Screening Children for Scoliosis
What do we look for? Does the child have natural curves at the back of the neck, middle and lower back? The start of scoliosis is often marked by a flattening or increase in spinal curvatures, before a more obvious sideways curve develops. When the child bends forward is there: a flattening between the shoulder […]
New York Times on Scoliosis
The July 17th, 2013 Health Section of the New York Times ran an extensive piece on scoliosis. I pulled out a small section of the article below – as I thought it contained useful norms and guidelines. Reference the entire article here. We are tremendously excited about the results we are seeing in patients with […]
Find a need and fill it. ~Ruth Stafford Peale
I have been a member of the Community Church of Chapel Hill for over 15 years. As a PT, I have occasionally visited church members in the hospital to help out if needed, I have adjusted a few canes over the years, and even seen a few members as patients in the clinic. However, over […]
“Don’t be the person who fell, be the person who got back up” -Jenette Stanley
Fall Prevention and Management Program at Advance Physical Therapy The consequences of falling are, unfortunately, an area that therapists at Advance Physical Therapy know a lot about. We regularly have patients coming to us to deal with the harsh consequences of a fall on their body, mind and spirit. A person that experiences […]
Advance Physical Therapy Provides On-Site Dance Medicine for Spring performance.
Working behind the scenes of Peter Pan: Written by Matthew Harwood, PT, DPT, OCS I recently provided behind the scenes physical therapy for the performance of Peter Pan, by Legacy Studios for the Performing Arts. Providing “show coverage” offers a unique professional opportunity which is different than when I am treating dancers in the […]
Advance PT Jumps at a Chance for Outreach in Guatamala
If you had a chance to go to another country and perform your same job in a place where you couldn’t speak the language… would you do it? A place where maybe they do your job a little bit differently, but where you had the opportunity to teach and share “tricks of the trade”? If […]
Schroth-based Scoliosis Rehabilitation Comes to Advance Physical Therapy
Wow! Susan and I just got back from 10 days of intensive training at Scoliosis Rehab, Inc in Stevens Point Wisconsin. We spent over 65 hours learning the Schroth-based Barcelona Scoliosis Physical Therapy School Method (BSPTS). This 40 year old clinic in Spain is directed by Dr. Manuel Rigo MD, PhD, a world renowned professor […]
Helping to answer the tough questions about athletic performance:
Why does an athlete have an injury? Why can’t an athlete move to the left as easy as they do to the right? Why can’t an athlete get low to a ball? This year’s PRI Interdisciplinary Integration Symposium provided answers for these questions and gave the clinicians at APT more insight into helping area athletes […]
Durham Bulls Could Be Better
No matter your sport, sports performance is an area that is continually challenging and exciting from a rehabilitation perspective. Last weekend 4 of our clinicians here at Advance Physical Therapy went to Lincoln Nebraska to attend a Sports Performance Enhancement seminar at the Postural Restoration Institute. When the core of the body is well positioned […]
Advance Physical Therapy Global Outreach
Lisa Mangino, PT and Pediatric Specialist at Advance Physical Therapy, is headed to Guatemala at the end of April. As part of the UNC Physical Therapy School’s Global Outreach Program, she will join 7 other PT’s and 15 of their physical therapy students on […]
Study Finds Physical Therapy Just as Effective as Surgery in Patients with a Torn Meniscus and Arthritis of the Knee
Alexandria, VA, March 21, 2013 — A New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) study showing that physical therapy is just as effective as surgery in patients with meniscal tears and arthritis of the knee should encourage many health care providers to reconsider their practices in the management of this common injury, according to the American […]
Vision as Related to Posture
We are so pleased to host this Postural Restoration Institute course on how our need to see, will affect how we hold our bodies. It will be at: Advance Physical Therapy on February 10 and 11, from 8am until 5 pm. More on the course below. Postural-Visual Integration Course Description: This course is designed to […]
Give your legs and feet some TLC this running season!
Training season has begun for me and many other area runners with spring races happening between March and June. The trick to training and running healthy is to not let these injuries linger. As a runner myself, I can attest to experiencing these issues. With the first 2 weeks of my pre-training season, (I started […]
Is sitting killing you?
I doubt anyone would have difficulty determining the cause of a complaint of neck or back pain sitting with terrible posture, however, sometimes problems with sitting are not so obvious. The average American sits for 9.3 hours per day – according to a random internet factoid. Whether or not this is accurate, we know modern […]
Dear Santa…..All I want for Christmas are happy feet
Well Virginia, you are in luck. The new Hruska Clinic Recommended Shoe List for 2013 has arrived! What kinds of shoes are there, and what is best for my foot type? Motion Control: good for flat feet Stability: good for medium/low arch feet (with PRI orthotics is some cases) Neutral: good for high arched feet […]
A Glimpse at Scoliosis
A patient recently came into Advance Physical Therapy with a “C” shaped, sideways curve of his spine (a common scoliosis curve). His main complaint was “leaning to the left during walking”. Because of his “C” shaped spinal curvature, his spine and pelvis had become twisted to the right. During our examination, we identified big […]
Lisa Mangino PT, DPT, PCS, C/NDT joins Advance Physical Therapy!
We are so happy to welcome Lisa and her vast expertise in managing children with a host of medical issues. Please check out her bio below as well as her recent article about Toe Walking. Lisa Mangino PT, DPT, PCS, C/NDT joins Advance Physical Therapy Lisa graduated from Duke University with a Master’s in Physical […]
Balloons on Ice!!
Some days I’m amazed I actually get paid to have so much fun. It must be true: “Do what you love, you’ll never work a day in your life”. As quite a few of my patients happen to be accomplished ice skaters, I try to watch them in action whenever I get the chance. […]
A Breath of Fresh Air…….
Try this: Take a balloon or soda straw, sit down, lean over your knees, and try to blow into it for as long as you can. When you can’t possibly blow out any more, HOLD this position and ……….then……….wait ………..5…………. seconds before you attempt to breathe in again. This breathing OUT exercise should help you […]
Feeling Overextended?
I’m constantly reminded of this term “overextended” as I see its effects on my patients, as well as myself. A little background. Early humans had a pretty functional system for staying alive, see tiger = fire sympathetic nervous system = run away fast. In this modern era, our saber toothed tigers, have been transformed to […]
Physical Therapy after Knee Surgery
The physical therapy providers at Advance Physical Therapy can help you after your orthopaedic knee surgery. We will communicate directly with your surgeon to understand the type of surgical procedure performed and obtain guidelines and post-surgical protocols for your rehabilitation progression. Our providers follow the most current concepts in orthopaedic surgical knee rehabilitation. After knee […]
Physical therapy after a knee joint replacement surgery.
Physical therapy after a knee joint replacement is important to ensure full functional recovery for the patient. Rehabilitation programs guided by a knowledgeable physical therapist help ensure that specific milestones are reached after surgery. These milestones include achieving full knee range of motion, restoring and improving muscle strength on both sides of the body, restoring […]
Parents can help their young ballet dancers prevent injury with Physical Therapy
Lisa Howell(B.Phty) is a physical therapist from Sidney Australia who has developed The Perfect Pointe Book. This is a great guide and program to be used with young dancers. Lisa advocates that dancers use a specialized dance physical therapist and their dance teacher to help them develop strong muscles and bones and correct dance form. […]
Direct Access to physical therapy is cost effective!
A recent study published in the journal of Health Services Research found that patients, who visited a physical therapist directly, without first seeing a physician, had fewer visits and lower overall costs than those referred by a physician for physical therapy. These costs were to the global health care system. Also, after 60 days, there […]