Celebrating 25 years! 

   

                                          

 

  McDonald Physical Therapy News 

January 2014 

 

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 Contact us at (574)233-5754

Fran's Favorite Quotes

 

"It's Kind of Fun to do the Impossible!"

  
 MPT Blood Drive
  
Monday
January 13th, 10:30-2:00
Stop by and
be a Hero!
 Walk-ins welcome
  

    

MPT's Referral Program is Back!!! 

 

January-March when you refer a friend or a family member,

MPT will give you a choice of the following prizes!

 

$25 Gift Card to one of these:

*Martin's Grocery Store

 *Metro Run/Walk

*Ginger Valley

*Starbucks Coffee

 

That's not all!

Your name will then be entered to win a BIG CASH PRIZE

to be drawn on Tuesday April 1st

  

Winter Walk 2014

February 16th

 

Join the MPT team and help

St. Margaret's House improve the lives of women who struggle with economic poverty.

 

Dear Friends,

 

I would like to thank my family and staff, friends, physicians, case workers, businesses and local non-for-profit organizations for supporting McDonald Physical Therapy for the past 25 years.
  
As I look back, I am overcome with a feeling of thankfulness. Thankfulness for the many friendships I have been blessed to develop, with staff, patients and all who have become part of the McDonald Physical Therapy family.
  
I believe with all my heart that the stories patients have shared with me over these 25 years have helped me to become a more compassionate person and leader. If you were to ask our veteran staff members if I have changed over this past quarter of a century, they would tell you that I have become a much softer person. Is it my age? Maybe so, as I began treating patients in the Michiana Community at 35 and am now a month away from my 60th birthday! Have I become more understanding as a result of all of the physical and emotional struggles our patients have had to overcome? I think it is an absolute yes to both of those questions. Life has a way of giving us opportunities to learn from our struggles and successes, and I can say with certainty and clarity that my path was never easy or obvious.
  
I would have bet my last dime after graduating from Notre Dame in 1976, that I would ever return to South Bend Indiana. I would have never guessed, when I left New York in 1982 to move to North Carolina, as a new physical therapist, that I would have taken the path that I did. When moving from North Carolina to Chicago 2 years later, I would have never known that I would learn so much from working around exceptional orthopedists, physicians, physical therapists and strength condition staff members. I would have never known that my knowledge working with the Chicago Bears, Black Hawks and high school athletes in the western suburbs of Chicago, would stimulate my interest to want to develop my own culture of physical therapy. A culture directed more toward the holistic person and rarely at just a person' s physical injury.
  
So, as I sit on this very cold day in January 2014, I can honestly tell you that I didn't plan to build McDonald Physical Therapy to the physical size it now has become. All I did was respond to the needs that I saw in our patients and community.
  
I believe we have and will continue to try our best to respond to the needs of our patients. We will continue to answer our phones with people and not machines. We will continue to see our patients from 7:00 am to 8:00 pm because our patients have different needs and schedules. We will continue to come in on Saturdays and Sundays when we think we can help a patient better handle the severity of their pain and possibly help them avoid surgery.
  
These areas are part of who we are. They are part of our culture. I hope we are here serving you, your children and grandchildren for many years to come!
  
Thanks so much for allowing us to be your physical therapy provider.
  
Thanks so much for a wonderful 25 years!
 
Enjoy the journey,
Fran 

 

  

 

    

 Strategies to Safely and Successfully Improve Fitness

 

Each January, Americans rush back to the gym determined to burn off holiday season calories and work toward New Year's resolutions to get into shape. Unfortunately, various studies indicate that more than half of those who join a gym or fitness club will drop out within 3-6 months. One common reason is injury.

 

Avoiding Overtraining Injuries

No matter the activity (running, swimming, weight lifting, etc), when working to improve your fitness you need to push yourself in order to see results. But pushing yourself too hard can result in injuries that are detrimental to your fitness goals. Here are some tips to avoid overtraining injuries:

 

-Don't increase exercise difficulty level too quickly. Exercise needs to be progressed steadily at a gradual pace. Following a structured plan that increases your activity incrementally and safely can help you stay healthy and pain free.

For example:

-For running, increasing difficulty may include increasing speed, running up or downhill, increasing duration, and use of intervals, where you alternate intensity over time.

-For resistance training, increasing difficulty may include increased weight, repetitions, sets, and decreasing the amount of time to perform the same amount of exercise.

-Pay attention to your body.Your body is smart. If it feels like you are developing signs of overtraining, then take a break, lessen your activity, or rest.

-Ease into it. Particularly if you are new to fitness or altering your exercise activities, take it slow. Don't expect to make up for several months of inactivity with a few weeks of exercise. Aim for long-term consistency, not overnight success. People who try to do too much too soon often end up injured or frustrated and give up on their fitness goals altogether.

-Take a break. If you have a scheduled rest day in your plan, use it, you've earned it! Your bones, joints, and muscles need rest days to stay healthy.

-Get rest. Recent studies are supporting the important role of sleep in the health of active people and athletes. This is when our bodies' build and repair and our immune system recovers.

-Eat well. Proper nutrition is essential to the health of your body. Do not severely restrict calories when exercising. Make sure to eat proper nutrients, including plenty of lean meats, fruits and vegetables.

 

How will a physical therapist help me meet

my fitness goals?

Physical therapists are movement experts, and work with people of all ages and levels of activity. During a visit, a physical therapist can:

-Check your flexibility, strength, and endurance of muscles to support your desired level of activity.

-Ensure that symptoms are due to overuse or overtraining and not something more serious.

-Identify training errors to ensure a safe fitness plan, no matter your previous level of activity.

-Correct biomechanical problems in form with your chosen activity to avoid overuse of a susceptible body part.

-Provide appropriate training plan to minimize risk of injury and help you safely meet your fitness goals.

 

If getting back in shape is on your resolution list, make an appointment to see a physical therapist at 574-233-5754.

 

*Moveforwardpt.com 12/31/2013

 

 

  
 
At McDonald Physical Therapy, we are dedicated to:
  1. Bringing positive energy to everyone.
  2. Being organized and efficient.
  3. Communicating with empathy and encouragement.
  4. Seeking continuous improvement.
  5. Serving others