Happy Spring from Therapeutic Associates Downtown Portland Physical Therapy!

As the seasons change, our clinic will be seeing some changing faces as well. Chase McCarthy, our phenomenal front office coordinator for the past 9 years, is moving on to pursue some exciting new career opportunities. Chase will be greatly missed, and we cannot thank him enough for all he has done for the TAI Downtown Portland family.

We are happy to announce the addition of John Borquist to our team, who will be taking over as front office coordinator. John has his degree in Exercise Science from Oregon State University, and has been working in physical therapy administration for the past seven years. John will be joining us in the clinic later this month; here’s what he has to say about his role in the physical therapy profession:

“What I like about working in the PT field is helping people lead more healthy and active lifestyles so they can get out and enjoy all that Portland has to offer. One of the other aspects of the field that I like the most is fostering relationships with coworkers and patients to help create a fun and positive environment. Outside of work, I enjoy touring the city by bike, cooking, hiking and spending time with family and friends.”

Finally, we are very pleased to congratulate our aide Jessica Dinielli on acceptance into the George Fox Physical Therapy program! Jessica will be starting her graduate studies this August, but you’ll continue to see her smiling face in the clinic until then.

Congrats Jessica!

Become best friends with your foam roller!

Who doesn’t love a good massage? Who doesn’t wish they could have one every day?

Guess what – you can!

Using a foam roller is a great way to achieve the same positive benefits of soft tissue mobilization on a regular basis. Foam rolling is a great addition to traditional stretching, primarily because of its ability to target soft tissue mobility in all directions of motion (where as stretching typically only affects one direction). Foam rolling can safely be done on a daily basis, either before or after exercise, or on its own. If you haven’t used a foam roller before, or in quite some time, you may find it initially quite uncomfortable. This is completely normal. Think of it like flossing your teeth: when you first start, your gums bleed a bit, but if you do it consistently, after a week or two your gums build up a tolerance to it and it doesn’t bother them any more. Same principle applies with the foam roller: the first few days may be pretty uncomfortable, but if you stick with it on a daily basis, after a week or two it will start feeling really great.

See the link below for demonstrations of how to target different muscle groups. We recommend spending a few minutes on each muscle group.

1. Protect your back! Use your core muscles to keep your back supported and aligned in a neutral position.

2. Work long muscle groups in short segments to take stress off your shoulders.

3. Breathe, and smile. It helps relax your nervous system!

Check out our foam rolling website for VIDEO demonstrations of different foam rolling activities.

Foam Rolling Website >

Tips to Prevent Injury and Improve Performance on the Golf Course

Recently, clinic director Tony Rocklin was at the Portland Golf Show, sharing information on how to prevent injury and improve performance on the golf course.

Here are some of the tips:

Click image to download (PDF)

Click image to download (PDF)

Click image to download (PDF)

Click image to download (PDF)

The information provided in these flyers are an educational resource. It is not intended to serve as a recommendation for the treatment or management of any medical condition. As with any new exercise program, it is advised to consult with your physical therapist or healthcare provider prior to performing these activities. The exercises listed are to be performed with NO pain. If you experience any pain or discomfort while performing these exercises, stop immediately and seek attention from your physical therapist or healthcare provider.