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Backpack Safety Tips With the return of school upon us, many of us will soon be out buying school supplies again for our children, including backpacks. It is important to keep in mind some helpful tips that can help you to make better choices while selecting a backpack for your child. Wearing a backpack that is not the right size, loaded too heavy or worn incorrectly can place increased strain over the shoulders, neck, and back, potentially leading to fatigue, discomfort, muscle soreness, and pain. Selecting a backpack with ergonomically designed features can help to improve comfort and safety. Warning Signs that a Backpack is too heavy: 1. The child has difficulty when putting on or taking off the backpack. 2. The child has pain while wearing the backpack. 3. The child reports tingling or numbness in their arms or legs. 4. The child displays red strap marks on...

6 Goals and Benefits of Aquatic Therapy Simply put, aquatic therapy is physical therapy that is that is performed in a pool. Typically, a pool provides an environment that allows patients to achieve movements that may be unattainable on land due to pain, weakness, or inability to bear weight. These activities now become possible and more enjoyable in the water. Listed below are a few of the ways that aquatic therapy may help you: 1). Decrease pain – Water provides buoyancy which decreases the force of gravity on our body, thereby, allowing you to move more easily with less pain and protect your joints by minimizing weight bearing stress. For example, being in waist deep water reduces 50% of your body weight and in shoulder depth water your body weight is reduced by 90%. 2). Enhance healing process and recovery time – While you are in water, water continually...

Keeping Your Feet Happy and Healthy this Summer Summer is here and we can finally kick off our shoes and socks.  For many of us, it also means the return of our beloved sandals and dare I say it…flip flops.  Most of us know by now that flip flops aren’t the best choice for our feet.  They are terrible at providing support, offer no protection to our feet, do not provide adequate heel cushion or shock absorption, contribute to faulty walking patterns, and can put us at risk for foot, knee, or low back pain and injuries. The main issue lies with what we have to do with our foot to walk in them.  As we step forward we have to grip with our toes in order to prevent the flip flop from sliding off since they have no back to keep them secure on our foot.  This scrunching...

Staying Healthy While Gardening – Tips to Avoid Those Aches and Pains It’s that time again.  Spring has sprung and summer will soon be on its way.   For many of us, that also means the return of gardening.  It’s time to get outside, get in the dirt, and take care of those plants.  While gardening for many is enjoyable and a great form of stress release, it can also be tough work.  It involves a lot of digging, weeding, lifting, raking, planting, mulching, and more.  These repetitive movements can cause a lot of stress and strain on your muscles and joints, potentially leading to injury or pain.  Therefore, it is important to use proper body mechanics and keep in mind a few tips to avoid gardening aches and pains.   Click here for some Gardening Stretches 5 Tips to Avoid Those Aches and Pains 1) Warm-Up – Get moving...

Osteoarthritis vs. Rheumatoid Arthritis – What’s the Difference? Osteoarthritis is the most common type of arthritis and occurs when the cartilage in your joint wears down.  The cartilage in your joint is a protective structure that helps the joint to move smoothly.  As this wears down with osteoarthritis it can lead to “bone on bone” friction within the joint.  In addition to a breakdown of the cartilage, osteoarthritis can affect the bones themselves and cause damage to the connective tissue that supports the joint and connects muscle to bone.  There can be inflammation involved with this as well.  Osteoarthritis is a normal part of the aging process and is very likely to occur in at least one of the joints in your body at some point in your lifetime.   Rheumatoid arthritis on the other hand is an autoimmune disease that causes chronic inflammation in your body and can affect...

What is Diastasis Recti? The rectus abdominis muscles of the abdomen, or the “6 pack” muscles, are connected in the midline of the abdomen by a connective tissue called the linea alba.  The linea alba can become damaged/stretched leading to a separation between the rectus abdominis which is referred to as a diastasis recti.  The muscle action of the rectus abdominis is to flex the trunk such as when sitting up from a lying down position, the rectus abdominis works to provide support for the internal organs.  If the linea alba becomes damaged it can lead to core weakness, low back pain, pelvic pain, difficulty with labor, gastro-intestional problems including constipation or gas/bloating, hernia or urinary leakage.  Diastasis recti is most prevalent in pregnant women  – and in fact occurs in most women during pregnancy – but to varying degrees.  It can be significant and lead to problems while...

Mental Wellness during the COVID-19 Pandemic Since the onset of COVID-19, many of us have had huge disturbances to our daily lives and schedules due to social distancing and stay at home orders.  Many of us have experienced a loss of employment or a change to working from home, have had to deal with homeschooling our children or trying to find child care, or have just been overwhelmed by the onslaught of ever changing information out there.  Many of us have had increased worry, stress, or fear about contracting the virus or it affecting those close to us who may be vulnerable or at high risk. Those of us who have had a previously diagnosed mental health condition may have found this time especially challenging.   It is important to note that our mental health is just as important as our physical well-being.   Mental health refers to our cognitive,...

Top five things a Pelvic Physical Therapist wants you to know Pelvic floor issues are common, but not normal. Urinary and fecal incontinence, painful sex and pelvic organ prolapse (heaviness or bulging in the pelvis) are commonly seen in women, but that doesn’t mean that they are normal OR that you have to live with them. There is another way. A pelvic physical therapist can assess the pelvic floor which helps to determine the cause of your symptoms. From there, you receive a customized program to help address your specific needs. Pelvic floor issues can weigh on you physically, mentally and emotionally and I want these folks to know that there is help! You don’t have to suffer. Kegels aren’t always the answer. A kegel, or a pelvic floor muscle contraction, is widely recognized as the most important exercise to prevent pelvic floor issues. However, it’s possible that kegels...

Telehealth and E-Visits Now Available at Active PT in Marquette! At Active, we recognize that our patients still need to receive their care even in the face of these uncertain times.  As a result, we are offering our services via the internet for those of our patients who find themselves at higher risk for COVID-19, or are feeling uncomfortable about coming into the clinic building.  We are proud to begin offering Telehealth and E-visits as an alternative option to in-person care. Telehealth refers to an appointment that can be performed via video call with your provider.  As long as you have a computer, tablet, or smartphone, you can complete this visit easily and receive the same quality care as an in-person visit! E-visits are Physical Therapy appointments which are conducted over the phone only (without video).  These appointments are appropriate for those patients who may not have an electronic...

What to Expect at your first Appointment at Active So you’ve made the decision to come to Active Physical Therapy, and have your first appointment scheduled.  Our team of Physical Therapists, Physical Therapy Assistants and Athletic Trainer’s are excited to meet you, and get you back on your way to feeling better.  Here are some frequently asked questions to help you make your first visit with us as smooth as possible. Do I Need to Fill Out Any Forms? You can save time and download and complete your new patient paperwork (linked below) or you can stop by the clinic to pick up the paperwork.  Intake Form Notice of Privacy Practices Financial Policy Cancellation Policy Safety Policy If you choose to complete the forms at the clinic, we will ask you to come in 15 minutes before your scheduled appointment time, as to not take any time away from...