At Tulsa Bone & Joint, our physical therapists can help minimize your back and neck pain with a customized treatment plan based on:
- Stretching and strengthening, which will help manage pain and accelerate tissue healing
- Proper posture and ergonomic principles to preserve the spine
- Apply passive modalities if needed: ice, heat, ultrasound, traction, electrical stimulation
- Education, to decrease the likelihood of future injuries
The physical therapists at Tulsa Bone & Joint Associates have advanced education and training for many common and not-so-common orthopedic conditions. Request an appointment online or call (918) 392-1482 today to schedule your appointment at our main campus in our Tulsa, Midtown Tulsa, Bartlesville, Owasso, or Sand Springs.
Kally Owen recently joined Tulsa Bone & Joint as a physical therapist on our main campus.
Kally holds a Bachelor of Science in Nutritional Sciences and a minor in Microbiology from Oklahoma State University. She earned a Doctorate of Physical Therapy from the University of Oklahoma.
“I love treating all orthopedic conditions and have added training in pelvic floor physical therapy, which allows me to treat my patients in a holistic manner in hopes of improving their functional abilities and adding value and meaning to their lives,” Kally says.
Outside of work, Kally enjoys spending time with her husband, Garrett, and their, dog, Woody, along with our family and friends.
“I am a ‘farmer’s daughter’ originally from Northwest Oklahoma and enjoy all things outdoors,” Kally says. “We love living in Tulsa and typically spend our free time trying out new attractions and restaurants that make us even more proud to call Tulsa our home.”
We’re so glad you’re on our team, Kally!
By Lisa Altena, PT
Recently, Tulsa Bone and Joint Physical Therapy has seen a lot of workers start to work from home. With this change, posture or home ergonomics has started to become a very important topic to address. Poor posture while working at a computer can create injuries in multiple areas of the body. Correcting this posture can help with injury prevention especially when you are working from a computer over a long period of time. Working from home brings up new topics to address, like using laptops, surfaces you are working on, and chairs.
What to look at:
- Chair: chair height, seat of chair, and back support of the chair
- Monitor: the height and location of the monitor
- Edge of workstation surface
Ways to make your chair more posture-friendly:
- Put a pillow on the seat to elevate the seat if needed
- Roll up a towel behind the back for lumbar support
- Wrap the armrests in a towel to allow your elbows to rest
- Move your chair close to help prevent leaning over the surface
- Lower the chair so your feet can touch the ground
Ways to make your laptop positioning more posture-friendly:
- Place something under the laptop when using it on your lap
- Use an external monitor, keyboard, or mouse if possible
Way to make your edge of surface more posture-friendly:
Pad the surface edge that you are working on with a towel or pool noodle
Other things to think about:
- If you use two monitors, have your main monitor in front of you.
- Try to stay away from the dining table, couch, bed, and floor.
Applying these ideas and others can help prevent injuries over time.
References:
Davis, K. G., Kotowski, S. E., Daniel, D., Gerding, T., Naylor, J., & Syck, M. (2020). The Home Office: Ergonomic Lessons From the “New Normal.” Ergonomics in Design, 28(4), 4–10. https://doi.org/10.1177/1064804620937907
By Steven Smith, PTA, Tulsa Bone & Joint
For the majority of people out there who have sustained an acute injury, such as an ankle sprain, you have probably heard of the RICE method. This method quickly became the go to protocol for quick assessments of such injuries as of 1978 when it was created by Dr. Gabe Mirkin, MD in his best selling “Sports Medicine Book.” The guidelines for this protocol have since been used by coaches, athletic trainers, and physical therapy clinics with the intent of expediting the recovery process and reducing inflammation for acute injuries. However, as people are paying closer attention to results and the long- and short-term effects, they are finding it may not be the best way to address such injuries. A new era of treatment is evolving, where the MEAT protocol is proving to potentially be the better path.
R– Rest
I– Ice
C– Compression
E– Elevation
M– Movement
E– Exercise
A– Analgesics
T– Treatment
There are varying opinions/problems with RICE:
- Rest. Studies have shown that it can actually be detrimental to the healing process. As the “Journal of Athletic Training” in 2012 points out, with earlier movement of the tendons, ligaments, and muscles injured, it could result in less time at a follow up clinic, or away from sport.
- Ice has long been the go-to for the prevention of swelling and reduction of pain at the injury site. But ice has been noted to actually delay and potentially reduce the healing process, as some people commonly confuse inflammation and swelling. The two in fact are vastly different, as inflammation is the first phase of the tissue repair, while swelling is accumulation of waste that has not yet been evacuated from the area. Inflammation is an important part of the healing process as an instantaneous defense mechanism whose main goal is to control the extent of cell injury, and preparing that tissue for the process of repair. Injuries to structures that have limited blood supply like ligaments, tendons, and cartilage are hindered by cryotherapy, which reduces blood flow thus prolonging the healing process in the acute stage. The RICE method wants to reduce swelling and decrease blood flow to the injured area. However, blood flow invites more oxygen and more nutrient- rich blood to the area which ultimately accelerates your recovery.
There is a substantial amount of evidence to support the new era of MEAT, and that gentle movement and exercise help expedite recovery, improve range of motion and blood flow, and prevent instability in the joint post injury. Movement should be started as quickly, and without exceeding pain tolerance, as possible. Gentle movements will allow for a small amount of load on the ligament, which could help the tissue grow back in a stronger way.
Rest is important when it comes to an acute injury, but in moderation. This is because collagen fibers (scar tissue) can quickly build up if a joint is left in the same position for extended periods, ultimately threatening long term stability. Evidence has shown that the more movement to the injury, the stronger and more flexible it will be in its healing process.
Analgesics are pain relieving medications that can be helpful to allow for movement and exercise before pain starts. Though these should not generally be anti-inflammatory for reasons listed above, as inflammation is important to the healing process. Over the counter medications that are good options include Advil, Ibuprofen or Tylenol, but always consult with your doctor first to decide which is safest for you!
The last two steps, Exercise and Treatment, go hand in hand, as a structured exercise determined by therapists in a treatment setting will show greater results than rest alone. A structured exercise routine will create functional stability and strength with a regimen and manual techniques provided by a certified therapist, and potentially prevent recurrent injuries. Therapeutic guided exercise is an excellent form of rehabilitation that minimizes the detrimental deconditioning effects of rest and immobility. These include muscle atrophy and weakening of connective tissue, such as tendons and ligaments.
While there is still not sufficient side-by-side evidence to prove that MEAT is in all cases superior than RICE, there is sufficient evidence that shows that movement, exercise, and treatment from a physical therapist leads to a faster, more complete healing than rest, elevation and compression.
Tulsa Bone & Joint Owasso welcomes Emma Strande, PT, DPT, ATC/L, OCS, as our new physical therapy clinic lead!
Emma grew up in rural western Kansas and remains a small-town girl at heart. She graduated from Northwestern College (Orange City, Iowa) with a B.A. in Athletic Training and a minor in Spanish. She has been a Certified Athletic Trainer (ATC) since 2012 and continues to enjoy working with athletes of all ages.
Emma received her Doctor of Physical Therapy degree in 2015 from Wichita State University. Since graduation, she has expanded her education through numerous courses in dry needling, ASTYM, and treatment of vestibular disorders, including post-concussion syndrome. In 2019, she achieved her board certification as a clinical orthopaedic specialist (OCS) and remains an active member of the Oklahoma Chapter of the American Physical Therapy Association.
Outside of the clinic, Emma enjoys spending time with her husband, Todd, and their two labradors. They enjoy traveling to Colorado for hiking or snow sports, as well as hosting family and friends for summertime cookouts and pool parties.
