Roots Physical Therapy

08/06/2023

When I graduated with my doctorate in physical therapy, some of my first cases were post-surgical trans and non-binary clients looking for grounded, safe physical therapy services. Since then, I’ve been even more attuned to the intricacies of physical therapy implications for this community.

The trans community is unique in that they are broadly undergoing the same voluntary procedures/interventions unprompted by underlying tissue injury or dysfunction.

I wanted to lend a bit of my experience to their recoveries so earlier this year I started offering *100% free virtual treatment sessions on the topic of pain-management in gender affirming healthcare*.

All people deserve to pursue pain-management, higher quality of life, and improved function in a body they identify with.



Book a session here: https://calendly.com/rootspt/gender-affirming

Graphic design by: Kristen Seward

22/12/2022

To anyone who's known me before ROOTS, I used to write quite often about my experience moving through life and my doctorate program.

A goal of mine for 2023 is to start writing and I figured why wait? Starting us off with my most asked question, "Why Mexico?".

"Once I started, I knew what I was building. But the entire question of why, when, and where it started? That’s on the best thing my worst relationship ever did for me."

But the entire question of why, when, and where it started? That’s on the best thing my worst relationship ever did for me.

20/07/2022

Want to train for a marathon?

Running may be integral to being human but that does not mean that the goal of running a marathon is easy on our bodies. Especially not after a few generations of mostly sedentary llifestyle. Starting marathon training is easy, completing marathon training is tricky, and finishing a marathon (without injuries) is honorable.

That's why at ROOTS Physical Therapy we offer personally tailored day-by-day training plan documents for marathon preparation including pre-training base conditioning, tapering, race day, and recovery.

In this journey of runners' support, the biggest mistakes I see my marathon athletes make are:
1. Running too fast on your long runs
2. Running too slow on your short runs
3. Not cross training
4. Not hydrating/calorie prepping correctly
5. Ignoring breathwork/pacing
6. Setting arbitrary goal times

Fun fact: a marathon is 26.2 miles with 26 miles stemming from ancient Greece and the additional 0.2 miles from the 1908 London Olympics and some selfish royalty who requested the race be extended so the runners would finish in front of their personal viewing box.

14/07/2022

One of the most common questions I get is whether or not to get an MRI/x-ray when there's pain. The answer? Like everything in this field, it depends.

That used to be the most frustrating answer to me but now I love it. Things *should* be gray rather than black and white, just like everything with the body.

General rules:
1. If you were in an acute incident (car accident, ankle sprain, fall from elevated surface, etc.,)
2. If there was a "pop" or "snap" with some sharp pain + lots of swelling
3. If the pain is intensely sharp
4. If your PT tells you to get one 😉

X-rays show you more about the bones and joints, MRIs show you soft tissues including muscles, ligaments, cartilage, etc.,

Images don't always or even often show a clear picture of what's going on if the pain/dysfunction is *dynamic*.

For example, if your knee hurts when you're going up the stairs there may not be anything visibly wrong at your knees so often the MRI would come up as "inconclusive" and you would be told that nothing's wrong, but that's obviously not true. Your body is telling you otherwise through your symptoms!!

If you're not sure - talk to your physical therapist!!

11/07/2022

Book a consultation to start working towards the ROOT of the problem: www.calendly.com/sewarddpt/15min

You can also visit our website for more information on Roots Physical Therapy www.rootspt.com