OAZ is a proud member of the American Physical Therapy Association, which recently launched a newly redesigned version of the www.moveforwardpt.com website.

It includes several interactive tools to engage the public and encourage you to learn about the ways in which a PT can help restore and improve motion in your life. New features include Ask-A-PT, a Motion Quiz, and a Twitter Feed.

The highly qualified Ohio physical therapy team at OAZ are trained to work with patients after surgery to restore activity, strength, and motion. Physical therapists can teach specific exercises, stretches and techniques and use specialized equipment to address problems that cannot be managed without this specialized physical therapy training.

Generally, there are six stages of recovery:

Phase One (first couple of weeks after surgery): This period of the rehabilitation is called the early rehabilitative phase. This phase focuses on decreasing the pain and swelling following surgery.

Phase Two (weeks three and four): In the second rehabilitation phase, more attention is placed on joint protection as the pain has mostly disappeared and the individual may want to try more things that the joint is not ready to perform.

Phase Three (week four to six): Referred to as the controlled ambulation phase, this includes all building on the former exercises already in place plus adding few more. This is an important time for exercises requiring improved balance both in the clinic as well as the home program.

Phase Four (week six to eight): Known as the moderate protection phase, weights may be added to gradually increase resistance to existing exercises.

Phase Five (week eight to 10): This light activity phase places additional emphasis on strengthening exercises with increased concentration on balance and mobility.

Final Phase – Return to Activity: The final phase starts at about 10 weeks and continues until the desired activity level is reached.

To learn more about post-surgery PT, contact the Ohio physical therapy team at OAZ.

In addition to stretching and physical movement, Ohio physical therapists at OAZ have additional treatments such as electrical stimulation and ultrasound.

Electrical stimulation is a therapy that passes an electrical current to an affected area. Nerve conduction within the region is altered, which can in turn alter muscle contractility. Blood flow to these tissues is also increased with electrical stimulation. Patients often experience diminished pain after this electrical stimulation of treatment.

Ultrasound uses high frequency sound waves to stimulate the deep tissues within the body. By passing an ultrasound probe over your body, deep tissues are stimulated by the vibration of the sound wave. This leads to warming and increased blood flow to these tissues.

Ask the Ohio physical therapists at OAZ if these treatments can help you.

Troy Naftzger, PA-C, joined Orthopaedic Associates of Zanesville in January 2010.

Troy began his career as a physician assistant in 2003 upon graduating from the Cuyahoga Community College. He later earned his Masters of Physician Assistant Studies from the University of Nebraska in 2007. A licensed physician assistant, he also has served as a treatment supervisor and physician assistant for the U.S. Army since 1994, where he has significant experience in emergency and routine medical care.

The team at Orthopaedic Associates of Zanesville welcomes Troy!

The Ohio physical therapists of Orthopaedic Associates will be at the Day of Dance at Colony Squire Mall on February 27, 2010, between 8:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m.

The event, sponsored by Genesis Healthcare System, welcomes the community to learn simple ways to stay healthy, enjoy music and participate in health screenings.

The Ohio physical therapists of Orthopaedic Associates provide information on proper stretching exercises and how physical therapy can help your life.

OAZ’s Ohio physical therapists can guide you in physical therapy or special hand exercises to relieve mild to moderate symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome.

• Gliding exercises: Moving your fingers in a specified pattern of exercises may help your tendons and nerves glide more smoothly through your carpal tunnel. While there’s some evidence that gliding exercises can help relieve carpal tunnel syndrome symptoms when used alone, these exercises appear to work better in combination with other treatments — such as splinting.

• Contrast baths: Alternating between warm water and cold water soaks helps reduce carpal tunnel symptoms in some people.

To talk to OAZ’s Ohio physical therapists about carpal tunnel syndrome, make an appointment today.

A rotator cuff injury is an injury to one or more of the four muscles in the shoulder. A chronic tear can usually be treated with rest and acetaminophen, aspirin, or ibuprofen. Occasionally, injections of steroids into the shoulder joint are helpful.

If pain persists, OAZ has one of the best teams of physical therapists in Ohio to perform passive range-of-motion exercises. Those with continued pain may require surgery and follow-up with an orthopedic surgeon.

Indications for surgical treatment:
• Usually for people younger than 60 years of age
• For complete tears
• An option after failure to improve after six weeks of proper treatment
• If the person has a job that requires constant shoulder use

If you’re experiencing shoulder pain or a rotator cuff injury, see OAZ’s Ohio physical therapists.

Stretching is the act of lengthening muscles in order to increase muscle flexibility and joint range of motion. OAZ specializes in Ohio physical therapy and reminds patients that stretching activities are an important part of any exercise or rehabilitation program.

The Mayo Clinic recently released a list of the top five benefits of stretching and OAZ agrees that these benefits are important for people of all ages to consider. Keep in mind that warming up the body prior to activity decreases the risk of injury as well as muscle soreness.

The top five benefits of stretching are:

1. Increased flexibility and joint range of motion:

Flexible muscles can improve your daily performance. Tasks such as lifting packages, bending to tie your shoes or hurrying to catch a bus become easier and less tiring. Flexibility tends to diminish as you get older, but you can regain and maintain it.

1. Improved circulation:

Stretching increases blood flow to your muscles. Blood flowing to your muscles brings nourishment and gets rid of waste byproducts in the muscle tissue. Improved circulation can help shorten your recovery time if you’ve had any muscle injuries.

1. Better posture:

Frequent stretching can help keep your muscles from getting tight, allowing you to maintain proper posture. Good posture can minimize discomfort and keep aches and pains at a minimum.

1. Stress relief:

Stretching relaxes tight, tense muscles that often accompany stress.

1. Enhanced coordination:

Maintaining the full range-of-motion through your joints keeps you in better balance. Coordination and balance will help keep you mobile and less prone to injury from falls, especially as you get older.

The Ohio physical therapy experts at OAZ remind patients that stretching is one of the most important parts of the rehabilitation process.

Often times caregivers do not realize that taking care of a spouse or family member at home can increase their risk of injury. In fact, certain activities put you at a greater risk for back pain, including:

• Pulling a patient in bed up into a sitting position
• Transferring a person from a bed to a chair
• Leaning over a patient for long periods of time
• Lifting or moving a person

The physicians at Orthopaedic Associates of Zanesville offer their patient caregivers the following lifting techniques to be sure that they, too, don’t suffer injury.

• Maintain the proper alignment of your head and neck with your spine
• Maintain the natural curve of your spine
• Don’t bend at your waist
• Avoid twisting your body when carrying a person
• Keep the person who is being moved close to your body
• Keep your feet shoulder-width apart, which will help maintain your balance
• Use the muscles in your legs to lift, not your back
• Don’t be afraid to ask for help

Patient caregivers can avoid back pain by keeping these simple tips in mind.

Recovering from any surgery can be a challenge, including a hip replacement surgery. At Orthopaedic Associates of Zanesville, our board-certified surgeons work with recovering patients every day and believe that mind-set is a big part of rehab.

OAZ wants to encourage patients to have an optimistic attitude about the recovery process and recently came across an article where post-operative patients shared the joy that resulted from their hip replacement surgeries.

Some of the comments include:

• “Part of recovery is the simple pleasure from accomplishing a new milestone. I have not been able to walk upstairs or downstairs going leg over leg since September of 2008. It was such a joy this week to go up the stairs ‘normally’ without pain!”

• “I just completed week five and the world has suddenly become a place going out to dinner, shopping and enjoying life again. Prior to this, life wasn’t a lot of fun and certainly very little pleasure. I now feel alive again.”

• “I have reached my 12-week milestone where my surgeon said I would have achieved 90 percent recovery. I am walking up to three miles a day with no pain, planning to increase to five miles three times a week. I’m back to all day-to-day activities with no limping and I even played a little lawn volleyball with my sons! I stood for a couple of hours at an outdoor concert with no pain. Most of the time I don’t even think about my new hip. It feels completely natural.”

Talking to other patients and reading about ways surgery can change your life for the better can keep you encouraged during your hip replacement rehab.