Every October the American Physical Therapy Association recognizes practitioners across the nation. Everyday our physical therapists and Physical Therapist Assistants help their patients. Their goal is to help them move better so that they may return to their regular activities. While we see the incredible work of our therapists daily, we also would like to join the rest of industry in celebrating all clinicians’ efforts. What is Physical Therapy? Physical Therapists ar

Halloween is right around the corner and we couldn’t be more excited! Halloween is definitely a favorite holiday for many children. There is no better opportunity for kids to stock up on as much candy as possible while marching around dressed up in costumes. Unfortunately, Halloween also brings about some potential dangers that could lead to injury if certain precautions aren’t taken. Loose-fitting costumes, overly-excited kids running around without acknowledging traf

Why is a home exercise program so important? A home exercise program is one of the biggest components of physical therapy. Physical therapists can’t prescribe medicine, but they can prescribe movement, which is even better! There is a good reason behind why your physical therapist puts time and effort into creating a home exercise program specifically catered to you. On average, you will only see your physical therapist about 1-3 hours per week. Three hours is a small

Pain can put some extreme limits on your life. While medication can provide temporary relief, it doesn’t actually solve the problem of your pain; rather, it merely masks the symptoms. If you have been living with acute or chronic pain and you’re looking for a natural way to successfully treat your symptoms, contact Physical Therapy Specialists of Idaho today for a drug-free treatment! A natural alternative to medication: For many people, even the thought of exercising ca

Lack of Sleep Often Intensifies Chronic Pain This is typically a time for new year resolutions. For most individuals, this involves exercising and healthy eating, but sleep is equally (if not more) important. One of the best things you can do for yourself this year is to try and get enough rest at night. In fact, did you know that there is a correlation between a lack of rest and pain? Some people stay in bed longer because they are in pain, while others cannot. Pain aff

Do you ever feel unsteady on your feet? Have you fallen before or afraid to fall again? You are not alone! Falls are not uncommon among older adults. Each year, about 3 million people have treated for fall-related injuries who end up in the emergency room This research does not account for those who fall and do not get injured or falls that are not reported. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), 1 in every 5 falls have resulted in an injury. Often times,

Expect to Get Better. You Probably Will. Research has shown that positive expectations increase the chances of a good outcome. It is the old self-fulfilling prophecy: your attitude determines your approach to situations. If you believe you will be successful, you will likely put in more effort. You will be more willing to try new things, take some risks and keep trying after failures or setbacks. A negative attitude will likely mean that you will take your first failure

Physical Therapy: The Most Natural Pain Reliever There Is! Have you recently sustained an injury of some sort that has left you in debilitating pain? If you’re taking pain relievers to relieve your symptoms and just don’t want to stay dependent on them forever, physical therapy can be exactly the solution you need. Physical therapy can be very beneficial for both short-term pain (usually, that which lasts just a few weeks or months) and long-term or chronic pain (that wh

As you go through life, there are many moments that you don’t want to miss out on–dancing at your child’s wedding, chasing after your boisterous grandchildren, and keeping up with your favorite activities. These times are precious, and you don’t want pain or problems with movement to take you away from them. The ability to move and keep moving is vital to your health. As you age, you may notice changes in your mobility–this can include how you walk, what daily tasks you

Ditch the Pain Meds and Try Physical Therapy Millions of individuals live with chronic pain. To cope with everything from back and joint pain to debilitating pain from accidents, many people have turned to pain medication. Whether prescription or over-the-counter, there are several drawbacks to relying on medication to relieve pain. Pain pills can sometimes interact with other medications, they can be addictive, and they ultimately only mask symptoms instead of treating

7 PT Approved Life Hacks for Healthier Days We here at PTSI are all about your health. We want to see you live your best life possible. Our patients often become our friends and as good friends we want to see you get the most out of your life. Here are a few life hacks we recommend to make your days better: 1. Stress less Stress can make existing problems worse. Stress can cause wear and tear on your body and can also cause diseases. Don’t sweat the small stuff. 2. I

Completing Your Home Exercise Program Leads to the Best Outcomes If you have been to physical therapy, you likely got a home exercise program. Research says that if you do your home exercise program, you will have a significantly better chance of meeting your goals and feeling better. Not doing your program increases the risk of recurrent injury or flare-ups with less positive outcomes long term. It is estimated that only 40 to 50% of patients do their exercises the way

For many people, April marks the transition from cold winter months into a beautiful summer. Although the weather might not cooperate every day, the sunshine and warmer days provide numerous opportunities to enjoy the fresh air and stay active. May has also been announced as National Physical Fitness and Sports Month. As the month now comes to an end, we can continue to take that motivation with us throughout the rest of the summer. Getting in the recommended 150 minut

Whether we’re seasoned exercisers or just starting out, motivation – or lack thereof – has probably crossed our minds at some point. Maybe the results we’re looking for are slower to come that we would like or we just have a lot of other things on our plates; but whatever the reason, we’re lacking some motivation and could use some tricks to get it back. While it’s okay and even recommended to take a rest day we don’t want our lack of motivation to lead us to taking m

Staying Fit Doesn’t Have To Be Hard Let’s face it, sometimes it can be really hard for us to slow down and take it easy. We all just want to get as much done during the day as possible! However, it’s time that we become a bit more realistic about what is and isn’t feasible for us to accomplish through sheer willpower alone. Our bodies have limits. Even though you might really want to complete your entire to-do list within a 24-hour time span, it probably isn’t going to h

Get Moving Once Again with Physical Therapy If you’ve been living with acute or chronic pain, physical therapy can help. Whatever your injury or underlying condition may be, our licensed physical therapists understand how pain can significantly impact your daily life. Physical therapists are movement experts who are trained in several different methods and modalities that are natural, non-invasive, and successful. While there are numerous reasons why physical therapy is

Heart disease is a leading cause of death and disability. This should not be a surprise – it has been at the top of the list for years. You know that taking care of your heart is important. That means doing things like eating right, avoiding smoking, and exercising regularly. While all of those things can be difficult, today we are going to focus on exercise. HOW PHYSICAL THERAPY CAN HELP WITH YOUR HEART HEALTH Cardiovascular exercise is anything that makes you breathe h

Getting in Shape For Spring Activities Winter Blues hit hard if you don’t enjoy the cold! It can be hard to motivate yourself to stay active during the winter months if you aren’t interested in winter activities such as skiing, snowboarding, etc. This can lead to inactivity during the winter, followed by your body being in less-than-optimal shape when spring and summer roll around. Studies show that most people are more active in nicer weather. With spring approaching,

Each year, to no surprise, the most popular New Year’s resolution is to improve one’s health and get in better shape. How do you succeed with this resolution? What are the keys to getting started, and more importantly, maintaining that focus throughout the year to stay in shape? Here are 5 tips to help you succeed with your New Year’s Resolutions in 2024 and beyond. 1. Pick an activity you enjoy When choosing a way to exercise, find an activity you will enjoy. By liking what

Keeping Active in the New Year After a long week of work, countless errands and running around, the weekends may be your opportunity for leisure to do nothing but sit around all day. While there’s nothing wrong with taking well deserved time off to relax, you may be doing more of a disservice than you realize. The human body is des igned for movement and as the saying goes, “sitting is the new smoking.” According to research at Cornell University Department of Ergonomic