I don’t typically sing the praises of medical practitioners, but the folks at Bernier Physical Therapy Associates made me feel right at home from my first rehabilitation visit. I went in for my shoulder injury, a shoulder impingement caused by diving into shallow water and smashing my hand into the sand while my driving my shoulder down and back. It wasn’t exactly a sports injury, but I am active. And yes, it is pretty pathetic that I messed up my shoulder diving into a 2 foot wave at Salisbury Beach—this certainly goes down as one of my not-so-great moments of athletic prowess.

Since starting my physical therapy and rehab, Richard Bernier and his associate, John Wile, have been instrumental in isolating and diagnosing the painful motions, and bringing me back to near-full strength and motion. (I’d like to add that as of this post, I’m not yet complete with physical therapy and a finalized diagnosis by my orthopedic doctor. I’ve moved from 50% range of motion and extreme pain to about 90%, with only slight discomfort at extended ranges of motion)

As a former collegiate and current competitive rower, and a Veteran, I’ve had my fair share of physical injuries and worked with many physical therapists, but I’ve never experienced a complete initial evaluation and diagnosis as was performed by Richard Bernier. After peppering me with a litany of questions about what happened, how I feel and my range of motion (which was sadly missing in many previous medical exams), Bernier then proceeded to move and test my arm and shoulder in at least 15 different motions to get a better sense of my shoulder’s physical condition for himself. Richard also used a ‘rotating double ruler’ (my layman’s term for it) to measure the range of motion. He then discussed a number of physical therapy options and fully explained all the PT treatments they could and would use to heal my shoulder.

At this point, I was totally impressed. Never in my life had I experienced such a thorough physical therapy diagnosis—or a medical one! Then Richard Bernier brought out the ultrasound machine. As he was moving the treatment handle around on my shoulder, he explained how it works and the short and long-term effects it had on tissue repair and long-term healing process.

I thought to myself, “Get out! A doctor is actually taking the time to explain and walk me through the treatment process as he goes?” Anyone who has been rushed through today’s streamlined ‘efficient’ medical visit brought on by the constraints of the medical insurance industry knows that this type of experience is rare indeed. And to top it off, Richard Bernier is a down-to-earth person who took the time to get to know me during the entire process. His demeanor was friendly and relaxed.

Bernier then walked me through a number of physical therapy exercises to strengthen my shoulder during the entire rehabilitation process. At least once per day at home, I need to perform six isometric exercises through the use of pressure of my fist on a doorframe to strengthen my shoulder muscles. He also gave me a green Thera-Band to use at least once daily for resistance exercises for strengthening and increasing my range of motion. On physical therapy days, I was instructed to start with a make-shift ‘lat pull-down’ tool that isolated my left shoulder, with the purpose of loosening the muscles, increase blood flow and lubricate the shoulder joint. At the end of session, after the ‘lat pull-down’ and isometric exercises, I would spend ten minutes on the shoulder ergometer to provide yet another range of motion exercise while aerobically conditioning and strengthening.

I was also impressed by the facilities at Bernier Physical Therapy Associates. This was full service to the max! The first room had an array of pedal and shoulder ergometers, some basic nautilus machines and strengthening tables. The second room, which was the main room, was like a triage in a top-notch hospital. On the right side there is a big alcove with some advanced range of motion equipment, and along the left wall there are about 8 diagnostic medical tables, each with a curtain run for privacy, just like a hospital. The room also had a number of racks with PT gear for muscle strengthening and motion exercises. There is also a small back room with some water tanks for hot water therapy. Richard Bernier also has a small desk area to keep records of the day’s patients, while he and John Wile work with their patients. Both are often seen jotting down notes and observations as patients are busy performing their PT exercises.

Richard, John and their support staff of Esta, Martha and June are also intimate with the mysterious inner-workings of today’s insurance maze. Bernier and Wile know the issues that patients have to deal with when it comes to finances and today’s medical insurance challenges, but Martha and Esta blew me away with their insight and knowledge of how to negotiate ‘the system,’ pitfalls and loopholes. Just ask. They’re quick to walk you through maximizing your insurance dollar. Bernier is also a member of the American Physical Therapy Association and the New England Physical Therapy Network, and between him and John, they have more than 50 years of practical and clinical experience.

After spending the better part of November with Richard Bernier and John Wile, I can’t recommend Bernier Physical Therapy Associates enough. Though I came in with a shoulder injury, I witnessed Richard and John working on countless patients with lower back pain and lumbar problems, knee pain, neck pain, shoulder injuries, spinal issues, sciatica, as well as a number of occupational therapy cases. Every patient was comfortable, well taken care of and the atmosphere was so amiable that during many visits Bernier and I would shoot the breeze with numerous patients and the staff as everyone diligently worked through their PT regimens.

©2012 Blog de Puree. All Rights Reserved.

When you watch this, note the reference to Kevin Costner, who will apparently test his water cleaning technology on the spill. It’s usually laughable when Hollywood gets political, but I sure do hope Kevin can pull it off.

Click here to view the embedded video.

©2012 Blog de Puree. All Rights Reserved.

At 25 years of age, the veteran Atlantis will blast off from Launch Pad 39A on NASA’s 132nd space shuttle mission.

Space Shuttle Atlantis lifts off from Kennedy Space Center.

Star gazers and skywatchers will also have a chance to see Atlantis as it approaches the international space station and when it undocks. Anyone interested in checking it out should read ‘How to see shuttle Atlantis from Earth‘ on Space.com. Atlantis’s crew will perform three spacewalks on the 12-day mission and deliver Rassvet (Russian for dawn), the new research module and other spare parts.

Cool Atlantis Facts

1. Atlantis was named after the original exploration sailing vessel of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute. It has lived up to its namesake venturing out into the unknown and returning with an abundance of scientific information.
2. It’s the shuttle fleet’s workhorse. The unsung hero Atlantis will have flown 32 missions to orbit and space stations. No stranger to space station missions, NASA’s oldest flying shuttle flew seven times to the Mir space station and 11 times to the International Space Station.
3. It was the first shuttle to launch an interplanetary probe. In 1989, Atlantis launched the Magellan spacecraft, which mapped more than 98 percent of Venus’s surface.
4. It helped us watch a comet hit a planet. In 1989, Atlantis launched the Galileo probe, which captured close-up images of an asteroid on its way to Jupiter. Then in 1994, it made the only direct observations of a comet collision when Shoemaker-Levy 9 slammed into the solar system’s biggest planet.
5. Atlantis doesn’t have an extension cord. Basically, it can’t plug into solar-powered electrical systems on the space station and is limited to 14-day missions, the maximum its hydrogen-oxygen fuel cells will allow.
6. It has a clone. The shuttle Endeavour was built from a complete set of spare parts that were originally made in case Atlantis was damaged. After the Challenger shuttle was lost, NASA decided to build another shuttle. (Endeavour’s last mission will be in November.)
7. Atlantis was the last space shuttle to visit the Hubble Space Telescope. During its May 2009 mission, the crew made five space walks to repair and enhance the Hubble with the Cosmic Origins spectrograph allowing the telescope to peer deeper into the universe’s ultraviolet light spectrum, as well as add Wide Field Camera 3 allowing astronomers better quality observations of galaxy evolution, dark matter and dark energy.
8. Atlantis is a movie star! That’s right, the shuttle co-stars in the movie “Hubble 3D” with narrator Leonardo DiCaprio about its 2009 mission to upgrade the Hubble Space Telescope.

Looking for more cool space shuttle stuff? Check out the NASA website, of course.

©2012 Blog de Puree. All Rights Reserved.

The research will include casting nets to tag and draw blood from birds, as well as figure out why species such as the Bobolink and Eastern Meadowlark prefer large fields instead of small ones. The students will be looking at nest density of the different birds at the 350-acre farm, vegetation structures, physical attributes of the birds, predator avoidance, bird alertness and their overall condition, as well as insect populations within this habitat.

The Bobolink is the only American bird
that is black underneath and white on top.
(Photo by Marie Read via AllAboutBirds.com)

A press release from Mayor Kezer’s office asks visitors to Woodsom Farm “not to approach or tamper with the nets as this may endanger the birds and impact the research.” Visitors with dogs are also asked to obey Amesbury’s leash laws and keep dogs away from the nets.

The research will start in May and continue through autumn. It will be follow strict principles to keep down the disruption to the birds.

©2012 Blog de Puree. All Rights Reserved.

(Thanks to the Birdchick blog for pointing this one out.)

©2012 Blog de Puree. All Rights Reserved.

From the Solar System and beyond, you definitely don’t want to miss these during the year. Mark your calendar!

©2012 Blog de Puree. All Rights Reserved.

On Monday, the weather was the same as the weekend, sunny, slightly breezy and in the mid 30′s. Here’s the list of the morning’s meager sightings:

• 5 American Goldfinches
• 1 male Northern Cardinal
• 3 House Sparrows

©2012 Blog de Puree. All Rights Reserved.

The weather was sunny and warm for the season, in the mid 30′s. Visibility was great and there was just a slight breeze.

Here’s a listing of Sunday’s sightings:

• 5 American Goldfinches
• 6 Dark-eyed Juncos
• 2 Tufted Titmice
• 2 Black-capped Chickadees
• 2 Blue Jays
• 2 Northern Cardinals (1 male, 1 female)
• 5 European Starlings
• 2 House Sparrows

©2012 Blog de Puree. All Rights Reserved.

Here’s a breakdown of what flew in:

• 6 American Goldfinches
• 2 Blue Jays
• 7 Dark-eyed Juncos
• 1 Female Northern Cardinal
• 2 European Starlings
• 4 House Sparrows

©2012 Blog de Puree. All Rights Reserved.

Here’s the meager list of feathered visitors to our backyard feeders:

• 3 American Goldfinches
• 1 Tufted Titmouse

©2012 Blog de Puree. All Rights Reserved.