Disclaimer: Information about COVID-19 is rapidly changing. The information below may not be correct, complete, accurate, and/or may have changed without notice. It's important to get your information from a trusted source. As such, we recommend you frequently visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention at https://www.cdc.gov/covid-19 for the most recent developments and advice.

What are we doing to make your appointments as safe as possible?

1. Our staff members disinfect each treatment table before and after each patient as well as any of the equipment, surfaces, and areas of the clinic that were used. In addition, we are regularly performing an overnight cleaning of the entire facility.
2. We are educating our company staff about COVID-19 from trusted sources such as the CDC.
3. We highly recommend that patients use hand sanitizer and/or wash their hands before and after each treatment or handling any paperwork as well as upon leaving our facility.
4. In an effort to reduce the number of people that are entering/leaving our facility, we ask that if possible, have your loved ones that are with you wait in the car and avoid the waiting area.
5. Each patient is required to fill out at COVID-19 questionnaire to ensure those who have traveled to higher risk areas and/or have some symptoms stay at home and avoid exposure to the clinic and other patients.
6. We ask that you bring your own water as our water fountain will not be available for the time being.
7. All windows and doors will be propped open when possible.
8. We are no longer using soft surfaces such as foam rollers, cloth-based surfaces and objects with foam handles as those cannot be disinfected properly.

If I have shortness of breath, a cough, or a recent fever, should I come in for my regularly scheduled therapy session?

No, stay home if you are suffering from a cough or shortness of breath. Please notify us as soon as possible. You will not be charged a cancellation fee.

If you have had a fever, wait for 24-hours from the time your fever ended to attend a therapy treatment session at our office.

Will I be assessed a cancellation penalty if I cancel due to the COVID-19 outbreak?

You will not be assessed a cancellation fee if you are experiencing any symptoms of COVID-19 or have to take care of someone due to unforeseen circumstances due to the outbreak.

What should I do if I think I am sick?

Click here for a detailed list of steps to prevent the spread of COVID-19 if you are sick or suspect you are infected with the virus.

In short:

• Stay home
• Avoid public areas
• Avoid public transportation
• Stay away from others
• Limit contact with pets and animals
• Call ahead before visiting your doctor
• Wear a facemask
• Cover your coughs and sneezes
• Clean your hands often
• Avoid sharing personal household items
• Clean all high-touch surfaces
• Monitor your symptoms

What can I do to protect myself and family?

1. Cover your coughs and sneezes and immediately wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water are not available, clean your hands with an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol.
2. Clean your hands often.
3. Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
4. Avoid sharing personal household items such as dishes, drinking glasses, cups, towels, or bedding.
5. Clean all "high-touch" surfaces every day.

If you are not mentally ready to start exercising, it can be very difficult to stay consistent with your program. Here are some helpful tips that can help get your mind ready for exercise:

1. Set Realistic Expectations
   Prior to starting a new workout, set a goal for yourself. Are you wanting to achieve weight loss, toning, or maintenance? Try to stick to one small physical goal, and keep a list of objectives. It is much easier to obtain goals that are more reasonable. Then, you may advance to more difficult objectives.
2. Find a Fitness Buddy
   It has been shown that 8 out of 10 people possess the same healthy resolution to get in shape, so it should not be difficult to find a friend to work out with you. Studies show that when you work out with a fitness partner, you are more motivated to maintain your workout routine. Whether you are simply having fun together, or feeling more competitive and pushing yourself to the limit, having a friend by your side proves beneficial.
3. It Does Not Matter What You Do...
   ...just do something! It does not matter if you cannot afford an expensive gym membership. Exercise does not have to be formal. For example, run up/down your stairs 10 times, take your dog outside for a jog or even a quick jaunt around the neighborhood. Anything that makes your heart beat faster and your body use oxygen more rapidly is a form of cardiovascular exercise.
4. Eat Healthy
   In order to become physically fit, working out is half the battle. You must eat a healthy diet to maintain a good fitness program. If you can afford it, consult a dietician for nutritional advice. Remember, even though you may work out consistently if you do not offer your body enough nourishment, all of your hard work will be for naught.
5. Have Fun!
   You are not alone! There are millions of others who want to exercise on a regular basis, but find it difficult to stay motivated or interested. So, do things that you enjoy. For example, yoga is a wonderful way to cleanse your mind and become fit at the same time. Or play basketball and forget that you are actually exercising.

A common mechanism of leg injuries for young athletes can be due to improper landing when jumping. The most frequent error includes collapsing at the knees upon landing, known as valgus. This has been shown as an important predictor of non-contact ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) injury risk in the knee. Female athletes are more commonly predisposed to this type of injury, as opposed to males. Ankle injuries can often occur with an improper landing. This is often due to pronation (or collapsing) at the feet upon landing.

Some common dysfunctions that result in improper landing can be poor core control or weakness in the hip stabilizers (gluteus medius muscle). Here are specific reminders to keep in mind to help prevent injury when jumping and landing:

1. Contract the trunk stabilizers by gently pulling the belly button up and in towards the shoulder blades.
2. Keep the hips behind your feet.
3. Do not let your knees fall ahead of your toes or cave in towards each other.
4. Keep feet shoulder-width apart to maintain a good base of support for balance.
5. Land softly on the balls of the feet to help absorb the force of the landing.

• 
  Incorrect Form
• 
  Correct Form

Posture is an important aspect of our overall health. Incorrect posture can lead to several issues, such as back/neck pain, headaches, increased stress, muscle spasms, and joint stiffness. Below are tips for proper posture:

1. Avoid forward head: perform a small chin tuck by making yourself taller from the back of the head to activate muscles that stabilize your neck.
2. Do not shrug your shoulders: keep the shoulders relaxed, slightly down and back to give the upper back more stability.
3. Think chest up: this will assist with preventing the shoulders from slouching forward.
4. Belly button in: gently attempt to pull the belly button up and in towards your shoulder blades, which helps to activate your inner core stabilizing muscles.
5. C Curve in low back: pull your vertebra (bones) in the low back forwards to create a small curve in the lumbar spine (imagine a cable cord pulling your belly button forward).
6. Knees slightly bent and facing forward: avoid "locking" the knees straight, and do not let them cave in together.
7. Feet shoulder width apart: this will help create balance and a solid base of support throughout the body.

Here are ergonomic tips for sitting at your desk and computer at work:

1. Always sit back in your chair with your back supported.
2. Have computer monitor at eye level.
3. Place mouse and keyboard low so that your forearms can remain on the armrests.
4. Scoot your seat close to your desk to avoid slouching forward.
5. Have seat height at a level where feet are flat on the floor.

Rotator cuff injuries are a very common shoulder problem that can be caused by a number of factors and affects people of all ages. The rotator cuff is actually made up of 4 muscles and their associated tendons. The purpose of the 'cuff' is to allow for stability of the shoulder throughout its range of motion, making it a very complex and crucially important set of muscles for a lot of physical activity.

The linked article below provides education on the proper treatment strategies for rotator cuff injuries. It also discusses the importance and benefits of physical therapy, which can help reduce pain, while also increasing strength and range of motion.

The article also gives goes specific exercises to help with increasing rotator cuff strength and scapular stability.
It also provides information on what exercises to avoid. It's important to consult with your physician or physical therapist concerning what exercises are appropriate for you to perform on your own.

Click to read article

Here at Modern PT, we treat a lot of patients with low back pain. Commonly, this type of injury can be caused by poor body mechanics with bending or lifting. The squat is a safe way to bend and lift items. Proper form with the squat is essential for protecting the low back from injury as well as allowing healing following an injury.

Here are tips to in order to perform a squat with appropriate trunk control and posture:

1. Start with feet shoulder-width apart and toes pointed straight forward.

While slowly bending at the knees and hips, stick the buttocks out as you would when you sit down in a chair.

2. Back should stay straight (neutral position), and your chest will naturally move forward as the buttocks move back.
3. Knees should stay behind the toes (if knees are coming past the toes, stick the buttocks out further).
4. Knees should remain shoulder-width apart, and should not "cave in".
5. Keep your weight through your heels.
6. Remember to contract the abdominals throughout the motion.

On the right is an example on how to properly perform a squat, and below are incorrect/correct examples of how to properly squat to lift or pick up objects.

• 
  Incorrect Lifting Technique
• 
  Correct Lifting Technique