Stride Physical Therapy & Wellness NJ

02/24/2025

Happy Monday! I think it’s a good time to reintroduce ourselves to those who may be new here. My name is Linda Van Leeuwen and I’m a Doctor of Physical Therapy and owner of Stride Physical Therapy & Wellness. Stride has been providing one-on-one physical therapy services to patients in their homes and places of employment since 2022. We treat a variety of problems from back and neck pain, to post-surgical, to falls and balance issues just to name a few. We’re fortunate that in the state of NJ we have what’s called Direct Access. This means that most people don’t need a doctor’s prescription in order to get physical therapy; patients with Medicare are the only ones who need to see a doctor first. These qualities make it easy for patients to be seen quickly and easily. Don’t suffer in pain because it feels like it’s “too much” to get to a doctor and then a PT clinic. Let us come to you and get you back to your life without pain or limitations!

04/03/2023

Happy Muscle Monday! This week’s featured muscle(s) are the hamstrings! Check out the following slides to learn more!

04/02/2023

Last call!!! If you’d like to join the group of almost 20 of us going through an 8 week 5k Training Plan written by me, get me your email address ASAP! For those of you who have already given me your email addresses, I sent the training plans out earlier this morning!!

03/20/2023

Happy Monday! A few weeks ago the neck extensors were featured on Muscle Monday. I thought it’d be a good idea to talk about their counterparts, the deep cervical neck flexors. I worked with a couple of people this past week that were dealing with neck pain, and after I did some manual work with them, we addressed the activation of this muscle group. We, as humans, tend to fall into gravity. As a result of poor posture, the extensors (on the back of our necks) get tight, and the flexors (on the front of our necks) get overstretched and weak. When there’s an imbalance of these muscles, people can suffer from neck pain and headaches. The deep neck flexors help to stabilize our spine and help us to hold our heads up- super important!! Scroll through to learn more!

03/13/2023

Happy Muscle Monday! This week’s featured muscle is the tibialis posterior. It’s a tiny little muscle that runs down the back of the lower leg, but it serves a big purpose. The tibialis posterior helps to control how much your foot pronates (rolls inward) every time your foot hits the ground. If it has to work too hard or if it’s not doing its job properly, it can create issues all the way up the leg. Scroll through to learn more!

03/08/2023

Super excited to be featured in the Bergen Moms Network Guide to Women Owned Business! Happy International Womens Day!

2023 Bergen Women in Business Mar 6, 2023 | Around Town, Blog, Guides, Uncategorized At Bergen Moms Network there’s nothing we love more than supporting local, women-owned businesses. As they say, empowered women, empower women! Read on for some of our favorites! BEAUTY YENINK As the founder of YE...

03/01/2023

It’s Wellness Wednesday- snow edition! I thought since we made it to the end of February without a snow storm we were in the clear, but apparently Mother Nature had different plans ❄️ If anyone shoveled snow yesterday and is feeling it in their backs or shoulders, scroll through to check out some pointers on how to avoid this next time (hopefully next winter 😉).

02/22/2023

It’s the last Wellness Wednesday of February! ❤️ This week we’ll wrap up American Heart Month by talking about CPR. ❤️ We’ve talked about how to keep our hearts healthy, how to recognize the signs of a heart attack, and now we’ll discuss what to do if someone goes into cardiac arrest and collapses. ❤️Performing CPR and using an AED have gotten a lot of press recently after they were successfully utilized to save football player, Damar Hamlin’s, life. ❤️ CPR is performed by a human providing chest compressions to help continue to pump oxygenated blood throughout a person’s body. ❤️ An AED (automated external defibrillator) is a device that can analyze a person’s heart rhythm and deliver an electric shock to restore the heart rhythm to normal. ❤️ While using an AED is ideal, they’re not always available. Performing hands-only CPR can still double or even triple a victim’s chance of survival. ❤️ Take a minute to review how to perform CPR! The American Heart Association has YouTube videos to show you how

02/15/2023

Time for this week’s Wellness Wednesday! ❤️In keeping with the Heart Health theme this month, today we’re going to talk about heart attacks, and the differences in symptoms between men and women. ❤️ While many people may be familiar with the chest pain/jaw pain/shortness of breath, women sometimes experience other symptoms such as upper back pain, upper abdominal pain or indigestion. ❤️Sometimes women don’t experience chest pain at all. It’s important that we familiarize ourselves with the lesser-known symptoms and educate our loved ones about the same. You never know when it might save a life! ❤️

02/13/2023

It’s Muscle Monday! This week we’re going to talk about the Extensor Carpi Radialis Brevis. It seems like the name of the muscle is bigger than the muscle itself 😆. The extensor carpi radialis brevis is a tiny muscle in the back of the forearm that helps to extend the wrist. It originates on the outside of the elbow, and attaches on the back of the middle finger. So why is this little muscle so important that it should have its own Muscle Monday post? 🎾 If you’ve ever heard of tennis elbow, THIS is the main muscle that’s hot and bothered. Tennis elbow, technically referred to as lateral epicondylitis, is a condition that results from the extensor tendons being overloaded. 🎾 The condition is characterized by pain on the outside of the elbow, that sometimes spreads to the forearm and wrist. 🎾 People with tennis elbow may have pain with shaking hands, holding a cup of coffee, or turning a key in an ignition. 🎾 Tennis elbow isn’t just limited to tennis players! Any repetitive movements such as using a computer mouse, painting or using hand tools can inflame these tendons. 🎾 PT can help by using modalities, soft tissue mobilization, stretching, joint mobilizations and gentle strengthening exercises to break the inflammatory cycle and reinforce correct movement patterns. I’ve also had good success with taping techniques, too! 🎾 I hope everyone has a good week!

02/10/2023

Hi everyone! We’re coming up on championship season for winter sports, and spring sports are starting up soon. If your kids are dealing with any nagging aches or pains or just need a “tune up” so that they can have an injury-free season, please don’t hesitate to reach out! Many times people think that PT is a commitment of multiple visits a week for months at a time. It doesn’t necessarily have to be that way. Sometimes a few visits are all that’s needed to stop the pain cycle or to reteach proper movement patterns. If you’re not sure if PT is something that would be beneficial for your son or daughter, reach out to me and we can discuss how PT can help! And don’t forget to take care of yourselves, too. You don’t have to be dealing with that low back pain or old ankle injury that just won’t go away 😉

02/10/2023

Happy Friday! I hope everyone has a great weekend. Get out and enjoy the sunshine ☀️