Park Avenue Physical Therapy Kings Park has been serving the community for over 20 years. Owned and operated by Dr. William VanVynck, Park Avenue Physical Therapy is an outpatient clinic that prides itself on personal care. Our goal is to provide each patient with personal one on one care making sure our patients get back to what they love to do, whether that is athletics or being pain free in their daily activities.
At Park Avenue Physical Therapy, our staff of licensed physical therapists and athletic trainers are educated and experienced with the newest therapeutic techniques to help patients reach their goals and return to what they enjoy doing most.
With years of medical knowledge and clinical experience, our physical therapists have an exercised based approach to helping our patients recover from any injury or ailment. We create comprehensive, individualized rehabilitation programs for each patient at our facility. Our treating physical therapists continue their education so they may provide the latest techniques to our patients with the best treatment possible.
How Can Physical Therapy in Kings Park, NY Help You?
Dr. Bill VanVynck
For many years, physical therapy has been helping people improve their health and well being. There are many benefits to physical therapy that include pain management, recovery, avoiding surgery, balance prevention, and many more. At Park Ave Physical Therapy, we have an experienced team of physical therapy in Kings Park, NY that is dedicated to getting all patients back on their feet to their normal activities.
How Can Physical Therapy Help You?
Choosing to see a physical therapist after any kind of injury or pain is a great decision. There are many benefits when it comes to getting physical therapy that can help you improve your well-being. Physical therapy in Kings Park, NY can help you become stronger and help you move and feel better. Physical therapy is for people of any age and any kind of injury. A physical therapist will assist you through several different exercises and stretching programs that will help you improve your current or past injuries. If someone has just had a knee replacement, the therapist will make sure that you start moving and bending your knee as soon as you can. The benefit of this is that it will prevent the replacement from healing incorrectly.
What to Expect On My First Visit?
After a physical therapist evaluates your injury or condition, they will create an exercise program that is best suited for you. At first, the program will have a couple of exercises and stretching routines, but as time goes on and the more strength you develop, the therapist will be able to add more exercises. To start and end the session, the therapist might want to put heat or ice on the place where you have pain. The ice will help with reducing the inflammation and the heat will help loosen up the muscles. Due to your injury, the therapist will know which one is best.
Contact Park Ave Physical Therapy in Kings Park, NY
No one should have to be in constant pain and we want to help with that. At Park Ave Physical Therapy, our goal is to relieve you of any pain that you might be experiencing. If you are looking for physical therapy in Kings Park NY, we are the place to go. Do not let your pain hold you back another day.
Please fill out the form below to schedule your appointment:
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Blog Posts
Don’t Join the Opioid Epidemic. How Physical Therapy Helps Ditch the Pain Meds.
Instead of turning to pain medication to mask the pain, look to physical therapy to really feel like your old self again.
A sudden injury or accident can turn a normal life totally upside-down. Whether it is a car accident, a slip and fall, or even a workplace injury, once an injury happens, it is difficult to stop the pain from driving you insane. The pain can prevent you from engaging in your everyday life as you once did, leaving you feeling incompetent or unreliable, and this can have emotional as well as financial consequences that can compound the pain and difficulty associated with your injury.
Many people turn to pain management to help them overcome these difficulties, but turning to opioids for pain relief has a whole world of its own consequences that you need to be aware of if you hope to have your life return to normal. Opioid dependency is quickly rising to be one of the number one health concerns in the United States, for natural relief call Park Avenue Physical Therapy in Kings Park.
The Facts About Pain Medication
Most people have turned to over-the-counter medications to help ease pain before. Medications like Advil and Tylenol are mild and don’t pose much of a significant health risk — especially when used in moderation and under the guidance and supervision of your physician. But when pain becomes more severe, such as is often the case following an injury or accident, the medications that are used to treat the pain become more severe as well. Opioids are the most frequent medication used to treat pain in the United States, and they are highly addictive and destructive to your health.
Here are a few facts about pain medications that might surprise you:
- Opioids are a highly dangerous class of substances that include heroin, as well as prescription pain relievers like oxycodone, hydrocodone, morphine and others.
- Opioids are a highly addictive substance and are the most commonly abused prescription medication.
- More than 2 million people in the United States become addicted to pain medication every year.
- About a quarter of heroin addicts began their addiction through prescription opioid dependency.
These are frightening figures that cannot be ignored, and they paint a bleak picture regarding prescription pain medication use. Many experts say that opioid addiction has reached an epidemic in the United States. What’s worse: The vast majority of people who become dependent on pain medications are not those who would have ever thought they’d face a problem with addiction. The opioid epidemic is filled with regular people who started off with jobs and families, who were responsible and made good choices, until the pain became unbearable and the medication became addictive.
A Healthier Solution: Physical Therapy in Kings Park
Physical therapy provides an alternative solution to ongoing pain management with opioid medications. A type of natural treatment, physical therapy is not the same as a pill. It isn’t going to mask the pain or provide immediate relief. What it can do, however, is provide you with the ability to actually overcome your pain by developing strength, improving your range of motion, and ultimately giving you the ability to overcome the cause of your pain with regular guidance and support from an experienced physical therapist.
Physical therapy is typically recommended following surgical repair or recovery. The therapy is specialized to your needs, so you will receive instructions and guidance that pertain to your precise injury as well as to your strength level and personal goals. In time, physical therapy can help you rebuild strength and actually heal from an injury.
Rather than hide behind another pain med, make the choice to actually do something about your pain. Contact Park Ave Physical Therapy Kings Park, NY to find out if physical therapy can help address your pain.
Overcome Knee and Hip Pain for Good with Physical Therapy Kings Park NY
Analyzing Knee and Hip Pain
The first thing your physical therapist will do is an evaluation to figure out where you’re experiencing pain and the type of pain. Hip pain, for example, can be located in the groin, the front of the hip, the side, the lower back or the buttocks. Knee pain can be on the front or back of the knee joint; it could also be due to a medial injury on the inside of the knee, or iliotibial band stress, which leads to pain on the outside of the knee.
Hip pain tends to feel like a constant dull ache. Knee pain, however, is often assessed as one of several different types of pain:
- Acute: This is the most intense type of knee pain, and it usually occurs in the first week after an injury. If you’re experiencing acute pain, your doctor or therapist will simply recommend rest and isolation of the knee for at least a week to let it heal.
- Subacute: Two to six weeks after an injury, the pain will still be intense, but far less than the acute pain of the first week. During this time, your physical therapy can include gentle motions around the knee to try to increase range of motion and facilitate healing.
- Chronic: This is pain that lasts for longer than two or three months. If you’ve been living with serious knee pain for that long, it’s a good idea to see a specialist for a full exam and X-rays.
Getting Started With Physical Therapy in Kings Park
After your initial conversation with a physical therapist, it will be time for some further testing of your knee or hip pain. The process for both types of injury will be similar to this:
- Gait Analysis: Your physical therapist will assess how you walk to determine if anything is out of the ordinary with your gait.
- Palpation: Some gentle palpation of the knee or hip with the therapist’s hands will help to check the knee structure or hip to find where the pain is originating.
- Check Range of Motion: Your physical therapist will measure to see how far your knee or hip can bend. This will help determine the course of therapy, because it will give your specialist an idea of the types and intensity of exercises you should begin working on.
- Strength Checks: Testing the strength of your knee and hip structures will give the physical therapist an idea of whether your pain is due to an injury or imbalance of some type.
Your physical therapist will also check your balance and measure any swelling that is detected around the impacted joint. Then, you’ll likely go through a series of special physical therapy tests; this is the final step in analyzing your knee pain and will allow your physical therapist to prescribe a course of exercises.
Most of your physical therapy in Kings Park exercises will be “prescribed,” meaning you’ll be able to do them on your own at home. These exercises will help strengthen the muscle structures around the knee or hip (or both). Your physical therapist will likely also run you through the exercises during regular checkups to monitor your progress and to make sure you’re on the best course of treatment.
If you’re ready to kick knee and hip pain to the curb, contact Park Ave Physical Therapy Kings Park, NY today to schedule an appointment with one of our physical therapists.
5 Reasons Why You Need to Start Stretching
If there’s one thing that you can count on a physical therapist introducing into every session, it’s stretching. Yes, building strength and endurance is important. But whether you’re an athlete, or someone coping with the aches and pains of aging, increasing your flexibility through stretching is crucial. Read on to learn more about some of the top benefits of stretching and visit Park Avenue Physical Therapy Kings Park, NY today!
Range of Motion Improvement
How far your joints can move in all directions influences virtually every moment of the day. Arthritis or injury can hamper how far, and where, you can flex and extend your limbs and torso. From twisting your neck to see behind you when driving, to being able to move your knee freely, range of motion is crucial for both daily life and for fitness pursuits. Even if you’re fairly stiff now, doing more stretches each day will gradually reduce stiffness and increase flexibility.
Relief in Unexpected Places
When your calves start feeling a bit tight after a run, it’s obvious that more stretching is needed. But we sometimes forget the sheer interconnectedness of our bodies. If you’re experiencing lower back pain, for example, stretching your legs during physical therapy can be as important as stretching your back. In fact, your hips, upper thighs and your hamstrings can all play a big part in creating lower back pain relief. Likewise, improving your posture through stretching your torso can provide the kind of support you need to keep your spine from compressing, which helps you avoid shoulder and neck pain.
Enhanced Performance
If you’re an athlete, you know that the more conditioning your joints, ligaments and muscles get, the greater your advantage in your sport. Bodybuilders can recover from their reps more quickly by stretching tightened muscles as a cool-down. Golfers can get a longer reach by increasing range of motion through the hips and shoulders. Swimmers can keep their strokes even by perfecting their balance through physical therapy stretching moves. In fact, there are few competitive sports for which stretching doesn’t offer an advantage.
Injury Prevention
There’s a certain amount of debate in the sports world about the degree to which pre- or post-workout stretching protects you from injury. But few people deny those stretches can contribute to injury prevention. A tense, shortened muscle is often an injury waiting to happen because it doesn’t work at peak performance. When you stretch, you’re also increasing your range of motion, while improving your balance. All of these factors can prevent you from making the types of moves that lead to injury, whether it’s coming down too hard on one foot, or twisting your back further than you should to compensate for lack of shoulder range.
Improved Circulation
Stretching can reduce stress, but that isn’t the only reason it’s good for your heart and your musculoskeletal system. Tight muscles constrict available oxygen supply, essentially robbing themselves of the nutrients they need. Stretches help reverse the process. You’ll also get the benefit of increased blood flow to your joints and throughout the body. Your physical therapist in Kings Park knows that good circulation is key to every aspect of health, from sharp thinking to clear skin.
Of course, there are plenty of other ways that stretching can improve your life. Many people enter a Zen-like state as they stretch. Others get a sense of pride from being more limber. When you’re ready to add stretches to your daily routine, consider getting started through physical therapy. Our team can walk you through the best ways to tackle your situation. Static or dynamic stretching? Pre- or post-activity stretching? A physical therapist can help you learn the basics. Contact Park Ave Physical Therapy Kings Park, NY today to learn more.
7 Simple Ways To Stay Active
Too many of us have an all-or-nothing attitude when it comes to staying fit. We’re too “slammed” at work for the gym, or our kids’ activities are keeping us in the car — and off the track — for long hours. Yet, there are a few basic elements you can add into your daily life that truly add up to a more active lifestyle. For further expert health advice, call a physical therapist at Park Avenue Physical Therapy Kings Park, NY.
1. Take the Longest — or Hardest — Distance Between Two Points
Speed is usually the name of the game in your busy life. But does the time saved parking close to the store really add value? Make a game of parking at the far end of the lot, so that you have to push a cart or carry a bag a greater distance. When you’re at work, take the stairs — unless you really are running late for that meeting!
2. Pay for Your Lunch — in Footsteps
Skip the cafeteria in favor of a healthy eatery down the street if you’re working. Or walk outside for 20 minutes before you return to your brown-bag lunch. If you’re retired or working from home, walk to the corner grocer’s to gather the goods for lunch. Living out in the country or the suburbs? Pretend that your daily walk is the “fee” you have to pay in order to get into your kitchen and make that sandwich.
3. Consider a Standing Desk
How do standing desks help? It’s amazing how much healthier simply standing in place is, compared to sitting. For one thing, you burn more calories. You’ll also hunch less, meaning that neck and shoulder pain is eliminated. Standing also boosts fitness in significant ways by keeping blood sugar more steady after a meal, and by encouraging more movement overall.
4. Fool Yourself Into Running Errands
Using a smaller glass for water — or mug for green tea — means that you have to return to the water cooler or kitchen more often to fulfill your daily hydration goals. Likewise, you can make going down the hall to borrow a stapler a separate trip from hiking upstairs to ask someone in HR about your vacation schedule. If our Fitbits have taught us anything, it’s that a hundred extra steps here and there really do add up over the course of the day!
5. Use Fitness Benefits as an Incentive to Do Chores
Organizational experts know that 20 or 30 minutes of chores a day adds up to a cleaner, more organized space. You can certainly get a lot of toys into baskets during that time — not to mention mopping a floor or weeding the herb garden. So if you remember that these dreaded tasks also burn calories and build up your core, it may help you feel more like tackling them.
6. Keep Equipment Handy
Stash a yoga mat or 5-pound weights under your bed. Hang resistance bands on a hook in the kitchen. That way, you’ll be far more likely to do a few reps while watching TV or waiting for the pasta to boil!
7. Don’t Put Off Physical Therapy
The most obvious way physical therapy helps is by addressing the aches and pains that keep you from pursuing your active lifestyle. In addition, many physical therapy sessions are a workout in themselves, which helps you meet your weekly cardio and/or endurance goals. A physical therapist in Kings Park is also a great resource for giving you tips on tweaking your daily habits. He or She can go over what a normal day looks like for you and offer advice on how to make it a more active one. If chronic pain is an issue, your PT can show you specific moves that streamline the physical challenges.
Contact Park Ave Physical Therapy Kings Park, NY today to see how physical therapy can help you live a pain-free and more active life.
