Elite PT June 2017 Newsletter – Dry Needling for Ankle and Foot Pain, Athlete Updates, and more…
Welcome to this month’s issue of the Elite Physical Therapy and Sports Performance newsletter. Check out the short article and demo videos on dry needling, see what some of our graduating athletes will be up to in the Fall, as well as our ‘Exercise Tip of the Month’:
I can’t believe it’s already June and school’s just about out!
Here’s what’s new at Elite Physical Therapy this month:
Kristy Ockert MSPT just completed her first Functional Dry Needling course down at Grand Valley State University a few weeks ago. She had a great time and learned some cool new techniques. Since then she’s been practicing on Lydia and myself to fine tune her skills. Follow the link below to see how its going!
We’ve seen numerous clients lately with calf pain, Achilles tendonitis, and plantarfasciits who’ve had great results with the combination of dry needling, Graston Technique, and exercise. Here is what one of our clients with Achilles tendonitis had to say:
“I had issues walking at work and limited mobility in the ankle before therapy. I can now walk all day at work and have no pain or swelling in the ankle area.” – K.W. from Grayling
In this case, PT was the last option prior to surgery. Thankfully we were able to avoid surgery and get her back to work without pain.
There are certainly plenty more conditions that can benefit from dry needling in addition to the other physical therapy techniques that we employ. Relieving pain and improving muscle function are big benefits of this technique. To see more on dry needling, how it works, and a demonstration for treating neck pain and headaches, click the link HERE to check out the video on our home page.
If you have any questions about the technique or if you’re wondering if dry needling may work for you, feel free to give us a call at 231 421-5805. Ask for Joe or Kristy.
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Athlete News
I want to acknowledge some of our past and present clients that will be moving on at the end of this school year to further pursue their athletic dreams. These guys are a hard working bunch and will be missed!
Chris Kolarevic from St. Francis High School – will be playing football at the University of Northern Iowa.
Michael Hegewald from St. Francis High School – will be playing football at the University of Dayton.
Alec Trautman from Elk Rapids High School – will be playing football at the University of Dayton.
Will Russell from Traverse City East Middle School – will be attending the Steamboat Mountain School in Colorado skiing on their U16 Alpine Team.
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Exercise Tip of the Month
We’ve been talking about treatments for the lower leg and foot the past couple months so I thought I’d stick with this commonly injured area one more time. Last month I showed a great way to improve the way the foot and ankle move – if you missed it just let me know and I can re-send that to you. This month we’ll look at an easy way to begin strengthening.
Ankle Marching with mini-band
Place the band around your feet with the feet just wide enough that there is a small amount of tension on the band. Bring the knees up toward your chest and flex the ankles back as far as possible. Kick one leg out straight but keep the opposite leg motionless.
The leg that remains motionless will actually be the leg that is working the hardest. Do not let this leg follow the other! Not only will you feel the muscles in the front of the lower leg working hard but you’ll also feel your hip and stomach muscles. This exercise is typically done after stretching out the calf muscles and is done for 2 sets of 10 on each side.
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Have a great month and talk to you again in July!
Joe Heiler PT