Chautauqua Physical & Occupational Therapy Blog

My husband I recently went out for dinner with some friends. The common question arose, “So, how are things going?” Without skipping a beat my best friend responded, “Ohh, you know. Mother, teacher, taxi driver. The new norm.” It stopped me in my tracks. A year ago, those words would have never come out of […]

Times change. Generations change. People change. Playing changes. Our children are growing up in a different world that you and I did. Their type of play is very different than what we use to do. Remember the classics like “Cops and Robbers” and “Freeze Tag?” How about building forts in the woods? I remember rushing […]

Unfortunately, cognitive decline is something that some people can not stop from happening. It tends to be especially hard on the family and/or loved ones that are witnessing it happen. One day you notice your loved one is starting to stutter their words when they are trying to find a thought. Or you begin to […]

A common assumption that I have heard over and over in my clinic is: “My hand hurts, I’m pretty sure I have Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.” One thing that we commonly do as human beings is “lump” our problems into categories of diagnoses that we have heard before (usually the same diagnoses that our family member […]

A body at rest, stays at rest. A body in motion, stays in motion. Hello, everyone! Today we are going to dig deep into the importance of exercise. Do you ever look at those “gym rats” or people who ran their 56th ½ marathon and think, “…good for them, but that is NOT me. I’d […]

As an Occupational Therapist working in the outpatient setting, there are multiple statements that I hear daily regarding my patient’s hands. Here are a few of the most common ones… “My hands hurt!” “I’ve got this finger that gets stuck.” “My hands fall asleep at night.” “The base of my thumb hurts.” “My hands ache […]

There are a lot of rumors and confusion regarding the profession of Occupational Therapy (OT). These questions tend to center around what the profession does and who we are as medical professionals. As a practicing Occupational Therapist, for over 15 years, I hear a lot of the same questions repeatedly. Today, we are going to […]

Your doctor hands you a prescription for outpatient Physical Therapy (PT) or Occupational Therapy (OT). Now what? A million questions are running through your head. I’ve never had therapy before! Will it hurt? How long are the sessions? Can I come after work? And, the number one question…how much is this going to cost me? […]

Wipe off those winter blues and dust off those golf clubs, spring is here! As an experienced Occupational Therapist that has been specializing in shoulder injuries over the past 14 years, getting your shoulder ready for golf season tends to be a repeat occurrence in the clinic. If you are not a snowbird, it is […]

Depression. Sometimes we feel sad. Other times we feel more than just sad. Depression can attack us dressed up as many different monsters. Sometimes depression looks like sadness, other times it looks like anger. Sometimes it feels dark and hollow. Other times it is heavy and exhausting. Sometimes it gets us to the point of […]