Thrive Physical Therapy in Richmond

Physical Therapy and Fast Pain Relief

HEALTH & Wellness in YOUR Pocket!

HEALTH & Wellness in YOUR POCKET!

Introducing THRIVE Gone Mobile App!

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All on the GO..

And on the RUN

Anywhere You GO!

We are here..

To Help You

Be Healthy, Fit, & Injury Free

Because you deserve an Active Healthy Life

& Healthcare that CARES 🙂

PS. We aren’t on Apple Downloads yet!

Go to: thrivegonemobile.com

Then add us to your home screen

You will get immediate access to welcome content!

Our MOST Important IQ Where DO YOU Stack UP?

Arguably Our MOST Critical IQ is Less Frequently Talked About!

Of the three major IQ’s what’s the most important?

I would argue is the one that doesn’t get talked about a whole lot!

It is your movement IQ! What the heck is that?

That is how well can you do the things that you have to do;

sitting, standing, walking, going up & down stairs, carrying groceries, etc. during your normal daily activities

Or the things you love to do, like biking, hiking, participating in a sport activity.

Can you do those things easily?

Or do you pay for them after the fact? Do you get hurt when you do them?

Are you sore for a week after or do they feel good?

This is a good way to measure it!

Do the activities feel Easy or do you “Pay For IT” with a lot of residual?

Chances are,

If you feel good your “Movement IQ” is probably pretty high!

I would argue this is he most important of our  IQ’s because is supports all of your systems and everything around life.

Research has shown that moving regularly & exercising is critical

It helps us to be more physically capable as we get older. Help us to connect with others.

It boost our mental state and those who exercise tend to take better care of themselves.

They tend to be healthier and more physically capable as time passes and their life satisfaction ratings are higher.

As time we naturally drift towards being less mobile, more stiff, and strength declines

But this doesn’t have to happen!

You Can GET better & Remain Physically Capable with the passing of time!

Where would you put yourself on that scale?

Would you give yourself an A, B, would you give yourself a C, or maybe even a D!

If you’re in these, there’s these grades that you don’t want it to be?

We can, we can help guide you just mention this post!

We will be happy to guide you towards bringing your grades up.

If you want another good way to evaluate your “Movement IQ” as really good functional test is the following.

The getting up and down from the floor TEST

From standing attempt to lie down on the floor and then stand back without using your hands.

If you can do the test, research shows you will live longer and that you are mor likely to remain physically capable as time passes

This test takes a fair amount of mobility, balance, and strength to be able to pull it off without using your hands.

It is a good basic “Movement IQ” test to determine where you are. Give it a try.

There are many other good ones some of which are more difficult!

So where do you stack up?

If it is easy, great job and keep up the good work!

It not work towards improving it!

It just takes practice and a little sweat equity!

Thanks for listening everyone and keep on THRIVING!

f you want to improve your Health and Physical Capabilities in 2023 we can help you get there ?

If an Injury is Your Concern:

Thrive Physical Therapy

If Fitness is Your Concern:

The Fit to Thrive program

is designed to help people prevent injuries and to provide the foundation needed to feel their best and maintain their health long-term.

Winter Program Starts on 2/27/23 Sign Up NOW!

 

 

New Low Back Pain Treatment Guidelines Released by ACP: Pharmacological Intervention ill Advised

The American College of Physicians has revised it’s treatment guidelines for lower back pain recommending conservative treatment and avoiding use of Corticosteroids and Narcotics.  Pharmacological intervention was determine to be either ineffective of ill advised as a result of increased chance of adverse side effects.  Conservative interventions including spine manipulation, motor control training, and various other movement therapies were considered equally or more successful with reduced risk of harm or adverse side effects.  See more…     Here are a few of their key recommendations from the research article

Recommendation 1:

Given that most patients with acute or subacute low back pain improve over time regardless of treatment, clinicians and patients should select nonpharmacologic treatment with superficial heat (moderate-quality evidence), massage, acupuncture, or spinal manipulation (low-quality evidence). If pharmacologic treatment is desired, clinicians and patients should select nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or skeletal muscle relaxants (moderate-quality evidence). (Grade: strong recommendation)

Recommendation 2:

For patients with chronic low back pain, clinicians and patients should initially select nonpharmacologic treatment with exercise, multidisciplinary rehabilitation, acupuncture, mindfulness-based stress reduction (moderate-quality evidence), tai chi, yoga, motor control exercise, progressive relaxation, electromyography biofeedback, low-level laser therapy, operant therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, or spinal manipulation (low-quality evidence). (Grade: strong recommendation)

Recommendation 3:

In patients with chronic low back pain who have had an inadequate response to nonpharmacologic therapy, clinicians and patients should consider pharmacologic treatment with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs as first-line therapy, or tramadol or duloxetine as second-line therapy. Clinicians should only consider opioids as an option in patients who have failed the aforementioned treatments and only if the potential benefits outweigh the risks for individual patients and after a discussion of known risks and realistic benefits with patients. (Grade: weak recommendation, moderate-quality evidence)

If you are suffering from pain, injury, or weakness why suffer a moment longer?  We can help.  Give us a call at 804 320-2220 today!

Learning to THRIVE!

We are committed to improving our clinical skills in order to help you THRIVE!  We meet formally once per month as a group to share ideas, learn, and to improve our treatment skills.  We believe life long learning and working to excel is a key to developing a healthy team and thriving in life!  What have your learned today?  What areas of your life can you work to improve?  What do you want to accomplish today to grow?!

practicing-skills

Having pain, injury, or weakness? We can help!  Give us a call today! 804 320-2220

Why Exercising First Thing in the Morning is a Key to THRIVING!

I have been giving this advice for some years now to our patients and I believe it is a critical component to being successful in the rehab process and THRIVING in life.  There are many advantages to working on corrective exercise and general exercise early in the day.  First completing your therapeutic exercises first thing in the morning increases mobility, improves alignment, and wakes up your core and hips.  The more mobile, well aligned, and the better our core/hips are functioning the more efficiently you will move throughout the day which reduces pain.  Efficient movement feels good and improves our well being physically and mentally.  To quote Gray Cook from functionalmovement.com  “Move well. Move often”.  Second, it increases your metabolism and mental acuity.  Studies have shown that after exercise, cyclists perform better on memory and mental processing tests.  I can attest to this personally as I am much more productive and excited about the day when I get out and exercise first thing.  Third, cardiovascular exercise produces endorphins, which is one of the most powerful pain reducing substances that we know of and also promotes feelings of well being.  A healthy daily dose of endorphins goes a long way towards dissipating stress, reducing pain, facilitating positive thoughts, and improving our health.

Now for the less apparent benefits. Taking time to exercise first things gets you up moving and sets a precedent.  The first thing you have done at the start of the day is something for your benefit.   Regardless of what happens through the day you have done something positive for yourself.  Taking care of yourself and improving your health first makes it easier for you to do for others and improves your ability to be fully present.  Think of it this way, “first put the oxygen mask on yourself and then on your child/loved one”.  If you want to be strong, healthy, and happy it is necessary to takes steps regularly towards that aim.  With this choice events of the day are less likely to prevent you from getting to your exercise program.  So part of the benefit is mental, and the other is practical as it is more likely to get done.  Next, getting up and moving exposes you to life and chance something good will happen.  As most of you know I am a cyclist.  I have been out early on the bike and have seen things that I would not have experienced otherwise.  I have seen a baby deer playing like a human child with its family along a trail, fog coming up over Rockett’s Landing as the sun comes up, and a homeless person sleeping in a tent under a bridge to name only a few.  This has given me a chance to appreciate unexpected beauty and to be thankful that I have a roof over my head and loved ones who care about me.

23rdSt-MorningRide-4-2016
23rd Street Climb where Peter Sagan launched his World Championship winning attack back in September! While riding up it this morning (much slower than racers did it in September) I thought about how special it was to have the Worlds in Richmond and to have shared it with our son and as a THRIVE group outing.
MorningRide-ChurchHill
One of my favorite views of the city from Libby Hill while out on morning ride. I remembered how I took my wife here first time she came to visit Richmond years ago.

When it comes to being healthy and pain free, take the necessary steps that will move you to a better place physically and mentally.   Look at your health globally and consider, “what did I do today to make myself healthier?” After all it’s your thoughts that shape your life experience, health, and happiness.   Be disciplined get up, get out, and exercise!  Expose yourself to what you might not have seen or experienced otherwise.  What did you see today? What did you think about?

 

Having pain, injury, or weakness? We can help!  Give us a call today!

THRIVE PT is a specialized manually based orthopedic, spine, and sports physical therapy practice that provides individualized care to its patients. All of our therapists have specialty training, advanced certifications in orthopedic manual therapy, and extensive post graduate course work, and are highly qualified to help you reach your therapy goals. Our methods include hands-on corrective treatment, movement training, dry needling, and therapeutic exercise provided exclusively by your therapist. Our objective is to teach you how to move efficiently and painlessly and to educate you on how to stay healthy. We can help you achieve your goals to lead a healthy, active life--in a word, THRIVE!

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