Inflammation Part Three: How Autoimmune and Chronic Disease Conditions Play a Role in the Inflammatory Process

Our two-part series on inflammation prompted a really good question from one of our subscribers: 

“How do autoimmune and other inflammatory conditions play into the inflammatory cycle?”

People with autoimmune disorders and chronic diseases like diabetes, arthritis, lupus, and celiac are in a varying but constant state of inflammation. Medication and lifestyle changes such as exercise, adequate sleep, good nutrition, and stress reduction can help regulate inflammation. Unfortunately, there is no cure for these diseases and no way to eliminate the inflammation associated with them. 

Injury, illness or stress, such as training for a marathon, can exponentially affect a person with chronic disease. It is like adding gasoline to a fire. Just as a bigger fire takes longer to control, chronically-inflamed patients typically require longer recovery and treatment times.

Physical therapy measures such as NDN, ART, and AFS can help calm inflammation associated with disease brought on by added stressors. Unfortunately, while PT can help, it cannot extinguish inflammation or cure disease.

While we can’t eradicate the disease or completely break the inflammatory cycle, we can decrease the pain and dysfunction it creates. We can take a raging fire down to controlled burning embers. 

Many of my patients and coaching clients with autoimmune disorders do amazing things like run businesses, raise families, and train for marathons. If you are struggling with autoimmune disease, let's get that inflammation under control.

To read more about inflammation, check out our two-part series:

• Inflammation Part One: Aid and Control Early Inflammation

• Inflammation Part Two: How to Break the Vicious Cycle of Chronic Inflammation

We love to hear from our community, and aspire to provide information on topics that are most important and interesting to you. If you have a question or topic that you'd like us to address in our blog, please email us!

Join Coach Amy and Declare Your 2020 Winter Goals

For most of us the idea of more winter is overwhelming after the stress and pace of the holidays. It is tempting to cuddle up and go into hibernation mode (often curbing our healthy habits). Embracing these winter months and setting “winter goals” is key to achieving big annual successes. This initial 25% of the year can have a huge impact on reaching a new goal.

To achieve a new resolution, keep the focus narrow. Instead of setting multiple goals choose one or two that are the most important, and tend to those goals with a high priority. This may mean a couple of other daily tasks get less attention for a little while like dishes and laundry. Once you get some momentum going, then you can achieve a nice balance where you are working on your goals and completing other tasks. You may find that a healthier, stronger you is capable of getting more done in less time!

At CoachAmyPT we give you permission this year to make your health and fitness goals a priority. We’re here to hold you accountable in 2020.

Stop by our clinic this month and sign our wall of fame with your winter goals. Put it in writing, share your goals with our community, and we’ll help you reach them. We also want to cheer you on through social media. Keep us updated through Facebook and Instagram by including the hashtag #winter2020capt within your winter goal updates on our page.

Need some inspirations to set some goals?

• Make a conscience effort to improve posture

• Get at least 7 hours of sleep every night

• Improve mobility and/or strength

• Sign up and start training for your first 5k/ marathon/ triathlon

• Get some fresh air and increase your heart rate outdoors for 30 minutes aiming to reach 4 days/week by the end of February

Our health is among the many things we take most for granted. It’s also one of the dominant factors that drive our quality of life. Achieving a winter goal will give you the boost you need to commit to improving health and wellness the rest of the year.

First, identify a winter goal and share it with friends and family (ie. sign our wall of fame, share with us on Facebook). Second, develop a plan and a road map to help you get there. Step by step, one day at a time, we know you can do it!

Inflammation Part Two: How to Break the Vicious Cycle of Chronic Inflammation

In our article, Inflammation Part One: Aid and Control Early Inflammation, we discussed the benefits of early inflammation and the importance of controlling it. When inflammation of the musculoskeletal system is unchecked and persists longer than 2 weeks, a vicious cycle ensues. See photo above.

Inflammation causes pain which leads to inhibition and loss of function which leads to more injury, and that feeds right back into inflammation and pain. It becomes a never-ending loop. To break this cycle, Coach Amy uses a combination of neurological dry needling, Active Release Technique, and gentle mobility exercises.

It is not enough to simply stop the cycle. The cause of the problem is often unclear. Many overuse injuries are complex. Even acute ones, like a sprained ankle, can be the result of a dysfunctional gait or biomechanics. Coach Amy thoroughly evaluates patients to determine the root cause of the injury.

It’s a lot like putting together a puzzle that has pieces missing.

Coach Amy works one-on-one with patients throughout the entire rehabilitation process.

“I continually assess at each visit because, more often than not, each issue has many layers. For the best and quickest outcome, we must adapt the treatment approach as we go.”

— Coach Amy

Remember, as we discussed in Inflammation Part One: Aid and Control Early Inflammation, inflammation gets a bad rap: controlled inflammation actually benefits recovery. But untreated, inflammation can begin a nasty, never-ending loop of chronic pain. When possible, seek treatment for pain and injuries early to benefit from the positive impacts of inflammation without entering the chronic pain cycle.

Healthy to the Core

Most of us have heard the buzz words, “strong core.” Is it worth all the hype? Yes! A strong core is beneficial for everyone not just athletes; it can help prevent pain and injury in any lifestyle. Ring a bell from the trifecta articles in October?

• Mobility: A Key to Pain-Free Functional Movement and Injury Prevention

• Stability: Another Key to Pain-Free Function and Injury

• Completing the Trifecta to Pain-Free Function and Injury Prevention: Proprioception

We can prevent injury with a strong core; it improves our stability, agility, balance, posture, and coordination creating a foundation for a stronger and healthier body. It also improves efficiency with movement; we gain more power and function from our upper and lower extremities. For endurance athletes, this translates to more power in arm and leg movements while running, swimming, and cycling. For non-athletes this translates into preventing back pain from overuse strains doing household or work related tasks.

Contrary to popular belief, a strong core isn’t limited to strong abs. Our core encompasses the entire cylindrical column of muscles ranging from above the shoulders to below the hips. The proper way to engage and strengthen this range of muscles is with slow, intentional and controlled, quality movement patterns.

Coach Amy has designed a core strengthening class for both beginners and advanced athletes. These classes incorporate a combination of progressively challenging dynamic and functional exercises to build control for activities of daily living and sport.

Our Phoenix Core Winter session is 8- weeks long and begins January 7th. Classes are held at CoachAmyPT on Tuesdays at 6:00 p.m. Commit to feeling stronger, moving better, and preventing injury in the New Year. Spots are limited!

Inflammation Part One: Aid and Control Early Inflammation

Most of us believe inflammation is detrimental. But the truth is, inflammation is the body’s healthy reaction to injury and disease. The body releases critical substances that stimulate the body to repair, heal and fight off disease.

Inflammation is a natural defense mechanism that increases blood flow to the injured area. Blood flow carries in white blood cells for repair and transports dead, injured cells away. This process usually take 8-10 days once the stimulus for injury is eliminated. Sometimes the source of injury is obvious, like a sprained ankle, but some sources can be elusive. It could be poor posture, repetitive motions or dysfunctional mechanics in the workplace, hobby or sport. Coach Amy helps identify tricky sources of injury and modifies activity to prevent additional tissue damage.

Patients can initiate early control with ice in the first 24 hours of injury. Moist heat after the first 24 hours with compression and elevation can help the blood flow. The benefits of NSAID's and over-the-counter anti-inflammatories are controversial. While they can help control pain, they can also interfere with the powerful early healing process associated with inflammation.

Coach Amy uses dry needling techniques to enhance and control the early inflammatory process. While acute (early) inflammation benefits the body, lingering inflammation can be harmful. Check out next week's post to learn more about identifying and combating harmful, persistent inflammation.

Run Lit 2019 Next Thursday Dec. 12th at 6:30 p.m.

Ready for a holiday stress reliever? Join Roadrunners of Kansas City for our favorite annual tradition and see the magic of the holidays from the street view. Adorn yourself with Christmas lights and holiday cheer and run the plaza area with our vetted running group. As we light up the streets and have some fun, this will be an event that you (and everyone else at the plaza Thursday evening) will always remember! The run is FREE. Pace is EASY. Bring your friends and family. The more the merrier!

Meet in the parking lot near Station Coffee in Westport: 1010 Westport Rd, Kansas City, MO 64111. Run course is approximately 3 miles.