent future injuries.

We get the results you need and desire.