Agility Exercises after ACL Reconstruction Surgery

An ACL injury can be devastating for just about anyone, but here at CardioFlex Therapy, we are determined to get our patients back to full health as quickly as possible. Here is Terry Abrams coaching a CardioFlex patient through agility training following a right knee ACL reconstruction. The agility drill in this clip is called a “Triangle Sprint“, which is performed around three cones to help increase her change of direction ability and explosiveness.

For more info visit: www.cardioflextherapy.com

CardioFlex Therapy Spring 2021 Community Events

CardioFlex Therapy enjoys supporting mission-focused causes by participating in fundraisers and local community events throughout the year. We would like to continue raising awareness of these causes and community organizations, and the people that they are trying to help.

Here are a few community events to participate in and support this season!

American Lung Association
Fight for Air Climb
March 6^th, 2021 at 8:00 am- Hard Rock Stadium

Join the American Lung Association outside for a re-imagined Climb. All are welcome to share in this adventure, whether you’re new to the event or a veteran Climber.

Just like their indoor event, how you climb outdoors is up to you. You can race to the end or take it at your own pace. There’s even a Climb Your Way virtual option for those who can’t make it to the event.

Visit this page for the most up-to-date information about the event.

Learn more here.

American Heart Association
2021 Broward Heart Walk Digital Experience
Sunday, March 14, 2021 at 9:00am- Virtual Event

This year’s Heart Walk will be the biggest ever as over 1 million walkers across the nation move as one.

Heart walk is about coming together, getting hearts pumping, honoring survivors, raising lifesaving funds – and having fun along the way.

This year’s donations will help fast track COVID-19 research and train front-line workers while they continue the fight against heart disease and stroke.

Learn more here.

Autism Speaks
2021 Autism Speaks Miami Gala
March 20, 2021 at 7:00 pm –  9:30 pm -Virtual Event

Every year, the Autism Speaks Miami Gala brings together philanthropists, business professionals and influencers from the South Florida community, all join to honor and support the individuals with autism and their families.

Learn more here.

Relay for Life
Relay for Life of Davie-Cooper City
Saturday, April 24, 2021 at 3:00 pm – Cooper City High School

Cancer won’t quit. So neither can we.
Relay For Life is all about joining together as a community.
Survivors and caregivers are the heart of every Relay For Life event. By participating, you can connect with other survivors and caregivers, inspire someone newly diagnosed, lend an ear to someone with a similar situation, and be part of a community where cancer is faced together, not individually.

Learn more here.

We invite you to visit our blog to stay up to date on the latest events in which we participate, promote, and support in the South Florida region.

For more info visit: www.cardioflextherapy.com

How to Work From Home and Improve Your Posture

Is the new normal putting a strain on more than just your social life?

While there are benefits to working from home, for many, the switch has taken a physical toll.

Whether it’s a dull ache that lurks between the shoulders or an unfamiliar twitch in the left lower back, the sedentary nature of remote work is affecting or posture.

So, with that in mind, here are some practical tips on how to improve your posture while working from home. 

What is “proper” posture?

Proper posture while seated means your feet are flat on the ground, directly underneath your knees. Your legs form right angles with your butt on the chair and your knees coming out directly straight from your hips. You want to avoid having your legs dangling from a chair that's too tall or sitting in a cramped style.

Moving up the body, focus on the spine being in proper alignment. Often the spine rounds forward as you're typing on your computer or working on something in front of you. Fix this by bringing the abs in toward the spine, lifting the chest and rolling back the shoulders. You want your shoulders to be stacked over your ribs, and your ribs to be stacked over your hips.

Common Posture Issues and How You Can Fix Them

Problem: Chair is too high.

Solution: Put books, boxes or an ottoman underneath your feet so that your legs make a 90-degree angle make sure your knees stack over your ankles and your knees come straight out from your hips.

Problem: Lying in bed.

Solution: Prop yourself up with pillows behind you, pillows underneath your arms and pillows underneath your legs. It’s important to have your knees bent and your arms propped up so your elbows are at the same height as the sides of your body.

Exercises to Combat Poor Posture while Working

These exercises can be performed throughout the workday to fix improper posture.

Problem: Hunched shoulders, tension headaches, neck pain.

Solution: Perform a "shoulder square." With your head facing forward, move your shoulders forward, up, back and then down. Repeat these five times forward and five times reversed.

Try a simple doorway stretch: Place your arm against a doorjamb in the high-five position (that is, forming an L), your elbow bent 90 degrees. Step through the doorway until you feel the stretch in your chest and the front of your shoulders. Hold for 30 seconds. That’s 1 set; do a total of 4 daily.

Problem: Rounded upper back, middle back pain and stiffness

Solution: Stretch your shoulders and sides of your neck. Roll back your shoulders and reach your fingertips toward each other behind your back. Bring back your elbows and try to press the palms of your hands together at the middle of your back. If this is impossible, just keep the fingertips reaching toward each other. Hold for five slow, take deep breaths and release. 

Problem: Low back stiffness, tightness and achiness.

Solution: Stretch the sides of the body by pressing down firmly with your glutes onto your chair. Stretch your arms up toward the ceiling and clasp your hands. Reach over toward the right to elongate the left side of your waist. Hold for a breath, then switch to the other side. Repeat side to side five times.

Remember to take breaks from work.

Even if you have perfect working posture, standing up to take a break, stretch and move your body every 30 minutes is imperative.

You could take a walk around your house, march in place, pump your arms up or stretch. Placing an alarm or notification on your phone or work calendar is a simple way to ensure that you're carving out the time to move your body.

Standing desks are also a great way to combat the sedentary nature of working from home. You can create your own per the above suggestions or invest in a premade standing desk.

However you choose to work, focus on elongating your body rather than tensing or rounding yourself into a ball. Elongating the neck, spine, and torso, and supporting the lower body with a stable foundation (90 degrees at the hips and knees), will help you create your perfect work-from-home posture.

Want to learn more about how to improve your posture visit our blog for more exercises to boost your health, energy, and productivity. 

Stay safe, wear your mask and remember to keep your shoulders back. 

New Year, Same Commitment

Happy New Year from Cardio Flex Therapy! 

We hope that you and your loved ones are staying safe.

Your safety and well-being remains our top priority and providing superior, quality care is still our mission. 

Whether in our Outpatient Clinic or in the comfort of your home, you can feel confident that our experienced therapists design personalized and specific treatment plans to help you reach your personal and functional goals. 

Schedule your appointment today! Call our office at 954-693-9090 or visit our clinic 12585 Orange Dr., Suite 203, Davie, FL 33330. Visit us at www.cardioflextherapy.com/ to learn more about the Cardio Flex Therapy approach. 

We can't wait to serve you!

Opened our doors

We opened our doors last week. At CardioFlex, we’ve developed several Specialized Programs for injuries and conditions. For orthopedic and sports injuries, we specialize in Knee Rehabilitation, Shoulder Physical Therapy, Tennis Elbow Therapy, Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Treatment, Plantar Fasciitis Treatment, Lower Back Pain and Sciatica Therapy, and more.

If you need to schedule an appointment call us at 954-693-9090 or visit our clinic 12585 Orange Dr., Suite 203, Davie, FL 33330

www.CardioFlexTherapy.com

Fix Your Posture To Improve Your Strength

Most of us who work in an office setting are most likely sitting slouched over our desk chair and staring at a computer screen creating bad posture in our bodies. Having poor posture can result in tremendous structural damage to the spine, shoulders, hips, and knees. It can lead to things such as joint pain throughout your body, reduced flexibility, and compromised muscles which can limit your body’s ability to burn fat and build strength.

Over time, your poor posture takes a tremendous toll on your spine, shoulders, hips, and knees. It can cause a cascade of structural flaws that result in acute problems, such as joint pain throughout your body, reduced flexibility, and compromised muscles, all of which can limit your ability to burn fat and build strength. But don’t worry—all these problems can be corrected. Are you ready to straighten yourself out? Use this head-to-toe guide to make sure your posture is picture-perfect.

Analyze Your Postural Alignment

Have a Professional analyze your form while performing the OverHead Squat Test(visit your assessment tab within your MBS profile), or strip down to a pair of shorts and ask a friend to take two full-body photos, one from the front and one from the side. Keep your muscles relaxed but stand as tall as you can, with your feet hip-width apart. Now compare your photos with the illustrations below to diagnose your posture problems. Then see the following repair plans.

Forward Head

Pain Areas: Your neck.

The problem: Stiff muscles in the back of your neck Fix it: Stretch with head nods daily: Moving only your head, drop your chin down and in toward your neck while stretching the back of your neck. Hold for a 5 count; do this 10 times. The problem: Weak front neck muscles.

Fix it: Do this neck “crunch” every day: Lying faceup on the floor, lift your head so it just clears the floor. Raise your head, and hold for 5 seconds; do 2 or 3 sets of 12 reps daily.

Elevated Shoulders

Pain Areas: Neck and shoulders.

The problem: Your trapezius (the muscle that starts at the back of your neck and runs across your upper back) is shortened.

Fix it: Perform an upper-trap stretch. With your higher-side arm behind your back, tilt your head away from your elevated side until you feel the stretch in your upper trapezius. Apply slight pressure with your free hand on your stretched muscle. Hold for 30 seconds; repeat 3 times.

The problem: A weak serratus anterior, the muscle just under your pecs running from your upper ribs to your shoulder blades.

Fix it: Try chair shrugs. Sit upright in a chair with your hands next to your hips, palms down on the seat, and keep your arms straight. Without moving

your arms, push down on the chair until your hips lift off the seat and your torso rises. Hold for 5 seconds. That’s 1 rep; do 2 or 3 sets of 12 reps daily.

Rounded Shoulders

Pain Areas: Neck, shoulder, or back.

The problem: Tight pectoral muscles.

Fix it: Try a simple doorway stretch: Place your arm against a doorjamb in the high-five position (that is, forming an L), your elbow bent 90 degrees. Step through the doorway until you feel the stretch in your chest and the front of your shoulders. Hold for 30 seconds. That’s 1 set; do a total of 4 daily.

The problem: Weakness in the middle and lower parts of your trapezius

Fix it: Use the floor L raise: Lying facedown on the floor, place each arm at a 90-degree angle in the high-five position. Without changing your elbow angle, raise both arms by pulling your shoulders back and squeezing your shoulder blades together. Hold for 5 seconds; do 2 or 3 sets of 12 reps daily.

Rounded Back

Pain Areas: Neck, shoulder, back.

The problem: Poor upper-back mobility.

Fix it: Lie faceup on a foam roller placed about midback, perpendicular to your spine. Place your hands behind your head and arch your upper back over the roller 5 times. Adjust the roller and repeat for each segment of your upper back.

The problem: Weak muscles in your back

Fix it: Perform the prone cobra. Lie facedown with your arms at your sides, palms down. Lift your chest and hands slightly off the floor, and squeeze your shoulder blades together while keeping your chin down. Hold for 5 seconds; do 2 or 3 sets of 12 reps daily.

Anterior Pelvic Tilt

Pain Areas: Lower back (because of the more pronounced arch in your lumbar spine). The tilt also shifts your posture so that your stomach pushes outward, even if you don’t have an ounce of belly fat.

The problem: Your hip flexors, which allow you to move your thighs up to your abdomen, are tight.

Fix it: Kneel on one knee and perform a front hip stretch. Tighten your gluteal (butt) muscles on your kneeling side until you feel the front of your hip stretching comfortably. Reach upward with the arm that’s on your kneeling side, and stretch in the opposite direction. Hold this position for a count of 30 seconds, and repeat 3 times.

The problem: Weak glutes.

Fix it: The glute bridge is your solution. Lie on your back with your knees bent about 90 degrees. Squeeze your glutes together and push your hips upward until your body is straight from knees to shoulders. Hold for 5 seconds; complete 2 or 3 sets of 12 reps daily.

Pigeon Toes

Pain Areas: Knee, hip, or lower back.

The problem: Tightness in the outer portion of your thigh (your tensor fasciae latae)

Fix it: Stand up, cross your affected leg behind the other, and lean away from the affected side until you feel your hip stretching comfortably. Hold for 30 seconds. Repeat 3 times.

The problem: Weak gluteus maximus and medius muscles

Fix it: Use an exercise called the side-lying clamshell. Lie on one side with your knees bent 90 degrees and your heels together. Keeping your hips still, raise your top knee upward, separating your knees like a clamshell. Pause for 5 seconds; lower your knee to the starting position. Perform 2 or 3 sets of 12 reps daily.

Duck Feet

Pain Areas: Hip or lower back.

The problem: You lack flexibility in all the muscles in your hips.Fix it: Drop to your hands and knees and place one foot behind the opposite knee. Making sure you keep your spine naturally arched, shift your weightbackward and allow your hips to bend until you feel the stretch. Hold the stretch for 30 seconds, repeat 3 times, and then switch sides.

The problem: Weakness in your oblique muscles and hip flexors.

Fix it: Try the Swiss-ball jackknife. Assume the top of a pushup position but rest your feet on a Swiss ball. Without rounding your lower back, tuck your knees under your torso by rolling the ball with your feet toward your body. Roll the ball back to the starting position. Do 2 or 3 sets of 12 reps daily.

A clinically effective treatment approach involves stretching of overactive/tight muscles, strengthening of underactive/weak muscles, and utilization of exercises that incorporate functional movement patterns last. Article credits to BodyStructure.

For more info visit: www.cardioflextherapy.com

Physical Therapy for Cancer Patients

http://www.cardioflextherapy.com/blog/physical-therapy-for-cancer-patients/

Physical therapists (PTs) are highly-educated, licensed health care professionals who can help patients reduce pain and improve or restore mobility – in many cases without expensive surgery and often reducing the need for long-term use of prescription medications and their side effects.

Cancer and its treatments, including surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and hormone therapy, can result in physical impairments. Physical therapy assists individuals who have been diagnosed with cancer to recover from these impairments – and in some cases to help prevent them altogether! Our goal, as physical therapists, is to help you optimize your physical function, independence, and overall quality of life.

Individuals that receive cancer treatments typically experience extensive physical limitations during and after treatments. The most common impairments that are usually identified by the physical therapists are: decreased strength, decreased range of motion (ROM), decreased joint mobility, postural dysfunction, soft tissue restrictions, lymphedema, gait deviations, soft tissue fibrosis, CRF, skin integrity issues, pain, incontinence and urgency or frequency.

It has been proven that physical therapists’ management of these cancer-related treatment effects and strategies are directly related to their training and skills. For example, effective lymphedema management strategies may include lymphatic massage, aerobic exercise, and extremity bandaging. Some studies demonstrate the efficacy of targeted aerobic training and strengthening exercises for the prevention and management of CRF and physical deconditioning during and after treatment in various types of cancers. Additionally, clinicians may ascertain physical limitations in patients with cancers. For example, urinary and sexual dysfunctions are common in men treated for prostate cancer, and upper extremity dysfunction and lymphedema are common in women with breast cancer. People with head and neck cancers may have difficulty with eating and speaking. Still, these physical issues are specific to the location of the cancer in the body and the types of treatments patients receive, but they do not necessarily provide a complete clinical picture of the patient with cancer, such as medication use, the number and types of cancer treatments.

Your Physical Therapist may refer you to other healthcare professionals or services such as:
• Occupational therapy
• Speech therapy
• Registered Dietician for nutrition and weight management
• Professional psychological support
• Palliative care for pain management
• Support groups
• Community exercise programs

Regular Physical Therapy has provided a vehicle for recovery that creates a sense of ‘self-power’ defined as taking ownership and control of one’s health to increase well-being. It is never too late to utilize rehabilitation services for cancer recovery. If you find that you are having trouble accomplishing daily tasks or functioning at your prior level of independence, seek out a rehabilitation expert and regain your vitality.

No matter what area of the body ails you – neck, shoulder, back, knee – physical therapists have an established history of helping individuals improve their quality of life. A physical therapist can help you learn to move without pain while feeling renewed and ready to move on.

We encourage you to learn as much as possible about your illness or condition. The best resources include The American Cancer Society (www.cancer.org/), the Susan G. Komen Foundation (http://www.info-komen.org/), the National Lymphedema Network (https://lymphnet.org/), and others available for every specific type of cancer. Also, read our article Importance of Physical Therapy in Cancer Recovery.

For more info visit: www.cardioflextherapy.com