BenchMark Physical Therapy

We are excited to announce the opening of our newest clinic in Cummings, GA. The clinic is located at 5310 Matt Highway Suite 105 and can be reached at 470-239-4255. Clinic director Katie Dwozan earned a bachelor’s degree in exercise science and a doctor of physical therapy degree from the University of North Georgia. She is trained in pelvic health rehabilitation for women and is certified in trigger point dry needling. For more information and to request an appointment, v...isit: https://benchmark.urpt.com/locations/cumming-matt-hwy/ Be sure to like our clinic Facebook page for news and updates: https://www.facebook.com/bmptmatthwyga

"Sports have been part of my life since I was a young girl. I played baseball/softball, soccer, basketball, volleyball, and even a year of flag football. When I reached high school, I knew I wanted to do something that involved sports for my career. Throughout my time in athletics, I experienced no serious injuries until my senior basketball season when I tore a ligament in my knee. When this happened, I thought I was going to miss out on my senior softball season, my favorit...e sport I played and one that I aspired playing at the collegiate level. Carley Casado was my Athletic Trainer at the time and was the main person that supported me throughout my recovery and helped me return to softball and have a record-breaking season, which led to me being able to play at Penn State Altoona. After going through this experience, it made me realize that I wanted to be on the other end of this situation. I wanted to be the one that would help athletes to recover from injuries and return to playing the sport they love. There are so many aspects I love about being an Athletic Trainer. However, my ultimate favorite part is the relationships that I develop with the athletes. I get to be one of their biggest cheerleaders and be with them through all the successes and failures. I am the first person they see when they get injured, and the last person they see before they return to the sport they love. This process allows me to create important relationships and help shape them into not only a better athlete, but hopefully a better person overall. I hope to always have a positive influence on all my athletes’ lives in whatever way I can, whether that’s being an ear to listen, a shoulder to cry on, or someone to be their biggest advocate. The best part about this is that they also have a big impact on me as well, both as a clinician and as a person. They help me to grow every day as well!" ~Ashley Struble, ATC Happy National Athletic Training Month! We are celebrating by taking a time out with some of our athletic trainers to find out what athletic training means to them. Our athletic trainers and clinical staff work closely together and are committed to providing superior sports medicine services. #NATM2021 #UpstreamFamily

Tomorrow is the first day of spring - are you ready for some spring cleaning? 30 minutes of housework is considered moderate exercise. Who knew that getting your home into shape could get you into better shape, too? Now that the winter hibernation is over and it’s time for our spring cleaning, let’s take a look at how your household chores can improve your fitness.... https://bit.ly/3bZaDiG

Our clinic in Lake Oconee - Greensboro GA will be opening soon! The clinic is located at 6183 Lake Oconee Parkway and can be reached at 762-445-1940. For more information and to request an appointment, visit: https://benchmark.urpt.com/locations/lake-oconee/

Our clinic in Berwick - Savannah GA will be opening soon! The clinic is located at 5710 Ogeechee Road Suite 440 and can be reached at 912-777-3378. For more information and to request an appointment, visit: https://benchmark.urpt.com/locations/berwick/

Feel the benefits of physical therapy: 1. Stress Relief When you remove the stress of being unhealthy from your mind and body, you lower your cortisol levels. High cortisol levels have been linked to atherosclerosis, reduced cognitive functioning, hypertension and cardiovascular disease. 2. A Better Understanding of Your Condition Through physical therapy, you can learn more about your condition. 3. A Stronger Core Physical therapy focuses on core stability and strengthening to restore pelvis and back muscle health (whole body support).

If you can answer YES to any of these questions then YES, you can be a good candidate for Telehealth. With telehealth, we are able to see you in your home environment. This can give us a better understanding of your day-to-day life and allow us to evaluate and modify your movements as needed. Like an in-clinic visit, our therapists can still perform a full-body assessment and review functional movements such as reaching overhead, lifting, squatting, kneeling, getting in and out of a chair. Listening to your story and observing your movements tells us a lot about you!

We love to hear our patients’ success stories. How has your life improved through your experience with us? Are you moving better and feeling better? Do you have a therapist you want to applaud? Share your experience with us!

Vision, Courage, Compassion: Black Physical Therapists Who Transformed the Profession. #BlackHistoryMonth #ChoosePT

Our patients experience the best functional improvement and outcomes when they consistently attend the number of sessions prescribed by their physician. In fact, research indicates that functional improvement increases from 90% to 98% when patients attend 3 therapy sessions per week. But what can be done when time constraints make it difficult to keep up with in-clinic treatment? ... TELEHEALTH! When patients can’t make their in-clinic sessions for the prescribed frequency, telehealth offers a convenient alternative so that they can continue to achieve a superior outcome. Telehealth services can be utilized for full-time therapy OR as part of a hybrid model with in-clinic visits.

Getting in better shape is always a great goal, but how do we know how hard to push ourselves to safely yet effectively see the benefits of our effort? While there are many ways we can measure exercise intensity, heart rate (HR) is one of the best, and often the easiest, for novice and experienced athletes alike. Learn how to calculate the yours here: https://bit.ly/36WbQEy #heartmonth

Join us as we celebrate #BlackHistoryMonth, recognizing the heritage, accomplishments, and culture of African Americans in the United States.

Under just about any other circumstances, the night of Sept. 2, 2017, would have found Natalie Shannon in Atlanta for a neutral-site college football game between her beloved Alabama Crimson Tide and Florida State. But Natalie, Drayer center manager in Trussville, Ala., had an even more important football game to attend that night in her native Birmingham, Ala. Her friend and long-time Trussville patient Tim Alexander had vowed to walk out of the stadium tunnel with the rebor...n football team at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Read on for Tim’s inspiring #UpliftedLives story. #UpstreamFamily

We have our 2021 goals all ready, do you? Wishing you a healthy, happy new year!

In-Clinic, Telehealth or a combination of both? Learn which therapy option is right for you.

It’s the season of New Year’s resolutions! Statistics suggest that fewer than 50 percent of resolutions survive for more than four months. Most common on the list is weight loss. You can be the author of a happy, healthy new year by taking charge of your fitness goals. Here are six keys to success: ... - Have a plan: A goal without a plan is only wishful thinking. If you don’t have a roadmap, how do you get to your destination? - Keep it simple: You don’t need the fancy gadgets and exercise machines advertised on TV. - Set realistic goals: Shedding 10 pounds in 10 days is not reality and will not stick. A better goal would be to lose 3 to 5 percent of body weight over the course of the year. - Find a partner: Whether a spouse, friend or colleague, a partner will help you through those difficult (lazy) times when you don’t feel up to working out. - Log your workouts and diet: Keep track of how much you've accomplished to hold yourself accountable. - Have a positive attitude: Along the fitness road you will have peaks and valleys and many turns. Just like in life, nothing comes easy, but reaching your goals is rewarding once you go through the right process. The greatest obstacle to success occurs inside of us, not outside.

Is prehab right for you? Prehabilitation, or prehab is a compelling strategy to intervene on modifiable risk factors that influence post-operative outcomes for those facing cancer treatments. In fact, prehab before chemotherapy, surgery or radiation can improve fitness in as little as 2 weeks and can decrease the length of a hospital stay by 2 days. When taking part in a prehabilitation, supervised exercise program before mastectomy and/or breast reconstruction, you may reduce the risk of postoperative pain and other complications. Prehab can also improve both physical and mental health prior to undergoing cancer treatment.

Meet Eli: One of our patients who is a living example of determination, perseverance and courage. Learn more about his recovery from a traumatic brain injury and becoming "Stronger Every Day." Be inspired. Be UPLIFTED. #MotivationMonday

We are grateful for our associates that strive to make a difference in their communities. Each week we will be featuring some of the ways that we are giving back in our #SaturdayStories. Harvesters - The Community Food Network and local Kansas City affiliate of Feeding America, provides food and related household products to more than 760 nonprofit agencies including emergency food pantries, community kitchens, homeless shelters, children’s homes and others. They also offer ...education programs to increase community awareness of hunger and teach about good nutrition. Through Harvesters Stamp Out Hunger campaign, our associate Ms. DeeDee Naumann and her daughter, provided 50 volunteer hours preparing 7000 plastic grocery bags and envelopes to aid in a food drive for Harvesters. To support her volunteer efforts Pillars sent relief to Harvesters in the form of a grant in the amount of $2,500 to help stamp out hunger, which falls in line with our overall efforts this year to fight for food security for families and neighbors in our communities. #PillarsDailyBread

Our Top 8 Reasons to use Telehealth Physical Therapy: 1. Provides an option for patients looking to take extra precautions during this time of time of change and uncertainty. 2. Allows patients to participate in their physical therapy treatment from the comfort of ... their own home. 3. Can be used to complement your in-clinic treatment plan. 4. Quick access to care with no office wait. 5. Diagnosis, consultation, education and care management of their current condition. 6. Minimizes requirement to travel to a physical therapy clinic. 7. Telehealth PT also allows patients who live in a rural or far-away location to get quality care right at home. 8. Gives patients greater freedom to schedule appointments that meet their own specific schedules. #FeatureFriday #Telehealth See more

Our clinics are CLEAN. Our highly trained staff practices industry-exceeding techniques to ensure our facilities, linens and equipment are disinfected and handled properly each day. We follow all CDC guidelines for hand-hygiene, provide thorough sanitation between patient sessions and ensure access to hand sanitizer stations for all. Each clinic will always continue to adhere to additional safety measures and procedures as required by individual state guidelines. To read more about our the steps we are taking and our FAQ for protocols in place, please visit https://benchmark.urpt.com/coronavirus-update-clean-safe-r/

An estimated 23 percent of American adults suffer from arthritis, making it a leading cause of work pain and disability. But there is good news! You can take action to treat this disease and get back to doing the activities you love in your daily life. Though it seems counterintuitive, studies have shown that one of the best treatments for osteoarthritis is exercise. Read on for some evidence-based reasons why exercise is so important: https://benchmark.urpt.com//benefits-of-exercise-for-oste/

Is prehab right for you? When considering orthopedic surgery, prehabilitation, or prehab, prior to joint replacement prepares the body for extensive surgery and can assist in decreasing recovery times. In fact, with 4 weeks of prehab, postoperative functional exercise capacity increases significantly and individuals with better physical fitness prior to surgery have been shown to have better postoperative outcomes.

Invest in yourself - not only during your physical therapy visit, but at home. One of the biggest components of success in physical therapy is the home exercise program, or HEP. One could say the HEP is up to fifty percent of the reason you will achieve better outcomes; considering the average physical therapy visit ranges from 45-60 minutes, which may not be enough time to make the drastic change you need. The home exercise program will most likely be prescribed on the firs...t day and be geared toward your goals and the treatment that made you feel and/or move better. For example, if the radiating symptoms from your low back lessened after treatment on your back, your therapist will send you home with an activity to reinforce that movement on day one. Make sure your therapist teaches you the exercise and provides instructions on a take-home piece of paper that also includes frequency, duration, and number of sets and reps so you know what is expected of you. Staying motivated and adhering to your HEP can be difficult, but it likely will speed your pain relief or return to function. #MotivationMonday

Tell congress that you oppose Medicare cuts to speciality providers. We believe everyone deserves access to physical therapy! Click here to #FightTheCut www.urpt.com/FightTheCut

Our last #PTMonth #SaturdaySpotlight is on Kurtisha Norris, PT, DPT, CSCS. Kurtisha choose the physical therapy profession after observing a physical therapist working in a BenchMark clinic. She quickly fell in love with the profession throughout that experience and was fascinated by the power of the various treatment options to help patients reach their goals. She remembers how fun the environment was and how it made her excited to come back each day. Kurtisha learned that h...er passion for movement and the importance of integrating it into daily life was aligned with the goal of physical therapy. The opportunity to commit to sharing this and improving the quality of peoples' lives was one that she could not pass up. Kurtisha says her favorite part of the job is celebrating with her patients after they reach each and every goal. She loves to see the surprised looks on their faces and hearing the words "I didn't think I would ever be able to do that again."

We need your help! Voting for the Best of 2020 with Best Self Atlanta Magazine ends on November 2nd. We would love for you to cast your vote for BenchMark in the category of "Best Physical Therapy Center!"

This year, Upstream’s Pillars with Purpose is fighting for food security across the nation and has hosted a fund and food drive. Some of the numbers are already in: 8,351 pounds of food and 18K in donations...and we aren't done yet. Stay tuned in the coming weeks as we gather data to report the final numbers. While the food drive may have ended, you can still join the fight with a monetary donation, visit https://pillarswithpurpose.org/fight-for-food-security/. #PillarsDailyBread

Outpatient therapy can play a vital role in helping the adult population continue to lead an active, healthy lifestyle. By providing services such as orthopedic rehabilitation, wellness programs, pre-habilitation, fall prevention, and pelvic health services, our trained clinicians can help improve independence, strength/conditioning, balance, and overall general well-being. Proposed Medicare cuts could limit your access to these very programs and services that keep you active and healthy. Help us #FightTheCut by visiting urpt.com/FightTheCut