Encore Rehabilitation.

Clanton Clinic Athlete of the Month, Noah Glenn.

Congratulations to Noah Glenn for being chosen as the Clanton Encore Athlete of the Month. Noah is a freshman at Jemison High School and plays on the Offensive Line for the Varsity Panther Football Team. He attends honor classes and has a 4.3 GPA. When he’s not on the football field, he enjoys reading and playing the piano. Noah’s future plans are to play college football and major in Sports Medicine or Orthodontics. Noah would like to take this opportunity to thank his surgeon, Dr. Lyle Cain; his Encore Therapist, Adam Powell; and his coaches, Jake Hogan and Donny Eslinger for their support and encouragement during his injury and rehabilitation.

Winfield Clinic athlete of the Month, Jake Gunter.

Congratulations to the Winfield Encore Athlete of the Month, Jake Gunter! Jake is a junior, multi-sport athlete at Marion County High School. He has played basketball (#2) for three years and football (#45) for one year. Jake has been to the 2012 1A Final 48 for basketball and the 2014 1A semi-finals in football. He has also received the 2013 Basketball Academic Award. After high school, Jake plans to attend a two year college degree to become a Physical Therapy Assistant. Jake is the son of Brent and Vickie Gunter. Good luck the rest of basketball season, Jake! Keep up the good work.

Russellville Encore Athlete of the Month, Courtney Baker.

Congratulations to the Russellville Clinic Athlete of the Month, Courtney Baker! Courtey is a senior at Phil Campbell high school and multi-sport athlete. She is a member of the girls basketball, softball, and cheer teams. Her future plans are to attend Northwest Shoals Community College– Phil Campbell Campus to finish her basics, then transfer to another college to major in pharmacy. Courtney is the daughter of Jarriod and Tonya Baker. Good luck the rest of your senior year, Courtney, keep up the good work!

PT Tip of the week by Josh Davis.

“Why do diets never seem to work long term?” How to help you start a diet and stick with it (along with a great website to help you stay on track), by Encore PT, Josh Davis.

“The Secret to Weight Loss… SHHHH!!!

After much research the secret to weight loss turns out to be… drum roll please… burn more calories than you consume!! That’s right folks, Scientists and Biologist have finally figured it out!!

The truth of the matter is this… All the diets in the world are in some way geared around this one concept (calorie input vs. calorie output). It’s really not rocket science. It’s just an understanding of how the body gains and loses weight.

If you put more calories in than you burn you WILL gain weight… GARAUNTEED! The good news is that works in reverse! If you burn more calories that you consume you will, you WILL, YOU WILL lose weight!!

Now, we all know how to put calories in, but how does our body burn them? Your body uses calories for all functions (i.e. walking, lifting, talking, digesting food, breathing, pumping your heart, and yes even eating). The point is that if all you do is sit in your favorite chair and never get up, your body still burns calories. The bigger you are, the more calories you burn even doing nothing at all!!

SO, Have you ever started a diet and got great results for a while and then all the sudden you couldn’t lose anymore weight even though you are still doing the same thing. Let me guess, you got frustrated and gave up, and your excuse for still being overweight is that you tried dieting and you just couldn’t lose anymore weight. WRONG!!! The reason you stopped losing weight is BECAUSE you never changed what you were doing.

Because of the concept that I mentioned earlier, as you lose weight you body does not require as many calories to keep you alive (i.e. breathing, pumping your heart etc.), therefore, if you keep the same calorie in/calorie out ratio your body will reach an equilibrium and you will quit losing weight. At this time, you have to do one of three things. You have to decrease calorie input, increase calorie output, or both. In other words eat less, exercise more, or both. At this point, you will start to lose weight again. All you have to do is repeat this process until you are at your desired weight.

Now, the other factor to this is that if you never exercise you will lose muscle strength and tone, therefore, the less you do the less you will be able to do and the more susceptible you will be to injury and disease. In other words, this is NOT giving you permission to be lazy and not exercise. There are a lot of benefits to exercise beyond just weight loss (i.e. heart health). My point is, you CAN lose weight without exercise although it is not recommended. The best way to lose weight is a combination of diet and exercise.

So, how do I get started? Well, I’m glad you asked!

Start by logging what you eat and calculating how many calories it is. There are many apps and websites to help you with this. My personal favorite is www.myfitnesspal.com. On that website/app you can simply type in what you eat and it will tell you how many calories is in it.

The next step is BE HONEST!!! If you lie about what you are taking in, you are only hurting yourself.

Next, start small!! I cannot stress this enough! Weight loss is not supposed to be a quick thing. You didn’t get all that extra weight in one month and you shouldn’t try to lose it in one month either. You can diet quickly but you are essentially starving yourself and your body will not tolerate this for long. You won’t persevere no matter how bad you want to and your body will crave food so bad that you eventually binge eat and gain all the weight back plus some. Start by dropping 100-200 calories out of your diet and adding some exercise to burn 100-200 calories per day. Do that for a while until you weight loss plateaus the repeat process. Do this until you are at your desired weight.

WARNING: Never go below about a 1200 calorie per day diet. This is a good healthy diet and if you think you are eating less than 1200 calories per day and you are overweight and not losing weight you are lying to yourself.

There is a way to eat healthy and it is extremely important, but this post is simply discussing weight loss in general, not healthy eating habits.

Good luck in all your endeavors and I hope this helps you finally get rid of what’s been “weighing you down”.”

We are excited to be partnering with Alabama Soccer!

ALABAMA SOCCER ASSOCIATION PARTNERS WITH ENCORE REHABILITATION

Birmingham, Alabama — The Alabama Soccer Association is proud to announce a new partnership with Encore Rehabilitation, that will increase sports medicine coverage for ASA athletes.

Under this partnership, Encore will provide on-site athletic trainers at all ASA events, as well as extensive performance and injury reduction for coaches and players.

“We are thrilled to team up with Encore Rehabilitation. Player safety is of the utmost importance and Encore Rehabilitation delivers on that mission to keep players healthy and able to continue in their sports successfully,” says Tom Condone, Executive Director of the Alabama Soccer Association.

Alabama Soccer Association is the state’s largest soccer organization and governing body for youth soccer in Alabama on behalf of the United States Soccer Federation (USSF).

“Encore is extremely proud to partner with the Alabama Soccer Association, not only to provide athletic training coverage to ensure the highest quality care possible for all injured players at ASA events, but also provide educational content on how to keep the athletes healthy and reduce the risk of injury. The goal of this comprehensive program is to ultimately keep all players injury free and safe, so they can concentrate on reaching their peak potential,” says Marc Bernier, Clinical Director of Sports Medicine.

To learn more, visit http://www.alsoccer.org/.

About Alabama Soccer Association

As the Alabama affiliate of US Soccer and US Youth Soccer, the Alabama Soccer Association (ASA) is a non-profit and educational organization whose mission is to foster the physical, mental, and emotional growth of players of all ages, by creating and increasing opportunities for wholesome participation. ASA has a current membership of over 15,000 registered players statewide, youth and adult, and approximately 2,000 active coaches, referees, and administrators. For more information, please visit www.alsoccer.org.

About Encore Rehabilitation

About Encore Rehabilitation, Inc. – Encore Rehabilitation, headquartered in Decatur, AL is one of the nation premier rehabilitation, fitness and sports enhance companies. Encore rehabilitation division specializes in state-of-the-art physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech therapy. Encore is also the exclusive sports medicine provider for the Alabama High School Athletic Association. For more information, please visit http://www.encorerehab.com.

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Congratulations to Morgan County’s Distinguished Young Women Winner, Ali Carden.

Encore SportsFit of Decatur is proud to be the fitness provider for the Morgan County’s DYW program and would like to offer our congratulations to the new DYM of Morgan County, Ali Carden!

“Ali Carden was chosen over seven other contestants Saturday night for the title of Distinguished Young Woman of Morgan County. Carden, of Decatur Heritage, also won the fitness and talent awards… and received a $1,800 scholarship and Brown earned a $1,000 scholarship.” – The Decatur Daily

Distinguished Young Women National Finalists, Alabama’s Madeline Powell, and Mississippi’s Peryn Reeves-Darby.

Encore is proud to be a sponsor of the Distinguished Young Women’s program, and is excited about the 57th Annual Nationals competition, June 26-28, 2014!

“For more than 56 years, Mobile, Alabama has been the home of Distinguished Young Women, formerly the America’s Junior Miss scholarship program. Each year fifty of the nation’s brightest and most accomplished young women visit the Gulf Coast to compete for more than $100,000 in cash scholarships and the opportunity to represent the program as the Distinguished Young Woman of America.“

We would like to congratulate all of the 2014 National Finalists and wish them good luck as they make their way to Mobile next week! To see a list of all the contestants, please follow the link: http://www.ajm.org/programs/national_finals/participants/

Alabama’s DYW, Madeline Powell

Parents: David & Nancy Powell
College Preference: University of Alabama
Career Goals: Physician
Talent: Dance – Jazz (So Much Better from Legally Blonde: The Musical, by Choreographed by Jamie Grimes)

Mississippi’s DYW, Peryn Reeves-Darby

Parents: Alvin Darby & Vonda Reeves-Darby
College Preference: Harvard, Yale, or Stanford
Career Goals: Chemist or Chemical Researcher
Talent: Instrumental – Piano (Rolling Thunder, by Lionel Yu)

What is a Torn Rotator Cuff and what to expect after Surgery.

“The rotator cuff is a group of four tendons and the related muscles that stabilize the shoulder joint and allow you to raise and rotate your arm. The shoulder is a ball-and-socket joint with three main bones: the upper arm bone (humerus), the collarbone (clavicle), and the shoulder blade (scapula). These bones are held together by muscles, tendons, ligaments, and the joint capsule. The rotator cuff helps keep the ball of the arm bone seated into the socket of the shoulder blade.

Surgery to repair a torn rotator cuff tendon usually involves:

Removing loose fragments of tendon, bursa, and other debris from the space in the shoulder where the rotator cuff moves (debridement).
Making more room for the rotator cuff tendon so it is not pinched or irritated. If needed, this includes shaving bone or removing bone spurs from the point of the shoulder blade (subacromial smoothing).
Sewing the torn edges of the supraspinatus tendon together and to the top of the upper arm bone (humerus).

In open shoulder surgery, a surgeon makes an incision [2 in. (5 cm) to 3 in. (7.6 cm)] in the shoulder to open it and view the shoulder directly while repairing it. A smaller incision can be done with a mini-open procedure that allows the surgeon to reach the affected tendon by splitting the deltoid muscle. This method may reduce your chances of problems from a deltoid injury.

Open-shoulder surgery often requires a short stay in the hospital.

General anesthesia or a nerve block may be used for these types of surgical repair.

Rotator cuff tears can sometimes be repaired with arthroscopic surgery.

Surgery to repair a torn rotator cuff tendon usually involves:

Discomfort after surgery may decrease with taking pain medicines prescribed by your doctor.

The arm will be protected in a sling for a defined period of time, especially when at risk of additional injury.

*Physical therapy after surgery is crucial to a successful recovery. A rehabilitation program may include the following:

As soon as you awake from anesthesia, you may start doing exercises that flex and extend the elbow, wrist, and hand.
The day after surgery, if your doctor allows, passive exercises that move your arm may be done about 3 times a day (a machine or physical therapist may help the joint through its range of motion).
Active exercise (you move your arm yourself) and stretches, with the assistance of a physical therapist, may start 6 to 8 weeks after surgery. This depends on how bad your tear was and how complex the surgical repair was.
Strengthening exercises, beginning with light weights and progressing to heavier weights, can start a few months after surgery.”

Source:

William, B., & Timothy, B. (2011, November 11). Rotator Cuff Repair. Retrieved from http://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/rotator-cuff-repair

Classmates, to friends, to Business Partners: The story of Encore Rehabilitation, Inc.

University of South Alabama Graduating Class of 1980

Under the partnership of Paul G. Henderson, PT and Paige B. Plash, PT, Encore Rehab was founded in 1981 and delivers the best rehabilitation services to thousands of patients daily in locations throughout Alabama and Mississippi. Encore Rehab is an employee-focused company with a tremendous team of dedicated and experienced employees who understand the many environments in which a therapist can provide treatment. Through the company’s specialized divisions, Encore Rehab provides rehabilitation services of unsurpassed quality that help patients return to a healthier lifestyle.

Considering ACL Surgery?

Surgery for anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries involves reconstructing or repairing the ACL.

ACL reconstruction surgery uses a graft to replace the ligament. The most common grafts are autografts using part of your own body, such as the tendon of the kneecap (patellar tendon) or one of the hamstring tendons. Another choice is allograft tissue, which is taken from a deceased donor.
Repair surgery typically is used only in the case of an avulsion fracture (a separation of the ligament and a piece of the bone from the rest of the bone). In this case, the bone fragment connected to the ACL is reattached to the bone.

ACL surgery is usually done by making small incisions in the knee and inserting instruments for surgery through these incisions (arthroscopic surgery). In some cases, it is done by cutting a large incision in the knee (open surgery).

ACL surgeries are done by orthopedic surgeons.

Many orthopedic surgeons use arthroscopic surgery rather than open surgery for ACL injuries because:

It is easy to see and work on the knee structures.
It uses smaller incisions than open surgery.
It can be done at the same time as diagnostic arthroscopy (using arthroscopy to find out about the injury or damage to the knee).
It may have fewer risks than open surgery.

Arthroscopic surgery is done under regional (such as spinal) anesthesia or generalanesthesia.

What happens

During arthroscopic ACL reconstruction, the surgeon makes several small incisions—usually two or three—around the knee. Sterile saline (salt) solution is pumped into the knee through one incision to expand it and to wash blood from the area. This allows the doctor to see the knee structures more clearly.

The surgeon inserts an arthroscope into one of the other incisions. A camera at the end of the arthroscope transmits pictures from inside the knee to a TV monitor in the operating room.

Surgical drills are inserted through other small incisions. The surgeon drills small holes into the upper and lower leg bones where these bones come close together at the knee joint. The holes form tunnels through which the graft will be anchored.

The surgeon will also make another incision in the knee and take the graft (replacement tissue).

A graft taken from the tendon at the front of the knee below the kneecap (patellar tendon) will include two small pieces of bone called “bone blocks” on the ends of the tissue. One piece of bone is taken from the kneecap and the other piece is taken from a part of the lower leg bone near the knee joint. This type of graft allows better healing because the tendon is still attached to its original bone, and the pieces of bone just need to heal into their new locations.
If the autograft comes from the hamstring, bone blocks are not taken. This type of graft may allow the knee to look more normal after it heals, because the tendon from the front of the knee is not used. It is also easier to add extra tissue from a deceased donor (allograft) to this type of graft.
The whole graft may also be taken from a deceased donor (allograft).

The graft is pulled through the two tunnels that were drilled in the upper and lower leg bones. The surgeon secures the graft with hardware such as screws or staples and will close the incisions with stitches or tape. The knee is bandaged, and you are taken to the recovery room for 2 to 3 hours.

During ACL surgery, the surgeon may repair other injured parts of the knee as well, such as menisci, other knee ligaments, cartilage, or broken bones.

What To Expect After Surgery

Arthroscopic surgery is often done on an outpatient basis, which means that you do not spend a night in the hospital. Other surgery may require staying in the hospital for a couple of days.

You will feel tired for several days. Your knee will be swollen, and you may have numbness around the cut (incision) on your knee. Your ankle and shin may be bruised or swollen. You can put ice on the area to reduce swelling. Most of this will go away in a few days, and you should soon start seeing improvement in your knee.

To care for your incision while it heals, you need to keep it clean and dry and watch for signs of infection.

Physical rehabilitation after ACL surgery may take several months to a year. The length of time until you can return to normal activities or sports is different for every person. It may range from 4 to 6 months.1