Bridgetown Physical Therapy = Portland, Oregon

We are pleased to announce that starting September 8th Bridgetown will begin offering group mat pilates classes! This class is for anyone looking to improve their flexibility, strength, endurance and coordination in a fun and challenging way. Classes will be held Tuesday and Thursday mornings from 6:30-7:20am. In order to provide a safe and proper introduction to pilates, each class will be limited to 3 clients with progression to larger groups in the future. To celebrate the launch, we are offering a discounted rate of $12 per class for the month of September! Normal rates will be $15 per class on a class-by-class basis. Packages coming soon!

 

Take advantage of this great deal and kick off the school year with a new workout routine. Reserve your spot today!

 

Details:

-Classes will be taught by Darla Phillips, PT, DPT, OCS, ATC

-Clients must call to reserve a spot by 5 PM the evening prior to class

-If questions please email: dphillips@bridgetownpt.com

 

At the end of March I had the opportunity to work with Under Armour in Bradenton, Florida at the IMG Academy on a project called Combine360. The IMG Academy was the training facility for such greats as Andre Agassi, Boris Becker, Monica Seles, Venus Williams, Serena Williams, Kobe Bryant, Vince Carter, Drew Brees, Tony Romo, Eli Manning, LaDanian Thomlinson, Freddy Adu, Nomar Garciaparra and the list goes on and on!  It was an amazing experience to work at one of the largest and most prestigious training complexes in the world as well as with one of the leading companies in sports apparel industry.  I had the opportunity to work with Todd Durkin, Peter Twist and many other leaders in the coaching/training industry.  It was kind of like a fantasy camp for the athletic industry. 

 

The week consisted of five exciting and grueling days of exercise, coaching and lecture.  Each morning we were up before 5:00am and on the turf by 5:30am.  It was quite an experience to be able to workout with 180 of the top trainers/coaches from around the world.  The week was very inspiring and exhausting at the same time.  After our morning Combine360 workouts, we then participate in lecture and hands on coaching for the rest of the day.  The days were filled with information until about 10:00pm every night, which gave us just enough time to grab a quick 5-6 hours of sleep and get back out on the turf to do it again the next day.  I have to admit that by day five it was a little tough to get my body moving in the morning. 

 

After the conference, Bridgetown PT became the first facility in the Northwest to align with Under Armour and IMG Academy on this new project called Combine360.  We are currently the only facility in Portland that is certified to test athletes under the Combine360 evaluation process.  We are also starting a limited number of classes that utilize the Combine360 training.  **More information can be found in the “Services” section of our website.**

 

Under Armour’s Combine360 evaluation program helps to objectively measure athlete’s sports specific performance.  The objective measurements can then be compared to other athletes in their sport across the country.  This database will be used by athletes and coaches to determine where they need more focus.  It will also be used by college and professional recruiters to find the top athletes across the country.  The tests include strength, power, flexibility, agility, vision, nutrition, and character assessments.  Combine testing has been around for a long time, but never has it been taken to this level of complexity.

 

The second component is the Combine360 training.  This can be used to enhance the performance of youth, college or professional athletes.  Once the Combine360 evaluation has been performed on an athlete, it is possible to determine where they need to focus more of their training.  Combine360 training is composed of exercises that focus on speed, agility, quickness, power, and flexibility. 

 

This is very exciting for the clinic to be part of this new program.  I will be periodically rejoining the crew of trainers and coaches at IMG Academy over the next few years as this program continues to grow and develop.  It is an honor to be included in this great group of trainers from across the world and bring a little piece of the IMG Academy back to Portland, Oregon.

 

 

 

Ali graduated from Regis University in Denver, CO with a Doctorate degree in Physical Therapy (DPT) in 2007. Prior to physical therapy school she received her Bachelors of Science in exercise science at Gonzaga University where she rowed on the crew team for a year and played on several club sports teams. Since starting her physical therapy practice she has continued to expand her skill set through manual therapy based continuing education classes and plans to complete a manual therapy certification in the coming years.  Ali is passionate about helping patients return to their prior level of function and activity, whatever level that may be. She uses a combination of hands on techniques along with therapeutic exercises to maximize patient outcomes. She enjoys skiing, tennis, hiking and biking and is currently playing in a dodgeball league.

Ali is a great addition and we are excited to welcome her to our Bridgetown family!

 

There is a new trend in weight loss that many people have been asking me about at the clinic over the past year.   The usual conversation starts out with something like, "I have this co-worker that has been getting these hormone shots from their doctor that has helped them lose a lot of weight recently.  Do you think I should try it too?"

Many of you know that I am always skeptical about new trends that have very little research behind big claims.  I was especially skeptical about men trying to lose weight by injecting hormones that are produced by pregnant women.  You don't have to be a doctor to think that this might not be safe.  In the past few years I have discouraged people from trying these shots, which are Human Chorionic Gonadotropin injections (hCG).  Well, a research study has now been conducted by Harvard University that indicates that hCG does not cause weight loss.

Human Chorionic Gonadotropin is a hormone that is produced by pregnant women that promotes progesterone release.  The origin of this "new" weight loss trend actually originated in 1950 by a British endocrinologist by the name of Albert Simeons.  He was conducting experiments that combined a 500 calorie diet and low doses of hCG.  His theory was based on the observation that Indian women were able to maintain muscle mass on a low calorie diet during pregnancy.  This low calorie diet combined with hCG injections has surfaced periodically since his research.

 A meta-analysis study recently reviewed 24 studies that were conducted in the late 1990's.  After reviewing all these studies, it was concluded that hCG did not have any effect on weight loss and the reduction in body weight was only due to the 500 calorie diet.  In fact, the American Medical Association is now warning people that hCG is dangerous and not effective for weight loss. (Harvard Women's Health Watch, May 2010)

So, save your money and skip the hCG injections.  A pill or injection for safe and effective weight loss still has not been found.
-Josh Kernen, PT, DPT, CSCS

Bridgetown PT has partnered with Omega Gymnastics in an effort to assist with injury prevention. Bridgetown's Darla Phillips will begin working with Omega Gymnastics, located in Beaverton. Darla will be holding weekly clinics at the gym in order to address any aches and pains reported by the team's compulsory or optional gymnasts. Omega offers classes ranging from "kinder-gym" through optional level teams for both boys and girls. More information can be found at their website: www.omega-gymnastics.com

Bridgetown Physical Therapy and Training Studio has been accepted as part of Aetna's Preferred Provider Network. This will allow us to be in-network with Aetna in-network with Aetna insurance, which will reduce our patient's out-of-pocket expenses. Our clinic will be able to offer in-network benefits for this carrier as of March 1st, 2010. We are now a preferred provider for most insurnace panels in Oregon. If you have any insurnace questions, please call 503-222-1955.

Bridgetown PT will have a booth at the "Shadow Run" 5k fun run hosted by a new running group called Run Portland. This free event takes place at Lincoln High School at 6:30 on Tuesday, January 19th with the course running through SW & NW neighborhoods. Services will be provided by our newest physical therapist, Darla Phillips and will include stretching and massage for any aches and pains acquired during the run! More information about the run can be found at Run Portland's website and facebook page.

If you watched the 2008 Beijing Olympics, you may have seen Kerri Walsh playing beach volleyball for the United States.  You may have also noticed the tape on her shoulder.  Many people originally believed it was to cover a tattoo, but actually she was using a specially designed elastic taping technique to reduce her pain levels from a previous rotator cuff repair.  This elastic taping technique, called Kinesio Tape, was developed almost 30 years ago by a Chiropractic Physician by the name of Dr. Kenzo Kase.  I recently had the opportunity to work with one of Dr. Kase's understudies, Jim Wallis, who is also the head athletic trainer for Portland State University.  Jim Wallis has also written multiple books on Kinesio Taping and collaborated with Dr. Kase on the development of the tapes properties. 
 
Kinesio Tape is now being used by some of the best athletes in the world such as Lance Armstrong, Serena Williams, David Beckham and many of the current Olympians.   Kinesio Tape works by giving support like a flexible brace and facilitates weak muscles with neurological awareness or proprioception.
 
In Lance Armstrong's book "Every Second Counts", he refers to Kinesio Tape as "Something better than any laser, wrap, or electric massager...The Tape. It is a special hot-pink athletic tape that came from Japan and seemed to have special powers. Every morning before the stage, they would tape us all up, different parts of our bodies . . . George's back, Chechu's knees. Sometimes we'd be so wrapped up in hot-pink tape that we'd look like dolls, a bunch of broken dolls. But the next day the pain disappeared-it was gone."

Well, there is actually a science behind why the tape works and it's not "special powers" as Lance Armstrong described it.  The Kinesio Tape is used to address muscle spasms, muscle inhibition, muscle contractures, joint hypermobility, joint hypomobility and regional swelling.  Since the tape has an elastic quality, it allows the practitioner to use different tensions, widths, lengths, and patterns that are not achievable with normal white athletic tape.  It's adhesive properties and ability to repel water allows it to be worn for 3-4 days.  This is another key component to Kinesio Tape that is not found in athletic tape.  These key components of the tape allowed Dr. Kenzo Kase to deliver a treatment method that would give patients continuous benefits between appointment visits.
 
So now you know that if you see patients around the clinic with crazy taping designs, it's not for looks.  There is a purpose for the tape.  I have already had multiple patients benefit from the taping technique to relieve knee pain, back pain, and chronic swelling in the short time that I have been using these techniques.  Though there may not be a long term benefit, it can be used for a short term fix to allow patients to continue to be active while reducing their pain levels.
 
I have included a few links below of athletes in the news that have been using Kinesio Tape:
David Beckham

Serena Williams

Kerri Walsh

Edgarrin James    

-Josh Kernen, PT, DPT, CSCS

The December issue of Women's Health Magazine hit the store shelves a few weeks ago.  You can find fitness tips from my interview on page 61 in the "Rule the Gym!" article.  I also collaborated with Women's Health on the sections "What's That For?" and "The Lingo." 

Many of you may know that I'm always trying to promote people to feel more comfortable in the gym and especially in the free weight areas.  This Women's Health Magazine article tackles some of those issues and it is targeted towards women that are starting up their New Year's resolutions.

So, if you have a few extra minutes at the grocery store, pick up the December issue of Women's Health Magazine.

-Josh Kernen, PT, DPT, CSCS

"Training Like the Pro's" has continued throughout the summer since we introduced the class in May.  We are now running our class on Monday and Wednesday nights at 6:30pm - 7:30pm.  It has been fun teaching participants the same strength, power, agility, quickness and balance drills that professional athletes use in their daily routines.  Participants have been coming to the class to learn new weight lifting techniques, improve their sports performance, or they just want a more intense workout than their current routine.  We continue to look for new members to join our evening classes.  If you are interested please e-mail me at jkernen@bridgetownpt.com and we can get you started in August.  The classes are only $15/session or $50 for 4 classes.  I will be posting pictures soon on our Facebook page.  We look forward to new members joining us in the next few months.   

-Josh Kernen, PT, DPT, CSCS