If there is any treatment that I feel like gets used in a cookie-cutter fashion, it’s pursed-lip breathing. As much as I hate seeing this technique used for every single patient that has shortness of breath, it does have clinical usefulness. So let’s talk about how to implement pursed-lip breathing properly based on patient presentationContinue reading “Blow Out the Candles…”
Tag Archives: exercise
Exercise-Induced Hypertension
Have you ever had patient exercising during your treatment session and taken their blood pressure only to find that is has shot up pretty high? They didn’t have symptoms of high blood pressure so you rested them and it came right back down. But, then you find that it keeps happening… What does this mean?Continue reading “Exercise-Induced Hypertension”
Blood Pressure Basics
Are you taking the blood pressure and heart rate of EVERY patient you see for a new evaluation? How about for every visit? A recent survey of over 1800 Outpatient PTs showed that although 51% of PTs reported that over half their caseload had risk factors for hypertension and cardiovascular disease, only 14% of themContinue reading “Blood Pressure Basics”
The (Very) Basics of Heart Auscultation
I was seeing a younger man in the home setting after a CABG x3 procedure. When I evaluated him, I was a bit frustrated because he had impaired cognition and had significant comorbidities for a younger man, none of which was in his referral information. Instead, I had the pleasure of just picking up onContinue reading “The (Very) Basics of Heart Auscultation”
Out with the Old, In with the New (Dynamic Hyperinflation)
I can’t even begin to tell you guys how much I love teaching people about lung function in the presence of disease (read: HUGE NERD). Teaching patients how to correct for dynamic hyperinflation is one of those things that I really love teaching. If you remember from a few weeks ago, we talked about howContinue reading “Out with the Old, In with the New (Dynamic Hyperinflation)”
HFNO
HFNO stands for High Flow Nasal Oxygen. This is something that was used frequently in patients who were desaturating quickly with symptoms of COVID-19. It has the ability, through the use of several different devices or setups, to deliver very high concentrations of supplemental oxygen to patients with advanced pulmonary diseases or conditions. In theContinue reading “HFNO”
Time to Pump It Up! (aka Ejection Fractions)
I’m starting to push more in to the cardiac side of things. As well as this being the original intent of this blog years ago, it is also because your focus should also be shifting. If you are treating COVID-19 patients, you need to start focusing on their heart. The patients who did a stentContinue reading “Time to Pump It Up! (aka Ejection Fractions)”
Expanding Your Role, Fulfilling Your Scope
So now that you know how I feel about primary care PT, you need to know that this ties very closely with my practice. I have extensive experience in the treatment and management of patients with chronic disease. And when I say the treatment and management, I don’t mean that I went to their houseContinue reading “Expanding Your Role, Fulfilling Your Scope”
Rule of 2’s
So today, we are going to focus on the role PTs and PTAs need to be filling in the treatment and management of congestive heart failure. The first thing you need to address is the rule of twos. Don’t assume someone else had ever educated your patient about this. I cannot tell you how manyContinue reading “Rule of 2’s”
Guillain-Barre Syndrome
We used to think of this as only being associated with the flu. But we know now that GBS can be associated with any insult to the immune system, known or unknown (unknown in up to 40% of cases!). Now that we know COVID-19 can present, especially early on, with neurological symptoms, we need toContinue reading “Guillain-Barre Syndrome”
