I have seen Dr. Mullis for neck and arm problems which he treated very successfully. I have now returned for help with chronic pain which I have had since knee replacement surgery.. I have had therapy before but always felt that I was in a rehab factory. With Dr. Mullis I appreciate the individualized treatment. He is personable, compassionate and professional. I highly recommend him.
Had been unable to walk properly for almost a year. My knee hurt and was stiff. After a few sessions, the pain is almost gone and I enjoy walking again. Facility is nice and clean and I received one on one attention. Nice people!
D. Cardente
Aging may be inevitable, but when it comes to the changes, we think have to come with it, the same may not also be true.
As we age, our bodies experience a series of changes that usually tend to make everyday activities more difficult to complete. Decreased flexibility, some decline in posture and hearing, and some “wear and tear” within joints are a few of the many changes that occur throughout the aging process. These types of changes are considered “normal” aspects of aging, and most people typically notice them. Other changes, like pain and weakness that leads to dysfunction and inactivity, are not normal signs of aging and indicate that some type of abnormal problem is likely present.
As physical therapists, it’s our job to help you understand that some of the so-called “unavoidable” changes that come with aging can actually be addressed, and in many cases, avoided. This applies to both physical and mental function, as cognitive decline is another component of the aging process that can be significantly slowed down or even reversed when focused efforts are undertaken. Best of all, improving physical fitness has been found to improve mental fitness, and vice versa, meaning many types of interventions will be doubly effective.
Here are some tips to help you stay physically fit and mentally sharp:
Aging in a healthy fashion without pain and fewer complications is completely feasible, so long as you have the right sort of guidance. At Physical Therapy Doctors of Florida, we are here to “Help You Move Without Pain.” Call us today to schedule your Initial Evaluation at 941-264-1414.
Different occasions call for different attire, and to complete your get-up, proper footwear is always essential. Basketball shoes are necessary to protect the ankles during basketball play, while running shoes are designed specifically to give runners certain advantages on the track or trail, and the same goes for tennis, cycling, baseball shoes and so on. For this warm weather, many decide to suit the occasion with open-air footwear like sandals and flip-flops, but unfortunately, too much time wearing them can be more harmful than you expect.
While flip-flops are certainly a comfortable choice that allow your feet to breathe and be exposed to the warm spring and summer air, the truth is that this comfort also comes at a cost. Occasional use of flip-flops—to the beach, for a brief walk, around the yard—doesn’t pose any real dangers, but constantly wearing them for an extended duration may cause some harm to various parts of your body and can lead to pain or injury.
The issue is that most flip-flops aren’t designed like shoes, and they lack any real arch support, heel cushioning and shock absorption to help protect your feet. Also, while using flip-flops, most people tend to grip their toes at the “thongs” to hold them in place, which strains the muscles in the foot and causes you to adjust the way you walk (gait).
Over time, this change in gait will lead you to start using muscles and joints in an abnormal way, and this process can result in problems in the foot all the way through to the lower back. One of the most commonly treated injuries that can result from excessive flip-flop use is plantar fasciitis, an inflammation of the connective tissue along the bottom of the foot. Other injuries include shin splints, metatarsalgia, Achilles tendinitis, calf strains, hip pain and lower back pain.
This certainly doesn’t mean you should stop wearing any flip-flops at all times, but only that you should be smart about which ones you wear and do so in moderation. Physical Therapy Doctors of Florida recommends the following footwear tips:
Don’t let the temptation of wearing flip-flops constantly cost you an injury. At Physical Therapy Doctors of Florida in Bradenton, FL we can provide further assistance on footwear selection and can treat any pain you may be experiencing from flip-flops or other bad footwear choices. Call us at 941-264-1414 to schedule an appointment.
Get in the water to prevent injuries in Bradenton
We’d like to remind you that exercising in water is a great way to change up your normal routine. In fact, it may even lead to greater benefits than land-based exercise and help you avoid injuries in Bradenton. Here’s why: exercising on land is certainly a great way to stay active and fit, but it comes with downsides as well. Doing it on a regular basis puts high-impact stress on your muscles and joints, which can result in muscle soreness, stress fractures and injury. In turn, this can make exercising more difficult and eventually lead to less activity and fitness.
On the other hand, getting active in the water—whether that be swimming or water-based (aquatic) exercise—is much kinder to the body. Instead of the firmness of land, swimming and aquatic exercise are performed in an environment with buoyancy, which alleviates the pressure on joints. This environment is especially ideal for clients with load-sensitive injuries like low back pain and hip or knee osteoarthritis, and many of these clients can do more in the water than they can on land. Aquatic exercise has also been found to increase strength, endurance and posture, improve the mobility and flexibility of joints, and reduce overall pain and fatigue.
If injured clients are able to comfortably tolerate these water-based exercises, eventually they can work towards improving their strength and flexibility and make their way towards tolerating exercises on land. This type of approach can ease the transition from struggling to perform any exercises to being able to do so on land.
Avid swimmers should be stretching regularly
Swimming team and get in the water a bit more often. Swimming or partaking in aquatic exercise can help you avoid and recover from injuries in Bradenton, and keep you fit while doing so. Our therapists at Physical Therapy Doctors of Florida in Bradenton, FL can offer tips on how to best approach a new water workout. For the swimmers out there dealing with stiffness that may be interfering with their stroke, we can also offer treatments to address your issues. Contact us at 941-264-1414 to schedule an appointment today.
With the start of Spring and many clear days on the way, many of us take this time to pick back up some of our favorite outdoor activities. For some of you, this can mean bringing your prized garden back to life and spending countless hours planting, shoveling and watering your plants. For others, spring opens up the door for running, biking, hiking or playing golf, tennis or pickleball Learn More, to name just a few of the many physical activities in the outdoors.
Regardless of the way in which you take advantage of this improving climate, it’s important to keep in mind that every activity comes with some risk of injury. This is not only true for various forms of exercise, but also when gardening for extended periods of time. But have no fear: at Physical Therapy Doctors of Florida, we’ve got you covered. We can explain what behaviors may be risky, offer tips and guidance, and create a program that will all help reduce your risk for injury in Bradenton.
How to practice safe gardening
Both the knees and the back can be injured from gardening. Much of this has to do with the fact that about 80-90% of gardening movements are performed in a bent position. All this bending and kneeling can lead to aches and pains developing in the knees. In addition, bending forward for too long can reverse the spine’s natural curvature and strain muscles and ligaments in the back. The repetitive twisting that’s also a part of gardening and the fact that many of these motions are performed repeatedly all combine to create a recipe for knee or back pain. To reduce your risk for injury, we recommend these tips:
Avoid injury when returning to exercise
Injuries from exercise are common this time of year, and they usually occur when clients train too hard or too intensely for too long, or when they jump back into activities too quickly. What often happens is that individuals are eager to pick up their training or activities right where they left off. Unfortunately, even if you’ve been exercising in the gym or elsewhere with a modified routine, switching to outdoor activities will engage your muscles and joints in ways that they may not be ready for. As a result, they can be more vulnerable to a number of different injuries.
To avoid an injury when getting back into your exercise routine—or starting a new one—visit us for some guidance and keep the following pointers in mind:
Spring can be a fantastic time to bounce into a more active, healthier lifestyle for you. Don’t let an unexpected injury in Bradenton, FL prevent you from taking full advantage of all that the next few months have to offer. Follow these tips and come visit us at Physical Therapy Doctors of Florida in Bradenton, FL for additional guidance on how to make your spring injury-free. Call us at 941-264-1414 for more information or to schedule an appointment today.
Today, Physical Therapy Doctors of Florida is proudly celebrating One-Year Anniversary in Bradenton, FL! We are so proud to be serving our community by proving exceptional physical therapy care, by highly-qualified therapists and outstanding customer service.
Physical Therapy Doctors of Florida is a 100% physical therapist-owned outpatient clinic that specializes in the evaluation, treatment and rehabilitation of individuals with pain or injury in any area of the body. As a private physical therapist-owned clinic, we’ve always prided ourselves on the many benefits we offer over treatment you may receive in hospitals and other large-scale practices. These include more one-on-one time spent with your physical therapist during each visit, less time and fewer sessions for you to accomplish your goals, and a lower overall cost for you.
Our highly skilled physical therapists are rehabilitation specialists that have extensive education and training in the diagnosis of injuries and conditions, and in creating evidence-based treatment programs. These programs are always customized based on each patient’s needs, abilities and goals, and include manual therapy techniques, exercise prescription and other therapeutic modalities, which are all designed to help you get Moving Without Pain!
It’s for these reasons that Physical Therapy Doctors of Florida has received such high praise and accolades. During our first year, we have Helped members of our community Move Without Pain and have treated various diagnosis, including: Back Pain, Knee Pain, Hip Pain, Sciatica, Shoulder / Neck Pain, Vertigo/Dizziness and more. Many of our patients refer us to their family and friends and return to us for other issues they may experience. Physical Therapy Doctors of Florida has been reviewed as one of the best PT clinics in Bradenton, with a perfect 5-star rating on Google Read Reviews.
At Physical Therapy Doctors of Florida in Bradenton, FL, we’re honored to have served all of you over the past year and are extremely grateful for what we’ve accomplished, but we plan on continuing to grow and improve our practice moving into the future. To find out how we can help you Move Without Pain, give us a call at 941-264-1414 for more information or to schedule an appointment.
Thank You for trusting us with your health!
February is American Hearth Month, and the goal of the month-long campaign is to spread awareness of the importance of good heart health and the dangers of heart disease. Through efforts like these, there has been some significant progress in the diagnosis and treatment of heart disease, and millions of Americans now live healthier and longer lives as a result. But in spite of the improvements made, there is still much work to be done.
Heart disease continues to be the leading cause of death for both men and women in the U.S. Every year about 715,000 people experience a heart attack, while another 600,000 die from heart disease, which accounts for about one out of every four deaths. These numbers may seem staggering, but they reflect just how big of a danger heart disease is.
There are many ways to improve your heart health and reduce your chances for any heart complications, but at the absolute top of that list is exercise and physical activity. Exercise helps the heart become more efficient and better able to pump blood throughout the entire body, and doing it regularly is essential to maintaining a healthy heart.
Regardless of whether or not someone is at risk for heart disease, exercise is a central component of every physical therapy program we prescribe. In addition to the treatments we provide within our clinic, we also recommend that each of our patients engage in some form of physical activity to improve their overall health on their own. This is fundamental to physical therapy, and we always work with patients to determine the best possible exercises for them based on their health and abilities.
At the same time, we understand that patients with bad cardiovascular health and those with a history of heart disease may be nervous to engage in any physical activity. People with heart disease often have limitations like physical weakness, balance problems and struggle with some basic physical tasks like walking up stairs. Others have difficulty performing the exercises that may be prescribed to them, or simply don’t understand what they should and should not be doing.
With this in mind, we can create “heart-healthy” exercise programs that are designed specifically for patients with heart issues. Regardless of your concerns, we will work with you individually every step of the way to ensure that the exercises you’re completing are safe and best for you. We will also monitor your vital signs and look for any abnormal cardiovascular symptoms as we figure out what exercises you’re capable of and enjoy doing the most. The goal of physical therapy here is to help build back your endurance, which will help you function more independently and perform daily activities more easily.
Other lifestyle changes that we recommend to improve heart health include maintaining a healthy diet with lots of fruits, vegetables and whole grains, monitoring your blood pressure, cholesterol and triglycerides regularly, and quitting smoking if you’re a smoker. If you experience stress on a regular basis, it’s also important to find ways to reduce your stress levels. There are many ways to alleviate stress and not all practices work on everyone, but meditation, yoga and getting regular physical activity are all considered effective.
If you’re not aware of your heart health and on top of making changes if needed, now is the time. Our Bradenton Physical Therapists are here to help by customizing a “heart-healthy” treatment plan. Contact Physical Therapy Doctors of Florida at 941-264-1414 for more information or to schedule an appointment.
New Year’s resolutions vary widely across the board, but there are some popular ones that stand out. Unsurprisingly, about one-third of all people make weight loss the primary goal of their resolution, with another 15% aiming to start a new exercise program in the New Year. Despite this, regardless of what resolutions are made, only about 12% of people actually stick to their resolutions for the next 12 months. A common problem is starting out strong with ambitions that are too high, a regimen that’s too difficult and not addressing those aches or pain that could prevent them from meeting their goals.
That’s why, Physical Therapy should be seen as an essential first step to getting in shape, as we can fix any painful issues or injuries you have that may be preventing you from engaging in exercise. Once we determine the source of your pain, we’ll create a program designed to alleviate pain and improve your functional abilities, so exercise will come much easier. In addition, our physical therapists will perform movement screens and provide proper exercise instructions to help you become more independent when you engage in whatever exercises you prefer.
Most injuries and painful conditions can be addressed with basic treatments through physical therapy and will improve with time and a focused effort. The problem is when people with aches or pains wait for months or years to actually do anything about them, which can lead to more serious, longer-lasting (chronic) problems that will take even longer to fix. We encourage you to make your health a priority in 2019, and if you have a lingering injury or some pain that you’ve been dealing with for a while, you should make a resolution to see us sooner rather than later for treatment.
Continuing to “Help You Move Without Pain”
At Physical Therapy Doctors of Florida, everything we do has always been with one primary mission and one specific goal in mind: “Helping You Move Without Pain”. Our therapists are here to help you achieve your resolution goals and make 2019 a stellar year. Contact us at 941-264-1414 to find out how we can help you and to schedule an appointment today.