Wellfie Wednesday Tip #95: Reframing Pain (Part 2)

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Happy Wellfie Wednesday! Welcome back! This week's post is brought to you by Aaron (@AaronPerezPT). Enjoy!

     Today's post correlates well with my last #WellfieWednesday post Reframing Low Back Pain. Where I had compared low back pain to the common cold. I really like that analogy; however, it seems most applicable to acute low back pain. Unfortunately, back pain is more likely to persist and can become disabling. Today’s post introduces a helpful way to reframe persistent pain scenarios through a simple yet powerful thought experiment and diagram.

The circle below represents my life and several activities that bring my life meaning and joy.  

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At times, pain is also part of my life.

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     Fortunately, I’ve never dealt with persistent pain and disability. However, I’ve worked with many people who have. And I’ve learned that sometimes when pain becomes a persistent problem we gradually do less and less of the activities we enjoy. This effectively makes pain a larger part of our life. 

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     While pain alleviation is often a primary goal, making this the primary focus of rehab sessions can be unproductive. Rather, focusing on function and strategies that gradually allow us to resume meaningful activities can be really helpful. With more of our life back in the picture, pain will no longer be such a big part of it. It won’t be easy, but it can be done. Pain is often a part of life. Suffering doesn’t have to be. 

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     This thought experiment really resonated with me when I first learned it at continuing education course a couple years ago. I’ve used it with many patients since then and found it often helps patients reframe their pain and understand the purpose of rehab. I hope it resonates and helps someone else suffering with persistent pain. 

Thanks again for all of the #WellfieWednesday support, be sure to post your pictures this week and tag the WW crew members in your post (@TheFuelPhysio, @Eric_in_AmERICa, @AaronPerezPT, @DianaKlatt, @kuhnalyssa_spt) and keep the wave of healthy change going!

- WW Crew

Wellness Wednesday Tip #24: Know Your Risk Factors for Heart Disease

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Welcome back folks! Happy Wellfie Wednesday!

     As we near the end of 2016 and you begin to think about those New Year's resolutions, I wanted to get you thinking about your overall lifestyle and where improvements could be made as we enter 2017. In an unorthodox way of doing so, I'll ask you to think about your risk of heart disease. As the current #1 leading cause of death in the United States, it is something you should be considering. 

     Take a look at this infograph below by the American Heart Association. Notice the larger list of modifiable risk factors, those are factors that can be addressed with choosing healthier behaviors, most notable is a healthier eating pattern and increased physical activity. Think about those as you plan to start your new year!

     If you need ideas for healthier habits, check out #WellfieWednesday on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram and see how others choose healthier behaviors. And as always, thanks again for all of the #WellfieWednesday support, be sure to post your pictures again this week and tag Eric (@Eric_in_AmERICa) or myself (@PBernerSPT) and keep the wave of healthy change going!

-       Dr. Patrick Berner, PT, DPT

-       Dr. Eric Uveges, PT, DPT

Wellness Wednesday Tip #14: Have a Plan to Prevent Breast Cancer!

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Happy Wellfie Wednesday Folks!

This week’s Wellness Wednesday Tip: Have a Plan to Prevent Breast Cancer!

     As many of us may know, October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, so we wanted to do our part and help spread the message about breast cancer. Here are some of the latest 2016 stats from the American Cancer Society: (1) 

  •  “About 1 in 8 (12%) women in the US will develop invasive breast cancer during their lifetime.”
  • “About 61,000 new cases of carcinoma in situ (CIS) will be diagnosed (CIS is non-invasive and is the earliest form of breast cancer).”
  • “About 246,660 new cases of invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed in women.”
  • “About 40,450 women will die from breast cancer” this year.
  • “The chance that a woman will die from breast cancer is about 1 in 36 (about 3%).”

Click here to check out the risk factors for developing breast cancer.

     They include such factors as age, ethnicity, family history, early onset menstruation, late onset menopause, birth control use, being overweight/obese, and the main factor of being a woman. But don’t forget! Men are also at risk for the development of breast cancer.

     Early detection is key to preventing breast cancer. “Regular mammograms can often help find breast cancer at an early stage, when treatment is most likely to be successful. A mammogram can find breast changes that could be cancer years before physical symptoms develop.” (2) 

“All women should be familiar with the known benefits, limitations, and potential harms associated with breast cancer screening. They should also be familiar with how their breasts normally look and feel and report any changes to a health care provider right away.” (2)

“Women ages 40 to 44 should have the choice to start annual breast cancer screening with mammograms if they wish to do so. The risks of screening as well as the potential benefits should be considered.

Women age 45 to 54 should get mammograms every year.

Women age 55 and older should switch to mammograms every 2 years, or have the choice to continue yearly screening.” (2) 

     Aside from early screens, living a preventative lifestyle may also help reduce the risk of breast cancer. This can be done by: (3) 

  • Limiting alcohol consumption
  • Not smoking
  • Controlling your weight
  • Increasing physical activity
  • Consuming a healthy diet
  • Limiting hormone therapies

Here are some additional resources:

     We hope you’ve learned some beneficial information for the prevention of breast cancer; please spread the word! And as always, thanks again for all of the #WellfieWednesday support, be sure to post your pictures again this week and tag Eric (@Eric_in_AmERICa) or myself (@PBernerSPT) and keep the wave of healthy change going!

-       Dr. Patrick Berner, PT, DPT

-       Dr. Eric Uveges, PT, DPT

 

References

1. http://www.cancer.org/cancer/breastcancer/detailedguide/breast-cancer-key-statistics 

2. http://www.cancer.org/cancer/breastcancer/moreinformation/breastcancerearlydetection/breast-cancer-early-detection-acs-recs 

3. http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/womens-health/in-depth/breast-cancer-prevention/art-20044676