Tuesday, October 28, 2014

Celebration Gone Bonehead!




Over the past weekend Lamarr Houston of the Chicago Bears tore his ACL while celebrating a sack on backup quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo. Whats worse was that the sack came with 3 minutes and 24 seconds left in the fourth quarter when the bears were down by 25 points. Is a sack even worth celebrating at that point? In fact, is there even anything at that point worth celebrating? Finish your job and get off the field. What a bone headed move.


This reminds me of a similar play when Bill Gramatica of the Arizona Cardinals tore his ACL after hitting a 43 yard field goal in the first quarter. 

 

Maybe these guys should stop worrying so much about celebrating and concentrate on doing something meaningful for their team when it counts.

Joe Strazzullo, PT, DPT
3 Dimensional Physical Therapy

Tuesday, September 23, 2014

3DPT presents our patient of the month for September, Jason Willitts


3 Dimensional Physical Therapy announces Jason Willitts as its patient of the month for September. Jason has demonstrated perseverance and dedication to his therapy after undergoing Tommy John surgery. Jason is well on his way to getting back on the mound next spring for the Seneca baseball team and we look forward to seeing him pitch.

3DPT: When did you realize that there was a problem with your elbow?
JASON: In August last year 2013. I was pitching in a game and felt a sharp pain in my elbow and knew something was wrong. I haven’t pitched since then.

3DPT: How did you choose the surgeon who would perform the surgical procedure?
JASON: My parents did a bunch of research and we chose the doctor that had the most experience with this type of injury and a good reputation. We had Dr. Huffman from UPENN perform the procedure.

3DPT: What was your therapy like in the early stages?
JASON: Awful. I couldn’t do much – just getting the motion back in my elbow and strengthening my shoulder, core and hips.

3DPT: How long after surgery were you able to start throwing?
JASON: I started throwing in February of this year and have been gradually increasing my reps and distance. 

3DPT: What stage of rehab are you in right now?
JASON: I am throwing up to 150 feet and I will start pitching off of a mound next week. I can’t wait.

3DPT: Do you have any superstitions you follow before or during a baseball game?
JASON: I wear the same socks and the same under shirt for every game.  I also have to wear my belt certain way. I know it sounds weird but that’s just how I do it. 

3DPT: If you had a chance to pitch to any baseball player in history, who would you choose and why?
JASON: Miguel Cabrera – I would bring the heat to him and strike him out. 

3DPT: What is your reaction going to be for your first post-surgery strike out?
JASON: I will be going nuts!


Thursday, August 28, 2014

3DPT Presents our Patient of the Month for August, Justin Porter



3DPT would like to congratulate Justin Porter for being named our most recent patient of the month for August! Justin’s hard work and dedication to his physical therapy sessions has enabled him to be his old self.  We may see him trying out for the Eagles soon!

3DPT: Tell us about your injury and how you ended up in Physical Therapy?
Justin Porter: I was in a really bad car accident and broke my femur bone. It was replaced with a metal rod at Cooper Hospital. I developed some complications that forced me to have more surgery and delay my rehab, which really set me back and caused my leg to become weak and my knee to become really stiff.

3DPT: What was the hardest part of Physical Therapy during the first month?
Justin Porter: Getting used to walking again after not being able to put weight on my leg for a long time. It was also hard getting my knee to bend again at the beginning – Jeff had to literally force my knee to bend otherwise I wouldn’t have been able to do it myself.

3DPT: What is your favorite part of Physical Therapy?
Justin Porter: Meeting wonderful people at 3D and the encouragement I get from everyone in the office. I have been coming to PT for a while now and I feel like I have gotten to know everyone really well.

3DPT: Who is your favorite Eagles player and what is your predication on how they will finish this season?
Justin Porter:  Shady McCoy is my favorite Eagles player. I am predicting the Eagles will finish 10-6 this year and make a run in the playoffs. I think Mark Sanchez will end up starting instead of Nick Foles.

3DPT: You are known for the T-shirts you wear to therapy - what is your favorite T-Shirt slogan
Justin Porter: “Can’t Ban These Guns” (with arrows pointing to my arms) – check it out in the picture.




3DPT: What has been the highlight of your summer?
Justin Porter: I was fishing recently with a bunch of friends and I caught a 300 pound tiger shark. It took all of us over an hour to reel it in.

3DPT: What are you most looking forward to doing once you are 100%?
Justin Porter: Playing football again.

Saturday, July 26, 2014

6 Points to Ponder when Picking your PT

When going to any medical appointment, you are trading your time and money (copay or deductible) in the belief that the interaction will help you to get better. Whether you have pain, an illness, or loss of function, the medical appointment should lead you down the right path towards recovery. This could be in the form of medication, a surgery, a diagnostic test, or an exercise session. I have had a number of patients tell me that they have “never seen Physical Therapy like this before” when they come to 3DPT, which made me ask about what their previous experiences were in Physical Therapy. 
Below are 6 key questions to ask when scheduling your first Physical Therapy visit and think about on each follow up visit to make sure that you are trading your time and your money for the best services to get you back to full function.


How many visits do your Physical Therapists see per hour?

Each Physical Therapy visit may overlap with another patient. When you have more than two patients per hour, the PT is not able to effectively watch your form during exercise and make recommendations to improve the effectiveness of the exercise. She or he is not able to provide the hands on joint mobilizations, Graston, Active release, or other manual techniques that are paramount to improving the tightness in muscles and joints to make the exercises that much more effective. When you ask this question, the answer should not be more than two patients per hour. If you begin treatment and notice that the visits per hour is more than you were initially told, question your PT for a different time of day that may work better, or consider changing companies entirely.

Do you work with the same PT each visit?

Your physical therapy experience should be about your relationship with the therapist and their knowledge about how the body works. All graduating Physical Therapists have a Doctorate degree now. This requires an undergraduate degree in addition to 2-3 years of schooling to obtain their Doctorate.

When you see a physician, you make a connection with that physician. You believe that physician will get you better, and you see the same physician on follow up visits because she or he knows you, your case, and what they have tried before that has worked or not worked. I believe this relationship is even more important with your Physical Therapist. You will see your PT anywhere from 1-3 times per week, and they should be doing some kind of hands on intervention each session. It is imperative that they know you and you know them since it is a more intimate relationship than you will have with the physician. If you are seeing a different PT each visit, the hands on technique may be different, the treatment philosophy may be different, and it may take longer or inhbit your recovery because the person doesn’t know you. There is a difference between the PT knowing your diagnosis and knowing you as an individual. There are some treatment protocols out there for people after surgeries, but every individual is different. It matters for your recovery if the therapist knows your goal is to lift your grandchildren, run a 5K, or sit while at work without pain. The same PT will get to you know and the “why” we are working with you.

Will my session be with the PT or with an assistant or aide?

Physical Therapists know the body and know movement inside and out, and they designed your treatment plan after performing your initial evaluation. When you are doing your exercises in the treatment sessions, the movements that the PT selected are for a reason. They are designed to improve strength, flexibility, control, etc. It really matters if your arm is at a 90 degree angle versus a 70 degree angle for activities, and you want a Doctor of Physical Therapy or other movement expert to be the one supervising your exercises to make sure the exercise is being performed the correct way. Physical Therapist Assistants work closely with the PT and are also experts in exercises and hands on interventions. There are excellent teams of PTs and PTAs who work hand in hand to get their patients better.

In the State of New Jersey, a Physical Therapy aide is not permitted to make recommendations on correcting form and/or instructing patients in how to do an exercise. You are trading your time and money for a PT visit, and you should ask that a movement specialist is the one making sure you are maximizing your session.

What continuing education has your PT taken?

Physical Therapists are required to complete 30 hours of continuing education courses every two years. Some PTs take the minimum just to remain licensed, and others shatter the required amount year after year because of their thirst for knowledge. PTs can specialize in treating different conditions based on their continuing education. You want someone working with you who has completed advanced coursework or certifications in a treatment that will help you, not someone who passed their licensure exam years ago, and now just takes the minimum to get by. 

Click here to find a board certified Physical Therapy specialist in your area.

 


 Is your treatment being progressed towards your goals?

As I said before, each patient is different. Two people with the same diagnosis may be trying to achieve two different things and therefore should be treated two different ways. Every treatment session should be making progress towards achieving YOUR goals with an individualized home exercise program that you can perform in between sessions. If you are performing the same exercises day in and day out for few weeks and are not seeing progress, then you should question the PT on taking a different approach to YOUR particular rehabilitation. It doesn’t take long to know that a round peg will not fit into a square hole, and your PT should be able to recommend different treatment options for you.

Is your Physical Therapist teaching you?

The ultimate goal of PT is to instruct and empower you, the patient. You will learn about your condition as well as learn what exercises and/or stretches should be performed after your graduation from PT to reduce the risk of the condition returning. You should ask your PT why they are selecting certain exercises and what their hands on interventions are trying to accomplish. This allows you to understand the rationale behind treating your particular condition and helps with reinforcing the importance of the home exercises they issued you.



There are a lot of excellent Physical Therapists out there, and there are some Physical Therapists who are not as good. There are a lot of excellent PT clinics, and some that are too overcrowded to be able to offer you the care that you need. You have every right to make sure you are with the right Physical Therapist in the right environment and setting to get you better. Your Physician or your friends may recommend a company that they like or refer to often or are financially vested in, but make sure that the office works for you and will not load you into an overcrowded office where you are working exclusively with an aide or a different PT each session. By having the right team between the physician and the PT, you will get better, faster, and with less of a risk of reinjury. The more you can find out in advance or switch to the right clinic for you, the better you will reach your goals.

Ken Guzzardo, PT, DPT, OCS, SCS
3 Dimensional Physical Therapy
kguzzardo@3dpt.com

Thursday, July 24, 2014

3DPT Presents our Patient of the Month for July, Sarah Trent



CONGRATULATIONS TO SARAH TRENT – 3DPT PATIENT OF THE MONTH

3DPT WOULD LIKE TO CONGRATULATE SARAH TRENT FOR BEING NAMED OUR PATIENT OF THE MONTH FOR JULY.  SARAH IS A WELL DESERVED RECIPIENT – SHE WAS ALSO THE FIRST RECIPIENT OF 3DPT’S SCHOLARSHIP TO GRADUATING SENIORS WITHIN THE LENAPE REGIONAL HIGH SCHOOL DISTRICT.


3DPT: What made you come to Physical Therapy?
Sarah Trent: I have been swimming the breaststroke for years, and last fall I began having pain in my hip and groin. I was diagnosed with overuse of my hip flexor as well as a bony stress injury on my pelvis. 

3DPT: That must have been a difficult diagnosis to hear. Were you still able to continue with swimming?
Sarah Trent: I had to back down my yardage and speed while doing PT on a consistent basis with Ken at 3DPT. This helped get me through my competitive season in the winter and spring. I wasn’t able to swim in all of my meets, but I knew I was doing the right thing by backing my training down. 

3DPT: Did you end up pain free?
Sarah Trent: No – after my competitive season I was still having some pain so I underwent a FAST procedure by Dr. Katie Gollotto in April. This helped to clean out the bad tissue that had accumulated around my hip. I have continued with physical therapy since the procedure.  Now I am virtually pain free and gradually increasing my training.

3DPT: What was the most difficult part of your diagnosis and rehab thus far?
Sarah Trent:  Missing out some of my swim meets during my senior season

3DPT: Where are you going to college and what are you going to major in?
Sarah Trent: Loyola University - I want to be an infectious disease physician

3DPT: What is your favorite food to eat before a big meet?
Sarah Trent: I could eat Trail Mix all day every day