JANUARY Newsletter. WINTER TRAINING FOR YEAR- ROUND HEALTH AND FITNESS By: John Fiore, PT. In This Issue:

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1 JANUARY Newsletter January 9, 2014 Volume 2, Number 1 In This Issue: Winter Training for Year-Round Health and Fitness New Year, New Insurance Deductible Physical Therapy: A Health Care Value Sign up for the Sapphire PT enewsletter at sapphirept.com Links to Our Favorite Sites: WINTER TRAINING FOR YEAR- ROUND HEALTH AND FITNESS By: John Fiore, PT Winter in Montana is the time for alpine skiing, Nordic skiing, snowboarding, hockey, snowshoeing, snowball fights, and sledding. Winter is also the most crucial time of year to build a strong foundation for year-round health and fitness. Whether you are a walker, hiker, backpacker, soccer player, cyclist, road runner, or trail ultra-runner, winter training sets the tone for the remaining nine months of the year. Pre-season preparation leading up to winter sports often falls by the wayside as the snow pack accumulates. Finding time to continue strength training and cross training becomes increasingly challenging as the holiday season is replaced by our weekly work, school, and recreation routines. Making time for conditioning during the winter, however, will greatly increase your chances of remaining strong, healthy, and injuryfree during the spring, summer, and fall months. Related Sites: The Runners Edge: Missoula s hub for running gear, information, and races Run Wild Missoula membership promotes running, training, and racing in Missoula Missoula s choice for core strengthening and ski conditioning. From beginners to elite athletes, Momentum classes will increase your strength and reduce your injury risk. Find us on Facebook:

2 For more information on the services provided by Sapphire Physical Therapy or to read more related articles, see our website or give us a call. Sign up for the Sapphire PT enewsletter at sapphirept.com Contact Us: (406) Ask a PT/ Us: John Fiore, PT: john@sapphirept.com Rachael Herynk, DPT: rachael@sapphirept.com Jesse Dupre, DPT: jesse@sapphirept.com Jennifer Dreiling: jennifer@sapphirept.com Find Us: Sapphire Physical Therapy 1705 Bow Street * Missoula, MT Map: I have learned from my past personal training patterns that fitness (strength, endurance, and injury-free fitness) must be earned on a weekly basis. In the winter I enjoyed skiing, so I skied. In the spring and summer I enjoyed trail running and mountain biking so I ran and rode. In the fall I enjoyed cyclocross racing and trail running, so I rode and ran, period. I began to feel fragile. I felt my body become specialized in a narrow spectrum of fitness. I recall late one summer (2007) I could ride 100 miles and feel totally recovered two days later. However, one five-mile round-trip hike up Mount Jumbo left my legs sore for five days! Without cross training, fitness eludes us and is disguised as sport-specific muscle memory. Cross training includes by definition any activity which is different from the activity you primarily do. If you are a runner, then cycling, for example, is cross training. However, by definition, playing croquet is also cross training! Strength training should be viewed as the universal form of cross training for any of the sports you do and wish to do more proficiently. The cyclist, runner, or soccer player who experiences similar performances year in and year out, likely lacks the strength and power to improve. The experienced athlete who feels the wheels are falling off in the form of injuries likely lacks the strength and stability to support the demand he or she is repeatedly placing on the body. Functional, weight bearing, reproducible (at home as well as in class or at the gym) exercises addressing balance, agility, power, and core strength will serve as the means to achieve year-round health and fitness. Make the most of winter and set up a strength and fitness consultation with a physical therapist to determine your fitness needs to prevent injuries later in the year. You will be surprised how much better you feel twelve months of the year with overall body fitness! Our Services: Orthopedic injuries Pre and post-operative rehabilitation Core strengthening & conditioning programs

3 Back and neck pain Running overuse injury and prevention Running biomechanical gait analysis Work related injuries Functional Capacity Evaluations Work Hardening & Functional Conditioning Programs Cycling injuries & biomechanical bike fitting Women s health All insurance accepted & billed Cash payment discount NEW YEAR, NEW INSURANCE DEDUCTIBLE By: Jennifer Dreiling Office Manager/Billing Account Specialist The New Year is about new beginnings. Unfortunately, the New Year also brings a new health insurance deductible. Health insurance deductibles must be met before your insurance benefit kicks in. If you are on a calendar year plan, January 1 is the restart date of your insurance plan deductible. While some health insurance plans have affordable, low deductibles, other plans have catastrophic deductibles of $2,500 to $5,000. Low deductible health insurance plan premiums are higher as the insurance benefit will kick in sooner in the calendar year. In contrast, most individuals with lower cost health insurance plans will not meet the required $2,500 to $5,000 deductible in a calendar year,

4 At Sapphire Physical Therapy, our emphasis is to provide high quality, affordable treatment. Taking the guess work out of your out the patient cost for physical therapy allows you to focus on your rehabilitation. When you attend your first physical therapy appointment, our billing staff will call your insurance provider while you are being evaluated by your physical therapist. By contacting your insurance provider directly, we are able to determine your deductible amount, how much of your deductible has been met for the year, your annual maximum dollar out of pocket, and your physical therapy benefit. By the end of your initial physical therapy visit (or by your next visit depending on the insurance provider) you will know the exact amount (or co-payment) you are obligated to pay for your treatment. Compared to many health care services, physical therapy is very affordable. One-hour treatments maximize the value of each visit. If you do not have health insurance or if you have a high deductible health insurance plan, we do offer a discounted cash payment option. Similarly, if you have a per visit copayment or coinsurance that is more than you can afford, let us know and we will arrange a payment plan that fits your budget. If you are in need of physical therapy treatment but are wondering if your insurance will cover it, give Jennifer a call. Jennifer is happy to look into your particular health insurance plan and answer any questions you may have! It s a New Year, let s start it off with improving your health! Photo courtesy of Vo-tography Images (2013 Rut Run, Big Sky, MT)

5 PHYSICAL THERAPY: A HEALTH CARE VALUE By: John Fiore, PT The rising out-of-pocket cost of health care in the United States is old news. Every American individual and family faces this reality every day. The distinction of the having the most costly health care of any developed country is not admirable. Finding cost-effective health care for your dollar can be challenging. Physical therapy, however, remains a high value form of health care. The physical therapists at Sapphire Physical Therapy are committed to providing the highest value of treatment for your out-of-pocket or insurance dollar. Our therapists spend one hour one-on-one with each patient; a rare ratio and duration of patient care even in the realm of physical therapy. Our therapists take the time to explain your injury, outline the rehabilitation process, and utilize valuable treatment time on manual therapy techniques and/or modifying and progressing your exercises. Your time is valuable, so we will never watch you do the exercises you already do at home or jump from one patient to another while you are unsupervised. Physical therapy is an interactive partnership. My responsibility as a therapist is to properly diagnose and treat your injury in a functional, cost-effective, efficient manner. Your job as a patient is to do the tasks, exercises, and implement the lifestyle changes outlined in your treatment plan. The partnership often addresses overall health and fitness in a comprehensive manner. Physical therapists often serve as a liaison between

6 you and your physician in order to communicate progress and/or medical issues. In the field of health care, the one-onone treatment, communication, and comprehensive care at a cost-effective dollar amount of physical therapy makes it a true value.