Importance of Rehabilitation After Surgery

No matter what type of surgery one undergoes it is essential to follow up your recovery with proper exercise and therapy. Rehabilitation is an important phase that helps patients get the most benefit possible from their surgery.

Patients that have had particular orthopedic operations like: spine surgeries, hip or knee replacements, rotator cuff tears or ankle reconstructions will require post surgery rehabilitation.

Rehabilitation increases muscle strength, flexibility and endurance while lowering the risk of developing any further injury. Proper rehabilitation can help patients recover from any type of surgery as quickly as possible, and get you back to normal daily activities. This steady improvement is important, as failure to improve in both strength and flexibility may cause continued weakness and the inability to function normally.

Due to injury and surgery, your body becomes weak and vulnerable. Postsurgical rehabilitation and therapy can take time and sometimes be a painful process. With specific exercises and strength building sessions, the repaired area can begin to strengthen and make the pain decline.

According to Dr. Stephen Estime "The importance of rehab after a surgery is the most important factor to getting back to a place of stable health and assured complete recovery. There is no doubt many other health care professionals can support this notion and as a leading doctor for The University of Chicago Medicine I believe the quality of the rehab being optimal will allow every patient to see better days again"

Therapy can be implemented quickly after a simple procedure.  Treatments start out with range-of-motion exercises and gradually work into active stretching and strengthening. You just need to be careful to avoid doing too much, too hastily.

Many patients often ask their doctors if and when they can return to certain activities after their undergoing surgery. A lot of that depends on how much time and effort they put into the rehabilitation process. The success in recovery from any surgery depends on a patient’s willingness to work hard.

If you exceed the rehab exercises in hopes of making a faster recovery, you may cause damage on the repaired area. Sometimes, pushing too hard can delay the recovery process. In worst-case scenarios it may also compromise the surgical repair, which definitely is a big problem.

Before starting rehab or therapy, talk with a specialist first since not all methods may be suitable for your individual condition.  If you would like to know more about the importance of rehabilitation, or if you are suffering from an orthopedic injury and would like to be treated by a professional Florida orthopedic doctor, contact SeaSpine Orthopedic Institute today at (http://www.seaspineortho.com/) or call  866-816-ORTHO.If you follow an advised rehabilitation plan, combined with proper rest and an overall approach to healthy living, your quality of life will be better.

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Sea Spine Florida Orthopedic Institute Welcomes Dr. Phillip A. Pullen

Sea Spine Orthopedic Institute, the leading Florida orthopedic spine treatment center is excited to welcome Dr. Phillip A. Pullen, board certified Osteopathic Physician, to its team.

Dr. Pullen joins Sea Spine Orthopedic Institute and will be responsible in providing full-time orthopedic services and sports injury treatment. As an expert in the latest orthopedic procedures and techniques, Dr. Phillip A. Pullen focuses in providing patient treatment for problems caused by stress or injury. Specializing in arthroscopic procedures, ligament reconstruction, and hip & knee replacement.

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For more information or to make an appointment with Dr. Pullen, please contact Sea Spine Orthopedic Institute at 866-816-7846 or visit http://www.seaspineortho.com like us on Sea Spine Facebook and follow us on Sea Spine Twitter

The Benefits of Stretching

As you age, your muscles tighten and the range of motion in your joints diminishes. This can limit your active lifestyle or make normal day-to-day activities harder. People notice that tasks that were simple before, now become extremely difficult.

Florida orthopedic specialists,  Sea Spine Orthopedic Institute say that stretching is just about the simplest of all physical activities. Children, teenagers, adults and senior citizens can improve their body’s health by stretching.

“Stretching is one element of fitness that is often neglected until pain or discomfort set in, yet a small investment of time every day can lead to improved flexibility and greater performance in all aspects of life. Says Dr. Griffes Author of Stretching for Life Today's sedentary lifestyle leads to lack of movement, which in turn, leads to adaptive shortening of your muscles. This muscle shortening can influence your balance and coordination, along with strength and agility. Daily or nightly stretching of muscles helps alleviate muscular aches and pains and reduces the risk of injury. Stretching different muscle groups throughout the day helps keep you relaxed and alert. Consider adding stretching into your daily diet of health and fitness”. The benefits of stretching for your wellbeing include:

Increases Flexibility

Flexibility is the point in which an individual’s muscle will lengthen to. Lack of flexibility makes your movement slower and less fluid.  Lack of flexibility makes you more susceptible to muscle strains, and other soft tissue injuries. Stretching can avoid this.

Balance and Coordination.

The increased flexibility that occurs from adequate stretching improves balance and coordination. Improved balance and coordination lowers your risk for falls,  better agility and quicker reflexes.

Better circulation

Stretching increases blood flow to your muscles. Blood flowing to your muscles brings nutrition and gets rid of unwanted byproducts from the muscle tissue. Better circulation can help shorten recovery time,  if you've had muscle injuries.

Lower Cholesterol
Prolonged stretching exercises will help reduce the cholesterol in your body. Of course this must be supplemented  with a healthy diet. This  could prevent and even setback the clotting of the arteries, allowing you to avoid heart problems.

Improving Posture

Poor posture, which has developed over time, can be attributed to muscle imbalances. A good example is, people who hunch over a computer for long periods of time tend to shorten the chest muscles. Stretching these muscles can help to improve posture. Stretching is also beneficial in reducing lower back pain and future injuries.

Stress relief

Muscle tightness is often linked to stress. Our body tends to tighten up when stressed. Stretching relaxes these muscles. A good example of this is the neck muscles.

Reduces Fatigue

When muscles are tight one becomes tired more quickly. This fatigue decreases mental and physical performance. Stretching can help with this. You may have notice that if you have been sitting in a particular position for a long time, you stretch unconsciously, this is the body fighting fatigue.

Audrey Phillips Green, fitness professional says “I must confess that stretching is not my favorite thing to do. I would rather perform an intense cardio routine than stretching. Do I skip stretching due to the fact that I do not enjoy it? Of course not, and I will give you the reasons why. Stretching increases the body’s range of motion; therefore a person’s athletic performance is increased. Moreover, the risk of injury is greatly reduced when one incorporates stretching into their daily routine. During a stretch, the muscle fibers are lengthened which creates greater ease of movement; thereby, improving coordination and posture and decreasing muscle soreness and lower back pain. Not only is stretching awesome for your muscles; it has been proven to reduce stress and anxiety. The perfect example I can give is my dog. The first thing he does when he wakes up in the morning is stretch, and he lives a totally carefree life. So, get to stretching people and enjoy your life!”

If you have an injury or any type of recurring soreness see a doctor or back professional quickly. Stretching is not intended to cure serious problems. If you have pain of a repetitive strain injury, some damage has already been done.

If you're looking for professional and experienced high-rated Florida orthopedic surgeons, contact Sea Spine Orthopedic Institute today at    

http://www.seaspineortho.com/ or call  866-816-ORTHO.

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Sea Spine Orthopedic Institute Sports Injury Prevention

Now that school is back in session it’s also that time of the year when many people start practicing sports. If you’re getting back into a healthy exercise routine or your children are joining a sports team, precautions should be taken in order to avoid injuries.

According to statistics from the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) around this time last year approximately 1.2 million sustained football-related injuries in the US and more than 581,400 treated for injuries related to soccer.

Exercising and practicing sports are ideal for building strong muscles,  healthy bones and keeping in shape. But, before you go out and start training, here are some safety tips from Sea Spine orthopedic Institute you should consider:

• Stretch - Before starting any exercise don’t forget to stretch and incorporate strength training. A good stretch should be held for 10-12 seconds and not go beyond the point of resistance. This helps muscle flexibility and avoids cramping.

• Hydrate – Drink liquids to keep energized and minimize cramps. 

• Know your limits - Be aware of any health issues you may have and consider your age when determining your abilities before practicing a sport. Don’t rush into it, start at a beginner’s level and work your way up.

• Mix-it–up - If you practice a certain sport, try playing multiple positions. During the off-season, try different sports to minimize injuries that can be caused from overuse of a certain muscle or joint.

• Don’t over do it - Listen to your body, if pain or discomfort develops reduce training time and intensity. This will decrease the risk of injury and help avoid exhaustion. Studies suggest that reducing the number of consecutive days of exercising can lower the risk of injury. Recovery time gives muscles and joints an opportunity to rest and repair themselves between workouts.

• Don't play through the pain -  If you start to feel discomfort, pain or you have any concerns about injuries, speak with an orthopedic sports medicine specialist.

Not all injuries can be prevented, however many can be avoided. Experts suggest that injury rates could be reduced by 25% if people took appropriate preventative action.

Proper chiropractic care is a very effective way to avoid and treat any sports related injuries. If you or someone you know is experiencing pains or discomfort from a injury, it may be a good time to get checked by a local chiropractor. If you're looking for professional and experienced high-rated Florida orthopedic surgeons, contact Sea Spine Orthopedic Institute today at (http://www.seaspineortho.com/) or call  866-816-ORTHO.

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Florida Orthopedic: Properly Wearing a Backpack

Now that school is back in session Florida Orthopedic Sea Spine Orthopedic Institute would like to remind parents on the importance of children correctly wearing their backpacks this school year. Many children and even some adults think its trendy to wear only one strap, but according to many studies to wear a backpack slung over one shoulder or riding low on your back can lead to shoulder pain and future posture problems.

Contrary to popular belief, it's not just the weight of the backpack that’s harmful, but how it's carried. To prevent back problems and future pains, individuals should use backpacks as they were designed to be worn, with two straps, and high on their backs. It has been shown that wearing the backpack low on your back, the pressure was significantly higher than when wearing it correctly high on the back.

According to the American Academy of Orthopedics, children's backpacks should weigh no more than 15% of their body weight. At Sea Spine Orthopedic Institute we understand that many people may not realize that they are hurting themselves while wearing their backpacks incorrectly. Here are some recommendations from Florida orthopedic Sea Spine Orthopedic Institute for choosing the right backpack and using it correctly.

Choose the right sized pack: The backpack should fit between the top or your child’s shoulders and lower back. 

Proper Straps: Adjustable shoulder straps help distribute the weight of the backpack better across the shoulders and chest. This ensures the backpack can be worn comfortably against the person’s body.  There should not be a gap between the backpack and your body.

Distribute the weight get a backpack made of lightweight materials, and if you can make sure it has various small compartments to distribute the weight.

Time limit. One should wear the backpack for 30 minutes or less. Unless you’re on an all-day hike.

Get in Shape: Exercising and staying fit can increase your strength and ability to carry heavy backpacks, which will reduce your chance of injury. Even if it’s not for wearing a backpack staying healthy is essential.  

Proper chiropractic care is a very effective way to get rid of your child’s backpack related pain.  If your child is experiencing back and neck pain or headaches, it may be a good time to get checked by a local chiropractor. If you're looking for professional and experienced high-rated Florida orthopedic surgeons, contact SeaSpine Orthopedic Institute today at (http://www.seaspineortho.com/) or call  866-816-ORTHO.

How to Prevent Injuries for Runners

We all hopefully like to keep in shape, or at least try to.  However, in our chase of perfect health a lot of times we injure ourselves further.  Runners and Joggers in particular are highly susceptible to leg injuries that take place over time that you can be unaware of until it is too late.  Here are a few simple warm up exercises that help prevent well know injuries that runners can become susceptible to.

Exercise 1: Heel Walking & Big toe Raisers

This exercise helps to prevent shin splints.  Shin splints are one of the more common types of injuries runners can have. They are acute pains in the shin and lower leg caused by prolonged running, typically on hard surfaces.

Heel Walking & Big Toe Raises Exercise Video

Exercise 2: Calf Drops

This exercise helps to prevent Achilles tendinitis.  Achilles tendinitis is when the Achilles tendon becomes swollen, inflamed, and painful at the heel.

Calf Drop Exercise Video

Exercise 3: Arch Raisers

This exercise helps to prevent plantar fasciitis.  Plantar Fasciitis is inflammation of the thick tissue on the bottom of the foot.

Arch Raisers Exercise Video

Exercise 4: Side Leg Raisers

This exercise helps to prevent IT Band Syndrome.  Iliotibial band syndrome is a common injury to the knee, generally associated with running.  It causes symptoms such as knee pain and tenderness when walking, running or using stairs.

Side Leg Raisers Exercise Video

Exercise 5: Half Squats on a Downward Slope

This exercise helps to prevent runner’s knee.  As the name states, runner’s knee is a very common ailment for runners and refers to the progressive erosion of the articular cartilage of the knee joint. 

Half Squats on a Downward Slope Video

With these five warm up exercises you can save yourself from potentially bad injuries and make sure your running helps to maintain a healthy and prolonged life.

If you're looking for professional experienced high-rated orthopedic surgeons in South Florida, contact Sea Spine Orthopedic Institute today with any questions
at 866-816-ORTHO.


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