How Physical Therapy can help Lymphedema patients?

By: Terry Abrams

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Lymphedema is swelling generally in the arms or legs due to a blockage in your lymphatic system. It’s estimated that about one-third of women who undergo axillary lymph node dissection during breast cancer treatment will develop lymphedema. Identifying and treating lymphedema early helps ensure faster and better outcomes, but even treatment later on, during the chronic stages of the disease, can still help.

To determine if you have lymphedema, check with your physician or physical therapist immediately if you have swelling in one of your limbs and you have cancer or have been treated for cancer, or you have a cardiac, kidney, or liver condition.

Your Physical Therapist will serve as an important member of your health care team and will work closely with you to design a treatment program to help control the swelling and meet your goals for returning to your activities.

In the early stages of lymphedema, when the swelling is mild, it can often be managed by compression garments, exercise, and elevation of the affected limb to encourage lymph flow. For more severe swelling, the physical therapist may use a treatment called “complete decongestive therapy.” The initial step often includes manual lymphatic drainage, which feels like a light form of massage and helps improve the flow of lymph from your arm or leg. This is followed by compression bandaging that helps to reduce the swelling. Your therapist will carefully monitor the size of the limb throughout your treatment sessions.

Once the limb has decreased to the desired size, your physical therapist will help you begin to take over your own care by:

1. Developing a safe and sensible exercise program that will increase your physical fitness without unnecessarily straining your affected arm or leg.
2. Updating your compression garments to ensure proper fitting, working with you to find the type of garment that best meets your needs.
3. Educating you about the proper diet to decrease fluid buildup in your tissues and skin care to reduce the risk of infection.

CardioFlex Physical Therapists are professionals that are well trained and will help you get back on track to recovery. We will guide you with the right exercises you will be able to do at home to keep the Lymphedema in check. Our outpatient clinic is located in the heart of Davie, by Flamingo and Griffin Roads. Call us for an appointment at 954-693-9090. Terry and his staff are looking forward to helping you with your condition.

For more info visit: www.cardioflextherapy.com

CardioFlex Physical Therapists’ March Events

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CardioFlex Therapy’s Outpatient Clinic Physical Therapists will be participating in or sponsoring the fundraisers that impact our community. We see first hand so many of the conditions our patients are in when they seek our professional help, our team has carefully decided on the following events. Take a look at our March 2019 fundraisers and join us for a great time and a great cause!

The Leukemia Cup Regatta is a thrilling series of sailing events that combines the joy of boating with the important task of raising money to fight leukemia, lymphoma and other blood cancers. Since its inception, the Leukemia Cup Regatta has raised over $66 million for research and patient services at the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Join us at The Leukemia Cup Regatta, hosted by Isles Yacht Club, March 23, 2019. Registration is now open and available online via Regatta Network.
When: Saturday, March 23rd.
Where: 1780 West Marion Avenue, Punta Gorda, FL, 33950
Info: Niki Miranda-Dubay at 813-261-3166 or 727-645-2147 or niki.mirandadubay@lls.org.

4th Annual Palm Beach Songwriters in the Round, a unique event in Jupiter, Fl, which brings guests into the inner-circle of some of Nashville’s best singer/songwriters, to benefit the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. The songwriters will take stage at 8:00 pm. For those who want to do a little “boot-scoot-boogie,” they will have dancing to a live band until 10:00 pm. Save the date for this intimate evening under the stars and of course, another full moon, at the beautiful Lucky Old Sun Ranch.

When: Saturday, March 30th. 

Where: Lucky Old Sun Ranch. 18918 131st Trail North, Jupiter, FL 33478.
Info: Colette Beland at 561-683-9965 or email at cbeland@cff.org.

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. CardioFlex Therapy in Davie, Fl, is well prepared for any type of condition that may require physical therapy.

For more info visit: www.cardioflextherapy.com

Benefits of Physical Therapy

Benefits of Physical Therapy



Pain-free movement is crucial to your quality of life, your ability to earn a living, and your independence. Physical Therapists are movement experts who can identify, diagnose, and treat movement problems. At CardioFlex, we’ve developed several Specialized Programs for injuries and conditions related to Physical Therapy. 

What can Occupational Therapy do for you?

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Occupational Performance is defined as the individual’s ability to accomplish the tasks required by his or her role and related to his or her developmental stage. Occupational performance includes self-care, work, and play or leisure time performance. This leads us to what Occupational Therapy is: a profession that helps people across the lifespan to do the things they want and need to do through the therapeutic use of daily activities (occupations). Occupational therapy practitioners enable people of all ages to live life to its fullest by helping them promote health, and prevent—or live better with—injury, illness, or disability. 

Common occupational therapy interventions include helping children with disabilities to participate fully in school and social situations, helping people recovering from injury to regain skills, and providing supports for older adults experiencing physical and cognitive changes. Occupational therapy services typically include:

• + an individualized evaluation, during which the client/family and occupational therapist determine the person’s goals,
• + customized intervention to improve the person’s ability to perform daily activities and reach the goals, and
• + an outcomes evaluation to ensure that the goals are being met and/or make changes to the intervention plan. 

Occupational therapy practitioners have a holistic perspective, in which the focus is on adapting the environment and/or task to fit the person, and the person is an integral part of the therapy team. It is an evidence-based practice deeply rooted in science. 

The profession of Occupational Therapy makes valuable contributions in helping people “Live Life to Its Fullest” despite their condition or surrounding environment.

Occupational therapy services typically include:

1. Customized treatment programs to improve one’s ability to perform daily activities
2. Comprehensive home and job site evaluations with adaptation recommendations
3. Performance skills assessments and treatment
4. Adaptive equipment recommendations and usage training
5. Guidance to family members and caregivers.

We encourage you to view our video from The American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) describing how Occupational Therapy helps people of every age, every day.

CardioFlex Therapy at February Fundraiser Events

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CardioFlex Therapy Physical and Occupational Therapists are participating in or sponsoring the fundraisers that impact our community. After seeing first hand many of the conditions our patients are in when they seek our professional help, our team has carefully decided on the following events. Take a look at our February fundraisers and join us!

WALK FOR WISHES^® – BROWARD. Help make wishes come true one step at a time at the Walk For Wishes^® 5K Walk/Run at Markham Park in Sunrise on Saturday, February 2nd. Participate as an individual or get together with family, friends, and colleagues to form a team.
When: February 2nd.
Where: Markham Park, 16001 W. State Road 84, Sunrise, FL 33326
Info: Emily White (954) 967-9474 x 319

Buen Provecho Miami! An exclusive dinner with various chefs preparing a meal, a high-end silent auction, and an opportunity to meet with all the chefs. All proceeds benefit United Community Options of South Florida, for cerebral palsy.
When: February 21st.
Where: Hotel Colonnade, Coral Gables.
Contact: Grace Bracamonte 305-325-9093

Bike MS: Breakaway to Key Largo. A ride that will take you farther than you’ve ever gone before. The routes feature well-stocked rest stops every 8-12 miles and are monitored by the route support team consisting of HAM radio operators, support vans, motorcycle patrol, law enforcement, EMTs, and mechanics from our partner bike shops. Our participation drives breakthroughs in MS research and ensures people with MS have what they need to live their best lives.
When: March 2nd and 3rd.
Where: FIU Stadium (Miami, FL)
Contact: Event organizer fundraisingsupport@nmss.org

For more info visit: www.cardioflextherapy.com

Low Back Pain? You need Physical Therapy

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By Terry Abrams.

If you’re suffering from low back pain and wondering why your insurance company won’t approve an MRI before going to physical therapy – there was a great study done on about 800 individuals where they compared two groups, published originally in the journal Health Services Research. One group went straight to imaging and one tried physical therapy first. What they found, was that the ones that went straight to imaging (X-rays, CT scans, MRI) had a greater likelihood to go to surgery, have injections, and end up in the emergency room compared to those who went to Physical Therapy first. The article describes physical therapy as an approach that “focuses on educating patients about what might be causing their back pain, assuring them that most problems subside in time, and engaging them in their therapy.”

Physical therapists are specially trained experts in low back pain.

They are trained to identify any red flags or emergency situations that would require further medical assessment. They’re also trained to help you understand your low back pain, find the root cause of your condition, and give you some practical advice on how to resolve those issues without medication and without surgery. So, if you’re dealing with low back pain and you have not received the authorization for an MRI, I encourage you to find a local, licensed physical therapist in your area and have a conversation about your condition.

“What sets physical therapy apart from other types of treatment is the quality time we spend with our clients,” says Terry Abrams owner and physical therapist at CardioFlex Therapy in Davie, Florida. “Not only will we teach you about your condition and ways you can help yourself, but we will also start you on a program made just for you to get you moving again. A program customized just for you, and none of the side effects of surgery and pain medication.”

NOTE: your physical therapist is well trained in warning signs that would require you to see a doctor for further testing if required.

For more info visit: www.cardioflextherapy.com

Why Physical Therapy First?

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Are you or a family member dealing with pain and aren’t quite sure who you should go see? A physical therapist might not be the first person you think of, but hopefully, after reading this, it’ll help you understand how we can help.

What does a physical therapist do and how can they help with an injury?

A physical therapist can help you move better. Whether you are having trouble getting out of bed, picking up your kids, having difficulty reaching into the cupboards, or any other daily tasks that you’re having trouble doing, a PT can help. We spend one on one time with you to ensure that we tailor to your every need. We also come up with a comprehensive plan to help you get back to what YOU want to do, which is the whole point right? A physical therapist can help facilitate your recovery, with us giving you the tools to be successful. We want to empower you to be able to do things needed to keep you healthy for the long run.

Your physical therapist is focused on getting you back to the things you enjoy

If you choose PT first, you’ll feel better faster, and could potentially save money in the process! Who doesn’t love to save money? In most states, you can see a physical therapist first without needing to see anyone prior. Most people don’t know that, so we’re trying to make sure people understand they have a choice in where they want to go to get better.

I like to compare physical therapy to when something goes wrong with your car. If you need to invest in parts or work done to keep your car running properly, why wouldn’t you do the same thing with regards to your health?

There are many places you can go for an injury, hopefully, you know now that you can choose physical therapy first.

Article credits: GetPT1st by Russell Manalastas.

For more info visit: www.cardioflextherapy.com