Reddy-Care Insight- The New York Times

The Well Blog in the August 19th edition of THE NEW YORK TIMES featured a story focusing on methods for healing hamstring and other injuries. An insightful follow-up comment, provided by Allen Eshmoili (PT,OCS) of Reddy-Care, was featured in the TIMES:

"Study after study shows that eccentric muscle strengthening (as mentioned in the article) is very effective in healing all sorts of tendinitis, from tennis elbow and rotator cuff, to achilles tendon. As a Physical Therapist at Reddy-Care Physical Therapy in Great Neck, NY we use a combination of manual therapy treatments that work well together to speed up recovery. Besides the traditional stretch and strengthen routine, we use a technique called Strain-Counterstrain which helps facilitate healing by relaxing injured and spasmed muscles in 90 seconds. The technique is pain free and usually allows the person to get out of the pain, allowing the range of motion to be restored before beginning the strengthening phase. Check it out on You Tube; It's very cool!

By the way,tendonitis is a misnomer. Studies show that there really is no inflammatory process in the tissue ("itis"), but there is degeneration, therefore the term should be tendinosis. As a matter of fact, stubborn/chronic cases are best reated with surgical removal of the degenerated tissue, after traditional rehab has failed. So it's best to seek a physical therapist as soon as symptoms appear, rather than wait-and-see."

Schools Bells Are Ringing- Watch Your Kids' Backs !

Summer is winding down. The school year is looming. Kids and parents are gearing up,stuffing those familiar backpacks with heavy books and other supplies. One thing to remember- and it is too often overlooked- is that heavy books and improperly worn backpacks can put kids at risk for back and shoulder injury. The American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) recommends that children carry no more than 15% of their body weight on their backs. Heed that advice, and get the school year off to a safe start!

Reddy-Care Speaks ...

A presentation highlighting physical therapy and its role in wellness for seniors will take place at 10:15 am on Thursday, September 24, at the Clearview Senior Center in Bayside, Queens. The Senior Center is located at 208-11 26th Avenue in Bayside.

The featured speaker will be Allen Eshmoili (PT,MPT,OCS,CSCS) of Reddy-Care. Allen's topics will include safe and effective exercise and physical activity for the aging adult. He speaks frequently to senior groups on similar subjects. For information call us at 516-829-0030 or the Senior Center at 718-224-7888.

Shout-Out to AP Striders

Last Thursday evening, Dr. Vinod Somareddy (DPT) addressed the August meeting of the AP Striders, a walking/running club based at Alley Pond Park in Bayside. AP Striders is a community-based club started nearly 30 years ago. There was a nice turnout on hand for the talk on a warm summer's night. Topics included common runners' injuries and ways to prevent or appropriately rehab them. Everyone there, including Vinod, seemed to enjoy the lively Q&A session. Thanks to the AP Striders for being such great hosts !

Seniors- Safeguarding Against Falls

The "Well" Blog in a recent edition of The New York Times included an interesting story about the need for seniors to "senior proof" their homes. The article raised some very legitimate concerns, with so many accidents happening in the home. Falls, in particular, are a very serious problem for seniors. In fact, they are the leading cause of injury deaths among people 65 years or older. In the United States one of every three people this age falls each year. Of all fractures from falls, hip fractures cause the greatest number of deaths and lead to the most severe health problems.

In our physical therapy practice , we regularly perform balance and risk of fall assessments for many of the seniors among our patients. In addition, we advise them to reduce their risk of falling by: maintaining a regular program of exercise; making the living area in their homes safer by removing tripping hazards and installing grab bars/handrails; and asking their doctors to review their medications to minimize side effects and interactions. We recommend these steps to safeguard members of our senior population, and are pleased to pass along any ingenious ideas for "senior proofing" homes to these patients.


- Vinod Somareddy (DPT)