Unknown to most individuals, holidays can cause a spike in the incidence of a stroke, which is a prolonged deficiency in blood supply to the brain. Stroke is the third leading cause of death in America, killing about 137,000 people each year, and a leading cause of long-term disability for adults.

• According to the National Stroke Association, it is estimated that approximately 795,000 strokes will occur this year.

• This number is estimated to rise to more than 1 million by 2015.

• About 55,000 more women than men have a stroke each year.

• African Americans are almost twice as likely to suffer from a stroke.

It is estimated that approximately two-thirds of them are new, but the rest are recurrent strokes. Having a stroke creates a greater risk for another stroke.

Within 5 years of having a stroke, the risk of having another stroke increases by about 40%.

The good news is that 80% of strokes are preventable. Every minute during a stroke is critical. Two million brain cells die each minute, so the risk of permanent damage, disability or death increase by the minute

Quick Onset The Need For Immediate Response

Track and field season is off to a start in California. This weekend we will see the first of several invitational meets. High school athletes are in the midst of preparing for the upcoming season. The arduous training can lead to overuse injuries. To ensure your athletes stay healthy throughout the season, FreeMotion Physical Therapy offers a weekly Running Clinic. The clinic is held every Tuesday evening at 7:00 pm. The running clinic emphasizes strengthening and stretching to prevent injuries. The class consists of 10 minutes of cardiovascular warm up followed by 15 stations that are 2 minutes each and the finale is 10 minutes of extensive static stretching. The class can be modified to meet individual needs. For example a jumpers focus would be a bit different than a long distance runner. The atmosphere of the class is upbeat and positive. It is a great opportunity to get a superb workout and learn exercises that you can do independently each day to keep you performing at the optimal level. Please phone with any questions you may have 949-542-5000 or email us at mcota@freemotion.com.

We are excited to announce we have two clinical reformers at FreeMotion physical therapy.  Pilates is a unique approach to training in mind/body awareness and controls of movement and posture. The reformer, aspecialized apparatus used in Pilates, provides an opportunity to train a variely of movement patterns.

Pilates has been shown to yield numerous benefits:

• Strength and flexibility, particularly of the abdomen and back musculature
• Posture, balance and core strength
• Bone density and joint health improvement
• Increased lung capacity and circulation through deep healthy breathing

We are utilizing Pilates along with a variety of our traditional physical therapy methods to provide neuromuscular re-education, strengthening and stabilization. This unique combination of methods has helped our patients with a variety of diagnosis recover quickly and achieve maximum strength and mobility.

If you are interested in an effective, efficient strengthening device please read on…………

The R:LOOP™ is a revolutionary solution to the challenges associated with conventional resistive bands.  Made of a new material the R:loop is durable, easy-to-use, latex-free, hypo-allergenic, made in the USA, requires no attachments, and provides graded resistance throughout the full range of motion. Constructed of a patented thermoplastic elastomer with a range of elasticity that exceeds traditional bands by over 300%!  R:loop is a 6 inch diameter continuous loop.  The R:loop makes a terrific rehab band with many versatile abilities over the traditional loop bands or regular resistance bands.  It can take the place of both. R:loops are also terrific for fitness exercising with their abundant possibilities of exercise positions, durability and strength. R:loops are convenient and easy to use for individuals, classes, gyms, studios or rehab centers.  Bands come in 5 color-coded strengths and in sets of 3 or 5.

ALSO AVAILABLE NOW A LONGER VERSION 10 INCH DIAMETER:  THE R:LOOPXL™ in 3 strengths - light, medium and heavy.   Can be bought as a set of all 3 R:LOOPXL™

R:Loops are COMFORTABLE:
Increased comfort means increased compliance. The soft-stay design of the loop provides superior comfort by virtually eliminating the rolling up and pinching that is associated with conventional bands and tubing. Users with pain, swelling, tenderness, or limited grip strength can use r:loop with ease. In fact, users with poor or no grip strength can simply place the loop around their wrists and the loop stays in place.

R:loops are DURABLE:
Factory testing on the r:loop has exceeded 650,000 repetitions on a single loop without breakage; the competition boasts longevity of 10,000-20,000 cycles. Not only does that mean fewer replacements and lower overall cost, it means saying goodbye to painful (and potentially harmful) snapping! While competitors caution users to discard the bands/tubing if there are any signs of nicks/tears, the r:loop has even been tested with a ¼” cut to over 10,000 cycles without breakage! The loops are seamless, so there is no danger of seam rupture.

R:loops are DURABLE:
R:loop is constructed of a patented material that stretches 10-12 times its resting length, which provides consistent, graded resistance throughout the full range of motion. Conventional bands and tubing stretch from roughly 1.5-3 times their resting length. In practical terms, this translates into difficulty obtaining resistance through the full range of motion with conventional bands; lengths that allow resistance in the early phases of the range then prohibit reaching the end range of motion because the elastic limit of the material has been reached. Conversely, lengths of bands and tubing that provide resistance at the end range of motion require the band/tubing to be slack in the early phase, disallowing complete training of the movement in its full range. R:loop’s superior range of elasticity eliminates this obstacle.

Stop by FreeMotion Physical Therapy to get your R:Loop today.  31461 Rancho Viejo Rd Suite 101, San Juan Capistrano, CA  92675.  Phone 949-542-5000.

To warm up, walk around, slowly swinging and circling your arms.

Trunk rotation and Hip stretch - Hold driver horizontal behind shoulders, while keeping head and neck straight, rotate shoulders, trunk and hips 5 to 6 times.

Spine and Hip stretch - Hold driver vertically with both hands, thumbs up and squat to a comfortable babalcned position.  Stretch head, neck and upper back forward.  Hold 30 seconds.

Calf Stretch - Hold driver with both hands and place one foot behid the other.  Toes pointed forward, back leg straight.  Press heel to ground.  Hold 30 seconds.