Oshman & Barteck Physical Therapy, Midtown NYC

learning to run

admin — Tue, 12 Jun 2012 15:28:04 +0000

There are a number issues that most novice runners have – and quite frequently more advanced runners – their foot does not land under their body – nowadays everyone is focusing on the midfoot – but still everyday I see runners of all skill level with slow cadence, minimal knee flexion, too little hip extension, and their foot just doesn’t land under their body – no it is not easy to correct all of these. But with a camera, a metronome, and some effort – a great deal can be done – you can strengthen all you like, but if you want to run regularly, a good distance, and not injure yourself – it is a must to correct your technique first – besides where did we learn to run – we can’t go as fast as the elite runners in this video – but we can work towards their form.
Steven Barteck PT
providing physical therapy in Midtown NYC to all those with aching muscles and joints for the past 15 years.

What is that tingling in my leg?

admin — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 22:02:53 +0000

Sciatica also termed radiculopathy implies that the radicular nerve (nerve root) in the low back is being irritated or pinched by a herniated disc, spinal stenosis, or other lower back disorder. The sciatic nerve runs from the lower back all the way to the foot and toes. Sciatica pain can be experienced anywhere along this nerve route creating symptoms in the low back, the buttocks, the back of the thigh, the calf and the foot or the toes.
While sciatic pain is most commonly a result of direct pressure on the nerve from the disc herniation, it can also be caused by irritation from adjacent bone, tight muscles, infection or injury.
Symptoms for sciatica are radiating pain or a burning sensation, numbness, or tingling as well as muscle spasms that can be felt from the low back area all the way to the lower leg. Severe sciatica can make walking difficult if not impossible.

The Physical Therapy will address:
Faulty movement patterns and muscular imbalances. Radiating symptoms throughout the leg, foot and the muscle spasms throughout low back and buttocks.
Posture and body mechanics while at your work station, gym and home environment. Improvements in core strength. Flexibility issues such as tight hamstrings.
Treatment will include:
manual therapy, osteopathic techniques such as strain-counterstrain and various massage and trigger point therapies.
Exercise techniques incorporating McKenzie, Williams and Sahrmann .
Biomechanic analysis of posture incorporating ergonomic assesment.
Mila Oshman PT is the co-founder of Oshman & Barteck Physical Therapy, Licensed in NY the past 14 years. Her office is located in Midtown NYC where she provides physical therapy care.

physical therapy for the work environment

admin — Sat, 09 Apr 2011 16:30:10 +0000

so often when I correct peoples posture – I address not only the way they sit or interact with their work environment – but moreover I end up correcting the work environment – in basic terms this results in me adjusting their chair – height, depth, angle, softness, curve – and then there is the desk height – a little less adjustable – and then there is the position of whatever is on the desk – and then it all depends on what they do at their desk – sometimes we have to make do with inefficient work methods – such as having paper and books to the side of the computer – or papers in front of the key board forcing the patient to constantly look down or to the side while they work – this is just a few of the issues that need to be addressed when looking at posture – there are biomechanical variables that are completely dependent on small adjustments that are made to our workspaces – and we need to be mindful of these- posture can not be corrected unless you take these factors into account – there is a lot on about how to sit up and stand, and how to use your core – all very pertinent – but not much out there on correcting the working environment to suit you – so let us correct and provide the physical therapy “also” for the desk chair computer and all those other accessories
Steven Barteck PT is the co-founder of Oshman & Barteck Physical Therapy, Licensed in NY the past 14 years. Their office is located in Midtown NYC where he provides physical therapy care.

Young Athletes, Knee Pain and Injuries.

admin — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 00:22:37 +0000

I was walking home the other day, and I overheard some teenagers talking – one of them said she always had to ice both her knees after the soccer games because they hurt so much – she said it in such a matter of fact way, and as if it was ok – or just normal circumstance.
Well yes I do frequently have to help young athletes with knee pain – but unfortunately many of them think it is ok to have a little pain, some pain, or even a lot of pain after their sport – no it is not ok! not at any level is it ok to have pain in your knee after sports – unless that is if you can make a precise determination that the pain is muscle related and not joint related – that would be another discussion though – so what are we to do to solve this problem of accepting knee pain as just daily circumstance – well we start with us parents – yes I too have at one time or another ignored – not paid quite enough attention to my childrens complaints of knee pain (shoemaker’s children syndrome) but I have corrected this. Schools and their coaches need to be reminded that these children might end up with chronic knee disorders – solving the problem through making people aware that there is a problem with it is a start – but also while overtraining needs to be addressed the real problem could very well be the technique that is being used – the wrong technique will result in injury – technique is first and foremost – but specific technique training for most sports in school programs is often taught by a generalist, a keen athlete, but not a specialist – even when a specialist is available time constraints force kids to over practice and to study – yes study in the academic sense what the correct form is – some kids do it naturally – most do not – more later… Steven Barteck PT

Steven Barteck PT is the co-founder of Oshman & Barteck Physical Therapy, Licensed in NY the past 14 years. Their office is located in Midtown NYC where he provides physical therapy care.

The other side of Torticollis (CMT) – Plagiocephaly.

admin — Sat, 19 Mar 2011 17:03:07 +0000

By far the most common diagnosis one treats for pediatric physical therapy is torticollis- also referred to as congenital muscular torticollis or wryneck – and often added to the diagnosis is plagiocephaly.
Plagiocephaly can certainly sound intimidating. Many Parents of my NYC pediatric physical therapy patients will have researched both diagnosis. It is a lot easier to measure small improvements in torticollis – while research is not clear as to what causes plagiocephaly, what treatments work, and duration of treatment -
I also can’t answer the above definitively, but physical therapy is effective in helping these children.
Flat areas on the skull are exacerbated by a child’s early lack of symmetrical movement when lying in supine or on their back – which is what we see in torticollis, where the child turns or focuses most of their attention to one side. From my treatment perspective it is critical to catch these very early – since the solution is for the child to actively turn their head to both sides, and as long as their primary position is lying on their back the pressure of their skull rotating to both sides will improve the symmetry of their skull. Early treatment is imperative since children will move away from the supine position between 3 and 6 months: Once they are not lying on their backs you will no longer have the benefits of their skull rotating against the floor to assist in the correction of the flat spot.

Office chair posture and low back pain.

admin — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 00:53:52 +0000

Treating a lot of patients in the New York City area one is exposed to a large amount of postural issues – one aspect is the way we sit at our desks – the point I want to highlight here – and I could mention a few – but this picture really shows it – is the tilt back angle on the chair.

The mechanics of the back are under significant stress with this kind of leaning back – and as the center of gravity moves backwards or posterior there is increase force placed on the lumbar vertebrae.

I notice that patients like to have the chairs flexed back – they in a way are suspended and this position of a “soft flex” in the tilt mechanism results in more low back stress. We must utilize the back of the chair – which is essentially there to reduce the fatigue to your spinal muscles.

Simple solution is to lock the chair in a 90 degree upright position, and lock the tilting mechanism so that the seat-back does not flex – therefore decreasing the stress on the low back.
Steven Barteck PT

Physical therapy does work for tennis elbow

admin — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 02:08:41 +0000

I came accross this article:

http://www.nydailynews.com/lifestyle/health/2009/10/21/2009-10-21_mount_sinai_.html

Physical therapy does work for tennis elbow – also known as lateral epicondylitis– yes it does not always work in 6 to 8 weeks but eventually it does work – and as ever this becomes an issue with health insurance- the more important issue is these types of problems are overuse and poor technique problems – so unless you correct the form with your exercise, sport, and your workspace in both the home and office: I am afraid to say you would not be using your time…efficiently unless you address these issues – yes some physical therapists tend to focus on the loss of strength issue, but over the years I have not seen good results with this – manual therapy techniques to the elbow involving massage, gentle stretching, ice, Mulligan techniques are all cumulatively extremely effective – not to mention one needs to address shoulder and neck issues – little mentioned is also the effective use of braces at the wrist and elbow – the anatomical variation explains why so many patients who have poor desk set ups and exercise form do not suffer as much, but still the issue has to be resolved by correcting form and technique. A physical therapist who spends the time to analyze all those factors will help resolve the issue. Steven Barteck PT