Stress is defined as an experience that is emotionally or physically challenging that poses a threat to homeostasis in your body. When you experience a stressor, your body responds with the stress response system, which activates the sympathetic nervous system, causes a fight or flight response, and increases cortisol and adrenaline in your body to survive the threat. It is essential to complete the stress cycle, as remaining in a chronic state of stress can have significant negative effects psychologically and physiologically. Exercise is one of the best ways to complete the stress response cycle by engaging your body in movement, which communicates to your body that you are fleeing or surviving the threat of the stressor.

Multiple sclerosis is a progressive neurological disease in which the immune system attacks the protective covering of the brain and spinal cord, causing damage to nerves and leading to a variety of cognitive and physical impairments. From early stage through disease progression, physical therapy-led exercise rehabilitation can reduce functional dysfunction in MS patients, manage and address symptoms like fatigue and spasticity, slow progression of the disease, and improve quality of life.

Regular exercise is one of the best ways to improve your heart health, prevent cardiovascular disease like heart disease or a heart attack, and help you recover after a cardiac event. A physical therapist plays a critical role in helping you exercise safely to improve your heart health and regain cardiovascular endurance and capacity progressively through a personalized and targeted exercise program. Check out our infographic to learn about the 7 benefits of exercise for heart health!

The holiday season is upon us! Many of us are participating in holiday work events, shopping, traveling, and gatherings with family and friends. The holiday season brings with it an often hectic pace and highly palatable and sugary foods, which can derail your healthy eating plan and regular exercise routine. Check out our infographic highlighting 10 holiday health and fitness tips to help you enjoy the holiday season while maintaining a healthy lifestyle and preventing injury!

Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disease in the elderly associated with dementia, memory loss, severe cognitive impairments, and eventually physical limitations. Alzheimer’s disease develops due to microscopic changes that take place in the brain that damages brain cells and nerves and leads to the physical and cognitive symptoms of the condition. Physical therapy can slow Alzheimer’s disease progression and help individuals maintain physical and cognitive function as much as possible through a targeted exercise program.

Exercise plays a critical role in diabetes management and the prevention of type 2 diabetes. Diabetes is a condition characterized by the body’s inability to manage blood sugar levels properly. The body either does not produce enough insulin or does not respond normally to insulin, causing glucose levels in the blood to become too high. Physical therapists can help diabetic patients improve their physical fitness and engage in exercise safely through a targeted exercise program.

Exercise rehabilitation under the supervision of a physical therapist can help multiple sclerosis patients conserve and regain functional abilities, manage symptoms, and improve quality of life. Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic neurological disease that affects the central nervous system and can lead to physical and cognitive impairments. Research suggests that targeted exercise rehabilitation may be the single most effective non-pharmacological symptomatic treatment for multiple sclerosis. A structured rehabilitation program can improve mobility, muscle strength, aerobic capacity, and quality of life in multiple sclerosis patients.

Check out our latest blog highlighting 10 tips for exercising in the cold. Exercising outdoors, even in winter, can be very beneficial. Exercising in the cold can actually help you burn more calories, enhance your endurance, positively affect your metabolism, and improve your mental health. However, it is important to take precautions when exercising outdoors in the cold to stay safe. Check out our 10 tips to safely exercise outdoors in the cold!

Heart disease is a systemic cardiovascular disease that can lead to serious cardiac events, such as high blood pressure, heart attack, heart failure, and heart rhythm abnormalities. Regular exercise not only can help prevent the onset and development of cardiovascular disease but also is a critical therapeutic tool to improve outcomes for those with heart disease. Physical therapy can help reduce the risk of developing heart disease and improve the function of those with heart disease through a personalized exercise program to improve aerobic capacity, strength, and endurance safely.

Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive neurodegenerative condition that damages brain cells, limits cognitive function, inhibits physical function, and leads to reduced functional independence. It is the most common form of dementia and develops with age, affecting 6 million Americans last year. Exercise can be extremely beneficial not only in preventing Alzheimer’s disease but also in improving symptoms of the disease and slowing cognitive and physical decline in Alzheimer’s patients.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a systemic autoimmune disease that affects the soft tissue around joints, causing joint inflammation and limiting joint function. Physical therapy and exercise can alleviate symptoms and improve function and quality of life in individuals with rheumatoid arthritis. A physical therapist can design a custom treatment and exercise treatment to help RA patients maintain fitness, increase strength to support affected joints, improve range of motion, and maintain the ability to do daily activities.

Tennis elbow is one of the most common elbow injuries that results from overuse of the muscles of your arm and forearm. It occurs in the tendons that attach your muscles to the rounded projection of bone on the outside of the elbow, causing radiating pain from the outside of the elbow to the forearm and wrist. Tennis elbow normally develops gradually over weeks and months due to repetitive use of the wrist, hand, arm, and elbow over time. Physical therapy is an effective treatment for tennis elbow, helping patients build muscle strength, regain function in the elbow and forearm, and manage pain.

Regular exercise is an essential component of healthy aging, helping seniors maintain independence and improve their physical and mental health. Exercise has numerous benefits for older adults, including improving muscle strength, building bone density, enhancing mobility and balance, and slowing age-related cognitive decline. Experts recommend that older adults engage in moderate-intensity aerobic exercise 150 minutes a week, strength train twice a week, and engage in weekly balance and flexibility training.

Check out our June 2022 Newsletter that highlights the health benefits of exercise, the role of exercise in osteoporosis treatment, how physical therapy can relieve fibromyalgia symptoms, and migraine and headache awareness month.

Stress causes a cascade of physical responses in the body, triggering the fight or flight response. While acute stress can be beneficial to react to a stressful situation, chronic stress can have far-reaching negative effects on your physical and mental health, impacting your nervous, cardiovascular, respiratory, reproductive, immune, and gastrointestinal systems. Once the stress cycle has been activated, it is essential to move through the stress response and complete the stress cycle to prevent chronic stress. One of the best ways to complete the stress cycle and bring your body back to a calm state is exercise.

Check out our infographic on the health benefits of exercise! Exercise is a critical component of a healthy lifestyle. Consistent exercise not only can prevent diseases like diabetes or cardiovascular disease but can also help you manage these chronic conditions and maintain function, endurance, and mobility. It is recommended to engage in at least 150 minutes of aerobic exercise each week, or 30 minutes a day, and strength train at least two times per week.

Parkinson’s disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder that impairs movement, coordination, and cognitive function over time. Physical therapy can help a patient with Parkinson’s disease combat movement dysfunction and impaired balance and coordination in a fun and effective way using therapeutic boxing within a comprehensive treatment program. Therapeutic boxing requires full-body movement, combining upper-body punching sequences with lower-body footwork to build strength, counter muscle rigidity, and improve hand-eye coordination, balance, posture, and agility.

Peroneal tendinopathy is a condition involving inflammation of the peroneal tendons, which run along the outer ankle bone and side of the foot, often due to overuse or a sudden increase in activity. Physical therapy can successfully treat peroneal tendinopathy, helping reduce strain on the ankle and foot and strengthening the ankle muscles to withstand the demands placed on them.

February is American Heart Month, a month to focus on ways to lower your risk of heart disease and improve your overall heart health. One of the best ways to improve your heart health is through regular exercise, incorporating both aerobic exercise and strength training. Regular physical activity plays a key role in preventing cardiovascular disease and helping you regain aerobic capacity following a cardiac event. As you begin your exercise journey toward better heart health, a physical therapist can help you by designing a customized, progressive exercise program.

Check out our infographic on physical therapy for sciatica pain! Physical therapy is the most effective treatment for sciatica pain. Sciatica is nerve pain that originates in the low back and radiates down the length of the leg due to irritation or compression of the sciatic nerve. Physical therapists treat sciatica pain through targeted strengthening of the low back, hips, and gluteal muscles, a progressive exercise program, manual therapy, and aquatic therapy.