Don’t Let Your Back Suffer This Holiday Season

The Gradual Onset of Pain

Imagine you begin to notice a nagging pain in your lower back. At first, it seems trivial – perhaps a little sore after a long car ride or something ordinary like doing the dishes. However, as days pass, the pain persists and even intensifies. 

The Role of Physical Therapy

When you decide enough is enough, call Aspen Ridge Physical Therapy and let one of our physical therapists help you find lasting relief. We’ll work to identify the root cause of your pain, give you the tools to manage your pain, and help you understand how to treat your lower back pain.

Identifying the Root Cause

By synthesizing information from your history, physical exam, and movement analysis, our therapist can identify potential causes of your pain. It could result from poor posture, prolonged sitting, a lack of physical activity, or even weak core muscles.

Personalized Treatment Program

Based on the findings, a personalized treatment program is developed to address your specific needs.

Family gathered together giving thanks at Thanksgiving
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Gratitude Guide

3 Ways to Practice Gratitude

Did you know that being grateful is actually good for your health? It’s true!

We all love Thanksgiving for the excellent food, football, and time spent with family, but truthfully, this holiday means much more. Practicing gratitude can lead to greater happiness all year long.

“Gratitude helps people feel more positive emotions, relish good experiences, improve their health, deal with adversity, and build strong relationships.”

— Harvard Health Publishing
Give Thanks • Feel Good • Live Better

If you want to implement more gratitude in your own life, take a look at these 3 tips

1

Write thank you letters

Remember writing thank you letters? How long has it been since you wrote one? You don’t need to have a wedding, graduation, or other big life event to thank the people in your life. Try writing thank you letters to your friends and family for the little things– you’ll be surprised at how good it feels!

2

Write down what you are grateful for every day

This might sound intimidating, but it doesn’t have to be! Take a few minutes each morning or evening to write down at least 3 things that you are grateful for in your life. This repeated action helps us shift into a more positive mindset and can help fight symptoms of depression and anxiety.

3

Use visual reminders

It can be hard to remember to practice gratitude. With your hectic schedule, sometimes it can feel impossible to sit down, take a moment to breathe, and reflect on your blessings. Visual cues can be a great tool for reminding us to take a beat.

Something as simple as sticky notes, a poster, or even your home screen on your phone or laptop can help us remember to slow down and shift to a positive mindset.

Make Gratitude a Habit This Season 🍂

A little gratitude can go a long way. Write it down, say it out loud, or leave yourself a reminder — however you practice it, your mind and body will thank you.

Exercise of the Month

LOWER TRUNK ROTATIONS
Creamy Thai Carrot and Sweet Potato Soup
🍲 Cozy • Creamy • Flavorful
🌱 Wholesome Recipe

Creamy Thai Carrot & Sweet Potato Soup

Enjoy a warm, creamy bowl of Thai-inspired carrot and sweet potato soup packed with vibrant vegetables, ginger, garlic, and a touch of curry spice. It’s a comforting, nourishing recipe that’s perfect for a cozy lunch or light dinner!
🥕 Carrot-Packed 🍠 Sweet Potato 🌶️ Thai-Inspired 🥥 Coconut Oil 🍋 Fresh Lime

Ingredients

  • 1 tbsp coconut oil
  • 2 cups chopped yellow/sweet onion
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tbsp minced fresh ginger
  • 2 tbsp red curry paste
  • 4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth, plus more if needed
  • ¼ cup raw almond butter or peanut butter
  • 3 cups diced peeled carrots
  • 3 cups diced peeled sweet potatoes
  • ½ tsp fine-grain sea salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • Up to ¼ tsp cayenne pepper (optional, if you like spice)
✨ For Garnish:
Minced fresh cilantro
Fresh lime juice

Directions

  1. In a large pot, melt coconut oil over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, and ginger and sauté for 5-6 minutes until onion is translucent. Stir in curry paste.
  2. In a small bowl, whisk together some of the broth with almond butter until smooth. Add mixture to pot, along with carrots, sweet potatoes, salt, and remaining vegetable broth. Stir until combined.
  3. Bring soup to a low boil over medium-high heat and then reduce heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes, until potatoes and carrots are fork-tender.
  4. Ladle soup carefully into a blender. You will likely have to do this in a couple of batches, depending on the size of your blender (never fill your blender past the maximum fill line).
  5. Being careful to avoid hot steam from the lid, blend on low and slowly increase speed until soup is completely smooth. Alternatively, you can use an immersion blender and blend the soup directly in the pot.
  6. Season with salt and black pepper to taste. For more spice, add ¼ tsp cayenne pepper, and blend again.
  7. Transfer soup back to pot and reheat if necessary. If desired, you can thin soup out with a bit more broth if it’s too thick for your preference.
  8. Ladle soup into bowls and top with minced cilantro, a squeeze of lime juice.

🍲 A Bowl Full of Comfort

Creamy sweet potatoes and carrots pair with fragrant ginger, garlic, red curry paste, and fresh lime for a cozy soup with plenty of color and flavor.

🥕 Vibrant Vegetables 🍠 Sweet Potato 🌿 Fresh Ginger 🧄 Garlic 🌶️ Red Curry Paste 🍋 Fresh Lime 🌱 Fresh Cilantro
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Serving Tip: Ladle the soup into bowls while warm, then finish with minced fresh cilantro and a squeeze of lime juice. For a thinner consistency, simply stir in a little more vegetable broth until it reaches your preferred texture.
🍁 NOVEMBER WORD SCRAMBLE
Celebrate the season of gratitude! Unscramble these November-inspired words and see how many fall and Thanksgiving favorites you can solve.
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1
GTHNAKISVING
2
YUKERT
3
TSHVAER
4
TDIERATGU
5
YFAMIL
6
STAEF
7
MUTNAU
8
VLEESA
🍂 How many November words can you unscramble? 🦃

Share Your Success Story

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Patient Testimonial
★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Donetta M.

Aspen Ridge Patient

Real Patient • Real Results

A Journey Worth Celebrating

“I really found everyone so accommodating and personable. I was referred to Aspen Ridge by my friend. I was so looking forward to going each time. I would go again without question. I loved working with them all. I feel some great relief as well.”
DM

Donetta M.

Verified Patient Experience

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