Eastvale Health Fair and Functional Orthopedics

BodyBasics and Inland Empire Physical Therapy have been busy hosting courses and supporting our community.
On October 17th, BodyBasics joined the crowd at the Eastvale 5k and Health Fair held at Roosevelt High School in Eastvale. We were on hand to answer questions about common injuries and fitness. What a great opportunity to interact with the community and have some fun!
BodyBasics Physical Therapy (Norco office) also sponsored a course by the Institute of Physical Art called “Functional Orthopedics” from 10/15-10/18. Physical therapists came from different parts of California to improve their skills in postural education, soft tissue mobilization and exercise.

We are happy to announce a new addition to our staff! Patrick Medeiros-Bagan has joined the staff at the Corona office. He recently graduated with a doctorate degree in physical therapy from Chapman University and is excited to work with patients at the Corona location!

Physical Therapy VS Chiropractic Care


Many people wonder which type of care is best suited for them as an individual. Studies have shown that both types of practioners help patients to get better and return to normal activities. The most important thing is to ask around, do your homework and find the best practitioner to suit your needs.

Getting the best of both worlds – a summary
*Like any profession, the practitioner is only as good as he/she’s dedication to continuing education and mastery of their profession and dedication to helping patients.
*Choose or refer practitioners that strive to stay on the cutting edge of science and those that exercise themselves and have a deep understanding of movement.
*Look for a PT that is certified in manipulative therapy and that is “hands on” vs. modality-based. Find one with specializations related to the dysfunction or condition that you are your referral is struggling with.
*Steer clear of PT’s who treat only based on algorithms and formulas and who relies too much on modalities and cookie-cutter exercises.
*Choose a DC that is evidence-based and one with an interest in having patients “leave the nest” rather than create a dependence.
*Steer clear of “subluxationist” chiropractor
The most important thing is to ask around, do your homework and find the best practitioner to suit your needs.

Protecting Yourself During Fall Sports

Playing physical sports can be a lot of fun. It’s an activity you can do with your friends or family members. It’s important to take care of yourself to avoid injury while playing sports. You can’t completely avoid getting hurt, but you can do everything you can to prevent injury. There are a few easy steps you can take to get the most out of your sports.
1. Equipment
Equipment is important when it comes to working out with sports. Make sure you have the proper sporting equipment that goes with the event you’re participating in. Avoid wearing worn-out shoes and wear a helmet or shoulder pads whenever necessary.
2. Eye and Mouth Protection
Eyewear is important for protection during sports. Goggles are often times worn for soccer, basketball, racquetball, snowboarding, street hockey, baseball and softball. Mouth guards protect your teeth, mouth and tongue. They should always be worn in contact sports, such as wrestling, boxing, martial arts, volleyball, hockey, football and basketball. It’s important to have a dentist fit the mouth guard to your mouth specifically. Never wear your retainer during exercise, practice or play.
3. Wrist, Knee and Elbow Guards
These types of guards are appropriate for inline skating, skateboarding or scooter riding and other similar sports.

Warming Up is Important
Warming up and before a game is an important part of the workout. You should always do this in order to protect your muscles and your joints from injury. You should also stretch afterwards when your muscles are warm to prevent future injury.

Benefits of Sports
Research proves that participating in regular physical activity is a type of preventative medicine. Leading this type of active lifestyle can help reduce the risk of cancer, heart disease and stroke. Participating in regular physical activity can help you to maintain a healthy body weight while minimizing the adverse affects of stress. Most experts agree that healthy adults should be getting approximately 30 minutes of physical activity on all or most days. Younger people should aim for between 30 minutes and 60 minutes a day. Moderate intensities, such as taking a brisk walk, cycling or swimming laps can be done in a single session.
Avoid overdoing it. Play sports in moderation and make sure you are practicing sporting activities appropriately. Physical activity can reduce the risk of certain illness, such as colon cancer, heart disease, stroke, diabetes, hypertension and obesity.
Stress Relief
Working on regularly by getting regularly physical activity or participating in sporting events, you’ll reap the benefits of reducing your stress levels. If you participate in sporting activities on a regular basis, you will likely lose weight or maintain a healthy body weight, which can reduce stress too!

Sports and Physical Therapy


An athlete who is suffering from a sports injury can be effectively treated using physical therapy, one of the most effective methods to facilitate a speedy recovery and help athletes to quickly return to sports. Physical therapy treatment for sport injuries includes a variety of modalities such as hot packs, cold packs, electrical stimulation,ultrasound and soft tissue mobilization to heal the injured tissue. Sports injuries affect a number of athletes, both men and women alike. Activities like golf, football, baseball, tennis, swimming, volleyball and tennis may cause injuries. With physical therapy, various sports injuries including rotator cuff tendonitis, shoulder injuries, back injuries, elbow and hand injuries, running injuries, fractures, head injuries, neck injuries and tennis injuries can be treated. Physical therapy is a hands-on treatment procedure used for treating musculoskeletal dysfunction. This effective treatment plan works well to maintain and enhance fitness, health and quality of life. The physical therapy treatment program makes the body strong and increases the blood flow to the affected areas. This is ideal to promote your healing process. The physical therapy treatment administered for sports injuries helps to:
1. Decrease pain
2. Increase function by restoring your physical abilities
3. Prevent further injuries
Depending on the severity of the injury, the physical therapy treatment program varies. Physical therapy treatment for sports injuries is the best option for athletes who wish to return to their normal sports activities soon. Physical therapists can also give tips on preventing further injuries.

CPR Certification


Saturday, June 13th, 2009, BodyBasics/Inland Empire Physical Therapy hosted a CPR course at their Corona facility. The therapists and PTAs are required to renew their CPR certification every two years to stay current on life-saving techniques. The class was taught by Pat Walsh.
Cardiopulmonary resusitation (CPR) is a procedure used when a patient's heart stops beating and breathing stops. It can involve compressions of the chest or electrical shocks along with rescue breathing.

Seminar in Palm Springs


The Bodybasics Team including Scott, Jaime, Rikki and Mandi attended the Annual course "Practical Applications in Sports Medicine" held at the Riviera Resort and Spa in Palm Springs. The course was held Friday May 29-Sunday the 31st. The course has been an annual event for 19 years and some of this year's topics discussed were ACL reconstruction, Kinesio Taping, and Throwing shoulder injuries(in relation to sports). The course was a great opportunity to practice and learn new skills. The nice pool and great weather was fun too!

Scott and Rikki practicing their skill at taping

Scott and Rikki at the “Kinesio Taping” seminar


For more information about this seminar visit: http://sportfoundation.org/pa/paschedb.html

BodyBasics News


In April, some of the BodyBasics Physical Therapists including Scott, Jaime, and Sara, participated on the medical team in the 2009 AVP(association of volleyball professionals) Crocs tour held in Riverside. This weekend marked the first time the AVP has ever visited Riverside. The therapists enjoyed working with the players and treating any injuries that occured.


Scott and some of the other therapists also participated on the medical team for the World Figure Skating Championships held at the Staples Center in March. It was a great opportunity to check out the skaters who will compete in the next Olympics.

Children and Teens with Sports Injuries


It is estimated that 30 million children in the US participate in organized sports programs. As more and more children participate in sports and recreational activities, there has been an increase in acute and overuse injuries. Emergency department visits are highest among the school-age to young adult population. Over one-third of school-age children will sustain an injury severe enough to be treated by a doctor or nurse. There are physical and physiological differences between children and adults that may cause children to be more vulnerable to injury. Factors that contribute to this difference in vulnerability include: children have a larger surface area to mass ratio, children have larger heads proportionately, children may be too small for protective equipment, growing cartilage may be more vulnerable to stresses and children may not have the complex motor skills needed for certain sports until after puberty.
The most commonly injured areas of the body include the ankle and knee followed by the hand, wrist, elbow, shin and calf, head, neck and clavicle. Contusions and strains are the most common injuries sustained by young athletes. In early adolescence, apophysitis or strains at the apophyses are common. The most common sites are at the knee (Osgood-Schlatter disease), at the heel (Sever's disease) and at the elbow (Little League Elbow). Non-traumatic knee pain is one of the most common complaints in the young athlete. Patellar Femoral Pain Syndrome (PFPS) has a constellation of causes that include overuse, poor tracking of the patellar, malalignment problems of the legs and foot problems, such as pes planus. In the child, hip pathology can present as knee pain so a careful hip exam is important in the child presenting with an insidious onset of knee pain. Other common injuries in young athletes discussed include anterior cruciate ligament injuries, ankle sprains and ankle fractures.
Prevention of sports and recreation-related injuries is the ideal. There are six potential ways to prevent injuries in general:
I. the pre-season physical examination;
II. medical coverage at sporting events;
III. proper coaching;
IV. adequate hydration;
V. proper officiating; and
VI. proper equipment and field/surface playing conditions.

Physical Therapy and it's benefits


Physical therapists evaluate and treat people with health problems resulting from injury or disease. They assess joint motion, muscle strength and endurance, function of heart and lungs, and performance of activities required in daily living. Physical therapists employ a wide range of therapeutic exercise techniques, cardiovascular endurance training, and training in activities of daily living. Typical examples of persons who might benefit from physical therapy include an automobile mechanic with an injured back, an elderly person with arthritis; a newborn baby with a birth defect; a professional athlete in training; a stroke victim; a crippled child; a pregnant woman; and an overstressed business executive.
Physical therapy aids people who are recovering from injury or a disease by making them stronger, relieving their pain, and helping them to regain use of an affected limb or to relearn such daily activities as walking, dressing, and bathing. Some patients recovering from surgery require physical therapy as part of their recovery process. In these cases, the physical therapist attempts to achieve normal mobility through the relief of pain and the rehabilitation of impaired muscle function. The therapist may employ active or passive exercises designed to strengthen specific muscles or to coordinate muscle movement. In passive exercises, the therapist manipulates the affected parts until the patient is able to do so alone. In hydrotherapy, the patient exercises in water, which requires a smaller expenditure of energy than exercises out ofwater. Patients who are entirely immobilized may begin physical therapy in bed with massage and the application of heat.
Physical therapists also assist people in remaining well and safe from injury. Physical therapists teach people the importance of physical fitness and show them how to avoid injuries at work or play. They also design and supervise personalized exercise programs geared at helping people increase their overall fitness and muscular strength and endurance.
Physical therapy techniques may include therapeutic exercise, joint mobilization and range-of-motion exercises, cardiovascular endurance training, relaxation exercises, therapeutic massage, biofeedback, training in various activities of daily living, wound care, pulmonary physical therapy, and training in moving about. Specific therapies including traction, ultrasound, diathermy, electrotherapy, cryotherapy, hydrotherapy, and laser therapy may also be applied during treatment.

With Americans becoming more health- and exercise-conscious, participating in sports and fitness activities, more physical therapists will be needed to treat and help prevent knee, leg, back, shoulder, and other musculoskeletal injuries. The post War World II baby boom generation is now aging and beginning to experience conditions common to older people such as arthritis, stroke, heart disease, and other prolonged-care conditions. Physical therapists will be called on to care for them.