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NY1 VIDEO: After years of chronic sinus infections, a
high-powered executive turned to healing using energy. One energy
coach and physical trainer tries to ease pain through this type of
healing, in conjunction with physical therapy and medical treatments.
Our Bree Driscoll explains how it works in the latest Healthy Living report.
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Personalized physical therapy brings relief for lower back pain
Science Daily Patients’ situation was analysed after a three-month physical therapy period, and again after 12 months. Patients had five physical therapy sessions, including either personally tailored or generic exercises. Each session also included a brief manual … |
Neil King Physical Therapy recently opened a location in Bloomfield Hills. It is one of seven locations for the physical therapy provider.
The Birmingham Bloomfield Chamber of Commerce hosted a grand opening and ribbon cutting reception at the new office. From left: Kathy Katz of Heartland Payroll; Dan Ormsby of Neil King Physical Therapy; Andy Rosiman of Arcadia Home Care; Bonnie Miles of Birmingham Bloomfield Chamber; Melissa Thompson of Neil King Physical Therapy; Al Hassinger of Robert W. Baird; Neil King and Huanqing King of Neil King Physical Therapy; Alicia Green of Aqua Advantage; Paul Taros of Taros & Associates; Lynn Gillow of Ed Fisher Agency and Michele Rhodes of Simple Mortgage.
“I have served many patients in the Birmingham and Bloomfield community, and when I was looking to expand, this location was a no-brainer. I look forward to better serving our existing patients and treating new ones throughout the area,” Neil King, MPT, said in a news release.
The office is at 36880 Woodward Ave., Bloomfield Hills. For more information, call 248-385-5707 or visit www.neilkingpt.com.
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— Kathy Blake, The Oakland Press
New guidelines released by the American College of Physicians (ACP) recommend that people with low back pain should use drug-free remedies such as heat wraps and physical therapy first before reaching for the medicine cabinet.
The guidelines, published recently in Annals of Internal Medicine, are based on a review of studies looking at various therapies that did—and didn’t—work in patients with low back pain.
According to the guidelines, the ACP recommends that opioids such as OxyContin and Vicodin be used only as a last resort in some cases of long-lasting back pain. In addition, the ACP no longer recommends acetaminophen (Tylenol) because recent research has reportedly shown that it isn’t effective for low back pain.
However, the ACP notes that people with shorter-term nonspecific pain (such as when one’s back hurts and the cause isn’t known) can improve with simple measures like heat and changes in activity, according to a news story from HealthDay.
For pain that lasts fewer than 12 weeks, heat wraps, massage, acupuncture, and spinal manipulation can be helpful. If the pain lasts for more than 12 weeks, drug-free options such as exercise therapy, acupuncture, yoga, tai chi, mindfulness-based stress reduction and guided relaxation techniques, and cognitive behavioral therapy may work.
If patients need to use medication, the ACP advises starting with NSAIDS such as ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) and naproxen (Aleve), or possibly muscle relaxants, HealthDay continues.
If the back pain continues to persist, additional options could include duloxetine (Cymbalta)—which is prescribed for both depression and nerve pain, or the narcotic painkiller tramadol.
“Only in rare circumstances should opioids be given,” states ACP President Dr Nitin Damle, “and then only for a few days,” due to the risks, which could include addiction and accidental overdose.
Besides that, Damle adds in the HealthDay story, there’s little evidence that opioids help people with low back pain.
[Source(s): American College of Physicians, HealthDay]
Tapped directly by Apple under the tech giant’s largely stealthy Mobility Partner Program, the two companies are joining forces to integrate Physitrack’s home exercise program into drchrono’s EHR on the web, iPad, iPhone and Apple Watch. Starting this month, all of drchrono’s provider customers – which is over 100,000 – will have access to Physitrack to use with their patients through their EHR account.
The partnership is notable for its scale and smooth iOS integration – drchrono was the first EHR to build a native app for iPad and iPhone, and offers sophisticated touches like text-to-speech functionality and fingerprint scan accessibility. Seeing the benefits of housing Physitrack’s digital clinical exercise program and patient engagement capabilities inside drchono’s Apple-focused EHR, Apple reached out to both startups.
“This is a perfect example of Apple’s accelerated Mobility Partner Program, as it was Apple that came to both of us to look at what we could to do create an integrated, seamless experience,” Physitrack CEO and Cofounder Henrik Molin told MobiHealthNews. “It runs on all the bells and whistles of our program to give doctors a way to provide home exercises, specialized telehealth, outcomes reporting and analytics, and it all fits very snugly inside drchrono’s EMR.”
The aim of Physitrack is to offer a better solution to patients who are preparing or recovering from surgery, such as joint replacement, than the traditional paper-based exercise regimens that can be difficult to follow and often result in poor recovery outcomes. The platform’s remote monitoring and compliance tracking makes both parties more accountable, and patients also have access to educational content. To start a new program, physicians choose from over 3,500 fully narrated exercise videos and more than 180 program templates to create tailored prescriptions for each patient. The platform can livestream videos with integrated telehealth capabilities to allow for video consultations and secure messaging.
“The vision of where we are going with Apple’s MPP and our partnership is to create the best mobile experience for the physician, and at the point of care is where we really shine,” Daniel Kivatinos, cofounder and COO of drchrono told MobiHealthNews. “Then, there is also the element of being able to hand off the treatment, from pre-visit, inpatient and post-surgical, and we round out the whole experience with Physitrack.”
Physitrack, which was founded in 2012, has enjoyed considerable success in Europe, New Zealand and the United States, and works with many large practice management software companies. There are other digital physical therapy platforms out there, such as PeerWell’s PreHab and Rehab offerings, but Physitrack is different for its telehealth capabilities and workflow integration. The streamlined drchrono version of the program nudges them even further forward.
“This is the first time both therapeutic patient engagement and secure video consultations has been combined inside a practice EHR in this way,” Michael Nusimow, CEO and cofounder of drchrono, said in a statement. “drchrono is excited to offer healthcare practitioners this innovative technology, which is designed to enhance the patient journey and improve their outcomes. Practitioners will be able to conduct patient consultations through Physitrack regardless of their location,and document those consultations, tightly intergrated with drchrono.”
The drchrono collaboration marks the largest partnership and client base the company has ever worked had, and Molin believes it will be well-received.
“There is a big need for this, there is a lot of hunger to digitize, and a lot of practices are looking to meet the needs of patients who are actually quite tech savvy; they are used to wellness programs, fitness programs, and in most places where we have marketed, there has been immediate take up,” Molin said. “This is even bigger because the integrated solution is something that has the touch of Apple’s designers, so it makes it something that is instantly understood and loved by a lot of people. It doesn’t take that much to get people excited about it.”
Kivatinos emphasized the accountability it creates for patients and physicians, which he believes can only be achieved through modernizing the healthcare system.
“If you look at the future of healthcare, it’s mobile, and we are looking at how we create that experience,” Kivatinos said. “I wouldn’t say we are trying to replace existing systems, but rather, we are trying to push the boundaries of what the medical experience can be.”
Elite Physical Therapy is the newest corporate partner to back the Brown Bears this athletic season as announced recently by the university’s athletics multimedia rights holder, Learfield’s Brown Bears Sports Properties.
Owned by long-time Rhode Islanders, Michael Nula and Jason Harvey, Elite Physical Therapy has eight locations throughout the state and ensures quality care and treatment for patients of all ages. The most visible component of Elite Physical Theraphy’s Brown partnership will be during the men’s and women’s basketball seasons. For the first-time ever, both programs will benefit from an organized, season-long ball boy, ball girl initiative as it will be entirely presented by Elite Physical Therapy. At every men’s and women’s home basketball game, that element will be overseen by Elite, including securing the boys and girls assigned to the respective games.
“This is a great way for our company to give back to the community, while at the same time, support one of the incredible university athletics’ programs in our own backyard,” said Elite Physical Therapy Co-Owner Nula, who also supports his alma mater, University of Rhode Island. “We take immense pride in our work and helping people get back on their feet again, and it’s our privilege to align with Brown, recognize the hard work and dedication of their student-athletes and look forward to helping young Brown fans be on the sidelines doing great work as well.”
According to Head Coach Mike Martin, “Without a doubt, this will be a welcome addition to our program and a great way to engage kids within the community. We’re grateful to Elite Physical Therapy for their support and appreciate them backing Brown and our student-athletes.”
Elite Physical Therapy is actively involved in numerous Rhode Island communities and non-profit organizations and has been recognized for awards such as appearing in Providence Business News’ “Best Places to Work” list in 2014, 2015 and 2016. For additional information about the company, its services and locations, visit www.elitephysicaltherapy.com.
