Leverage Physical Therapy

01/19/2026

Along with rehab, giving your body the right nutrients and environment can help speed up the healing process (or not slow it down)

1. Sleep: ideally 8 hours of sleep but the quality is just as important.

2. Protein: aim for 1 gram per pound of ideal body weight

3. Water: at least half your bodyweight in ounces. Electrolytes are often helpful

4. Non-exercise movement: walking, standing, stairs, etc increase blood flow throughout the day. Increase steps or standing time

01/18/2026

Getting out of pain is the reason most people start physical therapy. But it doesn't stop there.

There's so many other things that are important. Being mentally and physically capable and confident to workout, carry your kids, shovel your driveway, or play sports is also part of the process.

01/17/2026

Slowing down is a great way to identify why the movement is painful (technique, weakness, ROM), and also to decrease pain and fear with the movement.

It is also a good tool to use to make an exercise harder without adding more weight.

01/16/2026

Complete rest is rarely the solution to getting out of pain. It might feel better to not use a painful area for a bit, but in order to truly heal our bodies need movements, blood flow, and loading.

Pain or injury might mean making adjustments to the range of motion, load, speed, or volume. It might also mean working areas around the painful joint to encourage blood flow without causing damage.

If you're ready to break the cycle of pain, rest, pain, reach out and we'll make a plan to get you back to all your activities without the fear of pain.

01/13/2026

Pain in the back of the hip is common and can have a lot of sources.

Getting a real assessment to find out the source of the pain makes treatment much more effective.

No guesswork, just a thorough assessment and plan to get rid of the pain.

01/09/2026

Totally biased but you need a PT that you trust and that you can access when you need them.

The old school model of seeing a PT for a couple weeks and then discharging and having no contact isn't optimal.

You need a PT to help you through all the phases of life and to handle those minor injuries when they pop up.

01/06/2026

The reality of training and living life to the fullest is that pain is going to pop up once in a while. The complete avoidance of pain probably means you're missing out on some fitness, strength, and fun.

But pain doesn't have to be debilitating or derail you from your goals. Often times pain can be calmed down within a couple weeks and get you back to training.

The process:
1. Calm down the pain
2. Identify the root cause
3. Develop a plan to get you back to your activities and stop it from returning

12/31/2025

1 opening for slow flow yoga starting next week.

If you'd like to join, reach out at 715-204-4787 or visit https://www.leverage-physicaltherapy.com/yoga

Monday' at 5:30pm
January 5th - March 30th

Explore gentle yoga classes designed to improve flexibility, balance, and well-being for all ages at Leverage Physical Therapy.

12/18/2025

When someone has back pain, improving the stability can be helpful. The ability to hold a neutral spine is important when lifting heavy loads or when pain is high and movement is painful.

The bird dog row and suitcase carry are 2 exercises to improve low back stability.

12/17/2025

Dry needling is thin needles inserted into the muscles and hooked up to estim to pump the muscles.

Within a few minutes this
- calms down pain
- improves blood flow
- decreases inflammation
- improves range of motion

Following up dry needling with exercise gives a long term solution to low back pain

To schedule an appointment for dry needling contact 715-204-4787 or visit Leverage-physicaltherapy.com

12/17/2025

When picking up a heavy weight it's ideal to have a stable spine.

But this doesn't mean every time you bend forward that your back should be straight.

Having the ability to bend forward and pick up light or moderate loads allows you to do things like pick up your kids, shovel, play sports, clean, yardwork, etc.

The low back is resilient and adapts to the things we do (that's why you should exercise).

12/16/2025

Low back pain affects almost everyone at some point.

Back pain is complex and often has multiple causes such as weakness of the muscles, stiffness or hyper mobility, poor sleep, diet, stress, along with tissue damage.

Sometimes there are nerve symptoms that can radiate into the hips or legs due to irritation of the nerve root.

There is also a lot of fear around back pain which can lead people to move less or avoid certain activities due to fear of causing pain.

A thorough assessment can identify the causes of low back pain
1. Tissues involved
2. Movement patterns
3. Lifestyle factors

Then a good plan addresses those deficits to calm down the pain and prevent it from returning.
1. Calm down the pain: movement, needling, hands on
2. Modify activities as needed
3. Improve strength and mobility deficits
4. Progressively increase tolerance to painful movements