PWR! Moves for Parkinson’s Disease

This post is dedicated to PWR! Moves Mobility, a therapeutic approach both myself and Dr. Allison Leonard are proudly certified in. There are four main Moves we use in PWR! Moves Parkinson's Therapy. Each of them is special in their own way, but all of them work towards a strong, upright posture that lets you MOVE safety and efficiently in ALL of the direction’s life takes you.

You can read about this therapy on our website at https://healthyagingpt.com/pwr and check out some videos of these moves in action. Read on to learn more about each of these Moves and how they can improve your mobility if you are living with Parkinson’s Disease (or other Mobility Disorders!)

All about the PWR! Up...

The PWR! Up is all about ANTIGRAVITY EXTENSION. This move focuses on the STRENGTH and POWER to rise up from sitting, to squat down in standing and to get up and out of bed. We practice it in all five postures: sitting, standing, on all-fours, on our bellies in prone and on our backs in supine. It strengthens critical functional muscle patterns that involve the glutes, quads, and scapular muscles and is a GREAT exercise for those of you who may feel STUCK in your chairs when you go to rise up.

All about the PWR! Rock...

The PWR! Rock is all about WEIGHT SHIFTING. This move focuses on the ROCKING and REACHING to achieve MOVEMENT outside of the straight plane. We practice it in all five postures: sitting, standing, on all-fours, on our bellies in prone and on our backs in supine. It strengthens critical functional muscle patterns that strengthen your HIPS and SHOULDERS and is a GREAT exercise for those of you who may feel STUCK when you go to turn around or reverse directions.

All about the PWR! Twist...

The PWR! Twist is all about AXIAL MOBILITY. This move focuses on the SPINAL MOBILITY to achieve ROTATION across your body. We practice it in all five postures: sitting, standing, on all-fours, on our bellies in prone and on our backs in supine. It strengthens critical functional movement patterns like OPENING AND CLOSING your arms and is a GREAT exercise for those of you who may feel STUCK when you go to roll over in bed or put on your shirt or coat.

All about the PWR! Step...

The PWR! Step is all about TRANSITIONS AND MOBILITY. This move focuses on the STEPPING STRATEGIES to achieve WALKING and MOBILITY. We practice it in all five postures: sitting, standing, on all-fours, on our bellies in prone and on our backs in supine. It strengthens critical functional movement patterns like STEPPING and TRANSITIONING is a GREAT exercise for those of you who may feel STUCK when you approach a doorway or go to turn to sit in a chair.

Now that you’ve got an intro to the Moves, you can put them together for an entire Home Workout! Check out these great vides from the therapists at Parkinsons Wellness Recovery - the team that created the PWR! Moves Mobility Program.

PWR! Moves Seated Class

PWR! Moves Class - All Postures

PWR! Moves - Standing with Weights

PWR! Moves - Standing with Bands

To request an Free Phone Consultation to see How Healthy Aging PT can help you, click the button below:

To learn more about our Power over Parkinson’s Group Fitness Class, click the button below:

To learn more about BIG/LSVT & PWR! Moves Parkinson’s Therapy, click here the button below:

April is Parkinson’s Disease Awareness Month

Healthy Aging Physical Therapy strives to give people living with Parkinson’s the support they need to better manage their symptoms - at all stages of the disease.

Chances are, if you’re reading this, you either have Parkinson’s Disease, know someone with Parkinson’s Disease or care for someone with Parkinson’s Disease. This is because Parkinson’s is the 2nd most common degenerative neurological disorder after Alzheimer’s disease, affecting nearly ten million people worldwide. Not only is it a very common disease, but the number of people diagnosed each year is RISING. Whether because we are living longer as a population, or because we are simply getting better at diagnosing this disease, it is estimated that from 1999 to 2015, the number of people living with PD actually DOUBLED.

Impacting the ability of the brain to create essential neurotransmitters like dopamine and serotonin, it also leads to an overabundance of neurotransmitters like acetylcholine. While these imbalances cause all sorts of symptoms in the body, Parkinson’s Disease is most commonly associated with the four cardinal signs: Rigidity, Bradykinesia, Postural Instability and Tremor. While less talked about, but often more disturbing, there are also non-motor symptoms commonly associated with Parkinson’s Disease, like low blood pressure and autonomic dysfunction, impairments in memory and cognition, anxiety and depression, trouble swallowing and frequent aspiration and bowel and bladder dysfunction, just to name a few. Fortunately, there are a number of medications that provide symptom management for people with Parkinson’s Disease by way of dopamine-replacement, or dopamine-support. Unfortunately, as the disease progresses, people often need higher and more frequent doses of these medications, which cause their own slew of side effects, including dyskinesias, the writhing, dance-like movements people often associated with this disease.

What you may not know, is that Exercise and Physical Activity has a HUGE role to play in the management of Parkinson’s Disease related symptoms. Not only can the right kinds of exercise slow disease progress, but it can be incredibly effective at managing both the motor and non-motor signs of Parkinson’s Disease. Beyond exercise, there are also many tips and tricks a Parkinson’s Disease Physical Therapist can teach you to ‘trick’ your body into doing what you want it to do, by taking the focus away from what isn’t working and redirecting it to strategies that will. Healthy Aging Physical Therapy was established to be a support to the Parkinson’s Disease community, by hiring Physical Therapists with advanced training in the care of people with Parkinson’s Disease. To live better with this disease, you need an expert by your side who knows how to guide you through all stages of the disease, as your needs will change as your disease progresses. We have providers who are certified in both BIG/LSVT and PWR! Moves Therapies, as well as providers with extensive experience working with the Americans with Parkinson’s Disease Association, who are here to help you every step of the way. Whether you choose 1:1 At-Home Therapy or join us for one of our Power over Parkinson’s Group Fitness Classes, we want to help you feel and function at your best.

To request an Free Phone Consultation to see How Healthy Aging PT can help you, click the button below:

To learn more about our Power over Parkinson’s Group Fitness Class, click the button below:

To learn more about BIG/LSVT & PWR! Moves Parkinson’s Therapy, click here the button below:

Healthy Aging Tip of the Week - FALL PREVENTION !

ALWAYS TELL YOUR DOCTOR IF YOU'VE HAD A FALL - ESPECIALLY IF YOU HIT YOUR HEAD !!!

Only about half of all falls are reported to the right people (doctors, therapist or the ER.) This means half of all people are putting themselves at risk of head injury or death.

Bob Saget was back in the news this week after autopsy reports showed his cause of death was likely a fall, that caused a brain bleed. Initially, it seemed like he may have fallen backwards, thought nothing of it, and went back to sleep. However, given the fact that he had fractures at the back and front of his skull, it looks more like he had a BIG fall (down a set of stairs, possibly?) and this likely caused what is called a coup contrecoup head injury. These types of injuries can cause major swelling that can put pressure on the respiration centers and other critical areas of the brain. At best, they may cause temporary brain damage that can be reversed with the proper care (draining, shunting, surgery etc), but at worst, they can cause permanent brain damage or death.

As we age, blood vessels become more friable, and taking aspirin or other blood thinners make it more likely to have bleeding in the brain if you hit your head. This is why it is CRITICALLY important that you report any fall in which you hit your head to your doctor right away. I can’t say this LOUD ENOUGH. If you fall, and hit your head, PLEASE TELL YOUR DOCTOR OR VISIT AN ER! There are plenty of good reason to report falls, but this is arguably the most important. Even if you fall, and feel fine, and don’t hit your head, it is still a good idea to let your doctor know. Why? So they can call helpful people like ME to come check your balance, assess your fall risk and help you make a game plan that will help you stay on your feet (and be ready to land safely if you do head for the floor!).

Healthy Aging Physical Therapy takes pride in not only teaching our patients how to prevent falls, but how to be PREPARED for them. Chances are, if you’ve fallen once, you’ll fall again (#facts), so you are better of being ready for it, than going through life scared or trying to avoid any and all potentially fall-causing scenarios (when a new patient tells me proudly ‘oh I haven’t fallen, but I’m REALLY careful’ I know we have problem…). There are ways we can teach you to fall SAFELY with reduced risk of head injuries and fractures, and ways we can teach you to GET BACK UP so you can get on with your day.

There are three questions you can ask yourself to help determine if you are at risk for falls - and whether you may benefit from seeing a physical therapist for fall risk assessment and a course of therapy:

1. Have you had a fall in the last year?

   (If you’ve had a fall, you are 3x more likely to have another).

2. Do you feel unsteady while standing or walking?

   (This speaks to your balance perception - lack of balance confidence, leads to increased risk of falls)

3. Do you worry about falling?

   (Fear of falling = fear avoidance behaviors = reduced activity = increased risk of falls)

If you answered YES to any of these, we would LOVE to help you. And I’m not just saying this to drum up business (we are full and waitlisted!) but seeing stories in the news like Bob Saget’s untimely death just reminds me how important it is to spread the message that FALLS ARE AVOIDABLE and everyone deserves the chance to live life without fear of falling.

Actual Healthy Aging patient REDUCING her risk for falls!

If you are reading this and we don’t see patients in your area, reach out anyways - I’d be happy to try to help you find a good physical therapist near you. There are also GREAT resources out there for education on Fall Prevention and Fall Preparedness, including the CDC STEADI programs which we use to drive our fall assessment and intervention and the Stay on Your Feet AU program, that has some great printable resources.

If you live in and around Wakefield, Massachusetts, consider joining me at the new FUNctional Fitness class starting up at the Wakefield Council on Aging. We’ll meet every Tuesdays from 9-10AM staring March 1st to work on increasing our strength and balance exercises so we can stay ACTIVE and RESILIENT and FALL-FREE. This class is FREE for the month of March, and registration is required ahead of time by calling (781) 245-3312.

If you live further out, or prefer to take classes virtually, I also offer Strong Bones, Strong Life classes through the Steinberg Center for Mind and Body. These classes run in 8-week sessions and are offered Mondays from 1:15-2:15PM and Thursdays from 9-10AM. Focused on Osteoporosis Prevention and Management, we work on strength, postural control and balance designed to improve bone health and prevent falls and fall-related injuries. Next session starts up in March, and we kick off with a FREE Strong Bones, Strong Life workshop on March 3rd, from 7-8PM.

So, remember, if you’ve had a fall, don’t let pride or embarrassment get in your way of saving your life! Let your doctor know ASAP so they can make sure you’re okay and help you get on the path to Fall Preparedness!

See, therapy isn’t that bad…we actually have FUN!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

📆Upcoming Events:

🌟POWER over Parkinson's Class - Wednesdays 10:30-11:30 @ the Americal Civic Center in Wakefield, MA

🌟Strong Bones, Strong Life - Mondays 1:15-2:15PM and Thursdays 9-10AM Online through Steinberg Wellness

🌟Staying STEADI - Starting April 2022!

🌟FUNctional Fitness - Tuesdays 9-10AM @ the Wakefield Council on Aging staring March 1st, 2022

🔗Learn more @ www.healthyagingpt.com/classes

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

⭐️Ready to schedule an Evaluation with a Healthy Aging Physical Therapist? ⭐

📞Call or Text: (617) 851 5315

📧Email: Katie@HealthyAgingPT.com

📝or Click the Button below request a Consultation Phone call:

Healthy Aging Made Simple in Five Easy Steps

Searching the Internet trying to figure out the secret to Healthy Aging? Spoiler Alert: you’re probably looking too hard.

If there is one thing we can’t avoid, it’s aging. Every day, every minute, every second…you, me and everyone around us is getting older. Whether you’re 30, 50 or 85, the decisions we make every day contribute to the trajectory of our aging process. While we’re all guilty of trying to find the easy answer, the bad news is that Healthy Aging is a lifestyle, not a magic pill. The good news is that solution is actually pretty simple, and truth be told, you probably already know the answer. And if you don’t…don’t worry, I got you covered:)

Step One: Get Better Sleep.

If you’ve ever tried to get through the day after a bad night’s sleep, you know this one is a no-brainer. Sleep is the time our bodies use to repair, restore and refresh for the next day. Besides the obvious effect your energy levels, if we routinely function on reduced sleep quantity or quality, we increase our overall stress and systemic inflammation levels. Systemic inflammation predisposes us not only to short-term illnesses like colds and the flu, but to bigger issues like Covid-19 and chronic diseases like Diabetes, Heart Disease and Cancer. Sleep is also highly correlated to the experience of pain. Experiencing chronic back or joint pain? Look at your sleep habits first. Sometimes, simply getting better quality rest can help our bodies heal without unnecessary trips to the doctor, without taking extra pills or other visiting other healthcare practitioners. Want to get a better night’s sleep? Try these helpful hints:

1. Create a Sleep Routine: We sleep better when our body knows it is time to sleep and when it is time to wake. Try to go to bed at the same time each night, and wake at the same time each day. Keep your bed a sleep-only zone: plug your phone elsewhere, avoid watching TV in bed, keep it dark and keep temperatures comfortably cool. When it’s time to get up, open the shades, turn on the lights and get up like you mean it.

2. Exercise More: I’m jumping ahead, but among the many benefits of regular exercise is improved sleep. If you struggle to sleep at night, exercise earlier in the day than later. Endorphin release can ramp you up and keep you from falling asleep easily.

3. Avoid Sleep-Disruptors: Avoid late-in-the day caffeine, alcohol and tobacco. These substances can mess with your sleep cycle and add to overnight restlessness.

Step Two: Eat Quality Food, Hydrate Often, Avoid the Toxins and Get Outside

Eat more plants, make high-quality proteins part of every meal, choose healthy whole-grain carbohydrates and minimize added sugars. That’s it. Done. Literally, like you don’t need to read any further. It’s that simple. You don’t have to research the perfect diet for arthritis, or heart disease or to lose weight. While certain conditions require more specific modifications to your diet, ie. if you are Diabetic or on a blood thinner, generally speaking, this type of diet will cover your bases. Put simply, if it comes from the ground, eat it. If it’s made in a plant, avoid it. Try to make most meals at home from foods you can find in the periphery at the grocery store or your local farmer’s market. Simply making an effort to eat less processed food can considerably improve your diet. Being mindful to choose fruits and veggies of all different colors (Eat the Rainbow) will virtually guarantee you get the minerals and nutrients you need to support your overall health without further supplementation.

Drink water, all day long. We are made up of 70% water. If we are dehydrated, our body will find ways to find balance. We’ll retain water, get bloated, stop urinating regularly and overall, we wind up feeling like crap. Do yourself a favor and drink a full glass of water when you first wake up and try to get at least 6-8 more in through out the day.

Get outside! Getting 15-20 minutes outdoors each day can help you absorb the Vitamin D that helps support Calcium absorption for strong bones. In general, the more extreme the diet, the less likely we are to be able to maintain it - so choose a lifestyle that supports quality, unprocessed food choices most of the time, but allows you the flexibility to enjoy the foods that bring you joy a few times a week.

Step Three: Move Your Body Every Day

Our bodies are not created to sit still. We come from hunters and gatherers and we are made to move throughout the day. Sedentary lifestyles contribute to all TEN of the most common diseases associated with aging, and making regular exercise a part of your every day life can decrease your chances of early death by up to 35%. Imagine if you went to your doctor and they said, ''Hey, good news: There is this new pill. There are no side effects, it’s free and it will decrease your chance of dying by 35%.’ Would you take it? OF COURSE. Well guess what, that magic pill is exercise. And just like the nutrition advice above, you don’t have to be perfect, and you don’t have to spend any more time researching the best workout for A, B or Z. You just need to move. Every day. Want more specifics? Aim to meet the American College of Sports Medicine Guidelines for American Adults:

• Aerobic Exercise: 150 to 300 Minutes of Moderate to Vigorous Physical Activity each week.

• Strength: Incorporate regular strengthening to maintain your bone density, to regulate your blood sugar and prevent falls and fragility. Try to perform Functional Strengthening activities 2-3x/week for 20-30 minutes each session. Work hard! Make sure you feel challenged. Lifting something you can lift easily will not make you stronger. Working to 5-8/10 on a Rate of Perceived Exertion is the key to increasing your muscle strength.

• Balance and Flexibility: Choose activities to promote better balance and flexibility. Classes like Tai-Chi, Yoga and Balance Classes are a great option for this.

• Also, keep getting on and off the floor. Trust me on this one. Your future-self will thank me.

Step Four: Be Proactive, not Reactive, to your Health

I’ve been working with older adults for the majority of my career as a Physical Therapist. To say I’m surprised when one of my patients is only on one medication or a multivitamin is an understatement. The vast majority of patients I see are on at least 5-10 daily medications. Polypharmacy contributes to an increased fall risk, and while medications are necessary for many people to manage their chronic medical conditions, if we were more PROACTIVE about managing our risk factors for chronic diseases than REACTIVE once we are diagnosed with them, we would be a much healthier community. Listen to your doctors; if they suggest lifestyle changes that could lower your risk of getting chronic diseases, do it! If they suggest changes that seem overwhelming or impossible, tell them. Push them to help you find solutions. There are so many wonderful resources out there to support Healthy Aging, but we, as a profession, need to to better to connect our aging adults to these interventions. Physical Therapists of often seen as the Healers or Fixers. But guess what? I’d MUCH rather be a Preventer. Might kill my job security, but I’d much rather see someone BEFORE the problem arises than AFTER.

Step Five: Keep it Simple and Keep it Consistent.

This one’s for you, Google-Internet-Searcher. Put the mouse down and listen to me loud and clear: You do not have to be perfect. You do not have to change your entire life. You do not have to be the Best all of the time. But you do have to take Action. If nothing changes, nothing changes. It’s so simple, but so true. And you’ll be far more successful if you focus on one thing at a time - something you know you are able and ready to change. One of my favorite sayings is to focus on the step ahead, not the entire staircase. Write it down and make a plan. Simply taking five minutes over your morning coffee to identify your goal or your focus for the week, and identifying a few actionable steps you can follow to reach it, can make all the difference in the world. It doesn’t have to be fancy and you don’t need to labor over it. Pick one of these steps, think about two to three things you can do to work towards it and take ACTION!

Optimal Aging - and my Dad.

“Optimal Aging is the capacity to function across many domains - physical, functional, cognitive, emotional, social and spiritual - to one’s satisfaction and IN SPITE of one’s medical conditions.”

While there are a few different interpretations of healthy aging out there, I find the definition of Optimal Aging to align best with my own interpretation. Two little words - in spite - make all the difference in separating this concept of healthy aging from the rest. My whole professional career involves helping people live their lives to the fullest, IN SPITE of whatever medical conditions they may be experiencing. 

My dad, William Levine, is an incredible example of Optimal Aging. This guy worked incredibly hard as a lawyer throughout my entire childhood to support our family, put my sister and I through college, and myself through graduate school, and as you can imagine, his health often came last. However, with an empty nest and more time on his hands after he left his busy divorce practice to start a private mediation practice, he started working out more. He lost weight, started spinning, and doing strength training regularly. He got more fit and as a result, more healthy.

However, fast forward a few years and I got a phone call that he was in an ICU in California, having had a stroke, on an airplane, on December 18th, 2018. He told me later he was in the bathroom, noticed half his vision was gone, and by the time he got back to his seat, was slumped over on my step mom, hemiplegic and unable to communicate. 

He spent less than a week at that hospital, and thank god, was discharged with a near full recovery of strength and function. He was, however, eventually diagnosed with a Patent Foramen Ovale (PFO), which was likely the cause of the emboli that travelled into his brain and caused the stroke. He was put on a statin and blood thinners, until he was able to have heart surgery, in 2019, to patch the hole. If you’re from New England and this sounds like a familiar story, you may be thinking back to Tedy Bruschi, who experienced the same type of stroke, at the age of 31, back in 2005.

But back to Optimal Aging. Despite this setback, my dad got back to his workout routine as quick as he could. Currently, he rides 60-80 miles a week on his bike, does regular strengthening exercises - and now that he is finally retired, fills his days working for Habitat for Humanity building houses. Like legit, actually building the houses. The pics above were snapped this weekend, during a 22 mile bike ride we went on together as we trained for the upcoming Best Buddy Challenge. Though most of the day I spent looking at his back as I worked to keep up with him, he was kind enough to slow his pace to let his thirty-something year old daughter keep up. 

If you’re interested in donating to our upcoming ride, click here:

Best Buddy Challenge Donation Page

If you’re interested in aging Optimally, put your fitness first. Find a way to make regular physical activity not only part of your routine, but a daily priority. Don’t let your medical conditions, fears of movement, pain or disability prevent you from living the best life you can.