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Dr. Ginger Garner

Dr. Ginger Garner

EudeMOMia® | Integrative Physical Therapy and Lifestyle Medicine

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Information on this web site is provided for informational purposes only. The information is a result of years of practice experience by the author. This information is not intended as a substitute for the advice provided by your healthcare provider. Do not use the information on this web site for diagnosing or treating a health problem or disease, or prescribing medication or other treatment. Always speak with your healthcare provider before taking any medication or nutritional, herbal or homeopathic supplement, or using any treatment for a health problem. If you have or suspect that you have a medical problem, contact your health care provider promptly. Do not disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking professional advice because of something you have read on this web site. Information provided on this web site and the use of any services purchased from our web site by you DOES NOT create a doctor/therapist-patient relationship between you and any of the providers affiliated with our web site.

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@DrGingerGarner

Why is this picture SUPER important? Swipe left to Why is this picture SUPER important? Swipe left to find out. 

It’s life altering”ly” important because I am *finally* getting better! It doesn’t look or feel like it used to. 

Cording, known as axillary web syndrome, is a nasty, ugly, painful, disfiguring phenomenon. And the worst part of it is - we don’t know much about it or how to treat it. 

I’ve spent the last 7 months battling it, in addition to other things that can go with it, like #lymphedema - and I’m so fortunate that I’m a #physicaltherapist who has access to excellent #physicaltherapy care. 

I’m talking 3x/week every week plus my own therapy at home - at least an hour daily. 

Recovering from #cording is a long journey - and sometimes a lifelong one. It can impact everything in your life negatively - including your #voice and your #pelvicfloor 
- not just the ability to use your arm. 

Thankfully as a #pelvicPT and orthopedic PT (and a vocalist, because #musicismedicine ) I can self-prescribe quite a bit to work through those other issues. The rest I have a wonderful #lymphedematherapist for! 

So I’m just practicing my #mindful #gratitude - because I’m getting closer to being able to do #downwardfacingdog again - with actual full shoulder range. I’m getting so close - I can taste it. 

Meanwhile - yes I am still working. Still teaching healthcare pros how to apply #lifestylemedicine and #medicaltherapeuticyoga in practice. Still seeing my lovely patients and helping women recover and reclaim their strength and pelvic prowess again. 

Sending out a word of encouragement to all of you women out there going through the same thing. You can do it! #womensupportingwomen #womenempoweringwomen 

#lymphedemawarrior #axillarywebsyndrome
Hey, does this mask make me a cooler #physicalther Hey, does this mask make me a cooler #physicaltherapist? 

#pelvichealth #womenshealth @aptapics 😎😬 #maskup
I’m back from a much needed break! Happy Easter I’m back from a much needed break! Happy Easter from our family to yours! 🐣
I’m taking a vacation…from social media. Becau I’m taking a vacation…from social media. Because yes, this page (and all my social media accounts) are run entirely by little old me. ⁠
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We all know it’s pretty HEALTHY to take a BREAK from social media every once in a while. The pandemic has been with us for just over a year now, and I’ve shared LOTS in the last year about how it has impacted me and my family. I’ve realized I haven’t taken single one since this pandemic started. I’ve been hard at it - working, posting, growing, expanding, learning, creating, but not BREAKING. ⁠
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So, here it is - I’m taking a break from social media. ⁠
I’m signing off temporarily in order to: ⁠
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✅Be, not do. That means - BE PRESENT and not worry about work or piles of laundry or to-do lists. ⁠
✅Take pictures of beautiful moments, but not post them. ⁠
✅Spend time with my kids. We have all been super stressed this past year with makeshift homeschool and schedules that change nearly weekly, depending on where the outbreaks are. ⁠
✅Spend time with my husband. With 3 school-aged kids in a #pandemic during quarantine - y’all - there’s LITTLE time for just us. ⁠
✅Spend time with my wonderful in-laws, who we haven’t seen in over a YEAR, since this whole madness with #COVID began.⁠
✅Read a book. Just for fun. I’ve taken over 30 hours of continuing education in the last 6 weeks on everything from endometriosis to rectal evals to lumbopelvic US imaging to bowel retraining. My brain is full of learning. I’m gonna read Outlander during this entire break and not feel guilty. at. all. ⁠
✅Read another book. Yea, I still love learning. I’m such a #physicaltherapy #geek. So yea, I have a short stack of books to review for patient care and two on time management. (I’m starting to feel like Tilda Swinton in Only Lovers Left Alive) #bookworm ⁠
✅Last but not least, I’m going to continue my lymphedema and cording therapy and do LOTS of yoga and self-care! ⁠
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I’ll see y’all on the flip side! ⁠
#relax #holiday
What’s going on in the clinic today? Diastasis r What’s going on in the clinic today? Diastasis rectus abdominis! ⁠⁠
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This is a 50+ yo old individual who is 15 months post-surgical for 2nd inguinal hernia repair and has sporadic nonspecific low back pain. Denies any sexual dysfunction and the hernia repair looks excellent. ⁠⁠
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When asked to do a simple head lift - there is some tension generated and subsequent narrowing of the gap. However, there is still rectus abdominis substitution, and when asked to show me “ab work” - there is breath holding, rectus “loafing,” and worsening of the gap. ⁠⁠
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Fast forward in our work together this session. For this particular person - a different cue is needed for integration of the transversus and pelvic floor, since it is obvious is regular old school “ab work” isn’t cutting the mustard. ⁠⁠
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For him what worked is a “bottom up” cue, which comes out of #medicaltherapeuticyoga and is part of a #TATDbreath (you can look that up on you tube)⁠⁠
Instead of trying to give him ab-based cues, I asked him to ditch engaging the abdominals and instead “shorten the penis” to engage the pelvic floor as a means for increasing IAP (intra-abdominal pressure). ⁠⁠
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Voila’! He got traction on the DRA, rectus “loafing” and downward pressure gradient on the pelvic floor. He also got a better closure of the DRA (even though that isn’t our focus and isn’t necessarily important). ⁠⁠
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The take-home message: ⁠⁠
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1. Cues are not “one-size-fits-all.” RUSI enables me to personalize #physicaltherapy for my patients based on their activities, needs, impairments, and goals. ⁠⁠
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2. You can work the abdominals without giving ab-based cues. ⁠⁠
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3. You must eventually get to where you move past training the pelvic floor on the exhale, especially higher fitness level patients. ⁠⁠
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4. You can easily cheat your way through physical therapy if you aren't careful. I don’t hand out a laundry list of exercises to patients - I train quality over quantity. I train movement patterns, not just strength. I address endurance and variable load, not just rote movement. ⁠⁠
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#integrativephysicaltherapy #integrativelifestylemed #RUSI #lowbackpain #hernia #DRA #pelvichealth #pelvicPT
When women support women, we rise together. Dr. Be When women support women, we rise together. Dr. Becca Ellis sent me a handwritten note a few years ago - and it was deeply inspiring and uplifting for me. She gave me permission to share a bit of it here: ⁠⁠
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I *still* have the card she sent displayed on my desk today. ⁠⁠
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I also have a son on the autism spectrum, and her note remind me that when it feels like I am not enough - to keep going. ⁠⁠
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When I am struggling - cards and notes like these from colleagues and graduates from the program remind me that I am enough. And that when we work together, we can achieve amazing things. In this case, the "thing" we are changing is our #selfcare and our #healthcare system. ⁠⁠
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I started Living Well Institute to help change lives for the better. To empower healthcare pros - especially PT's and OT's and ATC's - to realize that they too, are enough. That they can be a #changeagent in healthcare and create the kind of life and career they love. ⁠⁠
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Dr. Becca Ellis says of the MTY program..."My oldest son, Robert, was diagnosed with autism this year. I feel like Ginger's training prepared me for this and he LOVES all the asana, pranayama, and vocal toning exercises we do. He is thriving and happy. Thank you for helping shape my life into this beautiful mess. I am forever grateful.” ⁠⁠
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Check out Dr. Ellis and her amazing practice @restorativetherapyco⁠⁠
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Link in bio to learn more :)⁠⁠
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#tuesdaythoughts #testimonialtuesday ⁠⁠
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#medicaltherapeuticyoga #integrativelifestylemed #integrativemedicine #lifestylemedicine #eudemonia #eudemomia #continuingeducation #physicaltherapy #physiotherapy #occupationaltherapy #athletictraining #ceus #yoga ⁠⁠
#autismawareness #asd #autismmom
It’s been a year since the world shut down. This It’s been a year since the world shut down. This past year has been TOUGH on all of us. ⁠
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What will we do with that #trauma? ⁠
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I’ve had a double whammy of sorts, but I don’t intend to let the events of the last year just happen to me. Instead, I want to make sure I learn the lesson from them - and emerge BETTER. STRONGER. MORE CAPABLE. MORE HOPEFUL. ⁠
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What will you do to GROW after the trauma from your past year? ⁠
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How will you turn the events of this past year into a statement of hope? ⁠
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“The events of your past are fixed. The meaning of your past is not.⁠
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The influence of every experience in your life is determined by the meaning you assign to it.⁠
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Assign a more useful meaning to your past and it becomes easier to take a more useful action in the present.” ~James Clear from Atomic Habits ⁠
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#mondaymorning #mondaymotivation #mondaymood #traumainformed #yoga #mindfulness #eudemonia #eudemomia #integrativelifestylemed #livingwell #resilience #meditation ⁠
Celebrating a little victory today. Getting dresse Celebrating a little victory today. Getting dressed. 

Most of the time we take getting dressed for granted. But I’ve come to appreciate it in a whole new way since having a #lumpectomy 5 months ago, and a contracture release just over a month ago. I have to live in constant #compressiongarments and for months, lived with uncomfortable #seromas that made getting dressed really challenging. Between the cellulitis, cording, and loss of function and ability in my life - which is compounded since my job as a #physicaltherapist requires me to be active and in shape, just being able to put on a ridiculous #sportsbra is suddenly - a luxury. 

I’m pretty happy today. Content is a better word for it. Content to be getting - every day - one step closer to feeling whole again. #health #eudemonia #eudemomia #lymphedema 

And a shout out to #compressionsleeve maker #juzo for helping me feel a like a hip mama in my #hennatattoo sleeve. 💪

#nofilter #nomakeup #justme

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