Snow Ghost Physical Therapy

Snow Ghost Physical Therapy "Compassionate care, mountain town spirit"
Appointments from 7AM to 6PM Tu-Fri

✨ Why Rest Alone Won’t Heal Your Injury ✨It’s a common misconception that rest = recovery. While taking a short break af...
11/14/2025

✨ Why Rest Alone Won’t Heal Your Injury ✨

It’s a common misconception that rest = recovery. While taking a short break after a musculoskeletal injury (like a sprain, strain, or back pain) can help reduce irritation, complete rest can actually slow healing.

🦴 Here’s why:
Tissues need movement to get nutrients and promote circulation — motion truly is lotion!
Gentle loading helps collagen fibers align properly as they heal, making the tissue stronger and more resilient.
Too much rest can lead to stiffness, weakness, and delayed recovery.

✅ The key? Active recovery. Guided movement, stretching, and progressive exercise — ideally under the direction of a physical therapist — help your body heal stronger, not stiffer.

So next time you’re hurt, skip the “just rest it” advice and think “move smart, not still.”

11/12/2025

Dealing with jaw pain or tightness? These exercises can help release tension, improve movement, and support better posture for long-term relief:

1️⃣ Jaw opening with tongue on roof of mouth – Keep your tongue lightly on the roof of your mouth and slowly open your jaw. Helps control motion and reduce strain.
2️⃣ Resisted jaw opening – Place your fist under your chin and gently resist as you open your mouth. Builds jaw stability and strength.
3️⃣ Lateral jaw deviation isometrics – Gently press your jaw into your hand to the right, then left, without moving. Improves symmetry and control.
4️⃣ Cervical extensor stretch – Lace you fingers behind you head and gently nod your chin down toward your chest to stretch the muscles along the back of your neck. Reduces upper neck tension that can impact the jaw.
5️⃣ Chin tucks – Draw your chin straight back (like making a double chin). Strengthens deep neck flexors and supports healthy head posture.
6️⃣ Scapula squeezes – Gently pull your shoulder blades together and down. Strengthens postural muscles to reduce neck and jaw strain.

✨ Move slowly and stay within a comfortable range. If your jaw pain persists, a physical therapist can help tailor a program just for you!

🌪️ Feeling Dizzy? Physical Therapy Can Help!Did you know dizziness and vertigo are often treatable with physical therapy...
11/10/2025

🌪️ Feeling Dizzy? Physical Therapy Can Help!
Did you know dizziness and vertigo are often treatable with physical therapy?

👂 Many times, dizziness comes from issues in the inner ear or neck that throw off your balance system. A physical therapist trained in vestibular rehab can help figure out why you’re dizzy and guide you through exercises to get your balance back.

Here’s how PT can help:
✅ Repositioning techniques (like the Epley maneuver) for vertigo caused by loose crystals in the ear
✅ Balance and gaze exercises to retrain your brain and reduce spinning sensations
✅ Neck and posture treatment if your dizziness is coming from muscle tension or stiffness
✅ Movement retraining to help your body feel steady again

💡 Common causes PT can treat:
BPPV (the most common type of vertigo)
Vestibular neuritis or labyrinthitis
Neck-related dizziness
Post-concussion dizziness

You don’t have to “just live with it” — dizziness is treatable, and physical therapy can help you feel steady and confident again. 💪

11/07/2025

💥 Kettlebell Arm Bar: The Shoulder Stability Secret Weapon 💪

The kettlebell arm bar is a powerhouse drill that challenges your shoulder, scapula, and thoracic spine to work together — exactly what healthy, pain-free movement demands.

🔹 Key Benefits:

1️⃣ Shoulder Stability:
Builds dynamic stability through the rotator cuff and scapular stabilizers.
The offset load of the kettlebell forces your shoulder to co-contract and maintain alignment as your body rotates beneath it.
Excellent for post-rehab progression or athletes needing overhead control (think throwers, lifters, or swimmers).

2️⃣ Scapulothoracic Rhythm:
Promotes coordinated movement between the scapula and thorax — essential for smooth, efficient overhead motion.
As you roll and rotate, your scapula naturally glides on the rib cage, retraining motor control and improving proprioception.

3️⃣ Thoracic Mobility:
Encourages controlled thoracic rotation and extension while maintaining shoulder stability.
Helps offset stiffness from sitting, poor posture, or heavy pressing work.

🔥 Pro Tip: Start light, move slow, and prioritize control over range. The magic happens when your shoulder stays rock solid while your body moves beneath it.

🏋️‍♀️ Perfect for:
Shoulder rehab and prehab
Overhead athletes
General mobility and core control training

Sciatica is NOT a specific diagnosis!The term “sciatica” actually refers to a set of symptoms caused by irritation of th...
11/05/2025

Sciatica is NOT a specific diagnosis!
The term “sciatica” actually refers to a set of symptoms caused by irritation of the sciatic nerve — the long nerve running from your lower back down to your feet.
⚡️THE NERVE:
The sciatic nerve is the thickest nerve in the body, traveling from the lower spine, through the back of the leg, to the foot.
It controls movement in your hamstrings, inner thigh, calves, and feet, and provides sensation to the outer leg and foot.
🔥THE CAUSE:
Sciatica can have many sources of irritation or compression, including but not limited to:
• Spinal stenosis
• Degenerative Disc Disease
• Spondylolisthesis
• Disc Protrusion or Herniated discs
• Piriformis muscle tightness
Other causes may include pregnancy, trauma, surgery, toxins, or radiation.
💪THE SOLUTION:
Physical therapy is often key!
A physical therapist can help identify the root cause, guide you through targeted exercises, and teach strategies to reduce pain, restore movement, and get you back to the activities you love — confidently and safely.
👉 If you’ve been told you have “sciatica,” it’s time to dig deeper. Understanding the why behind your pain is the first step toward lasting relief.

11/03/2025

Shinbox Rotations: Hip Mobility Meets Core Control

This underrated movement blends hip mobility, trunk control, and coordination — helping you move better, squat deeper, and reduce hip and back stiffness.

How to Do It:
1️⃣ Sit tall on the floor with your legs bent in front of you (knees about 90° apart).
2️⃣ Drop both knees to one side into a “shinbox” position — one leg in front (external rotation), one behind (internal rotation).
3️⃣ Without using your hands, rotate through your hips to the opposite side — keeping your chest tall and core engaged.
4️⃣ Repeat slowly and smoothly, alternating sides.

Why It Matters:
✅ Improves hip internal + external rotation
✅ Builds hip capsule control for deeper squats & lunges
✅ Strengthens the core and glutes through rotation
✅ Promotes fluid, pain-free lower body movement

Progressions:
🧘‍♀️Level 1: Lie on your back and keep you shoulders on the ground.
🧘‍♀️ Level 2: Use hands for balance and focus on smooth transitions.
🧘‍♀️ Level 3: Lift hands off the floor to challenge stability.

Move slow. Feel the rotation. Own your range.

Happy Halloween from the 80s ladies at Snow Ghost PT! Have fun tonight and stay warm!
10/31/2025

Happy Halloween from the 80s ladies at Snow Ghost PT! Have fun tonight and stay warm!

Find Your Balance — At Any AgeDid you know that balance relies on three major systems working together?Vision – helps yo...
10/31/2025

Find Your Balance — At Any Age

Did you know that balance relies on three major systems working together?
Vision – helps you see your surroundings and stay oriented.
Vestibular System (inner ear) – senses motion and head position.
Proprioception – your body’s ability to feel where your joints and muscles are in space.

When one of these systems is off, your balance can be affected — leading to unsteadiness, dizziness, or even falls.

The good news: balance can be trained and improved at any age.
Physical therapists use targeted exercises to challenge and strengthen all three systems — improving coordination, stability, and confidence in your movement.

Whether you’re an athlete looking to enhance performance or an older adult hoping to stay steady and independent, balance training is for you.

Stay strong, stay upright, and keep moving — your balance depends on it.

💪 CSCS: Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist 🧠The CSCS certification from the National Strength and Conditioni...
10/27/2025

💪 CSCS: Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist 🧠

The CSCS certification from the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) is the gold standard for optimizing human performance. It combines exercise science, biomechanics, and strength training principles to enhance athletic ability and reduce injury risk.

For physical therapists, the CSCS bridges the gap between rehab and performance by:

✅ Guiding patients from late-stage rehab to return-to-sport
✅ Designing evidence-based, progressive strength programs
✅ Enhancing power, speed, and endurance in all athletes
✅ Preventing injury through movement assessment and load management
✅ Collaborating with coaches and trainers for well-rounded care

Our new Therapist, Weston, can use her certification to blend rehabilitation with performance science—helping our patients move and perform at their best. 💥

Meet Weston O’Connor, PT, DPT, CSCS! She will begin treating patients with us TOMORROW!Weston O’Connor was born in Misso...
10/13/2025

Meet Weston O’Connor, PT, DPT, CSCS! She will begin treating patients with us TOMORROW!

Weston O’Connor was born in Missouri (Go Chiefs!) and grew up in Ohio and Wisconsin. She began her undergraduate studies at New Mexico State University, where she was a proud member of the university’s swim team, and later graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Exercise Science from Arizona State University in 2019. She went on to earn her Doctorate in Physical Therapy from Pacific University in Oregon in 2024, completing clinical internships in outpatient orthopedics, pediatrics, and acute inpatient neurological rehabilitation.

Weston is also a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS), which allows her to blend performance training principles with her physical therapy practice. Weston is passionate about helping individuals of all ages improve their movement, strength, and confidence. Her clinical interests include return-to-sport training, balance and gait rehabilitation, and reconditioning after injury or time away from activity. Recently, she has also been exploring vestibular and neuro-rehabilitation, expanding her skills to support patients with vertigo, coordination, and neurological challenges. Weston takes pride in creating individualized, evidence-based programs that help every patient return to the activities they love.

Outside of work, Weston enjoys weight lifting, hiking, skiing, water activities, and spending time with her husband and their two dogs.

Thank you so much to everyone who took the time to vote and support us in the Best of the Flathead. I am endlessly grate...
09/14/2025

Thank you so much to everyone who took the time to vote and support us in the Best of the Flathead. I am endlessly grateful for the wild ride we have had over the past two years and cannot wait to see where the next takes us!

🎊We won second in Best Physical Therapy Clinic in the entire Flathead! As a small clinic, we can not express how honored we are by this.
🎊Sierra Crockford PT, DPT, took first in the Best Physical Therapist category!

Thank you for your continued support, and we will continue to pour our hearts back into this amazing community.
Stay tuned for some exciting announcements 😁

Here's to summer time! Excited for all the things this summer is bringing❤️
05/27/2025

Here's to summer time! Excited for all the things this summer is bringing❤️

Address

940 Spokane Avenue Suite #2
Whitefish, MT
59937

Opening Hours

Monday 7am - 7pm
Tuesday 7am - 7pm
Wednesday 7am - 7pm
Thursday 7am - 7pm
Friday 7am - 5pm

Telephone

+14068624540

Website

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