Anne is a 30-something full-time SAHM mom of 5 ranging from 3 to 17 and grandma of 1 who resides in Ashwaubenon (Green Bay) Wisconsin. She started blogging in 2008 as a way to regain her sanity. She enjoys coffee, chocolate, cheeseburgers and vodka along with spending time with her husband and kids.
Physical therapy for back and neck pain focuses on the spinal alignments as well as the joints which include the muscles, ligaments, and tendons. The blending of the physiology of exercises and applying them in the case of an injury leads to relief from pain and faster healing as well. Physical therapy has five main goals, namely:
● Educating patients about the principles of stretches and strengthening. This helps manage pain and speed up tissue healing as well.
● Educating patients on good posture and ergonomic principles to help keep the spine in its correct alignment.
● To fasten the healing procedure.
● Preventing future occurrences of the same injury.
● Educating patients to use their knowledge to help eliminate symptoms brought forth due to a forgetful moment of doing an activity improperly.
Recent studies have shown that over 90% of the human population suffers from spinal problems at one point or more in their life. While most people complain of pain in the neck and back, it is not isolated to these regions alone. According to experts, the pain travels into the arms, head, eye, glute, hip, groin, legs, feet, and so on. With each episode of back stiffness, the pain can worsen and last for longer periods of time.
Hence, it is essential to stop the cycles and find the root cause of each episode. This helps prevent damage accumulation which might even lead to failure of the spinal structure in extreme conditions. It is advisable to meet with a physical therapist if an episode of back pain lasts anywhere between two to six weeks. If the pain is considerably severe, it is better to reach out to a physical therapist even sooner.
Physical Therapy for Back Pain Management
Physical therapy helps reduce your pain to a more manageable level with passive physical therapy or modalities. These are considered passive as they are done to the patient. Some examples include TENS units, heat or ice packs, ultrasound, iontophoresis, etc.
In addition to the above-mentioned modalities, active physical therapy is also required to help rehabilitate your spine. In most cases, a back exercise program includes a combination of stretching exercises for back pain. This involves stretching the hamstrings at least twice a day. While stretching is not time-consuming, people tend to forget to do it regularly, especially when the pain starts decreasing. Experts advise you to do hamstring stretching exercises at the same time every day to make it a part of your daily routine. There are several other stretches as well that can be followed to alleviate back pain.
At the end of the day, it is essential to find relief from chronic back and neck pain as soon as possible. Since physical therapy has the ability to get this done without using an unnecessary medication, it is considered a safe option by medical professionals all over the world. In most cases, physical therapy can even find the root cause of the injury and help you say goodbye to pain forever. When left unchecked, back and neck pain can extend into other regions of your body causing serious health ailments in the long run.
As the years go by, I think about how fast life goes by. I feel like just yesterday, I was in high school. Where did the time go? While I love my life and what has brought me to this place, there are some things that I would change and there are plenty of things I would tell my younger self. Things that would help me to be more confident, more present, and happier, in general. But, what kid always feels that way? I know I didn’t. If only I would have known more at the time, but that is life. Here are a few things I would tell my younger self, if I had the opportunity to do so:
You do not need to impress anyone but yourself
When we say “keeping up with the Jones’,” it’s easy to think about adults who own a home and truly try to keep up with the people next door, but I think the phrase can apply to people of all ages, no matter their stage in life. Most young kids are affected by this the most, I believe. There is so much competition and peer pressure – to keep up with the newest trends. If only more kids knew that you do not need to impress anyone but yourself. I can only imagine how much hearing that (and fully accepting it) would change lives. It’s hard trying to keep up with your friends, the “popular” crowd, and everyone in between. Plus, having parents who tell you what you can and cannot do can also be tough in this phase. If more kids focused on just being happy and true to themselves, I think that more kids would be truly happy and content with where they are in life. This is definitely something that I wish I could tell my younger self!
Health is wealth
Another big one. Health is wealth! Somehow, we figure this out when it’s a bit too late. We find out that taking care of your body is important once we start experiencing those aches and pains, unnecessary weight gain, or other issues that might pop up. This is something that I wish I could tell my younger self, but it’s something that I wish school systems talked about more, in general. Sure, PE is a thing, but it needs to go beyond that because I think if kids were equipped with the knowledge and tools to truly understand the full picture of health and what you need to do to stay healthy, we probably wouldn’t have as many chronic conditions in the world (and yes, I know that you cannot prevent them all!).
Relationships that are worth it invest time in you
I think that some adults need to hear this one, too. The relationships that are worth it are the ones that invest time in you, as well. Relationships that are one sided are no bueno. This goes for romantic and non-romantic relationships alike!
Good things come from hard work
In the moment, hard work does not seem very pleasant. But, nothing in life that is good comes easy. 99% of the time, something good comes from hard work. And, 99% of the time, if something is very easy to do, it’s not necessarily going to go big and far for you. However, in addition to that, we also need to recognize that sometimes, the hard work really is not necessary and sometimes, pushing yourself too hard can result in some not-so-great things (like injury). If only I would have realized that moving myself during my college years was work that I didn’t really need to do myself, ha! That’s hard work that you can (and should, in my opinion) outsource, because there are people who are experts in that exact thing, such as Movin’. They are residential movers, commercial movers, and safe movers Salt Lake City. With over 20 years of experience, they bring affordable pricing, efficient moves, and customer-focused services to the table.
Start investing in your future now
The sooner you begin investing in your future, the better. This goes for investing financially, investing in your physical and mental health, investing in your education, and more. The more you invest in yourself, the better you will be for it in the long-run!
Physiotherapy is widely considered an effective treatment for a number of injuries and conditions. It can help to improve range of motion, alleviate pain, and speed up the healing process. In some cases, your physiotherapist at a2z Health Group Dandenong may recommend the use of a brace as part of your treatment plan. Here’s a quick guide to how bracing works and what you can expect.
What is bracing?
Bracing is the use of an external support to stabilize and protect an injured area of the body. Wearing a brace helps to take pressure off the affected area and can prevent further injury by preventing you from moving the joint too much.
Types of braces
There are many different types of braces available on the market, ranging from simple Ace bandages to more complex devices that are custom-made to fit your body. Your physiotherapist will be able to recommend the best type of brace for you based on your individual needs.
How does bracing help?
In addition to providing support and stabilization, wearing a brace can also help to reduce inflammation and pain. This is because it helps to promote blood flow and reduce swelling in the affected area.
What are the side effects of bracing?
In some cases, people may experience skin irritation when wearing a brace. This is usually due to friction between the brace and your skin – wearing loose clothing over the brace can help to minimize this issue. You should also avoid leaving the brace on for long periods of time as this can lead to muscle weakness.
Try bracing for a faster recovery
If your physiotherapist recommends using a brace as part of your treatment plan, don’t be alarmed – it’s actually quite common. With proper application and the right care for the duration of time that you’re wearing the brace, you’ll be back on your feet in no time!
With time at a premium, the convenience of ordering gifts online has become a fast growing trend. You can place your order while watching TV, having a coffee, at any time of the day or night, in fact, whenever is convenient to you! Prices will suit any budget and the range of gifts available will suit all ages. Recipients will love the fact that you have gone to the trouble to choose a personalized gift just for them.
Canvas Portraits
Who doesn’t love a nice portrait in their home? Canvas portraits make great gifts for everyone. Also, a canvas portrait can be of any image you want. Maybe a nice family picture, a landscape or a pet canvas portrait of a beloved furry family member.
Calendars
Don’t think a calendar is just a Christmas gift. Financial year calendars can also be given in July. Choose photos from your collection that have meaning. If you don’t have enough photos, download pictures of the person’s favorite pastime, such as classic or muscle cars, ideal holiday destinations or favorite animals. Your thoughtfulness will be appreciated.
Photo book
Photo books come in an array of sizes. Choose from a small flip or brag book which can be taken anywhere in a handbag or satchel or a coffee table book that can commemorate a recent journey or special family occasion. The books can have themes and you can also add a range of decorative embellishments.
Office gifts
Why not choose an appropriate photo to have placed on a mouse pad. Notebooks or sticky notes with the company’s logo or details are another great gift idea, especially to celebrate the opening of a new business. Company detail enhanced mugs with personal names will ensure no one gets the wrong mug ever again!
Christmas gifts
Christmas can be a rushed time so if you order your Christmas cards, gift tags and Christmas stockings on line, you will save an incredible amount of time. Add a personal touch to these items by adorning them with photos suitable to the recipients.
Embroidered Gifts
Choose from personalized embroidered pillowcases, dressing gowns, or towels. You could also present children with iron on labels embroidered with their name. Signature teddy bears can be ordered to commemorate a child’s birth date or other milestone birthday.
T-shirts & tote bags
People love personalized t-shirts! Give thought to who you are giving this gift to and maybe have a custom t-shirt printed with a favorite pet or slogan. Tote bags can be adorned with meaningful photos and are also a practical gift which can be rolled up when not in use and put in your carry bag.
A personalized gift is something to be treasured. It will show your loved one, family or friends that you really care for them. Try to choose a gift that matches the person. Children and adults alike will cherish seeing their name or picture of their favorite object embellished on a keepsake gift. A personalized gift will put a smile on anyone’s face.
Using a mass email service within Gmail to send invitations and keep track of responses is easier than ever before
If you are a parent of a young child, then you’ve likely encountered the controlled chaos that is a child’s birthday party. Often there is so much going on that it can be hard to focus. As a parent—and host of the event—there is a good chance that you are in charge of finding the venue, providing food, decorations, activities, goody bags, and more.
There is one element of your child’s birthday party that you can simplify with just a few clicks, and that’s the invitations. Sometimes sending out invitations can get convoluted and hard to keep track of. Often, when children are young it is important to invite their whole class so no one feels left out. So, to help you better write, construct, send, and track birthday party invitations, we’re going over all of the different ways that you can use a mass email tool to make sending invitations easier than ever. Keep reading to find out how to send mass emails and how you can streamline the invitation process. Let’s get started!
Step 1: Finding a Gmail Mass Email Service
Your first step to sending better invitations is to try out a few mass email services and decide which one works best for you
Choose the mass email tool you feel most comfortable using.
Mass email services are used for a variety of different purposes, one of the most common uses for mass email is for businesses. Businesses need to send lots of emails all at once in order to reach large groups of customers, without disclosing the individual emails to everyone, which is why they require these kinds of tools. While being a parent doesn’t require sending quite as many emails, there are still lots of occasions that require you to send many messages out at once confidentially and track responses.
To find the tool that works best for you, we recommend trying out the free trials of a few different mass email services. There are a lot of different mass email services currently available, but not all are created the same way. The first thing you want to pay attention to when shopping for a mass email tool is a user-friendly interface. As we mentioned, you won’t be using the service in the same capacity as a business, so there are some features that you won’t need. What you will need—however—is a tool that is easy to use.
Another thing you need to consider when choosing a mass email service is the reporting capabilities of the tool. In order to keep track of the replies to your birthday invitation, you will need a service that offers comprehensive and easy to view reports. So, before you make your final decision, test out the mass email service and make sure that it is right for your emailing needs.
Since there are so many different services out there, we thought we’d give you an option that you can use right from within your Gmail account. GMass is a mass email service that is integrated in your Gmail account and is available completely for free. GMass offers a free trial that includes all of the helpful mass email features we’re going to discuss, which means that the free trial is more than enough to get you started with your invitations. We should mention that other very popular invitation services aren’t able to personalize your invitations or upload your guest list—and many require payment to use. That’s why we recommend GMass to send mass emails for all of your invitation needs. You can send all of your invites for free and without any hassle. You never know, you may end up finding uses for GMass even after your child’s birthday has passed!
Step 2: Create Your Guest List In Google Sheets
Executing a mail merge in Google Sheets is preferable to using Excel
Input your handwritten guest list into Google Sheets.
Now that you have your mass email tool and you’ve familiarized yourself with how it works, the next step is to get started on your guest list. We recommend using Google Sheets to create your guest list as many mass email services are compatible with Google Suite as opposed to Microsoft office. That’s why we’ve been mentioning Gmail mass email services exclusively.
In order to start your address list for a child’s birthday party, you will need three pieces of information. You’ll need to collect the parent’s name, child’s name, and the parent’s email address. For some people you may have this information off the top of your head, for others you may have to ask around or contact a teacher.
Once you have this information, it is important to properly organize the information in your Google Sheet. Start by separating the columns into the parent and child’s first and last names and designating them with a name at the top of the columns. “Kid First Name” or “Parent First Name” should work just fine. Once the information is organized and the email addresses are added, you are ready to move on to the next step. Just be sure to double check your guest list to make sure all of the information is in the right place to avoid any embarrassing name mix-ups down the line.
Step 3: Write and Design The Invitation
Now that we’ve taken care of the guest list, it’s time to create a custom invitation for your child’s birthday
Create an invitation that appeals to both children and their parents.
One of the best features that come with a mass email service is the designer. Instead of sending out boring, text only emails for your child’s upcoming birthday party you can create unique invitations that are sure to impress all of the other parents. Using the designer, you can import photos, add animations, embed videos, add borders, and use a whole host of other features. As we mentioned, not every mass email tool is created equal, so be sure to play around with the design feature included in the services you are considering.
While you are working on the design elements of the message, you can also get started writing the actual text in the invitation. Here is where the magic begins to happen with your mass email service. Using brackets, you can personalize parts of the message so you can avoid having to write out the name of each parent/child recipient. As an example, you could write—”{Kid First Name}, it’s time to celebrate” to begin the message. In the next step, we’ll be showing you how to make sure that the information is correctly input for each message. For this step, all you really have to do is design and compose one message and the mass email tool will take care of the rest!
Step 4: Personalize The Invitations by Executing a Mail Merge
Time for the best part! Effortlessly personalize all email invitations by executing a mail merge
Use personalization to create eye-catching invitations.
Now that your message is composed and you’ve designated spaces for personalization elements, it is time to execute a mail merge. While this may sound like a complicated task, it is actually one of the easiest parts of the whole process. You’ve done the hard work already setting up the guest list and designing the invitation. All you have to do is import your guest list into your mass email tool. For most mass email tools, this is an easy to access feature that only requires a few clicks. Once you have imported your address list, you can execute the mail merge which inputs the email addresses and corresponding personal information of all recipients. That way, instead of writing out individual invitations for every person who is coming to the birthday party, you can automatically customize all of the invitations at once.
Step 5: Test The Birthday Invitations
For the next step in the process, it is important to verify that all of the invitation elements are appearing correctly before you hit send
Avoid sending invitations with mistakes by testing your messages.
The last thing you need to check before you hit “send” on your child’s birthday invitations is to test the messages. Even though mass email tools and mail merge make the whole process of sending out invitations easier, you still need to double check before sending out those invitations. After all, if you send them out with personalization errors or if some elements of the message don’t load properly, then you will have to send out follow ups. No one wants to have to clarify themselves after sending an email invitation with errors! So, before you hit send, we highly recommend using the “test” feature included with your mass email tool. By sending a test to yourself or someone you trust, you can make sure that all of the invitations are perfect. Once you have verified that all elements of the invitation are working correctly, you can hit send.
Step 6: Reporting
Once your invitations are sent, you can easily keep track of replies
Easily keep track of all invitation responses.
After you hit send, there are still even more features of a mass email service that you can use to make sure your child’s birthday goes off without a hitch. Mass email services have reporting capabilities that make it easy to track who opened and replied to your invitations. You can even create a link for guests to click to automatically RSVP yes or no. Many sass email services feature automatic list updates, meaning your guest’s RSVP status can be automatically recorded in your guest list.
These are just a few of the ways that you can use a mass email service to easily send out invites. While there is a small learning curve for these tools, once you get the hang of it you’ll be sending better birthday invitations before you know it!
I think we can call out Gmass explicitly here. I think realistically gmass is competing w paperless post, and evite for invitation uses, not other “gmail mass email services” per se, both of which I believe cost money. So i would touch on those options and then talk up Gmass because it’s integrated right into your existing gmail account and the free version should still be able to accomplish what you need to do. I BELIEVE (but def check) you can’t do a mail merge in those services to personalize or upload the guest list. so that’s another plus