Let’s Talk About Tennis Elbow (Lateral Epicondylitis)
This isn’t just for tennis players. But if you’ve ever swung a tennis racket, you’ll understand the motion that limits people with this condition. It’s that back-swinging motion when your elbow straightens and the arm extends; aka a backhand
Usually it stems from overuse due to repetitive motion, and other trauma to the upper extremity; typically from the work setting. Ergonomics and physical demands of your workspace is highlighted on this topic because many of our injuries that are more insidious, are probably from micro-injuries over time.
It’s one thing if you got into a bike accident and have pain from a traumatic event; that would be pretty clear on how/when you got injured. But many people have pain that come and go, with conditions that worsen over time and unsure exactly when it started. Lateral Epicondylitis is typically more like the latter set of symptoms. Hence, the nickname… tennis players have a very similar swing that repeats when playing, and the repetitive movement over time causes the appearance of the injury.
However, not all those that play tennis get tennis elbow, and not all that have tennis elbow play tennis. For anyone like me who has never picked up a tennis racket, it probably stems from an activity that you spend a lot of time doing with repetitive motions, like working at a desk.
If a person is experiencing pain in their elbow, they can contact their doctor who will then refer out to an Occupational Therapist. We do a series of assessments to evaluate how you’re affected by this condition functionally, strength, and pain severity. For treatment we will be giving a home program of exercises, provision of protective equipment or orthotics to facilitate healing, and clinic exercises/modalities.
What I appreciate about the Occupational Therapy profession is that we treat the patient as a whole, and want to incorporate good habits to speed up your healing. We don’t just look at your strength and give rote exercise, and send you on your way. We will educate you on what is happening in your body, give suggestions for sleep positions, body mechanics for work to reduce strain on your body. We can also recommend pain management techniques without medication treatment.
If you have questions, or may need Occupational Therapy Intervention contact us at (201) 777-0856 or book a free consult with us.
Fun Activities for Kids This Summer (During a Pandemic)
We can almost see the light at the end of the tunnel! School’s coming to an end and parent’s are planning for the summer ahead. But how safe is it for children to enjoy the parks opening back up, and how will parents adjust their usual summer plans to make sure their family is safe? There are options for virtual camps and classes that have been a way for small businesses and community programs to stay running. However, this leads us to asking, how can I keep my child safe?
Here’s what we know:
COVID-19 can live up to 72 hours on a plastic and stainless steel surface (Source: New England Journal of Medicine)
The amount of virus living on that surface that would result in contracting the virus is limited.
What we suggest:
Social distancing as a precaution, limiting games or play activities that require close physical contact.
Face Masks for children that are above the age of 2 (refer to blog below on helping children with face mask use)
To help children clean dirt on hands, rinse hands with water, then proceed to use the hand sanitizer
Watch for any signs of COVID-19 symptoms. This can look different from person to person. While most infected people have not gotten very sick, watch out for flu-like symptoms (Source: CDC).
Make preventative actions a habit. Wash hands! Parents are the role models of the house and children typically model parent behavior, so it’s suggested for parents to wash hands, and to make it a family activity.
Stay active! Doing activities will help boost physical and mental health (Source: CDC). Go for walks, bike, or visit a park for outdoor exposure. Indoor activities may include stretching, dancing, or even some gross motor activity games.
Here are some of my favorite Activities:
Board games in prone position (laying on their stomach)
Twister for Proprioceptive input to help regulate your child
Animal Walk races (bear crawls, crab walks, and bunny hops)
Jenga to work on Fine Motor Skills and Motor Planning
Break the Ice for a Fine Motor Activity
Arts & Crafts this allows your child to get creative
Baking/Cooking activities- Depending on your child’s age, you can use this activity to help with reading and following directions
You can even make puzzles more dynamic with a treasure hunt to find the pieces.
Try a new sport now that parks are opening back up- frisbee and soccer are some of my favorites with kids
Build a fort with all those delivery boxes from quarantine
Take a look at Free virtual events for parents and kids, click here to register for our free event next week!
Yoga for kids videos online
Virtual game night via House Party to get friends and family together
Gardening is a fun way for kids to learn how their food is grown and gives great sensory input for regulation
Stay socially connected. Loneliness has a huge effect on immunity and mental health, so keeping those little ones connected with social distancing guidelines are important (Cole, S.W., Hawkley, L.C., Arevalo, J.M. et al., 2007). Use video chats to create virtual playtime, phone calls, cards, letters; any way to make your child feel connected. Check your local school districts for tips and guidelines, community facebook groups, and local libraries. Social media has also been a huge help in the effort for communities to come together, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, to see what's happening in your area.
Be aware of signs of extreme stress or change in child behavior. This goes for all of us, but especially the little ones of the house may not have developed the introspection, or awareness of how they are feeling. Signs include, excessive worry or sadness, unhealthy eating or sleep habits, or difficulty with attention/concentration.
If you have seen an extreme change in your child’s behavior, talk to your doctor. If you have any questions, or think your child may benefit from our Occupational Therapy Services, please follow this link for a Free Consultation with Smply Therapy.
Here are some resources from the CDC to help you and your family
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/daily-life-coping/for-parents.html
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/about/share-facts-h.pdf
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/daily-life-coping/talking-with-children.html
https://genomebiology.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/gb-2007-8-9-r189
To register for our free Virtual Wellness Event:
https://success-street.webinarninja.com/live-webinars/354632/register
What is the difference between OT and PT?
This is a question I get asked a lot, and for good reason. What I’ve noticed is that, unless you have a child that received services, or a parent you have supported while at a rehabilitation center, it’s difficult to understand the difference. In many settings, the OT and PT will be working together on a case very closely because there may be some overlap in treatment. Academically, both professions require similar schooling- OT/PT students shared the same classrooms for Anatomy and Physiology. However, our differences come into play with the theories that define the outlook and goals for our treatment.
Theories refer to the outlook on treatment – think of it like choosing your political view. Physical therapy only uses a Biomechanical Model of improving performance. PTs focus on Strength, Range of Motion, and balance for improved gait (walking), and transfers (moving from one position to another). Occupational Therapists are trained in the Biomechanical Model, but also a range of other theories that reflects training in psychology, sociology, communication and the way we perform functional activities. A simple analogy - Physical Therapy are like body builders performing reps to build muscle, and Occupational Therapy are the Yogi’s or Dancers. Both groups are athletes and may look similar and work on the same muscle groups, but they have a different approach. The setting also determines the way Occupational Therapists perform treatment.
In Acute settings OT focuses on Activities of Daily Living (ADL’s). ADL’s are defined as daily occupations performed at home that are required to get back to your routine, typically it includes tasks in Toileting, Dressing, Hygiene, Bathing. Insurance companies and the Interdisciplinary team (nursing, social work, MD, etc) want to see that you can perform these tasks safely and independently before discharging to the home. Your Occupational Therapist is the person that will ensure your independent mobility with exercise and functional activities in treatment. Let’s say an 80 year old woman breaks her hip and gets a hip replacement, after a couple days in the hospital the doctor deems her unsafe to return home because she can’t go to the bathroom on her own or walk. Instead, they send her to a Sub-Acute Rehabilitation where an OT will work on her ability to perform ADL’s on her own, and PT will work on her ability to stand, walk and climb the stairs needed at home.
In Outpatient settings, or a Hand Therapy Clinic, there are specialists called Certified Hand Therapists (CHT) for injuries of the Upper Extremities. This is for those that may have had a work related injury like Carpal Tunnel (refer to the Ergonomics Blog Post!), and need surgery, or someone who fell on ice and broke their wrist. Believe it or not, 70% of Certified Hand Therapists are Occupational Therapists, 30% are Physical Therapists. In this setting, splints or devices to help the joint heal properly are made or fitted by your therapist. This is in combination with exercises specific to your needs to ensure safe return to daily activities. In this setting, the two are very similar. In some settings, people define OT as upper body specialists, and PT for lower body injuries, but there is a clear difference in the assessments we perform and the way we document treatment.
In Pediatric settings, Occupational Therapists have the best job in the world - to play with babies! This comes with strategic play. Just as in the other settings, we evaluate where a child is struggling or has a developmental delay, and plan an activity to focus on improving those areas of difficulty. The children seen in occupational therapy may have a diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder, Down Syndrome, ADHD, or a Learning Disability, but many times they may go undiagnosed. That's where our specialty is our strength, we assess all different areas of the way your child processes their world from attention, the way they hold a pencil, how they process sound or vision, social communication, and we can differentiate behavior difficulties from sensory processing difficulties. OT’s in this setting will report on behaviors, abilities to perform fine motor and gross motor tasks, communication, visual attention and ability to perform ADL’s, PT’s will focus on strength, posture, and mobility. The two disciplines may overlap, especially in this setting, but the differences are more clear in the documentation and goals for treatment.
Occupational and Physical Therapists are the twins that keep getting confused with each other, not to mention our third sibling Speech Therapy. We’re all healthcare professions that are needed in similar settings, and get grouped together for insurance reimbursement. However, we each belong to different national associations and have different specialties.
I hope that helps those of you that were confused! If you have questions, please feel free to reach out to me at smplytherapy@gmail.com