Cairn Physical Therapy & Wellness

In February we acknowledge Black History, Chinese New Year, Heart Health, Valentine's Day, and more. Let's start by talking about cardiovascular health. Have you resumed your normal aerobic exercise since the holidays? Have you started a new aerobic exercise? Have you forgotten what aerobic exercise is? ("Yes!" ~ me) Since having kids 22 years ago my cardio exercise has been spotty at best! I am not the “let’s go for a run” kinda gal. The only stationary cardio equipment I like is the elliptical. The things I love to do most require time and special equipment ~ hiking, dancing, kickboxing. Currently I am rehabbing an ankle injury and trying to get back to hiking ~ if you want to watch my progress you can find it on youtube! When we talk about cardiovascular health from a physical therapist perspective we are considering Your resting heart rate (RHR) Your oxygen saturation (O2 Sat) Your heart and lung exercise capacity Your Heart Rate Variability (HRV) There ar...

Hi there! Hope your January has been everything you have wanted and needed it to be! I wanted to take a moment to let you know where I am on my plans of action journey . . .  In my first post this year I wrote: My plans for the next few weeks include:  Walking my dog 3-5 times a week. Doing Yoga 3 times a week. Returning to my regular cleaning routine. Being consistent with my business plans. Buying, preparing and eating foods that nourish me! Well, here are my results: Walking my dog 3-5 times a week. not quite . . . only 2-3 times a week but that is better than zero! Unfortunately this was not entirely under my control. Kirby had some days in back pain and shoulder pain so I chose not to walk him and if any of you have pooches you know you cannot put on your tennis shoes (to walk yourself) and not take the dog! Kirby will walk regardless of pain and the PT in my says it's rest a massage time :) Doing Yoga 3 times a week. not exactly . . . I did yoga poses here and there for ...

Earlier this month I mentioned the Pentagon of Wellness. Today I would like to take a bit more time to elaborate on this concept and how we use it here at Cairn Physical Therapy & Wellness.  Remember that the World Health Organization (WHO) defines wellness as “a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity (illness), the optimal state of health of individuals and groups, a positive approach to living. Physical Therapists are trained in the biopsychosocial model of care ~ we look at not just the body but how it interacts with its environment, the community and support system around it, etc But based on the definition of wellness this may not be enough. Enter the Pentagon of Wellness ~ here are the 5 sides to the pentagon: The Physical Body which comprises Our anatomy/physiology,  How we move,  The cellular processes,  Our stability and mobility, Our physical functioning The Intellectual Body such as ...

Are you a resolution maker? I am not . . . actually I am, or I was, but my resolution this year is to not make any resolutions! Why?  Because, while I make resolutions, I consistently do not resolve to act on them! I am tired of disappointing myself, berating myself and generally feeling like a failure . . . therefore resolve to not make any more New Year's resolutions!  Instead of making resolutions, I am making a plan of action! My plans yesterday were to:  Superficially clean and organize my home after the holidays (so I can think).   Check ✅ Take a look at my Cairn business plans for January. Check ✅ Watch some football ~ it is Sunday after all ;) Check ✅ My plans for the next few weeks include:  Walking my dog 3-5 times a week. Doing Yoga 3 times a week. Returning to my regular cleaning routine. Being consistent with my business plans. Buying, preparing and eating foods that nourish me! A Plan of Action for me is smaller than a resolution. They are bit...

I recently joined an amazing group of women who believe that we deserve to feel empowered throughout perimenopause, menopause, and beyond. I was a feature speaker on exercises to improve bone strength. You can checkout Menosplain here ~ my contribution will come in the next day or so!  Now let's take a closer look at why exercise is key to maintaining your bone health during our menopause transition . . . As we transition through menopause our estrogen decreases. this creates all kinds of changes including a reduction in the performance of osteoblasts. Osteoblasts are cells that lay down new bone while osteoclasts are responsible for absorption of bone. This process is called remodeling and is a normal process that occurs in all mammals throughout life. The problem is when the activity of osteoclasts out performs osteoblasts then we get weakening of bone. There needs to be a balance, a flow to this process.  If the bone weakens too much we become prone to fractures....

Hey there ~ it’s Q&A day here at Cairn Physical Therapy & Wellness. I’m Dr. Roxi and I wanted to answer a question I get ALL THE TIME from athletes!  “When can I play, when can I hike, when can I bike, when can I surf” . . . “A little pain is okay right?”  or  “It’s going to hurt a little right?”  My answer is “it depends” . . . to which we athletes respond “HEY, No Pain No Gain Right?”  Well, wrong actually . . . remember pain is your bodies ONE signal that tells you something is wrong here or you need to pay attention to this. Pain, related to an injury, is not okay. You should not play through it. You gain nothing from playing while in pain due to an injury other than more problems and longer setbacks.  But the true meaning of the sentiment No Pain, No Gain is this: You get out what you put in . . . if you work hard you get results.  Be okay with the struggle because the reward will be worth it.  So let’s define what we mean by pain?...

  Hello Friends, Family, and Former Patients of ZPT ~ it’s so nice to be seen by you! Thank you so much for allowing me to share what is new here!  It feels obvious to say Covid19 was really difficult for all of us ~ it still is frankly. I shut down the clinic for 8 months and have subsequently and heartbreakingly lost contact with all of you. During that time, as the focus of our lives shifted, ZPT did some shifting as well. So today I would like to introduce to you Cairn Physical Therapy & Wellness. We help active families suffering with nagging injuries, quickly and confidently return to the activities they love, even when nothing else has worked! Some of you may know that I was very frustrated in traditional clinic settings ~  I never had enough time and resources to help my patients the way they deserved. Maybe you need more specialized one-on-one education, exercise training, or hands-on work. Maybe you need a quieter environment with fewer distractions, or a ca...