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Autoimmune diseases – when the body fights back

by with No Comment Nutritional CounselingPersonal Training ENPhysiotherapy

An autoimmune disease is a disease caused by a reaction of the body’s immune system. Autoimmune diseases attack tissues or organs. The symptoms vary from person to person, depending on the disease, and only in some cases can be treated with medication. Autoimmune diseases affect many people and are among the most common chronic diseases in Germany.In Western countries, they affect about five percent of the population, with women being affected relatively more often. The best known and most common autoimmune diseases are:

  • Crohn’s disease
  • Hashimoto’s
  • Type 1 diabetes
  • Multiple sclerosis
  • Rheumatoid arthritis
  • Celiac disease
  • Lupus

What happens in the body during an autoimmune disease?

In an autoimmune disease, the body’s immune defense system attacks tissue. Which tissue is attacked depends on the type of immune disease. Normally, the immune system attacks mainly pathogens foreign to the body, such as viruses, bacteria or fungi. In the case of an autoimmune disease, the immune system can no longer distinguish between cells that are foreign to the body and those that are the body’s own, and therefore also attacks healthy cells. However, an autoimmune disease should not be confused with an allergy. In the case of allergies, the immune system does not behave in an autoimmune manner, but rather assesses harmless foreign material as threatening and then reacts to it in an exaggerated manner.

How can physical therapy help with an autoimmune disease?

Certain autoimmune diseases affect the skin or internal organs, while others, such as multiple sclerosis, affect muscle tissue and joints. The physical fitness and motor skills of those affected can be impaired, especially after an episode. With targeted exercises, we help maintain mobility and fitness and relieve pain in the long term. Based on a careful assessment, we develop an individual therapy program – adapted to the circumstances, the course of the disease and the personal needs of our patients.

Nutrition is the key to a better quality of life

In some autoimmune diseases, such as celiac disease or diabetes, a healthy diet is also an important factor for well-being. With our nutritional counseling, we help those affected to create a balanced diet plan tailored to their needs. Depending on the disease, certain diets can help alleviate symptoms. Basically, the diet should be low in sugar and rich in fiber and contain foods that are believed to have an anti-inflammatory effect.

Would you like a consultation or an appointment? Feel free to call us or use our online appointment tool.

Yours Michael Boettcher

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Pain in the knees from running

by with No Comment ChiropracticPersonal Training ENPhysiotherapyRegeneration EN
Many of our customers complain about knee pain while running. They often describe the pain as dull around the knee joint or as a twinge at the kneecap. Most often, the pain occurs during running or immediately following exercise. Clients often try stretching exercises or using a fascia roller to loosen the surrounding muscles and get rid of the pain that way. Unfortunately, the pain can be persistent and, in the worst cases, force them to take a longer break.

Causes of knee pain

The most common reason for knee pain is overuse of the lower leg extensor muscle quadriceps. If the muscle is used too frequently, so-called trigger points develop. These are small nodules in the muscle that have poor blood supply and cause a characteristic pain pattern. If there is overuse of the quadriceps, the pain tends to feel dull and is located around the knee. If the fascia is stuck or tight, the pain tends to be located on the sides of the knee or just below the kneecap (patellar tendinitis). In both varieties, the pain occurs during and after running.

Our holistic approach

Our strategy for this situation is first to lower the tension in the muscles by dry needling and massage. This is done by working on the fascia with a special tool to loosen it up and release any adhesions. With special tests we can determine if the connection between the nerve and the muscle is working properly. If this connection is inactive, the muscle will be overloaded or misloaded again and the discomfort will return even after the therapy is finished.

Functional Movement Screen

Once we have the local discomfort under control, we do a Functional Movement Screen and look at the patient’s overall movement amplitude. This gives us the opportunity to identify and target further faulty movement patterns. Through corrective exercises at home, discomfort and thus pain can be prevented in the future. Yours Michael Boettcher
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CMD – Jaw problems

by with No Comment ChiropracticPhysiotherapy

What is CMD?

CMD (Craniomandibular Dysfunction) stands for a dysfunction of the skull and lower jaw and is an umbrella term for a variety of problems that can occur in the jaw joint or the chewing muscles. Symptoms include dizziness, pain in the head, jaw or neck, and even tinnitus. Stress, a faulty bite, accident-related head trauma or postural weaknesses are among the triggers of CMD. Since not only the causes but also the symptoms of CMD can be varied, it is often only recognised very late or often not at all. The patient is then plagued with pain for months or years and is limited in his or her physical and mental performance.

How can CMD be treated?

The treatment of CMD by a physiotherapist is coordinated with a dentist. The dentist prepares a functional analysis after examining the patient. The analysis forms the basis for treatment by the physiotherapist. Of course, each treatment is individual and is adapted to the respective patient and his or her complaints. However, there are basic treatment methods that the physiotherapist can use in the course of a CMD treatment. 

How can the physiotherapist help with CMD?

As part of the holistic healing concept, physiotherapy uses massage and stretching techniques to help relieve muscular tension and improve posture overall. First, the physiotherapist takes an anamnesis of the patient, in which the condition of the tissue, muscles, skin and musculoskeletal system is determined. The cervical spine in particular is examined, as problems in this area are often associated with CMD. Depending on the findings, the physiotherapeutic treatment is then adapted. Remedial techniques such as chiropractic and dry needling can also help with CMD. In this way, we restore the correct, pain-free function of the jaw in our physiotherapy practice and free you permanently from your pain.

Yours Michael Boettcher

Nutrition Coaching

Cold season – defying the weather with exercise and nutrition

by with No Comment Nutritional CounselingRegeneration EN

The winter period is characterised by cold weather and little sunlight and tugs at our energy.
Warm clothing and long walks outside are good for health and general well-being. If you want to protect yourself against colds in winter, you should pay particular attention to a healthy diet and get plenty of exercise. In our practice for alternative medicine and physiotherapy we offer a wide range of possibilities for exercise and relaxation as well as nutritional advice. Defy the cold weather and say goodbye to your cold!

The right diet is essential

Food plays a central role in our lives. It supplies not only our body, but also the soul and spirit with nutrients and energy. Like everything else in life, nutrition must remain in balance, only in this way can optimal health be achieved. Especially during the cold season, you should pay more attention to your vitamin intake to strengthen your immune system. The body needs sunlight to produce vitamin D. In the winter months, the daily sunshine hours are few and often there is no opportunity to use these few hours for outdoor activities. The consequences are: Exhaustion, lack of drive or concentration problems. With our nutritional advice tips, we help you to bring your health and your diet back into balance.

Exercise is the key to optimal health

Regular exercise is not only good for our musculoskeletal system, but also stimulates the metabolism. This in turn leads to increased performance and, in the long term, to more energy. Movement is therefore essential for health. Physical processes such as digestion, circulation and respiration are strengthened – and ultimately so is the immune system. With the special personal training in our physiotherapy practice, we combine ambitious training with the latest scientific findings from sports and movement medicine. With your personal training goal in mind and a mobility test, problems are recognised and corrected, mobility is improved and fitness is increased.

Relaxed through the day

When it comes to strengthening the immune system, relaxation is an important part of our health, along with exercise and nutrition. Stress and lack of exercise can lead to muscle tension and attack our immune system. With massages, we release all forms of tension in the muscles. In this way, we help you with tension pains and at the same time stimulate the blood circulation and metabolism. The immune system is activated and cold viruses have no chance.

If you have any questions about nutritional advice, personal training or massages, please call us or make an appointment via our website.

Your Michael Boettcher

Reflexive Performance Reset

Slipped disc – causes and treatment options

by with No Comment ChiropracticPhysiotherapy

The term “herniated disc” is often used to describe permanent stabbing pain in the lumbar region. In fact, it stands for the wear and tear of the mass consisting of cartilage and connective tissue between the vertebral bodies and the associated pain in the lower back.

Lack of exercise, poor posture, overweight or too weak abdominal and back muscles are among the most common causes of incorrect loading of the intervertebral discs. The result: increased wear and tear of the fragile outer structure of the intervertebral disc.

As a result, the outer ring of the intervertebral disc becomes brittle and tears when subjected to frequent and above all incorrect loading. The inside of the disc, a gelatinous mass, emerges and can press on the nerves in the back. This pressure in turn leads to severe pain and often to paralysis.

When pain no longer goes away, it becomes a burden. They restrict our everyday life and slow us down – at work and in our leisure time. We at American PT can work preventively on your back and trunk muscles to prevent a herniated disc or accompany you after a disc surgery with physiotherapy.

Through preventative exercises and applications in the field of physiotherapy and physiotherapy, chiropractic, dry needling or other curative practical procedures, we can restore the functionality of your body and thus give you back a piece of vitality and well-being.

Do you have questions about our services or would you like to make an appointment? Please feel free to call us!

Yours Michael Boettcher

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It all starts with mobility

by with No Comment Personal Training ENPhysiotherapy

Were you ever in the situation where you have back pain, visit your doctor and he tells you that you should work on the stability and strength in your back? The statement, however, only represents one side of the medal. A significant factor that can cause back pain is lack of mobility.

But what exactly do doctors, physiotherapists and sports scientists mean when they talk about mobility? In their Handbook of Training Theory (Hoffmann, 1993), Martin, D., Carl, K. & Lehnertz, K. wrote “Mobility is the ability to perform movements in a random and targeted manner with the required or optimal range of movement of the joints involved”.

In order for the musculoskeletal system to work properly, there must therefore be a minimum degree of mobility. Restrictions in mobility, on the other hand, lead to faulty signals to the central nervous system. This, in turn, affects stability and causes tension in the muscles.

Restricted mobility can have local effects or have an effect elsewhere. An example: If mobility is restricted in the ankle joint, this can lead to instability in the neck and associated tension.

In the anamnesis before treatment begins, we at American PT first try to find out whether it is a stability or mobility problem. Using the fascial roller and the fascial ball, we first release the tension in the muscle chains and then work on mobility with corrective exercises. These treatments not only help with tension, but also have a long-term effect on posture, movement sequences and energy.

If you have any questions about mobility or would like to make an appointment, please call us!

Yours Michael Boettcher

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Massage – using pressure against pain

by with No Comment OsteopathyPhysiotherapyRegeneration EN

Many of our patients come to our practice with muscle tension and pain resulting from it. Massages can help in this case. It is not without reason that massages are among the oldest known therapeutic treatments: The pressure on or rubbing over the tense area influences the tense condition of the muscles and fasciae, promotes blood circulation and relieves pain.

In our practice for physiotherapy we offer the following massage techniques:

  • Traditional massage: relaxes muscles, improves blood circulation, stimulates metabolism, relieves pain, improves posture and helps restore physical balance
  • Leg massage for runners: Improves performance and efficiency, prevents fatigue injuries, increases running speed, reduces muscle soreness after the run and accelerates recovery time and regeneration
  • Fascial massage: loosens the fasciae (connective tissue) so that the body is not pulled into a bad posture, reduces pulling and radiating pain, improves mobility, reduces muscle tension, positively influences the musculoskeletal system
  • Lymphatic drainage: Helps to remove swelling and water retention, improves mobility by reducing joint swelling, reduces recurrent spinal blockages, activates the autonomic nervous system, promotes regeneration

Conclusion: Massages can be helpful for a variety of muscle or joint pains and in the best case are performed by a trained physiotherapist. With the help of these techniques we can free you from pain, treat or prevent injuries and correct your posture – for a life full of mobility and without pain.

Yours Michael Boettcher

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Neck pain – causes and treatment options

by with No Comment ChiropracticOsteopathyPhysiotherapyRegeneration EN

The most common cause of neck pain is tension in the neck/shoulder area. These are usually caused by monotonous movements or an incorrect sitting position at the workplace. Especially in the home office, people do not pay attention to their sitting position, because not everyone has a fully equipped workroom. People often work at the kitchen table or on the sofa, which can lead to permanent incorrect strain on the spine and thus to pain.

What types of neck pain are known to occur?

If the pain is caused by tension that is not based on injury or pathologically changes in the vertebral bodies, it is called non-specific pain. Those are often caused by lack of movement, incorrect sitting posture in an office chair, shallow breathing or overweight. If the pain is the result of an injury or surgery, it is considered to be a specific pain, since the cause can be precisely determined: We adopt a relieving posture and the body tries to avoid movement and the pain that comes with it.

What other factors can contribute to neck pain?

Tension in the neck and shoulder area and resultant muscle hardening can also be favored by the following factors: monotonous movement patterns at work, shallow breathing, psychological factors such as stress and anxiety, posture problems or insufficiently trained neck muscles. The joints are stressed incorrectly or too much, we feel uncomfortable, flabby and have pain. The diaphragm remains largely inactive, the respiratory muscles are put under much greater strain, the muscles in the neck tense up and pain occurs.

How can neck pain be treated?

In our physiotherapy practice we offer various treatment options for neck pain. Starting with classic physiotherapeutic applications such as massages and manual therapy, dry needling, functional training, muscle building in the neck and shoulder area or physiotherapy on the machine. We accelerate the healing process and restore the mobility and stability of your musculoskeletal system so that you can live permanently pain-free and without tension.

Yours Michael Boettcher

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The power of breathing

by with No Comment Altitude TrainingRegeneration EN

Many of our patients come to us with back pain. These often occur in the shoulder/neck area or the lower back. The pain is usually triggered by tension or blockages. As a result, they suffer from headaches, loss of concentration, lack of drive and general loss of performance.

In order to release tension and relieve pain, we use various practical healing methods in our practice. However, one important factor should not remain unrecognized: breathing. If breathing becomes overly superficial, the diaphragm remains inactive and the respiratory muscles are put under much greater pressure.

These muscles are basically the assistant to the diaphragm and consist, among others, of muscles in the front neck and chest area and the so-called back extensor muscle. The respiratory assist muscles perform the main part of the respiratory movement. Permanent strain on these muscle groups due to stress, poor posture or lack of movement causes them to tense up.

That is why we also focus on effective breathing when treating pain. Through focused breathing exercises we can reduce stress, encourage muscle regeneration and improve general mobility. In long-term this means more freedom of movement, calmness, quality of life and less pain. To learn more about the power of breathing, book an appointment with us.

Yours Michael Boettcher