Lightport Physical Therapy Spa Helps to Create a Safe and Comfortable Work Environment

Tips for Aging Well

By Deborah Schapiro

At LightPort Physical Therapy and Spa in Caldwell, the focus is not on any particular body part or type of injury. Rather, says founder Dr. John De Hoyos, DPT, “My team and I focus on really listening to our patients. We know how they’re doing while they’re here, but we need to find out how they’re doing at home and/or work as well.”

This means asking patients about their mental and spiritual well-being as well as their physical health. It also means spending a lot of time discussing home care. Dr. De Hoyos explains, “We teach our patients how to create a safe and comfortable work environment for themselves to prevent injuries from occurring or recurring.”

Known as ergonomics, this might include setting a desk or chair at a comfortable height to prevent neck and shoulder injuries or making sure that a computer screen is at eye level. Dr. De Hoyos adds that chairs should provide sufficient back support, hips and knees should form a 90-degree angle, and feet should be planted firmly on the floor.

Instead of asking patients to buy expensive fitness gadgets, the LightPort team encourages patients to use ordinary household items for their home exercises, such as a belt or towel for shoulder stretching. These “homework assignments” are as simple as they are inexpensive. Dr. De Hoyos says, “We always have our patients work on abdominal breathing—engaging the abdominal muscles improves strength and helps reduce back pain.” In short, the LightPort team helps their patients help themselves.