Is Your Body Ready for 2026?
Schedule Your PT Check-up and Find Out
We’re all familiar with the yearly routine: the dental cleaning, the eye exam, the standard physical with your primary care doctor, the rush to get your taxes to the accountant.
We check our teeth, our vision, and our bloodwork, but we often ignore the very thing that carries us through the world: how we move.
You might not notice the small loss of hip mobility or the slight decline in balance until it shows up as a mysterious back ache or a stumble on the pickleball court.
An annual Physical Therapy Check-up is designed to catch these small issues before they become major injuries.
What Does a PT Check-up Look Like?
Your PT will look at your health history and basic mobility. But they’ll also listen to any concerns you might have, and make sure that your current levels match your lifestyle goals. A visit might include:
- Injury & pain screening: Those little aches and pains you get here and there might be telling you something. Get ahead of small problems before they become big ones. Get them addressed for easy solutions or find out if something more is needed.
- Movement Goals: Whether you’re training for a Hyrox event, trying to keep up with your grandkids, or just want to sit at your desk without neck pain, we’ll make sure your plan matches your goals.
- Customized Pre-hab: An efficient home exercise program designed to work on any trouble spots and move you towards your goal.
Moving Well is the Ultimate Biohack
The latest research continues to confirm that movement isn’t just about fitness, it’s a vital sign for your entire internal system.
Prevention is the New Performance
In a world obsessed with longevity and “optimization,” the most effective tool we have is proactive maintenance.
You wouldn’t wait for your car’s engine to smoke before changing the oil, don’t wait for a in injury before you check in with your PT.
Ready to audit your movement? Let’s make 2026 your strongest year yet.
Shockwave Therapy: A Powerful, Non-Invasive Option for Pain Relief
If you’ve been dealing with lingering pain that hasn’t improved with rest, exercise, or other treatments, focused shockwave therapy may be an effective next step. At Prevail Physical Therapy in Shoreline, we use research-supported focused shockwave technology to help stimulate the body’s natural healing process – without surgery, injections, or downtime.
Focused shockwave therapy is a non-invasive treatment that delivers high-energy acoustic waves directly to injured tissue. Unlike standard shockwave devices, focused shockwave therapy penetrates deeper to precisely target the source of pain. These sound waves increase blood flow, stimulate cellular regeneration, reduce inflammation, and promote tissue repair.
This treatment is especially effective for chronic orthopedic and musculoskeletal conditions such as plantar fasciitis, Achilles and patellar tendinopathy, tennis elbow, rotator cuff disorders, low back pain, osteoarthritis, bursitis, and even certain bone injuries and stress fractures. Treatments are quick, tailored to your comfort level, and allow you to continue normal activities.
At Prevail Physical Therapy, we combine advanced equipment, strong clinical evidence, and expert care to deliver effective results at a better value. Shockwave therapy is often used alongside physical therapy to help patients heal faster, move better, and return to the activities they love.
Are You Taking Care of Your Heart?
Have you been diagnosed with high blood pressure? Do you get out of breath going up a flight of stairs? Your heart is vital to your survival. At Prevail Physical Therapy Services, our therapists understand how important it is to address underlying issues and create a plan to help prevent injury and disease.
Heart disease is the number one cause of death in the United States, accounting for one in four deaths each year. Fortunately, most forms of heart disease are preventable by making lifestyle changes, including exercising, practicing good nutritional habits, and reducing stress in your everyday life.
February is American Heart Month. Our team at Prevail Physical Therapy Services can help improve your heart health by helping you learn how to eat a well-balanced diet, exercise regularly, and avoid anything that can cause damage to it.
Request an appointment with one of our specialists to learn how to keep your heart healthy!
5 Tips for Better Heart Health
Taking action and maintaining a healthy lifestyle will assist you in making sure your heart is healthy. When your heart doesn’t get enough attention, significant problems might arise in the artery lining, leading to plaque buildup. Plaque forming in your arteries is the cause of heart attacks and strokes.
Here are 5 simple ways you can make sure your heart continues to perform at its best:
1. Exercise to increase your heart rate: Walking and biking around your area regularly can help you raise your heart rate. Exercising regularly can help you lose weight, reduce your stress and improve your mood.
2. Participate in strength training: Strength training is one of the most effective injury-prevention strategies for the body and heart. Your therapist can help you develop safe strength-training techniques.
3. Maintain mobility of the joints and muscles: Regular stretching and mobility work keeps you active and makes you feel better. The more active you are, the healthier your heart is! Knowing the right workouts and therapies for your joint and muscle health will help you feel better and enhance your overall function.
4. Eat healthy meals: Nutrition plays a huge role in heart health. Plant-based foods, whole grains, lean meats, and healthy fats like fatty fish and olive oil should all be in your diet. Fried foods, trans fats, processed foods, and added sugar should all be avoided.
5. Manage your stress: Stress can raise blood pressure, so do your best to find daily ways to relax. The less stressed out you are, the less tension and stress you place on your heart. Exercising, getting adequate sleep, stretching before bed, or taking a nightly warm shower are all things that could help with relaxation.
What to Expect in Physical Therapy
If you’re looking for a safe way to improve your heart health, physical therapy is a great option. At Prevail Physical Therapy Services, our team of experts can play a leading role in preventing, reversing, and managing heart-related conditions. Our therapists can help you improve your heart health by advising you on lifestyle adjustments that include daily exercises, nutrition, and stress reduction strategies based on your individual needs.
Our team comprises movement experts who have the knowledge and training to evaluate and treat several kinds of acute and chronic pain conditions and abnormal physical function related to an injury, disability, disease, or unhealthy lifestyle.
We perform a thorough evaluation that includes your overall health status to create an exercise plan that ensures you’re getting as much physical activity as you can throughout the day. This will consist of treatments to address any injuries you may have and to help prevent other health issues.
We can guide you through proper exercises and specialized treatments to relieve your joint and muscle pain, increase your strength and flexibility, and improve your overall health by getting your blood flowing and your heart rate up. Participating in regular physical therapy appointments can help lower your cholesterol and blood pressure, significantly decreasing your chances of cardiac arrest in the future.
Our goal is to incorporate activities to improve your heart health so you can enjoy your life!
Request an Appointment Today
Caring for your heart is just as important as caring for any other part of your body. For American Heart Month, our team at Prevail Physical Therapy Services can help you get back into shape safely and healthily!
Contact us this month to learn how you can improve your heart health by incorporating more physical activity into your life!
Tips for A Heart-Healthy Valentine’s Day!
This year, don’t forget the most important Valentine of all: your heart! With February being the month of love and American Heart Month, here are a few tips to combine them into one fabulous celebration:
- Try a heart-healthy treat: Pomegranate seeds, good dark chocolate, and sweet strawberries are all delicious alternatives to candy hearts.
- Take a ballroom dance class with your sweetheart: Nothing’s more romantic than a sweeping waltz or sultry tango. But ballroom dancing is also a great cardio workout–making it the perfect date night for American Heart Month!
- Sink into a relaxing bubble bath: Stress contributes to cardiovascular disease, so this month, set aside time to rest and relax with a bubble bath. Dim the lights, burn a few candles, and settle down with your favorite romantic read.
Want more healthy heart tips this February–or any month of the year? Schedule an appointment with Prevail Physical Therapy Services today!
Our Patients Get Great Results
“Rachel Krieder is excellent! . . . from thorough assessment and clear communication to excellent manual skills and setting appropriate goals, she’s the best. I’ve gained both understanding of and notable improvement toward less pain and increased mobility.”
– Michelle T.
Happy Valentine’s Day from Prevail Physical Therapy!
Happy Valentine’s Day from everyone at Prevail Physical Therapy! Today is a reminder to celebrate the people and passions that bring joy to your life—and that includes taking care of your body so you can keep doing what you love with confidence and comfort.
Whether you’re focusing on recovery, strength, or simply feeling your best, our team is honored to support you every step of the way. Thank you for trusting Prevail Physical Therapy with your care, and we wish you a Valentine’s Day filled with health, happiness, and movement you can love. ❤️
February Word Scramble
lotacehoc
eeanlnitv
bauefrry
iprdinehfs
iwentr
aceornm
Answer Key
chocolate
valentine
february
friendship
winter
romance
Exercise & Mental Health
Everyone knows that regular exercise is good for the body. But exercise is also one of the most effective ways to improve your mental health. Regular exercise can have a profoundly positive impact on depression, anxiety, ADHD, and more. It also relieves stress, improves memory, helps you sleep better, and boosts overall mood. And you don’t have to be a fitness fanatic to reap the benefits. Research indicates that modest amounts of exercise can make a difference. No matter your age or fitness level, you can learn to use exercise as a powerful tool to feel better.
Exercise and depression. Maintaining an exercise schedule can prevent you from relapsing. It promotes all kinds of changes in the brain, including neural growth, reduced inflammation, and new activity patterns that promote feelings of calm and well-being. It also releases endorphins, powerful chemicals in your brain that energize your spirits and make you feel good. Exercise can also serve as a distraction, allowing you to find some quiet time to break out of the cycle of negative thoughts that feed depression.
Exercise and anxiety. Anything that gets you moving can help, but you’ll get a bigger benefit if you pay attention instead of zoning out. By adding this mindfulness element—really focusing on your body and how it feels as you exercise—you’ll not only improve your physical condition faster, but you may also be able to interrupt the flow of constant worries running through your head.
Exercise and ADHD. Exercising regularly is one of the easiest and most effective ways to reduce the symptoms of ADHD and improve concentration, motivation, memory, and mood. Physical activity immediately boosts the brain’s dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin levels—all of which affect focus and attention.
Exercise and PTSD and trauma. Evidence suggests that by really focusing on your body and how it feels as you exercise, you can actually help your nervous system become “unstuck” and begin to move out of the immobilization stress response that characterizes PTSD or trauma. Instead of thinking about other things, pay close attention to the physical sensations in your joints and muscles, even your insides as your body moves. Exercises that involve cross movement and that engage both arms and legs—such as walking (especially in sand), running, swimming, weight training, or dancing—are some of your best choices.
Outdoor activities like hiking, sailing, mountain biking, rock climbing, whitewater rafting, and skiing (downhill and cross-country) have also been shown to reduce the symptoms of PTSD.
When you’re under the cloud of an emotional disorder and haven’t exercised for a long time, setting yourself extravagant goals like completing a marathon or working out for an hour every morning will only leave you more despondent if you fall short. Better to set yourself achievable goals and build up from there.
Exercise of the Month
MODIFIED PUSH UP
Start in a kneeling position with your hands placed slightly wider than shoulder-width apart on the floor. Walk your hands forward and shift your weight so your body forms a straight line from your knees to your head. Lower your chest toward the floor by bending your elbows, keeping your core engaged. Push back up to the starting position.
3 Sets, 10 Reps. (Materials needed: floor mat)
Come Back to Physical Therapy at Prevail!
Feeling pain or slowed down? Come back to Prevail Physical Therapy for a personalized plan to get you strong, pain-free, and moving again!
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Had a great experience at Prevail Physical Therapy? We’d love to hear from you! Share your review and help others discover the care and support we offer.
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Enjoy this Stir-Fried Chow Mein with Four Vegetables for a quick, flavorful meal packed with colorful veggies and satisfying crunch. It’s the perfect way to warm up your evening while keeping things light, fresh, and delicious. 🍜🥕🥦
Enjoy This Healthy Recipe!
Lunar New Year Recipe: Stir-Fried Chow Mein With Four Vegetables
- 2 tablespoons light soy sauce, divided
- 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon white pepper
- 16 ounces Hong Kong-style (chow mein) noodles (see notes)
- 3 tablespoons vegetable, canola, or peanut oil, divided
- 6 ounces five-spiced tofu, julienned
- 1 bunch (3 ounces) Chinese flowering chives, cut into 2-inch length
- 1 small carrot, cut into fine julienne
- 8 ounces bean sprouts, trimmed
- 3 scallions, cut into fine julienne
In a small bowl, combine the 1 tablespoon light soy sauce, the dark soy sauce, sesame oil, salt, sugar, and white pepper. Mix well and set aside. Open the package of noodles and loosen them in a large bowl. Separate any noodle strands that are clumped together. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a wok over high heat until smoking. Add the tofu, spread it out, and cook without moving until lightly browned, about 30 seconds. Add remaining tablespoon of soy sauce, mix, and add in the chives. Stir-fry until chives are bright green, about 1 minute, then transfer to a bowl and set aside. Heat remaining 2 tablespoons in now-empty wok over high heat until smoking. Add the noodles. Using tongs or long chopsticks, spread the noodles around, toss them in the oil, and make sure they are not in one big clump. Cook, stirring, until they start to get a little bit crispy, about 3 minutes. Add the soy sauce mixture and continue stirring and mixing the noodles around. It is important that you keep the noodles moving once you add the sauce. Once the noodles are combined with the sauce, add the bean sprouts and the carrots. Continue tossing until the bean sprouts begin to turn transparent, 1 to 2 minutes longer. Add the scallions, tofu, and chives back to the wok. Toss until everything is combined. Serve immediately.
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Refer a Friend
Our purpose at Prevail Physical Therapy is to leave a greater impact on the community around us. In order to achieve our goal we want to change as many lives as possible as we become a beacon of positivity in our community.
Meet Our Team
Bruk Ballenger
PT, DPT
Rachel Krieder
PT, DPT
Keagan Tice
Doctor of Physical Therapy
Adam Waggoner
Doctor of Physical Therapy
Stephanie Dunagan
Office Manager
Vanessa N.
Client Services Coordinator
Jordan Agtarap
PT, DPT
Simone Stilley
Doctor of Physical Therapy
Keith Pike
PT, DPT
