You may remember from our previous blog posts, our staff has been busy taking courses to learn a manual therapy technique known as "myofascial decompression". This technique utilizes the application of a cup to apply negative pressure to a muscle, while simultaenously retraining the muscle with neuromuscular and movement-science based techniques. Myofascial decompression allows us to not just address the symptom, but address the movement inefficiencies that affect the overall biomechanics of the joint. At Family Physical Therapy, we have been implementing this technique with our manual therapy and movement interventions at our Roseville, Auburn, and our Next Level Sports Performance clinics in order to help patients and athletes gain mobility, retrain their muscles, and and enhance their movement and function!  Myofascial decompression allows us to not just address the symptom, but address the movement inefficiencies that affect the overall biomechanics of the joint. After completing the Advanced Myofascial Decompression courses, practitioners have the option to sit for the Myofascial Decompression Certification exam. At Family Physical Therapy, we are committed to furthering our staff education to continue to stay on top of the latest research and techniques. We would like to congratulate Kirsten Carmichael, PT, DPT, CSCS, MFDc and Ila Suplizio PT, DPT, MFDc on attaining the new accolade of the myofascial decompression certified credentials. 
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 Family Physical Therapy would like to wish a very happy birthday to our amazing Auburn physical therapy aide, Emily! Happy birthday!!!
 Family Physical Therapy would like to wish a very happy birthday to physical therapist, Amy Holthaus! We always love seeing her smiling face at our Auburn location! Happy birthday, Amy!!!
What is Pediatric Physical Therapy? By Ila Suplizio, PT, DPT, MFDc Did you know that physical therapy is a very wide and broad field? Physical therapists can become specialized in many different areas of interest, including orthopedics, sports, pediatrics, neurologic and vestibular conditions, cardiovascular and pulmonary conditions, hand therapy, women's health and pelvic floor health, geriatrics, clinical elecrophysiology, and more! At Family Physical Therapy, we are excited to offer treatment for many different specialty populations! This week on our What is Physical Therapy mini-series, we are discussing a field of physical therapy we often get asked about- Pediatrics!  While visiting Family Physical Therapy, you may have heard the laughter (and sometimes the tears) of our very young patients. Many times, patients inquire about what the benefits of physical therapy are when they see such young children and babies in our clinic. While we always respect the medical privacy of the child and family and do not disclose their diagnosis, we are happy to provide a little information about the exciting world of pediatric physical therapy! Did you know physical therapy is available for all ages?! Even premature babies in the NICU can receive physical therapy services to help their development! Physical therapy for children incorporates the same general fundamentals of physical therapy, but also includes the additional specific concerns of the growing and developing child. From infancy, a child can experience developmental, neurologic, orthopedic, or cardiac conditions that affect their development.  Some of the more common reasons an infant or child are in need of physical therapy are:
    What’s with the fun and games? The relationship between a physical therapist and a child is important to help the child with their progress! Pediatric physical therapists often incorporate play-based interventions so that the child has fun while recovering. If you see our pediatric physical therapist playing on the floor, setting up obstacle courses, or playing sport-related games, chances are they are actually engaging the child in very specific therapy! What about the family? We believe the family is an integral role in the care of a child, and you will often see us incorporating siblings and parents into the fun! A good pediatric physical therapist should work with the child and the family to establish their personal goals, and help the child reach their maximum age-appropriate independence. The PT often helps the family establish a home program to continue advancing the child, choosing appropriate toys for play, helping with best positioning and daily activity choices, making sure the home environment is safe and enriching, and helping the family transition the child into adolescent and adult-life.  Why do I love pediatrics? Every child is so unique and I love to use my professional knowledge to help guide a child to reaching their highest potential. Sometimes working with children can be challenging because they do not always understand why they need physical therapy (especially the infants!), but I think it is so important to learn about the child as an individual and incorporate their own desires, interests, and goals into our therapy practice. Learning to communicate and connect with children is a really special aspect of my physical therapy practice, and I enjoy watching kids grow and blossom with everything they learn in physical therapy! I also really enjoy learning about advancing treatments for children, and have recently taken advanced courses on infant torticollis, childhood and adolescent hip disorders, and a really fun class on infant and pediatric massage. 
If you would like more information on pediatrics at Family Physical Therapy, or pediatric physical therapy in general, please check out these links: http://www.familyphysicaltherapist.com/pediatrics.html https://pediatricapta.org/index.cfm?  http://cdn.skim.gs/images/rph6skhlxwcdi8nspqek/how-to-take-a-breakup-selfie  By: Ila Suplizio, PT, DPT, MFDc. Family Physical Therapy Technology is great. It has opened our world to endless communication, research and knowledge, and connected us in ways that were not possible in previous generations. Our communication with each other is now so efficient, that we can often get ahold of one another instantly through text message, phone call, video chat, email, or social media. In fact, according to a Nielsen Total Audience report, the average American adult spends 10 hours and 39 minutes every day consuming some form of media! According to this report, about 81% of American adults now have smartphones, which allow them to have instant communication, information and entertainment! We have long known that increased screen time can lead to inactivity in children, which can increase their risk of obesity and diabetes, but this increase in screen time across all ages sparked my curiosity about potential orthopedic injuries that can be caused by increased phone, tablet, and computer use. http://www.osteopathyspecialist.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/tech-neck.jpg As I started to look into the connection between increased screen time and orthopedic injuries, I was surprised to learn that there are new classifications of injuries due to the use of phones and tablets. These increased injuries appear to be due to the high repetitions of daily device use. Below are 3 of the more common injuries I came across
 http://newsfeed.careclues.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/selfie.png 3. "Texting Thumb”: The average American spends around 23 hours per week texting, and the average American who identifies as a “gamer”, adds an extra 6.5 hours per week playing video games. Overuse of the thumb can cause a condition called “Trigger thumb” in which the flexor tendon in the thumb becomes restricted due to overuse with gripping, such as holding a cellphone or game controller. This causes pain, and popping in the thumb. Since smartphones are so new, long-term research on whether their use can cause thumb arthritis has not been studied. Physical Therapy Prevention: Changing your ergonomic posture when using your phone can give your thumb the break it needs to rest and prevent these injuries. Instead of using your thumb, try switching to your index finger to text. Specific hand stretches and strengthening can also help. Robert Wysocki, MD, a hand, wrist and elbow surgeon at Rush states “These conditions rarely occur in children. But its never too early to use techniques to avoid repetitive stress injuries”  http://guardianlv.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/maxresdefault1-650x365.jpg
 http://dentalergo.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/neck-pain-1.jpg Technology continues to be such an asset to our society. We are living in such an exciting time of growth! I am continuously excited at the technological advancements we are making, especially in the medical field! It is important that as our technology use increases, we continue to be aware of the means we need to take to protect ourselves from injury. If you are experiencing pain during technology use, give us a call to learn more about treatment and future prevention. http://www.familyphysicaltherapist.com/ References:
 Family Physical Therapy would like to send our congratulations to our dynamic PT Aide, Jaycie on her recent acceptance to a doctorate in physical therapy program!
Congratulations, Jaycie!!!  Happy holidays from our family to yours! We hope you all have a safe and fun weekend. We will be closed Monday in observation of Christmas, and will resume regular hours on Tuesday.
  Last weekend, six members of our staff had a chance to take Myofascial Decompression classes at Kaiser Sacramento. You may remember from our first What The Cup post, over the summer Brett, Marcia and Ila traveled to UCSF to learn the level 1 fundamentals of using negative pressure with movement science to give an evidence-based treatment for orthopedic and sports medicine conditions. They had such a great experience in the course, that two of our wonderful clinicans from our Auburn clinic, Amy and Allison, decided to take the same course. Brett, Ila, Marcia and Kirsten took the advanced course, which focuses on advanced techniques and sport-specific treatments.  Myofascial decompression or “cup therapy” has been gaining popularity since Michael Phelps was seen sporting his round marks at the 2016 Olympics. In our physical therapy practice, we use the cups over restricted areas in the muscle during specific movement and exercise in order to correct movement dysfunction. The cups provide a negative pressure to decompress the area, and when coupled with movement, the treatment can retrain the body's movement patterns. The research behind myofascial decompression is growing, and current movement science literature is showing more positive effects of the use of decompression to treat inefficient movement patterns, sports injuries, contractures, chronic orthopedic problems, decreased flexibility, and more!  At Family Physical Therapy, we believe it is important to stay educated on the latest medical research in the fields of exercise and physiology. Cup therapy provides us another tool to treat muscular and fascial dysfunction.
We are please to announce that since completing the advanced course, Ila, Kirsten, Marcia and Brett now qualify to sit for the exam to gain the accolade MFDc (Myofascial Fascial Decompression Certifed). A special thank you to Bay Area Sports Performance and Rehabilitation and Christopher Daprato for a great class on Myofascial Decompression Techniques. #Whatthecup #BeyondCupping Happy Thanksgiving!The night before Thanksgiving, many of us are planning our last minute holiday treats and getting ready to travel. Thanksgiving is a wonderful time to practice gratitude as well as self-care! According to The Calorie Control Council, the average Thanksgiving meal consists of 3,000 calories! Beyond the abundance of food available, the holidays can trigger emotional stress in some people. Because of this, we decided to compile a list of ways to keep you healthy and happy during the holidays! Here are some tips to keep your holiday safe, active and healthy!
Family Physical Therapy would like to wish a safe and fun holiday to all those who are participating this year. In order to observe the holiday with our families, we will be closed Thursday, November 23 and Friday, November 24. Last week, Family Physical Therapy's owner, Brett Pinkney, had a chance to travel to Chicago to attend the 2017 Annual Conference for the Private Practice Section of the American Physical Therapy Association.  This premier conference and exhibition provides the latest information on how to provide exceptional patient care! The Private Practice Section is a national association that represents more than 4,200 physical therapists who own, operate, and/or work in a private practice setting! Brett gained some great insight while in Chicago, and is looking forward to implementing some new ideas to help Family Physical Therapy continue to grow as a patient-centered clinic providing high quality individualized care.
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