Back pain is now the number one cause of disability . . . in the WORLD, according to a recent article in Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases.

Notably, “The risk of low back pain was nearly four times higher for people working in agriculture, animal husbandry, forestry, fishing and hunting compared to other professions,” reported a team led by Dr. Tim Driscoll of the University of Sydney.
While the write up included advice on steps to take in the event a person ends up having typical back pain, they did emphasize that keeping in shape and attaining good flexibility and core strength are the best steps people can take to ward off an episode of back pain.

Our 14 PTs at Alpine Physical Therapy use advanced training in their efforts to treat over 3,000 Missoulians with back pain. Our tools and approaches are offered within the Spine Clinic at Alpine. For more information on our Spine Clinic, click here.
Here’s the article that announced the recent study on the worldwide stats on back pain.
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"Low back pain causes more disability than nearly 300 other conditions worldwide, according to new research, and nearly one in 10 people across the globe suffers from an aching lower back." 

For the rest of this article, click here.

​Alpine’s physical therapists recently connected with the University of Montana’s School of Physical Therapy to embark on an educational tour of the new Movement Science Laboratory, directed by Ryan Misner, PhD,PT. Former Alpine employee and PhD candidate at UM,  Audrey Elias, DPT, OCS, is currently conducting research and is in the process of recruiting subjects at the Movement Science Laboratory to investigate the movement mechanics of athletes that have undergone ACL surgery.
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Alpine physical therapists elected to get a hands-on experience with the research project in order to gain a better understanding of the testing process and potential clinical implications.

Alpine’s Jess Kehoe, PT, CSCS demonstrates a proper jump landing drill while reflector markered for a digital analysis of her box jump on the UM’s 3D high-speed VICON camera system.

Alpine PT is motivated to collaborate with on-going UM PT research as a way to improve our overall patient care and our outcomes, to stay abreast with current applicable research, and to further our goals to make smart evidence-based decisions in treatment options for the community.

Orthopedic and Biomechanics research professors like Ryan Mizner, PhD, MSPT and research graduate students like Audrey at the UM’s Movement Science Laboratory hope to demonstrate the benefits of reduced weight rehabilitation for a variety of injuries such as strokes, total joint replacements, and higher-level return to sport performance.​

Out with the old, and in with the new. Although this decision wasn’t exactly a New Year’s Resolution, at Alpine Physical Therapy we did in fact resolve to equip the Pilates portion of our north PT clinic solely with Balanced Body Pilates equipment.
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To our surprise, our newly shipped Centerline Reformer, Tower and Mat Conversion table arrived in a matter of days! This new piece complements our existing Reformer/Trapeze Combination unit (seen in the background). Check it out.

Brent proudly displays the new Former/Tower Combination from Balanced Body

​My thanks to Jessa for her help putting this together today. Fantastic. Oh, and here’s a picture after we loaded all the cardboard on my truck to haul to the recycle center.

Ready to haul a box full of boxes to the recycle center 

For more information on Alpine’s vision and use of rehabilitative Pilates, click here.
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Brent Dodge
Owner
Alpine Physical Therapy
5000 Blue Mountain Rd.
Missoula, MT 59804
(406) 251-2323
www.AlpinePTmissoula.com

Alpine Physical Therapists Leah Versteegen and Jessica Kehoe will be reaching out to the Missoula Soccer Community next week at the Missoula Strikers Academy opening season training sessions.

These two talented physical therapists, and former Division I College Soccer Players, will educate the young 8-11 year-old soccer players participating in the Strikers Academy on an age-appropriate dynamic warm-up and will teach them proper form with soccer specific plyometric drills to aid in injury prevention.

Jessica and Leah will be joined by star Alpine aide, John Prugh, also a former collegiate and professional soccer player. They plan to continue this outreach later in the Spring with the Missoula Strikers Club Soccer teams ranging from U-11 to U-18. Alpine will also continue to welcome all members of the Missoula Academy and Strikers Soccer Communities to any one of the 3 Alpine clinics for a free sport-specific injury consult.
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For more information on soccer medicine at Alpine PT, click here.

Missoula has many old sporting traditions. The Missoula Telemark Challenge proudly celebrates it’s 31st consecutive year of telemark dual slalom ski racing this year. This event is hosted at the regionally famous Snowbowl Ski Area’s Sunrise Bowl each Thursday night for 6 weeks. 

Alpine Physical Therapy is proud to return it’s old crew of fear-appreciative, free-heelin’  racers to the wintry slopes in 2014.  Team Glu-TELE Maximus is pleased to welcome first time racer Eric McBride (pictured below in the group shot to the far left). One of the (soft) rules of the Missoula Telemark Challenge is that each team needs a new racer on the team each year. This rule is in place to keep an old sport with a diminishing turn out each year alive and strong… as one’s power lunge muscle, the Gluteus Maximus. ​
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Team Alpine PT has been teetering between 2nd and 3rd place this year, and the race nights have been a powdery blast. Willy Welzenbach, pictured 2nd from the right in the team photo and lunging into his tele-turn in the action photo, ended both of his races without a ski last week. Exciting stuff, great team camaraderie, and an excellent snow pack thus far for those that like to make turns on something other than blue ice.

Stay tuned for a second blog post exploring strength training advice from David Hobbs, ex-Pro Telemark Racer, and Brace Hayden, NSCA Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist and Doctor of Physical Therapy (pictured far right).  It is never too late in the season to improve one’s telemark turns on or off the slalom course.

Alpine Physical Therapy is again hosting two free presentations with Dr. Hammerstein of Northern Rockies Orthopedics. The upcoming presentations will be presented at the both locations of the Peak Health & Wellness Center. Our upcoming topic is titled “Back Talk: A Surgeon and PT Perspective.” Get key information on the relationship of back and leg pain . . . and what your options are for treating leg pain that originates in the back.

• Tuesday, April 22, at 1:00 PM at Peak Downtown, on Spruce St.
• Thursday, April 24, at 6:00 PM at Peak South, on Blue Mountain Rd.

Each presentation will include helpful information and insights by Dr. Hammerstein and by Alpine’s PTs. Following each seminar, participants are invited to consult with one or both presenters and to have the opportunity for an orthopedic assessment.
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For questions or for more information, call Alpine PT at 406-251-2323.

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