Blog

How Can Occupational Therapy help with your Parkinson’s Diagnosis?

The role of the Occupational Therapist is to determine what activities of daily living skills (ADL’s) you are having difficulties with and establish goals to improve on your level of independence in these areas.   What are ADL’s?  ADL’s include but are not limited to: Dressing skills (including manipulating clothing fasteners, tying shoes) Grooming and […]

Read More

Blog from the Barre: Ankle and Foot Injuries in Dancers

Did you know that dancers suffer an average of 1 injury per year? Between 14-77% of those injuries are in the foot and ankle. Another fun fact: the foot and ankle consist of 26 bones in the foot and 2 lower leg bones! The foot and ankle complex is extremely important for dancers to propel […]

Read More

How Long Should You Hold a Stretch?

     The purpose of stretching is to decrease muscle tension or permanently lengthen a muscle that has been shortened. The most important aspect of stretching is to remain relaxed during the stretch. Stretching too aggressively or quickly can trigger the muscle to contract, which in turn decreases the person’s ability to hold the stretch. […]

Read More

The Importance of Stretching

By, Megan Bly, DPT, CLT Did you know the warm up and cool down of any workout is just as important, if not more important, than the workout itself? In order to prevent injury, a proper warm up is necessary and should be fairly dynamic in nature. A good warmup also helps rev up your […]

Read More

The Truth About Back Pain

By, John Stephen, PT, PPD, COMPT, Cert. MDT You are probably reading this article because you have low back pain or have experienced it at some point in your life. You’re not alone. It is estimated that 8 out of 10 Americans will have back pain in the next two years and that after the […]

Read More

Parkinson’s Therapy

Allyson Lowis, PT, DPT, LSVT is a specialist in treating Parkinson’s Disease through the LSVT BIG program at Rehab Specialists in the Portage/Kalamazoo Area. Rehab Specialists offers Physical, Occupational, and Speech Therapy for Parkinson’s Disease all under one roof through the LSVT BIG and LOUD protocols. To learn more about LSVT, visit LSVT Global. LSVT […]

Read More

Dance Therapy in Portage/Kalamazoo

Allyson Lowis, PT, DPT, has been dancing for 26 years and for her it has become much more than just a hobby. While in undergrad for exercise science at Hope College, she also leaped her way into a Dance Minor. During school, she danced for a semi-professional modern dance company. After graduating with her Doctorate […]

Read More

Dizziness: Light Headedness vs. Vertigo

Do you ever experience episodes of dizziness? Dizziness is a word often used to describe the feeling of lightheadedness, or the feeling that there is movement of oneself or ones surroundings. Lightheadedness: Often known as the feeling that you are about to faint. Lightheadedness is often the result of a momentary drop in blood pressure […]

Read More

Tingling, Numbness and Pain?

You are not alone. Tingling, numbness and pain is often due to abnormal impulse generating sites in the nerve which happens as a result to long term inflammatory changes to the nerve itself. Imagine a rubber band left out in the cold for a some time, it will lose its elasticity and thus affecting its […]

Read More