The most common snow and ice injuries are low back injuries from shoveling and slipping and falling on the ice. Below are some tips to help you avoid those injuries.

If you find yourself slipping, remember “tuck and roll.”

If you feel yourself losing balance, tuck into a ball, make yourself as small as possible and keep your head and face away from the fall, experts say. Don’t put out your hands to catch yourself, or you’ll risk breaking your arms or wrists. Try to land on the fleshy part of your body rather than your knees or spine.

Tips for Walking on Ice and Snow

• Bend knees and waist slightly, and walk flat-footed so your center of gravity is directly above feet. Think about walking like a Penguin!
• Give yourself plenty of time to get to your destination to avoid carelessness.
• Wear shoes and boots with good traction.
• Walk at a slower pace.
• Stay on designated walkways.
• Use the handrail when using stairs and entering and exiting buildings.

Tips for Safe Snow Shoveling

• Dress appropriately. Wearing layers will allow you to adjust to the temperature outside. Be sure to dress warmly enough and cover your head, face, and hands when outside for prolonged periods of time. If you become overheated, take a break from shoveling.
• Pick the right waterproof boots. They will protect your feet from the cold as well as keep them dry. You will also want to have non-skid boots to guard against falls on slick snow or hidden ice.
• Pick a small shovel. Depending on how wet the snow is, a shovel full of snow can weigh up to 15 pounds! Selecting a smaller shovel means lighter loads of snow which can help prevent injury to the body by creating less strain.
• Stay hydrated. Water plays an important role when people exercise in the summer or winter. Have a water bottle handy just inside the garage and take a few sips after every 15 minutes of shoveling snow.
• Set a time limit. Shoveling snow is a hard work. With a large driveway or long sidewalk, they could be shoveling for up to an hour or more. Come inside after 20-30 minutes and start again. This will be the same as a 30-minute vigorous workout.
• Lift with the legs, not the back. Make sure that your knees are bending and straightening to lift the shovel instead of leaning forward and straightening back up with the back. Our legs have strong muscle groups that can do the work!
• Push the snow. It’s easier to push the shovel full of snow instead of lifting and throwing the snow.
• Separate the hands on the shovel. By creating space between your hands, you can increase your leverage on the shovel to make it easier.
• Avoid caffeine and nicotine before shoveling. Caffeine and nicotine act as stimulants to our bodies by increasing the heart rate and constricting blood vessels which puts more strain on the heart.
• Never shovel alone. Let a spouse or neighbor know they will be shoveling. That way, if you do get into trouble someone will be looking out and can call for help quickly.

If you experience any unfortunate incidents because of the weather, we can help!

Unsure when to stretch or what type of stretches are best for your running or sports performance and injury prevention?  The timing of the type of stretches you do is an important consideration for your stretching routine.  Dynamic stretching prior to running or sports activity is a great way to warm up your body, prepare you for optimal performance, and reduce your chance of injury.  Alternatively, static stretches are best performed after activity to increase your flexibility.

What is dynamic stretching?  Dynamic stretching is a repetitive series of movements designed to take the joints and muscles into a challenged position, while gradually increasing the amount of movement.   These movements should be specific to the type of activity you are performing.

Here are 4 dynamic stretches to try before running (try 10 repetitions on each side):

1. Leg Swings
2. Inch Worms
3. Lunges with Rotation
4. Knee to Chest

Click for videos of these dynamic stretches.

What is static stretching?  Static stretches are stretches that elongate a muscle in a comfortable position for a period of time, usually around 30 seconds.

Try these 3 static stretches after you run (hold 30 seconds 3 times on each side):

1. Hip Flexor Stretch
2. Hamstring Stretch
3. Calf Stretch on Step

It is important not to overstretch when performing dynamic or static stretches.   Stretching should not be painful!

As we celebrate the 100^th Anniversary of Occupational Therapy (OT), a trip through time shows the roles and benefits of OT evolving to meet the needs of patients through historical changes.  In its conception, Occupational Therapy used meaningful and purposeful activities to improve the cognitive state of patients in mental institutions.   As WWI soldiers returned home with life-changing injuries, Occupational Therapists engaged those patients in woodworking and ceramic tasks, then advancing to training in new jobs tasks.   Soldiers worked to gain talents in agriculture, woodworking, and even piano tuning in order to remain productive in society.  In the 1930’s when the prevalence of polio, cerebral palsy, and pediatric disabilities increased, Occupational Therapists found a role in helping those children improve their ability to engage in school tasks and ultimately were instrumental in children with disabilities integrating into the public school system.  At Walter Reed Army Hospital (as it was referred to in the 1950’s), Occupational Therapists worked with the rehabilitation of soldiers receiving prosthetics. In the 1970’s, Occupational Therapists collaborated with NASA to advance the technology for human prosthetics and robotic limbs used in space missions. And as we go into the 21^st Century, Occupational Therapists are researching and developing new and novel therapies to assist veterans in coping with the realities of modern warfare and its aftereffects.

The benefits of Occupational Therapy are driven by the needs of our patients and the evolving culture of healthcare. OT is a profession within the rehabilitation field that uses meaningful and purposeful activity to help individuals with an injury or disability to gain (or regain) independent life skills.  We work in a variety of settings and are skilled in the evaluation and treatment of both cognitive and physical limitations and their application to life activities. 

Here at ProFlex Physical Therapy, our OT’s treat patients with a physical injury or disability to the upper extremity. During our evaluation, we establish what limitations the patient has in their life activities and determine the underlying cause.  Is the patient unable to type on their computer at work?   Are they unable to change the diaper or prepare a bottle for their infant child?   Does the patient have trouble fastening the buttons of their clothing or trouble managing utensils when out in public?  Is a patient who loves playing guitar now having difficulty?  We then custom design a treatment plan designed to help patients return to those meaningful activities. We can utilize exercises, craft or play activities, manual techniques, and modalities such as heat or ultrasound to improve the patient’s deficits. 

Because Occupational Therapy is a patient-centered focused therapy, patients see benefits as they relate to their day to day lives.  The patient given adaptive tools is now able to fasten the buttons on their shirt or use a knife safely while at a restaurant. The guitar playing patient has been given exercises to strengthen weak muscles in their hand and can now play some of their favorite songs.  The parent of the young infant learns strategies to complete diaper changes with a broken thumb immobilized by a cast.  The office worker now has custom designed supportive splints to wear at work along with an ergonomic workspace allowing them to type with less pain. 

So if you find yourself coming through the doors at ProFlex Physical Therapy, our Occupational Therapists will be happy to listen to your needs, limitations, and goals, and work with you to develop a focused patient-centered treatment plan. Our goal is for you to benefit, to the fullest extent possible, from this rewarding therapy.

My Experience: Did you know that it was possible to get a total body workout, sweat profusely, and only take 64 steps on your fit-bit? IT IS. And the workout is called Pure Barre. I recently had the opportunity to experience this new fitness craze at Pure Barre: Rockville, and it was eye-opening. Also, let me preface this by saying that I am the farthest thing from a ballerina you can possibly be, so don’t let the use of a ballet bar deter you from trying this amazing workout! There was no place for pink tutus or pointe shoes during this butt-busting workout.  I activated muscles I forgot I had and fatigued other muscles I’ve been neglecting, for what seemed like decades; which is saying something coming from a physical therapist who prides themselves on being a musculoskeletal and neuromuscular expert!

About the class:  Pure Barre was a 55- minute class that was a very low impact with an acute focus on core stabilization muscles with every motion. The movements seem slight, but the impact is great! This workout was great for targeting areas that many deem their ‘trouble areas.’ I ‘felt the burn’ in my legs, hips, butt, and core. The instructor was demonstrating movements and exercises, while also correcting form and giving help tips to modify if needed. My only trouble was flowing from 1 exercise to the next without having to stop and watch the instructor. You could tell who the veterans in the class were because they could almost anticipate the next move and seamlessly transition, which I’m sure just comes with practice!

Targets: The class flows from a high paced warm up into arm sculpting with light hand weights. The ballet barre is often used for balance and positioning while you are toning the thighs and targeting the glutes! The class also moves to the floor for targeted abdominal exercises as well as a relaxing cool down.

Who you Recommend or who you do not recommend to: Pure Barre class would be great for those high impact athletes looking to add more cross training to their routine. It’s perfect for my sagittal plane movers (runners, bikers, rowers) that need strengthening in different planes to reduce the risk of injury, and those that are looking to add a low impact strengthening to improve core stability and promote long, lean muscle definition. If any of these sounds like you, definitely give the girls at Pure Barre: Rockville a try!

Pure Barre

Location: King Farm Village Center, 402 King Farm Blvd #140, Rockville, MD 20850

As the weather warms up, spring sports for local children will be starting in full force.  The first several weeks of the spring sports season can be challenging for many of these athletes as their activity level likely declined during the winter.  Most kids start the spring season without any serious practice and many of them are not in the best fitness position at the start of the season.  In short, their bodies may not be fully prepared for spring sports and thus their injury risk is higher. 

There are steps that can be taken by coaches, parents, and athletes to help reduce the risk of injuries as they work back into spring sports.  Coaches should include an extended warm up period, especially for the first few practices, and spend more time focusing on general conditioning initially.  Avoiding drills that force athletes to go at full speed during the first several practices can help reduce the risk of injury as well.

Parents can help prepare their children for the spring sports season by encouraging them to become more active during the later part of the winter.  Going to an indoor pool to swim, or a trampoline park to jump for an hour is fun for the child but also starts to increase their fitness level.  Parents should also monitor their child’s diet leading up to the spring sports season to ensure they are properly hydrated and have enough “good” calories to help with the early practices.

Finally, the athlete themselves needs to take an active role in injury prevention.  These athletes can reduce their risk of spring sports injuries by wearing proper protective gear during practice, avoiding playing when very tired or in pain, and making warm ups and cool downs a part of their practice routine.  The warm up and cool down should include stretching, light jogging, and dynamic (moving) exercises that replicate what their sport requires.

While the risk of injury can be high as children return to playing sports in the spring, steps can be taken to reduce injuries.  The steps listed above will help an athlete reach his or her goal of staying healthy and having fun playing the sport they love.