When your healthcare professional recommends Occupational Therapy (OT) for you or your loved one, it can be difficult to grasp the full scope and impact of this therapeutic intervention. In this blog, we’ll shed light on the essence of OT, what it means, and how it can bring about positive transformations in the lives of those involved. Let’s dive deeper into the realm of OT and discover its potential for improving everyday functioning.

Defining Occupational Therapy

If we consult the official definition provided by the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA, 2021), Occupational Therapy is described as follows:

“The practice of occupational therapy means the therapeutic use of everyday life occupations with persons, groups, or populations (clients) to support occupational performance and participation.”

Decoding the Meaning of Occupational Therapy

From my perspective as a highly-skilled Occupational Therapist, I believe that OT is a powerful tool for enhancing functional abilities in daily life. However, it is important to note that the specific goals and methods employed in OT vary from person to person, depending on their unique needs and personal values. This versatile therapy approach encompasses various facets, including sensory regulation, fostering independence in activities of daily living, and enabling individuals to engage in meaningful occupations, with or without adaptive equipment.

Adapting to Individual Needs

One of the remarkable aspects of OT is its adaptability to address the diverse needs of different populations. The landscape of OT differs significantly when working with children versus adults, or when dealing with conditions such as autism or cerebral palsy, and even within sensory-seeking or sensory-avoiding individuals. This adaptability is what makes OT both challenging and exciting. Gone are the days of seeking a definitive answer, as the beauty of OT lies in its flexibility to tailor interventions to suit each client’s specific requirements.

The Expansive Scope of Occupational Therapy

Occupational Therapy encompasses a vast array of areas where improvement can be achieved. Whether it is addressing feeding difficulties, attention deficits, fine motor skills, gross motor skills, directional tasking, regulation, range of motion, strength building, coordination, rhythm, or activities of daily living (ADLs) and instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs) like dressing and cooking, Occupational Therapists possess the expertise and knowledge to make a meaningful impact. The breadth of the profession is truly extensive, enabling us to tackle various challenges faced by our clients and empower them to enhance their performance and participation in valued activities.

Occupational Therapy is a multifaceted discipline that empowers individuals to regain or enhance their abilities to engage in meaningful occupations. By leveraging everyday life activities, Occupational Therapists help their clients improve their overall functioning and independence. The adaptability and expansive scope of OT make it a remarkable profession, capable of addressing a wide range of challenges across diverse populations. If you or someone you know is recommended Occupational Therapy, rest assured that this powerful intervention can positively transform lives, one occupation at a time.

Do you think you or a loved one could benefit from occupational therapy at Crawl Walk Jump Run? Set up a consultation with our expert team to get started!

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At CWJR, we believe in education as a core pillar of our treatment plans. While our patients receive individualized speech therapy care from their therapist during sessions, there are many ways to keep the progress going outside of the clinic! 

When it comes to speech therapy, play can be a powerful tool to engage children and help them practice their language skills in a fun and natural way. Keep reading for some tips to help you incorporate speech therapy techniques into your child’s playtime at home.

1. Narrate everything you and your child are doing within play.
2. Use key words and phrases when modeling language for your child. 
3. Follow your child’s interests: Choose toys, games, and activities that your child enjoys and build upon those. This will make the experience more enjoyable for your child and more effective for practicing language skills.
4. Incorporate expectant pause during speech therapy. This technique involves waiting a few seconds after you ask a question, in order to give your child time to respond. It can encourage them to use their language skills to communicate with you! Some examples could be:
   1. Ready… set… __!
   2. 1… 2… ___!
5. Interactive books, such as pop-up books or books with flaps to lift, can be a great way to keep your child engaged and practicing their language skills. Some examples could be books containing:
   1. Pop ups
   2. Open the flaps
   3. Musicals
6. Give your child options of toys that they can play with, and have them choose an option by pointing or labeling. For example:
   1. “Do you… Want doll or want ball?”
   2. “Should we… Eat apple or eat banana?”
7. Add music and singing during speech therapy to keep your child’s attention! Some fun children’s songs could include:
   1. The Wheels on the Bus
   2. The Itsy Bitsy Spider 
   3. Old MacDonald 
8. Add gestures to songs your child enjoys. For example:
   1. The Wheels on the Bus: beep the horn, wheels go around, doors go open and shut, people go up and down
   2. The Itsy Bitsy Spider: spider goes up the web, rain falls down, rain washes away
9. Use social routines during speech therapy. Incorporate social routines into play, such as waving hello and goodbye, high fives, and playing peekaboo. These can help your child practice important social and language skills.
10. Use gestures to help reinforce language concepts. Some examples include:
    1. Waving hi and bye
    2. Knocking 
    3. Eating 
    4. Sleeping 
    5. Clapping
    6. Talking on the phone

Do you think your child could benefit from speech therapy at Crawl Walk Jump Run? Set up a consultation with our expert team to get started!

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In Occupational Therapy, it’s common for us to work on building tolerance to a variety of foods for picky eaters. When it comes to picky eaters, we often follow the “feeding hierarchy,” a play-based approach to introducing new foods, to work on building their tolerance to non-desired foods. The process starts with interacting with food on a preliminary level before working up to biting, chewing, and then swallowing. Our process at CWJR is designed to provide a multi-sensory experience with the goal of introducing different tastes, textures, and temperatures of food. It’s important for a child to tolerate the smaller steps before they can master eating the foods!

Kids learn through play, and food is no exception to this rule. Every child is unique and may go through the steps at different speeds depending on their experiences. Read on to learn about the feeding hierarchy steps that lead to successfully eating new foods!

Step One: Tolerating the Food

Before diving right into eating, it’s important to accustom the child to initial steps like:

• Being in the same room as the food
• Being at the same table as the food
• Having the food in front of them on their plate
• Looking at the food

Step Two: Interacting with the Food

The next step of the feeding hierarchy involves:

• Touching non-desired food with a preferred food
• Assisting in cooking/preparing the food
• Handling the food with utensils
• Messy play with the food

Step Three: Smelling the Food

Taste and smell are very closely related senses. When a child can smell a certain food before tasting it, it’s another step toward eliminating the “unknown” and taking a bite!

Step Four: Touching the Food

This step of the feeding hierarchy involves a child touching the food to their:

• Fingertips
• Hand
• Chin
• Nose
• Lips
• Teeth
• Tongue

Step Five: Tasting the Food

Almost there! This is the second to last step of the process and consists of a child:

• Licking the food
• Biting a piece of the food and spitting it out
• Holding a piece of the food in their mouth for 3-5 seconds and spitting it out
• Chewing the food multiple times before spitting it out
• Chewing and swallowing the food

Step Six: Eating the Food

And that’s it! With patience and the right approach, the feeding hierarchy can help children get accustomed to eating previously non-desired foods. In this final step, the goal is for the child to be able to eat the food without having a negative experience. 

Do you think your child could benefit from feeding therapy at Crawl Walk Jump Run? Set up a consultation with our expert team to get started!

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The truth about these electrical pulses is much more complex as they are used to help with pain relief, recovery from injuries, and chronic conditions like fibromyalgia.

Muscle shock therapy is also known as electro-stimulation therapy or estim. It’s used for medical purposes (such as helping patients who need rehabilitation after a stroke) or for cosmetic purposes (i.e., facial rejuvenation). As long as you’re not allergic to metal or electricity, then there’s no reason why you shouldn’t try this technique – especially if it helps.

What is muscle shock therapy?

Muscle shock therapy is a technique that uses electrical impulses to stimulate muscle contractions. This technique is used for both medical purposes and cosmetic purposes.

It’s important to understand that there’s nothing harmful about this treatment, and it can’t cause you any serious damage. On the contrary, it may even help improve your condition! 

A therapist or doctor usually recommends this technique, and the electrical impulses are sent through wired electrodes. Once these electrical impulses reach the muscle fibers in question, they trigger a muscle contraction, which means that it’s you who stimulates your muscles – not the stim machine.

How does muscle shock therapy work?

Electrical stimulation physical therapy aims to stimulate the body’s natural reflexes, which can help with pain relief, injury recovery, or chronic conditions like fibromyalgia. The electrical impulses sent into the muscles don’t themselves cause any harm; they’re just there to trigger a reaction that helps you heal quickly.

There are four ways that muscle shock therapy can be used:

• – To relieve pain by increasing blood flow and lowering inflammation
• – To promote healing after an injury has occurred
• – To relieve chronic conditions like fibromyalgia
• – To enhance facial rejuvenation

Who should use muscle shock therapy?

A therapist or your doctor usually recommends this technique. However, you should know that if you’re allergic to metal or electricity, as you might experience some adverse side effects like dizziness.

Some people who aren’t interested in this technique might be put off by the idea of receiving an electric shock, but it’s important to remember that the shocks only last for a few seconds, and they’re used to trigger muscle contractions. More often than not, muscle shock therapy is used for medical purposes like helping patients who need rehabilitation after a stroke or to relieve chronic conditions like fibromyalgia.

Is muscle shock therapy safe to try?

The idea that electrostimulation is dangerous has remained in people’s minds after studies about it were published in the 1950s. However, keep in mind these studies were conducted on patients with heart issues and other chronic conditions, increasing their risk of experiencing side effects.

It’s always best to start estim therapy with the help of a professional who knows how to use the electric shock therapy machines and where to apply stimulation. After all, even though the treatment is safe for healthy people, it can still cause problems if misapplied.

For example, estim machines come with different attachments designed to target specific body parts. Some of these are used at home, while others are used by doctors or professionals in medical facilities. Follow your doctor’s advice and you should have no problems using muscle shock therapy.

How long does the treatment last, and what are its side effects

The duration of muscle shock therapy depends on the person and the outlining condition. It ranges from a few minutes to an hour or more. Meanwhile, the estim side effects are minimal and typical for any form of electro-stimulation, such as a tingling sensation, skin reddening, and muscle contractions.

It is not advisable to endure this therapy for extended periods because that can increase the risk of side effects. Doctors will usually only recommend the treatment for a week at most so as not to overtax your muscles. They’ll also assess your progress now and then to see if further treatments are needed.

When can I expect results from using muscle shock therapies, and how often should I get treatments to see results

Most people will start to feel benefits from muscle shock therapy after 2-3 sessions. You can also begin to see improvements in your symptoms before the end of the treatment. However, how many treatments you’ll need depends on your condition and what you’re hoping to achieve by using this form of therapy.

Generally, patients with chronic conditions like fibromyalgia and spinal injuries require more treatments than those who need relief from acute pain or want to recover faster from an injury.

Also, those who have a condition that limits their movement won’t see as many benefits from electrostimulation as they’ll still have to go through physical rehabilitation even if the pain is gone.

How often you need to use electrostimulation depends on your doctor’s recommendations. In most cases, people can get treatments once a week for up to an hour.

Conclusion 

Muscle shock therapy is a form of electro-stimulation that’s used to help with pain relief, recovery from injuries, and chronic conditions like fibromyalgia. It was first introduced in the 1950s but has since undergone significant improvements. Muscle shock therapy can be performed at home or by doctors depending on your condition.

As long as you follow your doctor’s advice, electric shock muscle therapy should have no negative side effects for most people – just some tingling sensations or skin reddening while receiving it.

If you’re interested in trying this treatment out for yourself, contact Crawl Walk Jump Run today. We’ll provide you more information about how our team of experts can help get you started using muscle shock treatments safely and effectively.

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The symptoms can range from mild to severe, ranging from difficulties with remembering everyday life events (such as what day to do chores) to hypersensitivity (a sound drives them crazy).

The Symptoms of SPD

Symptoms of sensory processing disorder are hard to identify because they are so diverse. They can range from hypersensitivity or being overly sensitive to sounds, textures, tastes, smells, sights, and feelings.

One person might have difficulty with everyday tasks, while another may not do anything without getting overwhelmed by their senses. Therefore, sensory processing disorder is categorized as either “sensory seeking” or “sensory avoiding.”

A child with SPD will often move towards their senses which creates an overload of stimuli even if it may be too much. The child will then avoid the sensory input that is causing them distress.

Common Symptoms for Sensory Seeking

• Excessive head banging
• Headbanging according to the child’s needs (hunger, tiredness)
• Eating or drinking too fast
• Chewing on non-food items
• Scratching skin surfaces
• Rubbing eyes, lips, ear canals, or other body openings
• Picking at skin excessively
• Approaching all new stimuli
• Getting in the face of others
• Rocking extremities or whole body back and forth (similar to the movement of a rocking horse)
• Being understimulated, bored

Common Symptoms for Sensory Avoiding

• Becoming “wiggly” when being held, dressing struggles begin. Can’t stand tags on clothing or seams in socks.
• Pushing away, throwing off touch
• Crying, screaming, screeching when touched or approached for a hug. May fight cuddling and physical games such as “you’re going to get me” can be a struggle
• Becoming stiff and sometimes rigid
• Running away from things they do not like
• Irritability if touched in the wrong spot
• Argumentative at dinner or when having to do homework
• Losing homework, known places in rooms they are familiar with, and objects easily. This is due to under-stimulation, where they forget what has happened recently.

Signs your child may have SPD

Sensory processing disorder (SPD) can vary from person to person, but some common signs your child may have SPD are:

• Aversions (e.g., refuses to wear specific clothing types or textures of clothing, such as wool or synthetic fibers), and over-sensitivities (becoming easily agitated by sounds).
• Oversensitivity to pain, temperature, and touch; experiencing strong reactions when feeling touched.
• Difficulty transitioning from one activity to another.
• Difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep.
• Easily distracted by continuous, loud sounds.

Having sensory problems can make a child feel different from his peers, which may lead to social isolation, frustration, tantrums, and other behavior problems.

How does someone typically get diagnosed with Sensory Processing Disorder?

One of the ways that someone can get diagnosed with Sensory Processing Disorder is through a sensory integration evaluation.

The purpose of this evaluation is to consider how an individual’s nervous system responds to sensory stimuli through the five senses (sight, sound, touch, smell, taste).

An occupational therapist then provides recommendations for accommodations that will help support the individual in their daily life.

Prevention and treatment options for parents and teachers of children with SBT

The treatment for children with sensory processing disorder involves a multidisciplinary approach. Parents and teachers can positively impact this process by being attentive to the child’s needs.

This includes being aware of the need for a quiet environment to help reduce auditory hypersensitivity in children with a sensory processing disorder. Playing repetitive sounds in a noisy room will cause over-responsivity in many children with sensory processing disorder and those without it.

In addition, there are certain accommodations that parents and teachers can make for these children. The most common accommodation is placing carpets on hardwood floors or adopting other flooring options such as wood or vinyl flooring to avoid noisy surfaces.

Parents and teachers should use materials that do not overwhelm or irritate the child, such as plain black paper for drawing.

Parents and teachers can play a key role in identifying symptoms of sensory processing disorder early by observing changes in behavior, both in environments that are new to them and familiar ones.

Incorporating a Sensory Diet

A sensory diet is a way to start addressing the symptoms of children with a sensory processing disorder.

For example, a child may have tactile sensitivities. A sensory diet can help them by adding activities that include brushing on textured clothing, petting a dog, or rubbing a water balloon.

There are also options for auditory sensitivities, such as listening to rain on a metal roof or low sounds of waves crashing against the shoreline.

Visual sensitivities can be addressed by using low lighting or wearing sunglasses outdoors.

The parent or teacher should be creative when creating a sensory diet for children with a sensory processing disorder. This will depend on individual differences, including the child’s preferences and emotions, which are expressed through reactions to their environments.

Conclusion

If you think your child may have a sensory processing disorder, it’s important to get them evaluated by a professional. If the evaluation confirms that they have SBD, there are many treatment options available for parents and teachers.

The post The warning signs of sensory processing disorder in children appeared first on Crawl Walk Jump Run.

At Crawl Walk Jump Run, we’re proud to be a physical therapy clinic that offers opportunities for relief and recovery utilizing state-of-the-art equipment. We believe in the power of movement. We will teach you exercises that can help build strength, regain balance, increase flexibility, and improve your quality of life.

Physical therapy aims to restore function and relieve pain in a body part or system affected by injury or disease. It works by teaching the brain how to use previously impaired muscles again so people can return home without assistance. The skillful hands behind this work are those of a physical therapist who has undergone years of education and training to provide care with compassion and expertise.

Physical therapists spend most of their time listening to their clients, evaluating their strengths and deficits, talking with family members about functional limitations, and educating people on protecting themselves from pain and injury. But physical therapists also have tools at their disposal—specialized equipment that can adapt to each person’s unique treatment needs.

We offer physical therapy at our Clinton Township pt clinic location for people with all sorts of conditions, including arthritis, back pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, head injuries, hip pain/fractures, knee injuries/surgery recovery, lymphedema patients, neck pain/injuries, neurological deficits (stroke and brain injury), post-surgical conditions, sports injuries, and work-related injuries.

What is physical therapy, and how does it work

Physical therapy uses physical agents, manual techniques, and exercise to improve mobility, relieve pain, reduce or prevent permanent disability, rehabilitate following injury or surgery (physical therapy), or during medical rehabilitation. 

A physical therapist (PT) treats patients at the physician’s request for problems that require professional attention.

Most commonly, injuries are treated with some form of surgery first to stabilize the problem area. When no surgery is needed, the first day of treatment will be an evaluation by a physical therapist (PT). The PT will look for any deficits in muscle strength, joint range of motion, and nervous system functioning. 

Therapy is generally done on a small group of muscles at a time and can take anywhere from a week to a year to complete.

How can physical therapy help you?

There are many ways that a visit to a physical therapy clinic can help. To write about this, I’ll break down the benefits of physical therapy into three categories: 

• Healing
• Prevention
• Performance (or “performance”).

Healing Benefits of Physical Therapy 

Physical therapy is generally used for healing when you see improvements in the symptoms associated with an injury. When someone has chronic pain or a disability, they will often turn to physical therapy for relief. 

For example, if someone falls on their back and breaks their pelvis (prominent hip bone), they would need surgery to fix it. This surgery will be followed by intense rehabilitation with PT before they’re allowed to return home without assistance. After surgery, PT can help improve their muscle strength and joint range of motion.

Prevention Benefits of Physical Therapy 

Physical therapists are experts in prevention because they educate on self-care techniques to avoid pain or injury. An ounce of prevention goes a long way in physical therapy, so this aspect is critical for people who want to continue working out. 

For example, PTs will teach you how to stretch so that you can avoid back pain properly. They also teach proper body mechanics and ways of lifting heavy objects without injuring yourself. 

People who sit at a desk all day long may be shown stretches or exercises they can do while sitting to prevent pain from developing later on in life.

Performance Benefits of Physical Therapy 

Suppose you go to a physical therapy clinic for sports performance. In that case, you will be educated on how your form should look for optimal efficiency. 

PTs can help improve your overall lifting technique or show you how to perform better while competing in a swim meet. People who are looking to become physically fit should also consider a visit to a PT. 

There are many different exercises and stretches that people can do to stay fit. Still, a physical therapist can help optimize performance in each individual body.

Why should you visit Crawl Walk Jump Run, Clinton Township’s premier physical therapy clinic

Crawl Walk Jump Run is Clinton Township’s premier physical therapy clinic. We’re not just for people who are recovering from surgery or require rehabilitation. Many people come to PT for prevention or to improve performance in their day-to-day lives. 

There are always new ways that PTs are finding to help patients, and it’s always best to talk to an expert before deciding on your treatment method.

Our staff is the best thing about Crawl Walk Jump Run, Clinton Township’s premier physical therapy clinic. Whether you’re working with a dedicated PT or one of the other therapists, we will work with you to find the best possible treatment method. The staff at Crawl Walk Jump Run are highly trained, and I know for a fact that they can help you get better!

The benefits of visiting a PT clinic, including reduced stress, increased energy, reversal of chronic pain, and more!

Physical therapy is incredibly beneficial for many different reasons. As you’ll read in the article, there are many benefits of visiting a PT clinic. Some of these benefits are immediate effects that can be seen within just one session. Others may take weeks to months to show improvement. 

Acute pain releases cortisol, which can increase feelings of anxiety and depression. So, by reducing your pain levels, you’re able to feel less stressed out and more energized! 

Physical therapists also work with patients on increasing their mobility and strength to prevent future injuries that could cause increased stress or chronic pain!

The many different conditions that are treated by our team at Crawl Walk Jump Run Physical Therapy Clinic in Clinton Township

The variety of conditions that our team at Crawl Walk Jump Run Physical Therapy Clinic in Clinton Township can treat is something that we’re very proud of. 

Here are some of the conditions that we can treat:

• –Aerobic and Anaerobic Exercise (Examples: Running, Swimming, Bike Riding). These exercises require a lot of force and stability. With time, these physical requirements may be more difficult to complete without pain or discomfort. Our clinic has many different rehabilitation programs for this type of exercise.
• –Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (Tingling sensations and numbness in the fingers). Carpal Tunnel Syndrome occurs when compression of the median nerve within the carpal tunnel at the wrist, which causes pain or discomfort.
• -Chronic Pain (Non-stop feelings of pain). Chronic pain may be caused by a previous injury, disease, or any number of other factors that affect your daily life. Our team can help you find the root cause of this type of pain and address it. We offer many different therapies for chronic pain, including deep tissue sports massage therapy.
• –Fibromyalgia (Non-stop feelings of pain). Fibromyalgia is a condition that causes widespread musculoskeletal pain and fatigue. The pain can be so bad that you sometimes don’t want to get out of bed, let alone have an everyday life. It’s common for patients with this condition to be misdiagnosed and often self-medicate. Our highly trained team can provide the appropriate diagnosis and treatment for fibromyalgia, including deep tissue sports massage therapy.
• –Orthopedic Conditions (Implantation of artificial joints). 

Contact information for the CWJR office to schedule an appointment today!

Physical therapy is a great way to reduce stress and chronic pain, leading to increased productivity in your life. Connect today if you’re interested in learning more about how we can help with these conditions at our Clinton Township office located at 42804 Garfield Rd, Clinton Twp, MI 48038

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Keep a wide base of support

Stand with your feet separated and lined up just past you shoulder width, creating a wide base of support. This increases your balance and stability and allows you to use your leg muscles more than your back muscles. 

Squat down bending at the hips and knees rather than the back.

Bending forward from the back puts too much load on the fibers that hold your discs in place. Too much bending and lifting or lifting too heavy of weight, with poor form, can cause disc slippage or herniation. 

Don’t arch or lean back with your upper back.

Just like bending forward and lifting is bad, bending backward is as well. Bending backward puts added pressure on the bones and discs in your back and can also pinch your nerves. Keep a straight spinal posture by contracting your abdominals by pulling belly button in towards your spine to flatten your low back. Your abdominal muscles are your body’s built in corset that provides stability for the spine. If you engage those muscles while lifting and keep a straight posture, you will minimize unnecessary stress on your bones and ligaments. 

Hold the load as close to your body as possible, at the level of your belly button.

Keeping the item close you your body lowers the amount of forward weight and makes it easier to lift against gravity. It also sets you up for having better spinal posture. This will decrease the chance of suffering an injury. 

Use your feet to change direction, taking small steps. Do not twist at your back.

The most common injury happens when someone is bending forward and twisting their back while lifting something from a low level. Twisting is the motion that causes the most damage to the discs in our spine. Instead take small steps and turn your body as one. This will save your back in the long run. 

If you or a loved one is in need of Physical Therapy, give us a call today at 586-323-2957 to set up your FREE 30 minute screening.

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Stay up to Date with Santa’s Reindeer

Check out what Santa’s reindeer are up to as they prepare for the big night with Reindeer Cam. 

Candy Cane Hunt around the House

Another fun idea is a candy cane hunt! Add an extra special touch by getting extended family on Zoom or Facetime to read clues to the kiddos so you can still spend some time with family if they can’t be physically present. 

Watch All Your Favorite Movies

Create your very own movie night and watch as many Christmas movies as your holly jolly  heart can handle. 

Camp Out under the Christmas Tree

End your night of holiday fun by camping out under your Christmas tree and add in a cup of cocoa (or two). 

We hope you and your family are still able to find the magic and spirit of Christmas this holiday season. From all of us at CWJR, we wish you a Merry Christmas!

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Snow Tolerance

• Start with tolerance of touching with gloves on for a period of time and progress to without gloves with supervision to not freeze hands. 
• Make a sensory bin with fake or real snow toys/small items placed inside for fine motor
  • Fake snow can be found at the dollar store
• Perform fun activities! 
  • Build a snowman
  • Have a snowball fight 
  • Make snow angels
• Important to remember:
  • Never progress to next level of tolerance until previous level is achieved without avoidance.
  • Consult w ith your Occupational Therapist with any questions or concerns. 

Winter Gear Tolerance

• Begin with tolerance of items being in room for period of time
• Progress to timed trials of winter gear on-progressing to more time only when achieved 3 consecutive trials
  • Make it fun! Engage with winter related bins or fun games outside with the snow
• If presenting with decreased tolerance with wearing gloves or hats, try consulting with your Occupational Therapist on performing hand mapping, face mapping and tactile protocol for increased awareness

We hope you stay safe and have fun out there in the snow! It is a great way to explore and progress with creativity and play!

If you or a loved one is in need of Occupational Therapy, call us todat at 586-323-2957 to set up your FREE 30 minute screening.

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Warm up right

A good warm up is always important, but because of the tendency for joints to be stiffer, and blood flow to muscles to be reduced in the cold, it’s even more important that you do it right this time of year. To start, do something to get your heart rate up a bit, maybe a brisk walk or light jog. Follow that up with a dynamic warm up rather than static stretches. This could include walking or jogging while pulling your knees up high to your chest. Maybe some high kicks in front of you with straight knees to get your hamstrings loosened. A walking lunge with an upper body twist can get your whole body moving. Cater your warm up to what you have planned in your workout. If you’re not sure how it should look, ask your physical therapist!

Dress right

Dressing in layers allows you to adjust your insulation to your activity level. After you warm up, you might want to take off a layer to avoid getting too hot during your main activity. You’ll have it there later to put back on when your activity level drops and you start getting too cold.

Don’t forget about the sun either – just because it’s cold doesn’t mean the UV rays are gone. Sunscreen and sunglasses aren’t just for the summer. A lip balm with SPF can protect you not only from the sun but from the wind too.

Stay hydrated

Drink water before, during, and after your workout. The temperature may be down, but you’ll still sweat and you’ll still lose water vapor in your breath. The drier air in winter lets your sweat evaporate more quickly, so it’s easy to underestimate how much fluid you’ve lost.

Cool down

When you’re done, don’t rush to get inside and crawl under a blanket. Cool down properly. Keep moving with a walk or another form of active recovery to let your heart rate come down. After exercise is the right place for static stretching. You can also head inside for some foam rolling or self-massage.

The days being shorter and the temperatures being lower don’t mean you’re stuck inside for all of your exercise. If you follow these tips, you can safely keep moving outside.

If you or a loved on is in need of Physical Therapy, please reach out to us at 586-323-2957 to set up a FREE 30 minute screening.

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