Finn Physical Therapy

The Osteopathic viewpoint!

Good to remember when you are trying to find answers to healing.

The body never does anything without a reason. Listen and stop blaming it.

Think like your body thinks.

This is amazing.

< The Heart is Not a Pump >>

Many of us live under the medical myth that the heart is a pump, an idea borne of an industrialised culture that views the body as a machine.

The heart however is so much more beautiful and fascinating than we ever could have imagined!

“Modern analysis of the heart has shown that in spite of the fact that the most powerful ventricle of the heart can shoot water six feet into the air, the amount of pressure actually needed to force the blood through the entire length of the body’s blood vessels would have to be able to lift a one hundred pound weight one mile high” - Stephen Buhner

So how does the blood move around the labyrinth-like vessels of our body?

It moves of its own accord.

You see, blood flow is not a simple stream like we once thought.

It is in fact composed of two streams, spiralling around each other much like the image of a DNA double helix, at the centre of which is a vacuum.

“Blood flow through living vessels is much more like a tornado than anything else: Such a vacuum is necessary for producing a vortex” - Stephen Buhner

How cool is that?

This spiral dance is not only found in the bloodstream, but also in the blood cell itself!

Blood cell’s in fact spin on their own individual axes of rotation. They are smaller spinning cells in a larger spinning vortex.

If your mind is not blown yet, let’s go back to the heart.

The heart itself has recently been discovered not to be a mass of muscle, but rather a ‘helicoidal myocardial band’ that has spiralled in upon itself, creating its unique shape and its separate chambers.

This is called the Helical Heart, and you can see doctors unravel it by searching ‘Helical Heart’ on Youtube.

Pair this with discoveries that the heart functions as an endocrine gland, has its own nervous system that makes and releases its own neurotransmitters, and omits an electromagnetic field that is far stronger than the brain’s, and we begin to move from the idea that the heart is simply a mechanical pump.

It is a spiralling organ of perception.

If that’s not beautiful, we don’t know what is.

❤️🌿

Incredible Art by Gabriel Keleman

~ Evidence-Based Research:

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16373590/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11807730/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24209915/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7712215/

~ Watch them un-ravel the Heart here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MbOyozg_GTs&ab_channel=somanaut

Integral Anatomy Heart: Unwinding the Heart Center, with Gil Hedley, Ph.D. Gil Hedley, Ph.D. demonstrates the unwinding of the spinning spirals of the human heart center, and reflects upon the nature of the heart center as the place...

Exciting news! This year I've been studying postural restoration, and I'm finally adding postural restoration therapy to my treatment plans.

It's the most effective and healing exercise-based approach that I have come across for solving movement and structure-based conditions.

I'm currently accepting new patients at both my New Paltz office and Midtown Manhattan office, and can't wait to help support healing further with this new form of therapy.

Just check the comments below for the link to book a free consultation call with me!

Can meditation help you manage chronic pain?

Well, yes and no.

Meditation is not quite a 'cure-all' that will magically take away your chronic pain.

But it CAN make it much more manageable by...

- reducing stress
- relaxing pain-induced tension
- increasing mental focus
- improving awareness
- and more!

While I try to help my patients completely heal from chronic conditions, the body doesn't always heal as quickly or completely as we would like. Pain management is a valuable skill to have, and meditation can certainly help!

Check out the article here:

Mindfulness meditation to control pain - Harvard Health ...

Take a sneak-peek at my New Paltz office!

It's nothing fancy, but we do our best to create a relaxing and comfortable atmosphere so you can feel at home during your physical therapy sessions.

It's simple. When you're comfortable, you get the most out our sessions together, and the treatment is more effective.

So when you come to Finn Physical Therapy, we'll do everything we can to make sure you get the most out of your sessions, in order to heal quickly and completely.

That's what we're here for :)

Ready to set up a session? Send me a DM to book a free consultation!

Ever plop your laptop down on your table or counter and start typing away?

Well, there's nothing wrong with that in short intervals, but many of us spend far too much time in positions that are tough on our posture.

Back pain, shoulder pain, strained eyes, nerve pinching, headaches...these can ALL be caused by a poor daily work setup.

Instead, start changing the way you work today!

Send me a DM to book an online ergonomic evaluation, where you send in pics of your workstation for personalized recommendations for redesigning your workspace.

Want to know more about how it works? Leave a comment below!

It's never too late to start physical therapy, whether it's for an injury you had just weeks ago, a chronic problem you've been battling for years, or even just a tightness in your shoulders that doesn't want to go away.

You can start any time...but at the end of the day YOU have to make a commitment to work towards your healing and improve your health.

We can give you our best treatment, but it won't be very effective unless you put in the effort on your side too. Physical therapy isn't like taking medicine. It takes work!

But it's absolutely worth it to improve your quality of life.

When you're ready to get started, you can come chat with me about...

👉 manual therapy
👉 home fitness
👉 postural work
👉 osteopathy
👉 release techniques
👉 ergonomic evaluations
👉 and more!

Just send me a DM to book a free consultation!

Did you know there are many types of manual therapy?

One of the most interesting kinds of hands-on therapy we use is craniosacral therapy!

The form of therapy uses gentle touch to help relax the dural membrane around the central nervous system. Because this membrane runs from your head to your pelvis, there is a 'mirroring effect' in your body. Basically, any twisting or injuries at one end of the membrane can cause a pull on the other end.

You can read more about this effect here 👇
https://www.finnphysicaltherapy.com/blog/craniosacral-therapy-part-2

My patients who receive craniosacral therapy usually love it, because it is so profoundly relaxing!

Feel free to drop a comment below or send me a DM to learn more 🙂

Craniosacral Therapy Part 2 This is the second part of a short series on the craniosacral system. It describes the role of the dural membrane (one of the meninges) in linking the cranium and the sacrum.

Have you been by my office in New Paltz?

One of the keys to effective therapy is creating a peaceful environment where we can both focus and feel completely comfortable during the session.

Sometimes that's a bit of a challenge over at my Manhattan office. In contrast, it doesn't get much more peaceful than here!

Currently my New Paltz office is only open on Mondays (since I spend the rest of the week at my Manhattan office.) But I do offer virtual sessions as well, if you can't fit in-person visits in with your schedule.

Interested in booking a free consultation call?

Just send me a DM or drop a comment below to schedule a time slot!

If you're recovering from an injury, resistance bands are usually a great way to get back into strengthening without overdoing it. That's because you can easily reposition the bands to avoid over-stressing your injury, and you have full control over the amount of resistance.

Really, they're a great fitness tool to keep around the house anyway. They're cheaper than weights, and useful for both stretching and strengthening!

If you're looking for some resistance band exercises to get started, check out this article below 👇

https://www.hingehealth.com/resources/articles/resistance-band-exercises/

This article also goes over several types of bands, so you can pick the ones that would work best for you!

Do you use resistance bands in your home workout routine? Let me know in the comments!

If you have kids, August is usually a pretty stressful month.

The summer is winding down and you're stuck with all of the back-to-school prep to think about.

Extra caffeine isn't going to cut it 😂😂😂

Guess what IS going to make a difference?

RELEASE EXERCISES, designed to help you reset mentally as well as relax your physical body.

If you've got a yoga mat, or even a soft carpet, there's a whole world of release techniques you can try!

If you're ready to get some of that stress off your back, send me a DM!

I teach relaxing release techniques both in-person and virtually. Then, once you know these exercises, you can start incorporating them into your daily routine for a more stress-free lifestyle.

Feel free to drop a comment below if you have any questions!

Want to progress faster? The key is ACCOUNTABILITY.

For some people, a schedule or a quick note on their to-do list is all they need to stay accountable to regular exercise.

For many of us, it takes a little more than that!

Fortunately there are a lot of methods to hold yourself accountable. The key is finding the method that works best for YOU.

For example, some people use the rewards system, where you reward yourself after completing your exercise for the day.

Others have better luck with time-blocking, setting aside a specific chunk of time each day for exercise.

For many of us, the best way to stay accountable is to get together with other people who share similar goals. It's a lot more fun when you have a group or even just one friend to do your exercises with!

How do YOU keep yourself accountable? Leave a comment below!

Welcome to August! ☀️ Time always seems to speed up towards the end of summer, especially if you have kids going back to school over the next couple of weeks.

Starting physical therapy might be the last thing on your mind right now, but I just wanted to let you know I'm open to accept new patients at both my Manhattan office and New Paltz office. Virtual sessions are available as well.

Just send me a DM to book a free consultation call, or head over to my website to pick a timeslot!

If you decide to start physical therapy, we'll start off with an evaluation and create a treatment plan that is customized for your circumstances and goals. Then we'll get started with manual therapy sessions, using hands-on techniques to release tension, increase circulation in your body, adjust body alignment if needed, and more!

Come work with me if you want to...

👉 accelerate your healing from an injury
👉 get long-lasting relief to your chronic pain
👉 have more energy and less stress
👉 build strength and increase your fitness levels
👉 better understand and correct your posture
👉 realign your body and help it perform more efficiently

If one or more of those applies to you, you are exactly the person I'm here to help!

My office is in Midtown Manhattan, but I also offer online sessions and on Mondays I practice therapy at my secondary office in New Paltz.

If you're interested in learning more about manual therapy and how it can help you, just click the link below to get started 👇

https://www.finnphysicaltherapy.com/WorkWithMe

Work With NYC Physical Therapist Deirdre Finn Receive hands-on holistic treatment, core strength exercises, postural work, stress-relieving techniques, and additional treatment with NYC therapist Deirdre Finn.

Did you know that by shortening a muscle passively (without contracting it), you can communicate to your nervous system that it's ok to relax said muscle?

For example, this is a release position for relaxing the pectoral muscles. It places the pectoral muscles in a shortened position, and it triggers relaxation of the muscle.

You can use release techniques to target many different muscles in your body! With this method, you usually focus on one muscle or muscle group at a time, so the positions vary depending on what area you are targeting.

Release techniques are an important part of the treatment I offer at Finn Physical Therapy. If you're interested in booking a session and seeing how positional release can help you, send me a DM to schedule a free consultation!

You can also sign up to my newsletter to stay posted on any upcoming positional release classes I'll be offering!

☀️ Happy Saturday morning! ☀️

Today I just wanted to send out a brief reminder to start your day with MOVEMENT!

We love relaxing on Saturdays, but let's not just migrate from the bed to the chair to the couch 😅.

Instead, let's take care of our bodies and get moving in the mornings. Stretching, yoga, a morning walk, a short jog on the treadmill...whatever type of movement works best for you!

Kickstart your metabolism for the day, get the fluids in your body circulating, and give yourself an energy boost.

Does your morning routine include movement? Drop a comment below!

Looking for a holistic physical therapist in the Hudson Valley area?

Come visit my upstate office in New Paltz!

While my main office is in Manhattan, I have a second location in New Paltz. I not only enjoy bringing osteopathy and manual therapy to a new area, but also enjoy the weekly break from the busyness of the city!

My upstate office is located just off the NYS Thruway at exit 18. We're just a few minutes' drive from downtown New Paltz, so it's easy access whether you are coming from the Thruway or from town.

At Finn Physical Therapy, I use hands-on therapies and release techniques to help treat soft tissue injuries, alignment issues, postural problems, arthritis, and more. You can DM me to book a free consultation call, or click the link in the comments below to view my contact page!

I've been practicing tai chi for a long time, and it's one of my favorite ways to combine movement and meditation. It's healing for the mind and body, wrapped into one!

I would recommend it to anyone who is looking for a meditative form of exercise, a type of physical therapy that is not too strenuous on the body, or a way to build balance and core strength.

But tai chi classes aren't accessible to everyone!

If you can't find any good tai chi groups near you, this article shares some of the best online programs you can choose from 👇
https://www.byrdie.com/best-online-tai-chi-classes-5095654

While it's not the same as an in-person class, the movements in tai chi are slow and relaxed...making it relatively easy to learn online. Pretty soon you'll be doing these exercises in your kitchen while you wait for your coffee to finish brewing, or at work on your lunch break, or before bed to reset & calm down mentally.

Have you tried tai chi before? I'd love to know what you thought! Leave a comment below with your take on tai chi.

4 Best Online Tai Chi Classes of 2023 If you're looking for a workout that is accessible to everyone, tai chi is a solid option. We reviewed the best tai chi classes, so you can start practicing ASAP.

I've been blessed with wonderful patients, and I love hearing their positive feedback!

This testimonial is from one of the women who attended my positional release class last month, where we learned techniques for releasing tension in target areas of the body. Although I can only fit a small number of people in my office, we had a wonderful time learning ways to help our body naturally relax!

While I don't usually teach these techniques in a class setting, I often teach these self-release positions to patients who need to de-stress, or when we're working on healing tightness in the body.

If your muscles have been feeling tight or inflamed lately, consider coming in for a few sessions of manual therapy & learning these techniques for yourself!

Tightness in one area of your body can create a constant pull on your bones, leading to alignment issues. Instead of dealing with the chronic tension and letting it gradually worsen, you can learn ways to help your body relax and rebalance.

Send me a DM to book a free consultation!

It gets pretty hot in July, even here in New York. So it's extra important to stay hydrated!

More than half of your body is water...and it's necessary for basically all of your daily functions. Not to mention, you need to stay hydrated to maintain optimal circulation of fluids in your body.

If you're struggling with hydration over the summer, try these tips for increasing your fluid intake!

👉 use a larger cup/water bottle/thermos than usual
👉 do your exercise indoors or early in the morning before it gets hot
👉 set timers to remind yourself when to drink water
👉 measure the amount of water you drink each day to make sure you're getting enough
👉 if you don't like drinking water, try making herbal tea more often, or drinking flavored drinks with electrolytes (but try to avoid drinks with a high sugar content or lots of artificial sweeteners & dyes)
👉 cut down on your caffeine intake (since caffeine is a diuretic)

What are your best tips for staying hydrated? Leave a comment below!

Happy 4th of July!

NYC is on a flood watch - so maybe not the best conditions for celebrating - but I hope you still get to enjoy the holiday with your friends & family!

Weather aside, I think we're all due a holiday, so let's enjoy it to the fullest.

Then, once you've filled up on yummy food, come book a session with me to learn some fantastic weight loss exercises 😂

Welcome to July!

It's hard to believe that we're so far into the summer already. The 4th is just around the corner :)

Summer can be a very hectic time, as everyone is trying to fit in holidays and vacation time and trips. But, while those are all good things, you don't want to neglect your health in the meantime!

If you're looking to start physical therapy over the summer, I'd love to chat with you. I take consultation calls 4 days a week, and it's super easy to book a time slot.

Just click this link to schedule a call this month:
https://calendly.com/finnpt/15min?month=2023-07

Happy summertime!

When your former patients keep coming back to learn more, even after healing, you know you're doing the right thing!

I recently held a free positional release class, and several of my former patients came, including one who wrote this lovely testimonial. It's wonderful to see my patients still doing well & taking care of their health, long after receiving treatment.

If you're seeking a holistic physical therapist in Manhattan NYC or in the Hudson Valley area, I'm still accepting new patients! I have an office in Midtown Manhattan and an office in New Paltz, with virtual sessions available as well.

Just send me a DM or click the link in the comments below to book a free consultation call!

Actually setting up an ergonomic home office is very different than just buying some expensive office furniture that has 'ergonomic' on the label.

For starters, what is 'ideal' may vary widely depending on what kind of work you do.

As this article explains, "The posture of the person sitting down really depends on what they're doing with their hands."

What is comfortable to you may also be very different than what is comfortable to others!

In the end, an ergonomic redesign takes into account a combination of the your equipment, comfortable positioning/posture, and your behavior.

Read the full article to get started!

Everything You Need to Set Up an Ergonomic Home Office Any workspace, including a home office, should be a safe and healthy place to work. These tips can help you make inexpensive adjustments to stay productive, comfortable, and injury-free.

Are you aware of how you hold your body? Or which positions are relaxing vs which positions strain your muscles? Do you ever stop and notice how your posture affects your breathing? Or pay attention to the way your body tends to lean?

When you start thinking about your posture, there is SO MUCH going on, and we usually don't think about any of it on a conscious level.

That's part of what makes changing posture so difficult!

I mean...how can you change something when you're not aware of it in the first place?

Without intentional, conscious awareness of your body, you may not understand how your poor posture is affecting your body systems, or how you should change it.

Change starts with fundamental awareness and a basic understanding of your body.

If it sounds really complicated, don't worry! That's what I'm here for :)

You can send me a DM or go to my website to book a free consultation, and get one-on-one sessions (virtual or in-person) to help you improve + strengthen your posture!

Happy Saturday!

Have you every thought about how stress builds up over the week?

Often, we're not even conscious of it. But the constant pressure of having to DO something or GO somewhere all the time slowly accumulates.

Although we can simplify our lives some, we can't get rid of all the expectations around us. That's part of life!

What we CAN do is be intentional about releasing our stress and taking care of our wellbeing.

Imagine your stress slowly accumulating, like drops of water slowly filling a bucket. Eventually, you have to empty the bucket or it will overflow.

That's why it's so important to block out time for yourself, to focus on de-stressing and mentally resetting! It doesn't have to be during the weekend. It can be any day that works for you.

What matters is that you create time in your schedule for releasing stress...even when you feel like you don't need it. De-stress before it builds enough to start causing fatigue and other symptoms!

How do you prevent stress from building up in your life? I'd love to know in the comments!

Nobody wants to have poor posture...but fixing your posture is a lot easier said than done. It's certainly not something that happens overnight!

How exactly do you adjust your posture over time?

Well, you can start by practicing exercises that focus on awareness and alignment! Practicing awareness comes first, since it is important to be aware of how you hold your body and what works or doesn't work for your body shape. Once you're aware of how to change your posture, you'll need to practice holding your body in alignment.

To get started, this article has some great exercises for improving your posture and becoming more aware of your body's natural alignment 👇

https://healthnews.com/fitness/physical-health/4-effective-exercises-to-improve-your-posture/

Do you have any favorite exercises for improving posture? Leave a comment below!

4 Effective Exercises to Improve Your Posture | HealthNews Millions of people suffer from the effects of bad posture. Start implementing these easy techniques to improve your posture and reduce stress on your joints.

Thanks to the wonderful ladies who came to my positional release class!

(Who knew lying on the floor could be so relaxing? 😉)

Except...we did a lot more than JUST lie on the floor! We practiced targeting certain areas of the body and using specific release techniques to relax them. And we had a great time doing it!

These are techniques we ALL can use to help reduce pain and tension throughout the body.

Interested in learning more? DM me to set up a free call!