First Step Physical Therapy

Did you know that August is National Wellness Month? Celebrate National Wellness month with us by making your own Bingo Card like ours pictured here! This is a time to create healthy habits for yourself. Remembering to take time for yourself and to eat healthy are just some examples!

7 Steps
10 components

Disability pride month is celebrated in July to commemorate the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) into law on July 26, 1990. This year is the 34th anniversary of the ADA. We celebrate the disability community's history, achievements, experiences, and struggles. The disability pride flag is a symbol of Disability Pride Month, featuring five diagonal stripes of different colors on a black background:

🔴Red: Physical disabilities, such as chronic pain, fatigue, mobility impairment, and loss of limbs
🟡Gold: Neurodivergence, such as autism, ADHD, and dyslexia
⚪White: Invisible and undiagnosed disabilities
🔵Blue: Psychiatric disabilities, such as depression, PTSD, and anxiety
🟢Green: Sensory disabilities, such as hearing loss and visual impairments
⚫Black: Mourns victims of violence and abuse against people with disabilities

We will be at the Disability Pride Celebration at Canalside on July 26th. Stop by and see our table!

We are thrilled to welcome Dr. Uche to our clinic! With his experience and a passion for helping patients achieve their best, Dr. Uche brings a unique set of skills to our team. His dedication to personalized care and innovative treatment techniques will be invaluable to our patients’ recovery journeys. Join us in extending a warm welcome to Dr. Uche — we’re excited to have you on board!

Have neck pain from looking up at the fireworks or down at the grill for too long? Here are a few exercises to help with neck pain and improve your range of motion:

Cervical Retractions: Tuck chin pressing head straight back and hold for 3 seconds. Perform 3 sets of 10 reps.

Upper Trap Stretch: Bring your right ear down towards your right shoulder and hold for 30 seconds. Switch sides and repeat 3 times total.

Scalene stretch: Rotate your head to the right then bring your right ear towards your right shoulder and hold for 30 seconds. Switch sides and repeat 3 times total.

🎆 **Holiday Announcement** 🎆

Dear valued clients,

In celebration of Independence Day, First Step Physical Therapy will be closed on July 4th. We wish you a safe and joyful holiday with family and friends. We will resume regular business hours on July 5th.

Thank you for your understanding and continued support!

- The First Step Physical Therapy Team

Low Level Laser Therapy (LLLT), also known as cold laser, is one of the many tools available to enhance your recovery here at First Step Physical Therapy. LLLT can be used to treat both chronic and recent injuries. LLLT has been found to create the following effects:
⬇️Inflammation in Joints and Tissues
⬆️Tissue Regeneration and Healing
⬇️Pain
⬆️Circulation and Blood Flow

Pain can come in many different forms. These sensations of pain can be used to differentiate between different sources of pain. Knowing how long you have been experiencing the pain can also help determine the source. The quicker you can address the source of pain, the sooner your recovery will begin.

Here are some examples of how pain might present itself:
🔷Muscle: Damage to a muscle may result in redness or bruising, generalized pain along the area of the muscle, weakness, decreased movement, and muscle spasms.
🔷Connective Tissue: Can feel like the joint is loose, unstable, swollen, or can’t put weight on the body part. You may hear a pop accompanied by pain at the time of injury.
🔷Nerves: Shooting pain down a leg, sharp, jabbing, throbbing, or burning pain, or pain during activities that shouldn't cause pain. You may also experience numbness or tingling.
🔷Blood Vessels: Injuries to blood vessels feel like cramps, aching, burning, or heaviness, and may be worse during exercise and better during rest. You may also see bruising or swelling.
🔷Bone: Typically a sharp and deep sensation, spot specific compared to spread out over a larger area, and symptoms last longer than a muscular injury.
🔷Internal Organs: Movements do not typically make the pain better or worse to reproduce your symptoms. For this type of pain it is important to see your primary care provider.

Thank you Make Lemonaide for hosting another wonderful event! The First Step Buffalo staff was out in full force supporting all the CP warriors. The day was filled with happiness, joy, and lots of love. We were honored to participate in an event that brought awareness to the CP community while creating a family friendly fun atmosphere. Thank you to everyone who made this day so special, see you all next year!!

💬 Share Your Memories:
We want to hear from you! Share your favorite memories or experiences with First Step Physical Therapy in the comments below or tag us in your throwback photos using . Your stories inspire us every day!

🔔🔔🔔 The Make Lemon Aide Foundation grant application deadline is quickly approaching. The final day to submit your application is June 15th! Applications may be submitted via email to [email protected]/, mailed to the address written on the form, or dropped off at any of our First Step Clinics. The grant will provide crucial treatment at First Step Physical Therapy that progresses a person through the First Step Recovery Model.

For more information, please see The Make Lemon Aide website below:
http://www.makelemonaide.org/

First Step is excited to be working with Brain HQ to provide our patients with state of the art Cognitive Rehab Training. This software offer restorative treatment options for our patients who suffer from Traumatic Brain Injuries, Strokes, Dementia, and other processing disorders.
If you or someone you know is struggling with cognitive and memory challenges please reach out to First Step today. Learn how to take your steps back to recovery and an independent lifestyle.

👏🏼Manual Therapy👏🏼

At First Step Physical Therapy one of our major rehab components is manual therapy. We use manual therapy to modulate pain, relax muscles, decrease inflammation, and facilitate improved movement of joints. Manual therapy can take many forms such as:

1️⃣ Myofascial Release: Light manual pressure is applied to areas of tightness or stiffness until the muscles release. This helps reduce pain and tightness, as well as improve circulation and relaxation.

2️⃣ Neural Tissue Tension: Just like muscles, nerves get tight and need to be stretched out occasionally. By stretching or slacking the nerves neural symptoms such as numbness, tingling, or weakness will decrease.

3️⃣ Joint Mobilizations: Each individual joint can be moved in specific directions in order to improve the quality of the movement. Specific techniques can be used to increase range of motion, while others can be used to decrease pain.

4️⃣ Blood Vessel Manipulation: Similar to the other techniques, light touch is applied to regions of the body to help improve blood flow in specific blood vessels. This can lead to improved tissue healing. Other benefits include muscle relaxation and decreasing pain.

Contact us today to schedule an appointment and take the first step towards your rehabilitation!

Have you consumed enough water today? This is your reminder to stay hydrated. To learn more about our 10 components, give us a call to schedule an evaluation!

Misconception Monday: Have you had one or both of these thoughts before? As therapists we hear these concerns all the time!

Come grab a glass of lemonade and be a part of Eli’s Allies this Saturday! Eli and his family will be at Dawn’s Candy Shack at 6045 Goodrich Road in Clarence from 2pm-4pm. Eli’s family will be accepting donations in return for lemonade.

All proceeds will go towards The Make Lemonaide Foundation for Cerebral Palsy. The foundation is aimed at raising awareness for CP, fostering acceptance, inclusion, and creating a loving and supportive community and provide these families with grants used to provide cutting edge, effective therapy.

Let’s continue to Love Loud and support a wonderful cause!

🌟 Sensory Recovery! 🌟

At First Step Physical Therapy, we're passionate about helping our patients achieve comprehensive recovery, and that includes sensory restoration. Here's how we facilitate improved sensory recovery through specialized techniques:

1️⃣ Light Touch Sensation: Using gentle touch therapy, we stimulate nerve endings to promote heightened sensitivity to light touch. This gentle approach helps reawaken dormant nerve pathways, aiding in the restoration of tactile sensation.

2️⃣ Vibration Therapy: Vibrational techniques are utilized to awaken sensory receptors, enhancing the perception of vibration. By incorporating vibration into our therapy sessions, we activate sensory nerves, paving the way for improved proprioception and tactile feedback.

3️⃣ Hot/Cold Therapy: Thermal stimulation plays a crucial role in sensory recovery. Our therapists utilize hot and cold modalities to stimulate temperature receptors, encouraging the brain to interpret temperature variations accurately. This promotes enhanced sensory discrimination and temperature sensation.

4️⃣ Deep Palpation Techniques: Deep palpation involves applying controlled pressure to targeted areas, stimulating deeper sensory receptors. Through this methodical approach, we facilitate improved proprioception and kinesthetic awareness, vital for functional recovery.

💡 How It Works: By systematically engaging with various sensory modalities, we help retrain the nervous system, promoting neuroplasticity and facilitating sensory reintegration. Each session is tailored to your unique needs, ensuring a personalized approach to sensory recovery.

Ready to embark on your sensory recovery journey? Contact us today to schedule your consultation and take the first step towards comprehensive rehabilitation! 🌈

There’s no greater Acceptance Advocate Sponsor than our partner, First Step Physical Therapy to Love Loud for our outstanding community! Thank you First Step for your generous support! We’re deeply appreciative & grateful for all you do! Thank you for being apart of our army of heart! 💚💛🩷💙

What’s better than a nice cold glass of lemonade on a warm day? Come join us on May 11th at Emelia’s Lemonaide Stand. Emelia and her family will be accepting donations in return for lemonade and baked goods.

All proceeds will go towards The Make Lemonaide Foundation for Cerebral Palsy. The foundation is aimed at raising awareness for CP, fostering acceptance, inclusion, and creating a loving and supportive community and provide these families with grants used to provide cutting edge, effective therapy.

Join us to help raise money, awareness, and support an amazing cause!

☀️🌊 Summer is here, and so is the heat! 🔥 Stay hydrated and keep your body in top shape with First Step Physical Therapy's emphasis on nutrition and hydration! 💧 Whether you're hitting the beach, going for a run, or just enjoying the sunshine, remember to drink plenty of water and fuel your body with the right nutrients. Your health and well-being are our priority! 💪

🎉 We're thrilled to introduce the newest member of our team at First Step PT! Please join us in welcoming Kaitlyn Cobb as our newest Physical Therapist Assistant. With her expertise and dedication, we're excited to continue providing exceptional care to our patients. Welcome aboard, Kaitlyn! 🌟

Taping can be done to help assist muscle strength or even help a muscle relax! It is often used to relieve pain, reduce swelling and inflammation and provide support to joints and muscles. Kinesio Tape was introduced in 2003 as a neuromuscular tape intended to help improve muscle contraction.

When applied, the skin sends signals to nerves to activate the muscles. When the muscles receive that information, they respond to the stimulation and contract. Muscle contractions are important to sustain body posture and help stabilize joints.

Ask us about Kinesio taping at your next appointment!

🌭🌭🌭 Come out and enjoy a hot dog for a good cause! We will be at the Valu Home Centers at 4875 Transit Rd, Depew, NY from 2 pm- 4 pm. You can purchase a hotdog for $3 or a hotdog, chips and drink for $5. All proceeds will go directly to the 🍋Make Lemonaide Foundation🍋! Can’t wait to see you there!