Getting Moving… Again
By: Dr. Brian Mallon at Full Range West Chester It’s that time of year. The Holidays. Spreading cheer, love and happiness. This year of course, all from a 6-foot distance. It’s also that time of year for people to enjoy the many holiday treats we’ve come to expect over the years. Holiday cookies, pumpkin pies, leftover candy from Halloween. This does have the tendency to show a bit of our holiday cheer around our midsection, leading many to get that age-old New Year’s resolution “I’m gonna go to the gym and get in shape”. This year, as we are all aware, due to the pandemic, everything has changed. Gyms are closed in most areas again, and the cold weather does not serve as a great motivator. That leaves us in a tght spot! What can we do to get motivated, get in shape and shave off the results of those holiday treats? Here are 5 easy tips to…
IASTM… What is it?
Have you heard about instrument assisted soft tissue mobilization, or IASTM? It seems like there are new tools, new brands, and new trainings being developed all of the time, with some of the most familiar being Graston or HawkGrips. But really this type of treatment has been around for a very long time. IASTM is really a descendant of the art of Gua Sha. Gua Sha is more than 2,000 years old and originated in Eastern Asia. Now referred to as IASTM (instrument assisted soft tissue mobilization), it is a technique we use to treat a wide variety of conditions. Modern day tools are typically stainless steel and clinicians perform techniques to treat most muscular and soft tissue conditions, including tendonitis, muscle spasms, and more. These tools are used as a compliment to therapists’ hands-on treatment. IASTM aims to address the root of the issue that is causing your pain…
COVID-19: No Diagnosis, No Symptoms, Big Consequences
COVID-19: No Diagnosis, No Symptoms, Big Consequences Since early March, our lives have been flipped upside down. Social interaction has been discouraged. We have been told to stay in and most have! Many have followed the CDC, State, and Federal guidance in an effort to stay safe. But a new reality has come to light, safe has many meanings! Safety from COVID-19 is one aspect, but what about safety with general function? Many older adults have chosen to stay sheltered for months and have felt the consequences. Some say that for every day in bed, it takes 7 days to recover to lost endurance, lost strength, lost flexibility, lost range of motion, etc…. But what happens when we shelter inside for months? What happens when we get away from our daily routines, including walking, exercise, shopping, and typical life? For many, the answer many be nothing. We adapt and…
Green Expectations
Since March, we have been doing our best to “flatten the curve” as a community and has seemingly worked! But with the quarantine, social distancing, mask wearing, comes a feeling of hesitation, anxiety, and maybe even fear! Despite all of that, our region is now in the Green Phase! We are able to go out, stores are able to reopen, and a mild sense of normalcy is back. But what is normal? What is expected? How can you stay safe? While we can’t speak to every industry, when it comes to outpatient physical therapy and in-home services, we are here for you! We have been serving our community since 2014 and have continued to serve throughout the Pandemic. We have been keeping up with Federal, State, and Local guidelines, requirements, and trends. We have put protocols and policies in place to keep our team safe and keep you safe! And,…
Virtual Visits: What and How?
Coronavirus, also referred to as COVID-19, hit the world seemingly overnight launching a series of daily, weekly, and continuous changes to every aspect of our lives! Included in those changes was the approval of telehealth. We have had the good fortune of experiencing telehealth on a number of different levels and want to take a moment to give you our feedback! Telehealth, also called virtual visits, video visits, e-visits, etc…, was the topic of a number of updates that the government proposed. While many details continue to unfold regarding back-end specifics, these visits ensure social distancing, no introduction of outside germs, and provide the ability for someone to get the care they need when they need it! Pro’s Telehealth gives us the ability to make a positive impact on a person in their time of need. Telehealth ensures one-on-one attention. Telehealth minimizes outside contact. Telehealth has the ability to address…
Caring- One Person At A Time
Our Occupational Therapists are leading the charge to ensure that our at-risk community is safe during this difficult time!
The World Put On Hold
A few months ago, if someone was to ask you if the whole country, or even the world, would be forced into an isolation, what would happen? It would likely be a question that you brushed off and thought would never be possible. But you’d also think that people would be confined to their homes, glued to electronics, and almost become a real-life version of Wall-E. Well, here we are! Over a month since the Coronavirus reared its ugly head in the United States. Over a month after the NBA and other sports shut down. Almost a month since we, at least here in Pennsylvania, were mandated to self-quarantine with the exception of essential services. And what happened? From a big picture view, the United States has had more than 550,000 cases of Coronavirus, over 20,000 deaths and fears of healthcare system overload and lack of supplies. Essential services have…
PDGM: Please Don’t Get Mad!
PDGM: Please Don’t Get Mad Healthcare is interesting! While evolving with technology, services, professions, and systems, cost and reimbursement find themselves consistently under fire. Some may say that United States Healthcare System is broken, some may say it works, but, regardless, it is changing! Some of the most recent changes were implemented in October and January, including models coined as Patient Driven. At first glance, they don’t seem too bad, but after further review, they pose a number of challenges for both patients and providers! PDGM, or Patient-Driven Groupings Model, was rolled out on January 1st for all home healthcare providers and patients with Medicare Part A insurance. While being phrased as Patient-Driven, it actually limits access to care! Your initial reaction may be… WHAT? HOW COULD THEY DO THAT? And while you’re not wrong (we had the same reaction!), we chose to stay dynamic and pivot in the…
Balance: The “Lucky” Penny
At some point in time, everyone has experienced a fall. Maybe the last time you fell was as a child, maybe it was last winter when stepping out onto an icy sidewalk, or maybe it was just yesterday walking your 7-month old German Shepherd puppy like me and the laws of physics were against you. But what happens when you start experiencing trouble with your balance on a daily basis, or, even worse, start to experience more than one fall in a year? Do you find yourself tripping when walking? Do you feel unsteady just standing in place? Have you become fearful of going up and down stairs? Have you been limiting your daily activities for fear of falling? Do you feel that all this is normal as you age? It doesn’t have to be. Let’s take the time to talk balance. What is balance? The technical definition of balance…
Holiday Emotions
Holidays are the best time of year for many things! In general, you see people smiling, holding doors, saying hi, and just being a bit more pleasant! But for many, they are also a time for memories that bring feelings of sadness, regret, grief, and emptiness, among other things! These emotions are the ones that emerge when someone feels alone. This doesn’t mean that they don’t have friends or family, but like all of us, there are times that we are alone. Some of us more than others. The one group that gets caught in this the most is our older adults, our parents, grandparents, great grandparents, aunts, uncles, etc… that may spend a bit more time by themselves. We, at Full Range, have the fortunate position of being in our patients’ homes throughout the year. We get calls thanking us for being there, taking the time to talk to…