Feeling stiff? Hoping to hurt less? Interested in moving more?
Click this link to schedule an evaluation or injury screen with Aretas Physical Therapy Hales Corners or Wauwatosa.
Fun things you’ll find in this month’s updates:
- Another student in our clinics
- Staff updates
- Strengthen your core in prep for Thanksgiving cooking
- Sweet potato soup recipe
- Past and future events
- Aretas Performance updates
- Joke of the month
Meet our student at Aretas PT Hales Corners:
Ashley is a second year PT student at Carroll University, working with Andrew Telschow, a PT at our Hales Corners clinic. She will in the clinic for the next few weeks so be sure to say hi when you’re in for your next visit! Here are some fun facts about Ashley:
- Favorite food: chicken Caesar wraps and pickles
- Favorite class in PT school: orthopedics (perfect for our clinic environment!)
- Favorite motivational quote for patients: “Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it.”
Thank you to Ashley for being a part of our clinic environment and learning with us. We wish her the best on the rest of her clinical rotation and PT school experience!
Staff updates:
Congratulations to Caroline Greavu, our director of community relations, and Jack Heinrich, a PT at our Wauwatosa clinic, who recently got engaged! Stop in at the clinic and give them your best advice for a happy marriage or to hear the engagement story.
Christine Hartl, a PT at our Hales Corners clinic and our director of operations, and her husband welcomed their second baby, Isaac! His older brother, Judah, is in heaven, and mom and dad are enjoying both boys tremendously. The Aretas baby boom of ’24 is officially done!
Exercise of the day: Transverse abdominus march/heel tap
With only a few more weeks until Thanksgiving, and long periods of standing for meal preparation ahead, start strengthening your core now! Your transverse abdominus muscle, also called your “TA”, acts like a corset to support your trunk, which in turn can help alleviate many aches and pains, especially in your low back. Try this exercise out, adding it to your daily routine or a few times per week.
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- TA march
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- TA heel tap
Image courtesy of HEP2Go.
This exercise has two versions, a less advanced version pictured on the left, and a more advanced one on the right.
For the TA march (pictured on left), start by laying on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Engage your TA muscle by pushing your back down into the floor. If you’re having trouble feeling the muscle turn on, put your fingers just to the inside of your pelvis and cough. The muscle that pops into your fingers when you cough is your TA, and you should try to keep that muscle turned on (without coughing) during the exercise.
Once your TA is engaged, keep it turned on while you lift one foot a few inches off the ground and return to start. Then, without losing the muscle contraction, lift the other foot a few inches and return to the start again. Continue, alternating which foot you lift, for a set of 12 repetitions on each side. Repeat for 2-3 sets. If you notice any low back soreness, make sure to reach out to one of our clinics to meet with a PT and find out why.
For the TA heel tap (pictured on right), start in the same position as the TA march. Contract your TA muscle again, using the cues above. Lift both legs into the air, with your knees and hips at 90 degrees. Maintaining the TA contraction and one leg still in the air, drop the other heel down to the floor and lift it to return to the start. Repeat on the other side, keeping your TA tight. Continue, alternating which heel you drop, for a set of 12 repetitions on each side. Repeat for 2-3 sets. If you notice any low back soreness, try the TA march instead, or reach out to one of our clinics to discuss with one of our PT’s.
As usual, if the movement is painful in any way, use this link to book an appointment with one of our PT’s!
Sweet Potato Cauliflower Soup:
recipe courtesy of Shannon Katz, Director of Administration for Aretas PT Hales Corners and Wauwatosa, found on Plant You’s website here.
This recipe has a great combination of veggies, savory meat, and a comforting sauce for the chilly fall days that are fast approaching!
Ingredients:
- 1 head cauliflower (small, broken into florets)
- 1 sweet potato (sliced in half)
- 2 red bell peppers (whole)
- 1 head of garlic (top sliced off)
- 3 shallots (peeled)
- 1 tbsp curry powder
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp cumin
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- Salt and pepper (to taste)
- 15 oz coconut milk (one can)
- 2 cups vegetable broth (more as needed)
- To serve, parsley and roasted cauliflower (reserve before blending)
Instructions:
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Preheat the oven to 400 deg F.
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On a sheet pan, lay out the cauliflower, sweet potato, bell peppers, garlic, and shallots until evenly dispersed. Roast the bell peppers whole with stems intact. Drizzle with olive oil, then coat the cauliflower with curry powder, paprika, and cumin. Sprinkle all vegetables with salt and pepper to taste.
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Roast for 35-40 minutes until the sweet potato and cauliflower are soft.
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When safe to handle, transfer cauliflower, sweet potato, and shallots to the blender. You can set aside 1/4 of the roasted cauliflower as a soup topper.
- Remove the stems from the bell peppers and add to the blender. Squeeze out the garlic cloves into the blender and discard the skins.
- Add the can of coconut milk and vegetable broth. Blend until you achieve a smooth, silky soup. You can add more broth as needed to achieve your desired consistency. Taste, and add more salt and pepper as desired.
- Reheat if needed and serve immediately with some roasted cauliflower and parsley on top. Store in a sealed container in the fridge for up to four days.
Past Events:
Some Aretas staff represented our company at Marquette University’s Health Sciences Career Fair at the end of October. We are always excited to connect with students working toward their undergraduate and graduate degrees. We have an ongoing need to fill different roles in our clinics and career fairs are a great opportunity to meet the next generation of workers. Thank you to everyone who stopped by our table!
We had a wonderful time reconnecting with former patients like Violet and Ethan Schulties at the recent WIAA Cross Country championships! Kyle Keiper from Kettle Moraine Lutheran High School competed in Division 2, while Reed Grotenhuis from Slinger High School secured 8th place individually in Division 1. Additionally, Marquette University High School’s team achieved an impressive 2nd place in Division 1. We’re proud to have worked with and continue to work with several of these talented runners from Marquette University High School and other schools in our area!
Congratulations to all of our patients who played in the WIAA Boys’ Soccer state tournament this past weekend and best of luck to our patients competing in the WIAA Boys’ Football state tournament in the upcoming weeks!
Upcoming Events:
Aretas PT will be attending and hosting a tent at Battle of the Badges on November 16 (hosted by Primal MKE). This is an event between our area’s police and fire departments. If you are at the event, please come and say hi!
Aretas Performance Updates:
Aretas Performance Wauwatosa has a new class schedule, which began on Nov. 1. These classes are led by our Tosa performance coach, Mitch Sadowsky. Check out the current schedule of classes posted to our website here!
Aretas Performance Hales Corners also has a new winter class schedule, beginning Dec. 1. These classes are led by our Hales Corners performance coach, Drake Sutton. Check out the schedule for these upcoming classes posted to our website here!
Joke of the month:
Another month, yet another joke from Drake Sutton, performance coach for Aretas Performance Hales Corners (see the updates above for how to connect with him or with Mitch, coach at Aretas Performance Wauwatosa).
Two fish are in a tank. One fish looks at the other fish and asks him, “Do you know how to drive this thing?”
Stop in at one of our clinics for any of your physical needs: health, wellness, rehabilitation, or to hear more information and stay tuned for next month’s updates!
Helping you achieve excellence,
Aretas Physical Therapy
Aretas Physical Therapy Hales Corners: 5764 S 108th St, Hales Corners, WI 53130. 414-400-7110
Aretas Physical Therapy Wauwatosa: 10930 W Potter Rd, Ste C, Wauwatosa, WI 53226. 414-400-6556