Relieving Pain through Physical Therapy

As we all know there are many easy ways to relieve pain. We too often reach for a pill instead of working out the pain. Our bodies are quite resilient and can bounce back from many injuries if we keep them moving.

Physical therapy is a means of moving your body toward recovery after a surgery or an accident. It can help reduce pain from natural joint deterioration, or from an autoimmune condition such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, or multiple sclerosis. Home health care puts a trained and licensed physical therapist right in your living room.

Consistent participation in a therapy program is essential for achieving recovery goals. Home health removes the roadblocks that prevent folks with transportation issues, or personal mobility limitations from maintaining a healthy physical therapy regimen.

A standard physical therapy plan might include:

• Guided exercises

• Instruction on proper use of stabilizing equipment

• Proper transfer techniques

• Massage, ultrasound, or heat/cold treatments

• Proper techniques for stair climbing and traversing obstacles

October is the month to recognize the important work that Physical Therapists do and an opportunity to market your agency’s role in post-surgical patient recovery. Visit our TAG Web Store to stock up on your customized health care flyers promoting the physical therapy services your company provides.

Promote your Physical Therapy program:

• Conduct a workshop for seniors to demonstrate how physical therapy programs can reduce arthritic pain, improve mobility, and promote independent living.

• Host a lunch and learn for a local community organization (Kiwanis, Lions, Rotary) to educate people about the importance of moderate exercise as we age. Be sure to provide brochures about your agency and all of the health care services you can provide.

• Highlight your physical therapy program at local youth sporting facilities or events, which grandparents frequently attend. Have your therapists Instruct young athletes on proper warm- up and stretching techniques to avoid injury. Handout marketing materials that tout the benefits of home health care, explain Medicare eligibility, and highlight your agency’s services.

Men’s Health: Rotator Cuff Injuries

The rotator cuff is the group of muscles and tendons that keep the arm seated properly in the shoulder socket. Rotator cuff tears are common shoulder injuries among men, especially for men over the age of fifty.

Acute tears can be caused by falls, lifting something too heavy, or in conjunction with other shoulder injuries such as collarbone breaks or shoulder dislocations. Tears tend to be more prevalent among painters, carpenters, swimmers, baseball pitchers, and tennis players who make repetitive overhead motions.

Degenerative tears increase with age as tendons become worn away. Activities that were once performed with ease such as shoveling snow, chopping wood, or digging in the yard can put too much strain on an aging rotator cuff. Many tears of this type require surgery followed by extended physical therapy to repair and restore mobility.  

Home health agencies provide physical therapy to help patients manage their condition, reduce pain, and restore function. Home health therapists help senior patients avoid rotator cuff injuries by teaching muscle strengthening and safe lifting techniques. They assess a patient’s home environment for hazards and create a plan to eliminate them.

According to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, the most common symptoms of a torn rotator cuff include:

•  Pain at rest and at night, particularly when lying on the affected shoulder

• Pain when lifting and lowering your arm or with specific movements

• Weakness when lifting or rotating your arm

• Crackling sensation when moving your shoulder in certain positions

Promote men’s health issues throughout the month of June. Partner with retail and community organizations to sponsor healthy living booths at:

• Local sporting goods stores

• Fitness centers

• Community ball parks

• Car / Boat show

• Flea market

• Big box stores

Improve your marketing strategy with personalized home health, home care, and hospice print media. Visit TAGwebstore.com or call us at 866-232-6477 for more information.

Brain Injury Awareness & Home Health

Focus your attention on neurology this March by highlighting Brain injury awareness month. It is an opportunity to share how home health, private duty, and hospice services benefit those suffering from brain injury. Each March the Brain Injury Association of America leads the charge to raise awareness about the lasting effects that brain injuries have on patients and their families.  

Home care agencies routinely care for patients who have experienced brain damaging events. Many of these patients can make partial or nearly full recovery with proper care. These case treatments require a multifaceted team effort. Select print media that highlights the many ways that home health and hospice assist patients and their families struggling with brain injury:

• Improved quality of life

• Pain Management

• Speech Therapy

• Physical Therapy

• Occupational Therapy

• Patient Education

There are multiple benefits for referring physicians too:

• Reduced readmissions

• Reduced emergency room visits

• Up to date clinical assessment

• Better case management

• Streamlined care plans

• Increased revenue through care plan oversight billing

Mild brain trauma affects brain function temporarily where as more serious injuries can result in physical damage to the brain leading to disability or death. Injuries which cause extensive loss of brain function with a deteriorating condition likely to result in loss of life within six months can receive quality end of life care with a hospice provider.

Lasting effects from serious brain injury:

• Cognitive Deficiency

• Motor or Perceptual Sensory Deficiency

• Language impairment

• Epilepsy

• Death

Supply the neurological specialists in your service area with print media that highlights the advantages of including home health, private duty, and hospice as part of the brain injury team. Visit Tagwebtore.com for all your home care print media.