6/22/2023 0 Comments Salmon with Coconut CurryBy Jess Kehoe Curry is a very traditional flavor for Indian and South Asian cuisine, and can range from subtle to very spicy. If you are not a curry fan, or have never tried it, this is a very mild version, and a great option to try out something new. It is really dominated by the sweet coconut flavor and I love how it goes with the salmon, as well as how yummy the rice is drenched in this sauce.
Ingredients: 2 tablespoons canola oil 1 medium red onion, halved and sliced 1/2 thick 1 inch of fresh ginger, minced (about 2 tablespoons) 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced Salt and black pepper to taste 1/4 cup white miso 1/2 cup unsweetened, full-fat coconut milk 3 cups water 1 salmon fillet (about 1 1/2 lbs), cut into 2-inch pieces 5 packed cups of spinach 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice Steamed rice for serving, such as jasmine or basmati Instructions: In a large pot, heat the oil on medium. Add the onion, garlic and ginger, season with salt and pepper. Cook until the onion softens, stirring occasionally for about 5 minutes. Add the miso, then stir frequently until the miso is lightly caramelized, about 2 minutes. Add in the coconut milk and water and bring this to a boil. Lower the heat to a rapid simmer for about 5 minutes until the liquid reduces a bit. Stir in the salmon and reduce the heat to medium low. Simmer the curry until the salmon is just cooked through, about 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and stir in the lime juice and the spinach. Stir until the spinach wilts. Serve over rice and Enjoy!
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6/22/2023 0 Comments Sausage and Cabbage SkilletBy Jess Kehoe Do you have a farm share or CSA? If so, and your family is like mine, the cabbage can sit in your refrigerator for weeks, since using little bits for tacos here and there doesn't take much. Amazingly it seems to last for quite a while in there, needing only a little trim of the edges. If it's time to use up that big head of cabbage to make way for the next one here is a pretty tasty and very easy recipe to try. Even my husband agreed that it was surprisingly good, especially considering his less than enthusiastic initial reaction to my announcement of what was for dinner!
Ingredients: 2 tablespoons olive oil 4 sausages, sliced into 1/4 in thick pieces 1 small head of cabbage, about 5 cups, shredded (I used a mixture of red and green since that is what was sitting in my fridge) 1 small apple, sliced thinly 1/2 yellow onion, diced or thinly sliced 1-2 cloves of garlic, minced 2 teaspoons salt 1/2 teaspoon black pepper Instructions: Heat a large skillet to medium high. Add the sausages and sauté, flipping frequently to brown them. When cooked to your liking, remove them from the pan and set them aside. In the same skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil to medium high. Sauté the onions and garlic until onions begin to soften. Add in the cabbage, apple slices, salt and pepper. This may feel like it overflows your pan, but that's ok, it will cook down quite a bit. Stir occasionally until the cabbage is close to tender. This will take about ten minutes. Add the sausages back into the pan and mix, cooking another 3-5 minutes to re-heat the sausage. Serve and enjoy! 6/7/2023 0 Comments Runner CalvesBy Bailey Lodato, PT, DPT As runners we think of a number of different muscles that help propel us along our running path. Quads and glutes often get all the glory when it comes to “runner legs” but our calf is arguably one of the most underrated muscle complexes in the body.
The calf complex is composed of three muscles: Gastroc, Soleus and Plantaris muscles. This trio is considered a biomechanically advantaged group within the human body. What does this mean? Think of your calf like a wheelbarrow where the load is in the middle between the fulcrum (wheel) and the effort (lift), we consider this a class two lever. Your ankle functions the same way in relation to rising on your toes: the ball of your foot acts as the fulcrum, the weight of the body is the load and the effort comes from the contraction of the calf. In the same way the wheelbarrow allows us to move heavy loads with reduced effort, so too does the calf. Due to this biomechanical design, the muscle force needed to produce a heel raise is 1/3rd of one's body weight and is why this group of muscles is biomechanically advantageous.(7) You can see my obsession with the calf. Calves are inherently efficient but they require effort to keep fit over the lifespan. In relation to running, you lose ~4% ankle power every 5 years over the age of 20.(6) These decreased mechanical outputs result in 13% reductions in stride length and running velocity by age 60 and predict 20% reductions by age 80.(6) Are calf raises the anti-aging antidote? Not exactly. However, it is proposed that calf strengthening throughout the life span can attenuate the biomechanical deficits that come along with aging.(6) Less than optimal strength in your calf complex places you at an increased risk for a myriad of running related or overuse injuries:
Consider incorporating a variety of plantar flexor strength exercises to attenuate your risk of injury and add external resistance as tolerated.
If you are looking for more guidance on strength training, help with a persistent problem in your calf, or any other issues with your running, contact any of our three clinics. We have PTs skilled in helping runners at all 3 of our locations. References: 1. Wright WG. Muscle training in the treatment of infantile paralysis. Boston Med Surg J. 1912;167:567-574. 2. Lovett RW, Martin EG. Certain aspects of infantile paralysis and a description of a method of muscle testing. JAMA. 1916;66:729-733. 3. Lunsford BR, Perry J. The standing heel-rise test for ankle plantar flexion: Criterion for normal. Physical Therapy. 1995;75(8):694-698. doi:10.1093/ptj/75.8.694 4. Hébert-Losier K, Newsham-West RJ, Schneiders AG, Sullivan SJ. Raising the standards of the calf-raise test: A systematic review. Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport. 2009;12(6):594-602. doi:10.1016/j.jsams.2008.12.628 5. Hortobágyi T, Rider P, Gruber AH, DeVita P. Age and muscle strength mediate the age-related biomechanical plasticity of gait. Eur J Appl Physiol. 2016;116(4):805-814. doi:10.1007/s00421-015-3312-8 6. Devita P, Fellin RE, Seay JF, Ip E, Stavro N, Messier SP. The Relationships between Age and Running Biomechanics. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2016;48(1):98-106. doi:10.1249/MSS.0000000000000744 7. Neumann DA, Elisabeth Roen Kelly, Kiefer CL, Martens K, Grosz CM. Kinesiology of the Musculoskeletal System : Foundations for Rehabilitation. Elsevier; 2017. By Jess Kehoe, DPT For a hot summer day this is a super easy, yummy pasta salad that requires minimal cooking. This would be a great side dish to bring to a summer BBQ or pot luck. If you want to add some protein power to make a more hearty main dish you can easily add grilled chicken or a can of chick peas.
Ingredients: 3/4 cup pine nuts, or walnuts 15 drained, oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes. Chop up 5 of them separately. 1/2 cup olive oil 1/3 cup water 1 1/4 teaspoons salt 1/2 teaspoon black pepper 1 lb fusilli or pasta of your choice 1/4 lb spinach leaves, shredded (about 2 cups) 1 cup halved cherry tomatoes 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese Instructions: Over moderately low heat, toast the nuts in a small frying pan, stirring frequently so as not to burn them, for about 5 minutes. Remove from heat. If using walnuts you can roughly chop them at this point. In a blender or food processor (I used an immersion blender), put 1/4 of the nuts, the whole sun-dried tomatoes, the oil, the water, 1/2 teaspoon of the salt, 1/4 teaspoon of the pepper. Puree until smooth. Meanwhile, cook the pasta as instructed on the packaging. Drain and rinse with cold water. In a large bowl toss the pasta with the remaining toasted nuts, 3/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, the pesto, the chopped sun-dried tomatoes, the spinach, the cherry tomatoes and Parmesan. Serve warm or at room temperature. Enjoy! 4/24/2023 1 Comment Veggie EnchiladasBy Jess Kehoe Enchiladas a usually a hit around our house, liked by the kids and the adults. As fall sets in, a warm cheesy dinner coming out of the oven finally sounds good again! My husband makes a creamy chicken version with green sauce that I should share one day, but I usually tend toward a veggie version in red enchilada sauce as shared here. If you are strapped for time, you could easily pick up one big can of red enchilada sauce and skip the first step here...but it's not very hard to make your own sauce and it turned out to be quite tasty.
Ingredients: 1 large yellow onion, chopped 2 bell peppers, chopped 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped (or omit for less spice) 1 tablespoon chili powder 1 teaspoon cumin one pinch of crushed red pepper 1 teaspoon smoked paprika 1/2 teaspoon oregano 1 teaspoon sugar salt to taste pepper to taste 1 15-oz can pinto beans, drained and rinsed 1 15-oz can black beans, drained and rinsed 8 8-inch corn or flour tortillas 12 oz shredded Monterey Jack Cheese (about 3 cups) Instructions: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil on medium. Cook the onion and bell pepper until soft and translucent, about 5-7 minutes. Add the garlic, jalapeno, chili powder, cumin, red pepper, paprika, oregano, sugar, salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Stir in the tomatoes and remove from heat. Set aside 1 cup of the sauce, blending the remaining with an immersion blender (or in a food processor or blender) until smooth. Then return to the heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Place the reserved cup of sauce in a large bowl. Mix in the two cans of beans and 2 cups of the cheese. Wrap half the tortillas in a damp towel and warm them up in the microwave for about 1 minute. They should be soft and pliable. Spread a thin layer of sauce on the bottom of a 9x13 inch glass baking dish. Spoon about 3/4 cup of bean mixture into a tortilla and roll it up, arranging them in the dish. Warm more tortillas as needed. Top the tortillas evenly with the remaining sauce, then sprinkle the enchiladas with the remaining cheese. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until the enchiladas are hot and the cheese is melted. Enjoy! 4/24/2023 1 Comment Running is NOT bad for your knees!Knee injuries are relatively common amongst runners. You yourself may have experienced an ache in your knee or have battled with patellofemoral pain or a tendon problem. We ask a lot of our knees while running but this does not mean running is bad for our knees because sometimes we get knee pain. Our body is a master at adapting and builds tissues stronger to meet the demands we ask of it. This means that our knees can be resilient if we train wisely. It should also be known that people who recreationally run have lower rates of knee osteoarthritis as compared to their sedentary counterparts. So while you’ve probably heard at some point in your running career that running is bad for your knees, please know it’s not. Why does my knee hurt when I run? This is a great question and is often a result of increasing your running volume too much too soon. If you’re struggling with knee pain while running, it’s a good idea to see a physical therapist who can help you with managing your running volume and give you exercises to help increase the resiliency of your knees. A trained PT in running gait analysis can also help to look at your running form to see if there are modifiable factors in your running form to assist in helping you heal. What can I do to make my knees more resilient and less likely to get injured? Targeted quadriceps strengthening can help with this! Reference: Alentorn-Geli (2017). JOSPT Below are some exercises to try. Aim for 3 sets of 8-10 repetition at 2-3x per week: 4/10/2023 0 Comments Mini FrittatasBy Jess Kehoe Need a quick grab and go breakfast, maybe a healthy after school snack for before practice, or maybe you're headed on a road trip and need some healthy finger foods for the car. In any case making these little tiny frittatas in a muffin pan is easy and versatile for sure! I've added the ingredients I used but feel free to experiment with other veggie combos, like mushrooms and cherry tomatoes, or maybe peppers and diced ham. It's like a choose your own adventure! Enjoy.
Ingredients: 8 eggs 1/3 cup milk 1 clove garlic, minced (or 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt) 1/2 teaspoon onion salt 1 teaspoon dill 1/4 teaspoon black pepper 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese 1/4 cup shredded parmigiana cheese 1 small zucchini, diced small 1/2 red pepper, diced small two handfuls of spinach, chopped Instructions: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Brush a muffin pan with oil or nonstick cooking spray, or use some silicone muffin cups. In a large mixing bowl combine the eggs, milk, garlic, onion salt, dill and pepper, whisk together. Using a small measuring cup pour a tiny bit of the egg mixture in each muffin cup, enough to just cover the bottom. Then divide your veggies, cheese or other fillings into each cup. Then pour the remaining egg mixture on top to fill each muffin cup. I would advise doing a little at a time, so you don't run out before all the cups are full! Bake for 20-22 minutes, or until the eggs are set. Enjoy warm or room temperature. Storing the remaining frittatas in the fridge. 4/9/2023 0 Comments White Bean and Sausage SoupAs I write this it's a beautiful spring day outside, 52 degrees according to the thermometer, so the season for warm wintry soups is nearly over. But the weather for next week is calling for rain and temps dipping back down again. We live in MT, it could snow in June in some areas, so I think we still have time for a hearty soup. This recipe was for the stovetop, but as you can see I have this sweet old school Crock Pot, so I included instructions for either option. It's perfect for ski days, where you just dump in the ingredients and go. Then when you return after a day on the slopes, your home smells lovely and dinner is ready. Enjoy!
Ingredients 1 lb sweet Italian sausage, sliced into 3/4 inch thick pieces 1 tablespoon tomato paste 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin 2 medium carrots, finely diced 2 celery stalks, finely diced 1 small onion, chopped 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped 1 lb dried great Northern beans, rinsed 2 teaspoons salt 2 thyme sprigs (or 1 teaspoon dried thyme) 1 large rosemary sprig (or 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary) 1 bay leaf black pepper to taste Instructions for the Crock Pot: Put all the ingredients, except the sausage into your slow cooker. Add 7 cups of water. Cook on low for 8 hours. When you are about ready to serve, roast the sausage in the oven at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes. Slice the sausage and add it with any juices to the soup. While the sausage is roasting, remove 2-3 cups of soup and blend it until smooth. Return this to the soup and mix. Serve in bowls using pepper to taste. Instructions for the stove top: In a large stockpot sauté the sausage on medium-high until brown and cooked through, about 7 minutes. Transfer to a plate. Add the tomato paste and cumin to the pot and cook, stirring until it becomes dark golden, about 2 minutes. Add the carrots, celery, onion and garlic. Sauté until the vegetables have softened, about 5 minutes. Add the beans, 8 cups of water, salt, thyme, rosemary, and bay leaf, bring to a boil. Then reduce the heat to low and simmer gently for about two hours or until the beans are tender. You may need to add more water to keep the beans submerged. When the beans are soft, take out 2-3 cups of the beans and blend them until smooth, returning them back to the soup. Then add the sausage and simmer for about 5 minutes. Serve in bowls adding pepper to taste. By Dana Solge, DPT Do you experience leakage during your runs? Frequently find a bush to pee behind or plan your route based off of the public bathrooms in town? Do you experience abdominal cramping during or after running? Increased back pain as you increase your mileage? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you might have pelvic floor dysfunction. These issues are much more common than you think. Thankfully, a lot can be done to help! Your pelvic floor is a group of muscles that sit at the bottom of the pelvis. They make a hammock to support your pelvic organs - bladder, rectum (bowels), and uterus and/or prostate. These muscles are a part of our “deep core” to also support the spine and hips. Many people think pelvic floor contractions, also known as “Kegels,” are the only solution to improving pelvic floor function. However, this view only looks at a fraction of what these muscles do. In fact, pelvic floor muscles can also be too tense and rigid causing pain as well as bowel, bladder, and sexual issues. A pelvic health physical therapist can perform a pelvic floor assessment to determine what type of pelvic floor muscle program you need. In the meantime, looking north and south of the problem can often reduce pelvic floor issues. Below are some tips for helping out your pelvic floor in different ways other than doing kegels. Breath: As you inhale, the respiratory diaphragm lowers in your abdomen and the pelvic floor muscles relax gently to accommodate lung expansion in the rib cage. As you exhale, the respiratory diaphragm rises back into the rib cage and the pelvic floor naturally draws upwards. Focusing on your breathing allows your pelvic floor to naturally move like a trampoline to absorb the impact of running. Form: If your form is putting too much pressure on your pelvic floor muscles, this may be the cause of weakness and subsequent urinary and/or bowel problems. Leaning backward, reduced cadence, too long of strides, and too much bounce can be common culprits of placing excessive demand on your inner core. Stacking the rib cage over the pelvis and addressing any lower-body running mechanics can allow your pelvic floor to work smarter, not harder. Cross Train: Our pelvic floor plays a very supportive role and it rarely works in isolation. If the pelvic girdle and lower body are weak, the pelvic floor will have to work more to provide extra support to the pelvis. Strengthening the core and hips is not only a great way to minimize injury, but also a great way to protect your pelvic floor from working overtime. If you are looking for more specific guidance give our North Reserve office a call at (406)541-2606 to schedule with any of our talented Pelvic Floor specialists. 2/9/2023 0 Comments Spring Thaw Advice for RunnersIt's the middle of February, days are getting longer and it's about to be light when we get home from work. When that happens, all of the sudden I see people out running - everywhere! It's also about 20 weeks from the Missoula Marathon and 1/2 Marathon, the ideal time to begin your training routine. At Alpine PT we love running and the people who run. Here at Alpine PT, many of us are runners, at some level, and we all think running is a great way to move your body and stride around this beautiful place we live. We take a stance against the common refrain heard a lot, “running will wreck your knees,” when in fact there is expanding evidence that runners have more healthy cartilage in their knees than non-runners. Therefore, at Alpine we believe that almost anyone can take up this age-old human form of recreation. We've collected a little advice from some of our PTs and their suggestions to be a successful runner. Jess Kehoe advises the old saying, “slow and steady wins the race”! When trying to build up miles, take your time. A good rule of thumb is not to increase more than 10% per week. But also listen to your body. And, “if you are getting up there in the age decades (like me who just headed closer to 50 than 40 😬) recovery starts to play a more important role”. So getting good nutrition and rest are just as important as the miles. Dennis McCrea, a seasoned and wise runner beyond any doubt, with several marathons, including the Boston under his belt, gives this advice: "Get into a consistent daily core strengthening and stretching routine NOW to prevent injuries in the future." He also encourages a training plan, both for new and experienced runners. "For those who have not run a lot and for whatever reason have decided to run a 1/2 or full marathon I would recommend signing up for the Run Wild Missoula running class. It is geared for all types of runners but especially those who have not gone through that sort of training. It gives them guidance, people to run with at a similar pace, and provides lots of great running tips." Angela Listug-Vap is in agreement on training and recalls that "after years of treating 'new to marathon' runners, I'd say the most common training errors I saw were: 1) ramping up too fast, and 2) no cross training of any kind, just running. I found once people started cross training for more lateral and cross body movements, plus core and hip strength they did great." She also shared a great "race day" consideration: "when you travel to a marathon you're tempted to get there early and spend a day or two walking around to check out the place. Don't do it, limit your steps the day before a race - your body will thank you." Brace Hayden reminds us that the knowledgeable PT's at Alpine can also help you make a successful plan. "I advise patients that are looking at training for longer mileage races to dial in a solid running program. Giving their current running program a review is helpful and then balancing it out. I try to make sure they have a dedicated dynamic warm-up at the beginning of each run and make time for some sort of short post-run stretch/mobility routine. Lastly, I work with the runner on customizing some cross training and a comprehensive strength routine to avoid injuries that often crop up with high-mileage runs." So here's to the last few weeks of winter. Maybe you're not quite ready to trade your skis out for your running shoes, but soon the sun, trails and dry sidewalks will lure you out there. As always, keep Alpine PT on your speed dial (406)251-2323, so if problems do arise, our expert PT's can help you take care of them quickly. |