It's Not Rocket Science!

Another example came across my desk of the need and common sense behind direct access to physical therapy services.  A story of workers at an Intel plant showed that may workers who spend their majority of their days on their feet had back pain.  The majority of these people suffered with this pain because they knew that it would take several weeks to get to their doctors appointment and get a referral to physical therapy.  By the time this happened pain was so bad that they needed less conservative care or their pain disappeared.  It is not a good outcome to have a patient tell you that their pain just disappeared when you hear the flip side that they were in pain at work for more than a month at a time. 

Times have changed at Intel and now rather than waiting to see a doctor may employees with routine back pain see a physical therapist within 2 days.  This is in comparison to the 19 days on average that they took to get in to see a medical doctor.  Overall these patients were completing their program and out of pain within 21 days rather than the average of 52 days with the old system. 

Another issue, not apparent to the public, was that the cost per patient dropped on average 20% secondarily to fewer unnecessary doctor visits and diagnostic tests.  Every patient was more satisfied with this trial system and returned to work faster.

Why can't we adopt this simple and effective model in our health care system. "Early access to low cost effective care seems so simple yet in our current health care system it remains exception and not the rule."¹  Whenever you see anything regarding direct access to physical therapy we at Hayashida and Associates urge you  to support it...for your own good.

Click here to TAKE ACTION on the CPTA Legislative Action Center

Written By: Andrew Bisaccia, PT, DPT

Reference: http://blog.myphysicaltherapyspace.com/2012/01/it-is-not-rocket-science.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+EvidenceInMotion+%28Evidence+In+Motion%29

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Hayashida's Commitment to the Community

Hayashida is committed to providing the Bishop Garcia Diego High School community with a high level of physical therapy care and screening for potential orthopedic injuries. We recently had one of our Doctors of Physical Therapy and Athletic Trainers present at spring physicals assisting team physicians in screening for orthopedic injuries. The turnout was very successful and we were able to help screen over 125 students for orthopedic injuries and movement dysfunctions. Screening is an integral part of preventing serious season ending injuries. It allows medical personnel to identify movement dysfunctions before injuries occur. This provides the opportunity to communicate with parents and athletes regarding appropriate stretching and strengthening programs to help them perform at their highest level. Hayashida and Associates Physical Therapy is honored to be the exclusive provider of physical therapy and athletic training services to the coaches, parents and athletes of the Bishop community. We look forward to being more involved with school athletic events in the near future.

Written By: Ted Carter, PT, DPT

A Time for Change: Final Stage – Maintenance

This may be the most important stage of them all.  You have now made the change in your life and your healthy behavior is starting to become normal rather than something that you HAVE to do.  At this point you have been doing your new activity or have changed your behavior for at least six months.  Your focus now is to stick with this activity indefinitely, at least in some form.  You need to be very vigilant at this time as you may fall back to old habits as you start to take advantage of the great change you notice in your life.  The more you are tempted by how good you look, how great your feel, or how others may comment on your attitude the easier it will be to think it will always be this way.

This being said, it is normal to have setbacks at anytime, even years after your initial change.  “But the longer you let them continue, the more likely it is that little setbacks will grow into big ones.”¹ As time passes you will feel more confident in your change and it will become routine, something you may not even need to think about. 

Enjoy the benefits you have gained over this time frame.  If you continue to focus on the positive change in your life you will succeed in your new behavior.  Along with this, you are ready to be successful the next time your lifestyle needs some change.

If you need any help with this process of change, especially if it is regarding pain that you have or your current fitness level make sure to visit Hayashida and Associates for a jump start.

Reference: http://www.arthritisselfmanagement.com/newsletter/12-15-2011/time-for-a-change/?page=all

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A Time for Change: Stage 4 – ACTION!

You have made it!  You are now putting your plan in motion and you are probably already completing new activities and changing your behaviors.  In the previous stage you made the necessary changes to fit your new behaviors into your schedule.  The change that you are now engaged in may take some effort since it may take more time than you previously thought.  For example, you may have joined a fitness class and you are now realizing that you have to stretch or fix your posture throughout the day, while away from the class.  This is the time that you need to adapt and make room for these small differences in your original plan to change. 

This stage usually lasts about 6 months and is the time where the change is still new to you.  This can be beneficial because people may notice the change right off the bat.  Say you are beginning a new diet; people may compliment you on how you are looking.  If your change was to get a more healthy dose of sleep (i.e. 7-8 hours) people may find that you are more alert and in a better mood.  There are some draw backs.  You will be more distractible at this stage and may slip back into your old habits.  Do not panic if this happens, as it most likely will.  The most important part is that you get back on track as soon as possible. 

Here are the steps you need to take in order to move on to the last stage; Maintenance.

Make Goals! – If you have goals for your action then you can work each and every day to get closer to them.  Do not make hard to obtain goals at first.  If you have never worked out in your life do not have a marathon be your first goal, start with running a mile. As you reach each relatively easy goal you can set a new one for the future. 

Give yourself Credit – It has been shown that those that are rewarded tend to thrive with change. It is like giving a weekly/monthly allowance to a teenager for doing chores; they are more likely to complete their chores since there is a reward.  Give yourself a small “cheat day” if you have exercised or dieted as you had planned for 2 or more weeks.  Be sure to give yourself some self-praise, you deserve it. 

In our next and final installment you will have the keys to actually maintain the change in your life.

Reference: http://www.arthritisselfmanagement.com/newsletter/12-15-2011/time-for-a-change/?page=all 

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A Time for Change: Stage 3 – Preparation

At this point on our journey to change you are most likely committed to making an alteration in your lifestyle.  You have thought about the changes that need to take place and you may already be taking the correct steps to decrease your pain, move better, and live healthier.  Preparation, the next step for complete change is a very important one.  You have the best chance of success if you take your time in this stage and develop a comprehensive plan.  People in this stage often have big motivators for change; your pain has either gotten out of control or you have consistently become more unhealthy to the point that you notice seemingly easy daily tasks have become more difficult. 

Here are the steps you need to take in order to move on to the second-to-last stage; Action.

Set a Date! – Grab your calendar and pick a date to start your change.  When you look at your calendar make it look like any other important engagement you may have; something that you cannot miss.  Prepare for this day so when it comes you are ready to take action.  If you plan on starting a fitness class, make sure you have all the contact information of that fitness class.  If you plan on changing your diet, make sure to have the correct foods in your home to start the change.

Advertise Your Plan – It is now time to tell your friends, co-workers, and family what change you intend to make.  This will not only hold you to your change but will also provide you with support if you need it.  When you successfully make changes you will have a team to cheer you on.  If you begin to slip your team will be the healthy support you need to get going again.

In our next installment you will have the keys to actually make the change and then we will give you tips and tricks on how to maintain the change in your life.

Reference: http://www.arthritisselfmanagement.com/newsletter/12-15-2011/time-for-a-change/?page=all

Image: http://www.telesalesmagic.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/preparation_mousetrap.jpg

A Time for Change: Stage 2 – Contemplation

After reading our last two blogs you are now ready to start giving some thought to changing your behavior.  In this next stage, contemplation, you start to think “maybe I should go to a physical therapist for my back pain” or “I should start working out so I can become healthier.”    Although you are beginning to have these feelings your plans remain distant and indefinite.  “When you talk about the possibility of change, there is always a ‘but’”¹  You have a good reason to make a change in your life but there is always an excuse to follow such as you don’t have enough time or it may cost you some extra money that you weren’t planning on spending.

In this stage you go back and forth from wanting to change and wanting things to stay the way they are.  Many people get stuck here for weeks, months, or even years.  These are the people that every January 1^st, make the same New Year’s resolution but never even begin to make the change.  It’s on your mind but you can’t get out of the rut and just make the right decision.  It is best to stop thinking about all the obstacles to change and focus more on the problems that you truly want to change.

“Give your Mind a Nudge – Every time you catch yourself making a ‘but’ statement, push yourself to examine it more closely.  In the example where you’re ‘too busy’ to exercise, you might ask yourself: ‘If I don’t have a 30-minute block of time for exercise, do I have three 10-minute ones?’ or “If I like to watch TV in the evening, could I do it while walking on a treadmill?’”¹

Track Your Problems and Progress – Make a daily journal and keep track of every time you are in pain or every time you think about being unfit.  Did you try to put on a pair of pants and they don’t fit the way they used to? Write it down!  You will be able to look back at this journal and find patterns.  Maybe you notice that you are more bloated after eating certain foods - Change your diet!  Maybe you find that you have more pain after being inactive and sitting for long periods of time – Go see a physical therapist! Do you become aware of gained body weight or lost muscle mass – Begin an exercise program at Hayashida & Associates Physical Therapy.

Stay Tuned: In next week’s blog we actually start to make the changes that we have been talking about this past month.  We will then follow up on the hardest stage of them all, maintaining the change in your life over the long haul.

http://www.arthritisselfmanagement.com/newsletter/12-15-2011/time-for-a-change/?page=all

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A Time For Change: Stage 1 – Precontemplation

Changing our lives is not easy and as discussed in our last blog post there are five distinct stages that we must go through in order to achieve this change.  These changes can be as little as drinking one less cup of coffee each day or as big as entering a workout regimen in order to prepare for an Ironman.  Stage 1, precontemplation, is where almost 50% of the public is currently situated and getting past this stage can be very difficult.

This stage is marked by you not even thinking about change.  Your physical therapist, physician, spouse, family member, or friend may be urging you to make a change, whether it is working out more or eating better, for example.  During precontemplation you hold onto the belief that nothing needs to change and you think that things are fine the way they are.  You read a blog article or see a billboard explaining how much changing your health matters but you ignore it.  You sit there and say to yourself, “I am healthy; I am in good physical shape.”1  In your mind you are immune to any health problems that your peers or physical therapist is trying to explain to you.  If you have found yourself constantly dismissing the advice of others you may be stuck in this phase; here are some ways to move on to the next stage.

Weigh Your Options – In this stage “people tend to focus on the downside of adopting a healthy new behavior while ignoring the upside.”¹  Get past this by making a pro and con list.  Take out a piece of paper.  No, I mean right now, take out a piece of paper and write five to ten pros of changing to a new healthy behavior. On the other side write five to ten cons for changing.  Look at the two columns. “Is there a stronger case for or against making a change?”¹

Find a “Change Partner” – It is hard to take nutrition advice from someone who is extremely overweight.  Find someone who has made a change in their life that is somewhat similar to the change that you want to make.  If you have a physical therapist, friend, coworker or anyone else who wants to change or has changed their behaviors, start a conversation with them.

Just talking about your issue will catapult you into the next stage, Contemplation.  So start today.  Don’t worry about changing your unhealthy behavior now, just start to think about it and the consequences if you don’t change. Keep coming back as we will continue to talk about the next four steps, what they entail, what needs to be overcome and how to move to the next stage.

http://www.arthritisselfmanagement.com/newsletter/12-15-2011/time-for-a-change/?page=all

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