EP #330: Quality In Home Therapy with Dr. Vincezo Bombara

Most of us don’t ignore pain because we’re lazy. We ignore it because we’re busy, we’re stressed, we’re trying to be tough, and we genuinely think we can “fix it” with a few stretches we found online. I sit down with Dr. Vincenzo Bambaro of In Home Quality Therapy to explain why that approach so often backfires and what real recovery looks like when you stop guessing and start following a plan.

We dig into physical therapy basics that most people miss: why waiting a week can trigger compensation and chronic inflammation, why the pain you feel in your knee or lower back may be caused by your foot, hip, or shoulder mechanics, and how a good clinician assesses the whole chain from gait mechanics to joint mobility. We also talk longevity for anyone north of 40, including daily movement, mobility, and why consistency matters more than crushing a single workout.

From rucking and low-impact cardio to nutrition momentum and the truth about supplements, peptides, and testosterone, the thread is simple: build a foundation first, then use tools wisely. Dr. Bambaro also shares hard-earned insight on senior care, fall prevention, and the broken gap between short-term rehab and real home health care support, including what inspired his book Reclaiming Home Healthcare.

If you want fewer setbacks and smarter training, listen now, share this with a friend who keeps “walking it off,” and subscribe so you don’t miss what’s next. If you found value here, leave a review and tell me what part of your routine you’re ready to change.

For more information call (954) 593-1735 or visit qualityinhometherapy.com

Transcript

Why DIY Fixes Can Backfire

SPEAKER_02 0:00

Most people think they could fix their body on their own, but what if you're actually making it worse without realizing it? In this episode, I sat down with Dr. Vincenzo Bambaro with In Home Quality Therapy, and we got into what actually works when it comes to recovery. If you've been dealing with pain or discomfort and not seeing any progress, this one's going to change how you look at it. Thank you for joining us. Enjoy.

SPEAKER_00 0:20

This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place where local businesses and neighbors come together. Here's your host, Jeremy Wolf.

SPEAKER_02 0:32

Everybody thinks they can fix their body straight off YouTube. But if that was the case, why do we have so many people out there that are still suffering in pain and downright broken? Doc, what's the biggest mistake that people make when they try to rehab themselves?

SPEAKER_03 0:50

Um, first off, uh waiting too long to do something about it, uh thinking it's a strain or a pain and give it two days uh before you know it, other muscles are compensating. That muscle is getting inhibited by knowing it's in pain, it kind of turns itself off. Uh, there's terms for that, and then you get the biomechanical structures or inflammation can get out of hand and a tight little joint space, like a minor shoulder injury, doesn't get that relief, and then you have uh chronic issues that could be building up, or when you finally do get help is way worse than it could have been.

Why People Wait Too Long

SPEAKER_02 1:22

Story of my life, brother, right? Waiting into waiting too long until you take care of something. There's always, I love the saying, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, but so many of us wait until things get so bad and it becomes a big, big problem. Do you think it's um like a lack of effort on people's end or a lack of direction? Because I know for me, like whenever my body starts hurting, I'm super motivated to fix myself and I'll like go and I'll start looking for videos, or even you. You've told me advice, you've sent me exercises to do. But then when it comes to actually doing the things, it's just very difficult to get in there and create a system without actual having like actually having outside help. Has that been your experience?

SPEAKER_03 2:06

Honestly, I've worked from Miami all the way down uh that area up to Boca. I've seen various instances of it, not just being personality, but being socioeconomic status, and I can't afford a day off. I need a rush, I need a hustle. Uh, I've got a job where the boss is terrible and I can't be late on anything. So a lot of factors, not just personality trait wise, to say, let me get this taken care of and be accountable. But I've seen some unfortunate circumstances post-stroke where somebody ignores a gnawing headache or they ignore some symptoms that were enormous and detrimental to get medical attention, and it led to life-altering things. So um it's it's all the above. A lot of, a lot of that's a loaded question, a lot of uh factors involved.

SPEAKER_02 2:52

Yeah, it's interesting you said the socioeconomic thing, right? Because like depending on what situation that you find yourself in, that's pretty much the prism and the lens that you see things through. And there's plenty of people out there that you know that are out there hustling, working 80, 90 hours a week that that are living paycheck to paycheck and don't have the resources available to bring in outside help. And they are kind of confined to not that there's not a wealth of information out there, there is, but there's so much of it, and everybody has their own physiology, and there's no like there's no one size fits all. What's a good what's some good advice for somebody that's out there that doesn't have access to these resources and that has to kind of go out there and parse all this information and try to figure it out on their own?

SPEAKER_03 3:34

Um, trying to dig through it on your own. Um, definitely could be dangerous. You could be missing things. Um really YouTube is like you said before, um, you know, everybody tries to go there and get some baseline knowledge and figure out what's going on. But you know, is it a back to credible source? Is it just, you know, somebody trying to throw something together and get some hype? But to really medically have that knowledge to say, you know, this is the problem. We're looking at the shoulder mechanics, or we're looking at the fact that your back doesn't bend properly, a lot of things could be missed in the biomechanics, not to get too much jargon, but leading to the kinesiology of it. So um getting that medical attention first and foremost to say, yes, let's get you on a structured path. Then um, you know, your medical doctor gives you the referral, you get the script, you get the referral, and you get going. And then really a good therapist would be somebody that's gonna educate you throughout. Here's the exercises that work, here's the baseline stuff. Continue going from it from there. Once we've done the portion that you can't do, like if you need the manual therapy, if you have something tight or off-kilter and it's just compensated, you know, you can't lay hands on your own your own personal, you know, sections that are needing that distraction or that compression or that glide. And then from there, once you get going from there, yeah, you're accountable. You got a lifelong plan, keep going for that joint health, you know, whether it's lower back or hamstring stretching or you know, pectoral elongation and keeping yourself mobile and limber and and certain joints and into a like a midline neutral. And uh, you know, it's it's it's your health, you it's your body, you gotta you know, uh be vested in your own wealth, wellness. So definitely.

SPEAKER_02 5:11

So important to take. We only have this one body, we have this one life. Take care of yourself. I always say this it people neglect the most important thing, which is your body. And and the older I get, I'm now 46. Yeah, I didn't used to think about this shit, man. Right, like when I was younger, when you're young, you go out there and you you create all sorts of all sorts of a ruckus and you damage your body, and now sleeping wrong and you're paying the price.

SPEAKER_03 5:34

If you're sleeping and your head is tilted too much and your pillow isn't great, you're feeling it.

Pain Location Versus Root Cause

SPEAKER_02 5:38

Yeah. Dude, I've had my I've thrown my back out before without actually moving. Like I've just been in the kitchen and had like a stressful thought come in my head, and all of a sudden my back hit. Like, what the hell is that? I didn't even move. I think one of one of the other issues uh that you find, and you can correct me if I'm wrong here, is that like if you have a pain in your lower back or a pain in your knee or your shoulder, whatever it is, it doesn't necessarily mean that the issue is right where the pain is, right? Like there could be a whole host of other factors in other parts of the body and other things contributing to what's causing that localized issue, no?

SPEAKER_03 6:11

Definitely. That's 100% uh right on point. It's like the chicken or the egg, you know. Uh, usually that happens too, whether it's the shoulder or the neck. You know, the neck starts hurting because the shoulder's been compensating so long. So now I got a crick in my neck that I can't turn well. Maybe it's them from that, or maybe it didn't. But more than not, too, ground reaction force. Every time the foot strikes on the floor, you're picking up a hobby, you got a little bit of foot flat, so it collapses, your knee pulls in, your hip pulls in, lower back pain. Or your hip was tight, causing an off-kilter landing, a heel strike every time you have that gate mechanics, and it was compensating. So it can definitely go down, up, or up, down, and uh, you know, a chicken or the egg. So when you're when you're getting uh assessed and working with a clinician, you know, that's okay, yeah, your knee hurts, but give me the background story, or you know, okay, it's your opposite hip that was weak. Well, that makes sense. Your opposite hip is causing malalignment, uneven landing on your right hip or your right foot. So then that's causing like driving with a flat tire. You can do it, but you're gonna ruin your alignment, your axle, your rim. You know, the car analogy goes for us too. You know, we're we're gonna be off kilter repeatedly, and then we we turn a blind eye to it because it's micro trauma. Didn't matter. I lived perfectly fine. It was a subtle ache 20 years ago down the line. You know, that's exponential. So then that minor ache, that little toe push-off, or that little rigid point of the of the great toe not landing well or not pushing off well, and it could lead to uneven wear and tear, which would lead to arthritic issues in the knee. And then, you know, that's an extreme example, but definitely it's uh all to be accounted for, and it could be something you don't even think about.

SPEAKER_02 7:49

So that's a good point. So where's the line though? Like you like you just said, it's it's a minor little ache, something could lead to something worse. So as I as I get older, right? Like, for instance, let me give you an example, and I've used this before. I'll be on a run, right? I'll be like five or six miles into the run, and the thought in my mind will come up to say, Yeah, maybe I'll do another few miles. And like as soon as the thought hits, all of a sudden my knee starts hurting. And I'm immediately I recognize that that's psychosomatic, isn't it? But like at the same time, like, is that my body just playing tricks with me? Is that my bitch voice that's just saying or like the mental toughness is like I got this, but yeah, like where's the line? I mean, I when you're younger, sure, you can push the limits, but now as we get older, like it is incredibly easy to just snap out of nowhere. So you really have to listen to those warning signs. But at the same time, if you always did, I probably wouldn't do anything.

SPEAKER_03 8:39

Right, right. There's a fine line of being extreme, but to the point, like in our 20s, it was like, Yeah, let's do more of that bench press. I'm not worried about a pec tear, you know, 42, 40, when something rolls around, it's like, yeah, I'm gonna stop at that last rep, and I'm you know, conservative or I'm feeling it during the run. Um, we gotta listen to our bodies. We're not 16 anymore. You have to listen to your body. I would say it's a moderation, like uh, you know, not a weakness, but more of an awareness. Like, okay, something's not right. My my foot and heel are starting to ache. It didn't ache on mile eight, but now I'm on mile 20. So that was like maybe that chronic repetition leading up. It's like maybe I have too much mental toughness and I need to back off and be aware. And then you take off your shoe. Oh my god, I had a blister, I'm bleeding everywhere. Uh, you know, so that that happens.

SPEAKER_02 9:25

We're missing some toenails. Four. Right, right. That's that's too funny. I'm right behind you, brother.

SPEAKER_03 9:35

Yeah, but the mental toughness is definitely a thing, so it's like boundaries. You just gotta know, you know, if it felt like extreme and unsafe, you know, but then you didn't get the marathon, you know, like we could have gone to the marathon last week.

SPEAKER_02 9:50

I mean, it's like a combination of mental toughness and just the ego, right? It's like, oh, I gotta push harder because I want to do this. Uh, it's this is this is constant balancing act, at least in my head, it is. I'm sure it's the same way for for many men out there.

When You Make Injuries Worse

SPEAKER_03 10:03

Yeah, yeah. And then while you're doing it, then you're thinking it, you're running, your mind is racing. You could be your own worst enemy for like a runner. So, like you said, there's a lot of psychosomatic mental, the mental wall, all that is a factor for sure.

unknown 10:16

For sure.

SPEAKER_02 10:17

So, V Vinny, you see quite a few people from all walks of life, right? Um, you have folks that have a serious injury, they get uh prescription from the doctor to go get physical therapy, maybe they have a surgery. Um, and then you have people that come into your practice that have had a nagging issue and it just keeps getting worse and worse. How often do you see people come in after trying to fix themselves? And the things that they were doing have actually made them worse, like we talked about, right? They have a pain in their knee, and so they looked up a video and it was like, oh, just do this. But the underlying issue wasn't actually a knee, it was a whatever, a back issue. How often does that happen in your practice?

Building A Daily Mobility Routine

SPEAKER_03 10:54

I think that happens more uh more often, like the younger clientele, male ego, like I got this, I could just walk this off, or I'm having let me let me let me alter my squat routine to something else, and uh, and that does happen a lot, and then that becomes more problematic because something minimal, then you could get like a bone spur, actual structural changes because you just you know you try to fix yourself, you didn't have the wherewithal or you didn't have the leverage to do something, or worst case scenario, that little bit of uh partial tearing and like the tendon and ligament led to things exponentially worse, and now you literally need surgery from it. So, like imagine a piece of rope. You know how the rope has like the fibers and everything coming together, and then let's say something happened where okay, these two fibers kind of got torn a little bit, but the rest of the rope is is is intact. You ignore it, you got some chronic inflammation, but then you have some unevenness, some poor translation down the tendon, poor translation down the bone contact. Yeah, you're gonna put more pressure or more stress on the other threads of the rope because the other ones are absolutely absolutely then and then instead of having even landing, whether it's shoulder or spine, and even neutral midline where you want to have that even dispersed load, worst case, the knee, and you can actually get chipping of the cartilage, and then you can get that chipped cartilage to become a loose body, and then you've got chronic issues, and you definitely need surgery. So, um, but it's hard to say, you know what? I'm gonna walk it off and be fine. But if it becomes like a month-long issue, don't let it become a year-long issue for the same reason. You know, some people just avoid the physicians and want to be away from any doctor. I don't want it, I don't I don't have the patience or the time or the money, but ultimately you pay the price, uh, you know, at that point. So you pay the paper, my friend.

SPEAKER_02 12:37

So, what what's what's the solution here? Like, I get it. We're not we're not selling magic bullets, right? There's no quick fix here. But like, what do you recommend in terms of daily routines, right? Putting into your schedule as you get older. Obviously, when you're younger, you don't have to really think about this quite as much. But for somebody like me, speaking to all the the folks out there north of 40 that are aging, that are are getting into that phase where they need to start protecting their body. How much time should I be dedicating every day to stretching and mobility? Because right now I don't think that I'm doing enough.

SPEAKER_03 13:11

Right, right. I mean, though that's multiple systems. Uh we we're we're a complex organism. So we have heart and lungs, you know, brain, neuro, uh, musculoskeletal, the movement, the kinematics, all that. These are different systems. So that answer needs to be addressed to all the systems because we're one, you know, holistically, uh, not in a hippie sense, but really we need to really head to toe with this thing, you know, heart, lungs, muscles, balance, neuro. So, I mean, the American Heart, they have their recommendations for your heart safety, heart longevity. You know, so you need to keep your heart rate up a certain amount of time every day or get a grand toll at the end of the week. Uh, you got to balance that in.

SPEAKER_02 13:49

So I would say hold on, stop for a second. When it comes to the heart heart rate, keeping your heart up, right? I found that just walking. I mean, we've been doing a lot of walking as well, rucking, right? Right. Is that the preferred method? Because I also love to run, but again, as I get older, it is taxing on your body. But I do love it. Where is the balance there? Would you just recommend as you get older to just you ditch the running as much as possible and just walk? Is that you in the same heart rate? Because I know that there's different levels, um, different zones you go in. What's the preferred? I guess you can go on an exercise bike, you don't have to go on the pavement like me. Or elliptical, or elliptical.

SPEAKER_03 14:28

There's many ways around it. The the whole thing that rucking has been the latest craze and phase is uh I I used to kind of just run in, get it done, and I used to do some sprints, and then I felt a little bit of stabbing pain here and there, and I felt like okay, um, you know, I've got some issues myself, and it was just high intensity, high duration. It was a little bit off for myself, so I actually picked up the rucking because with the weighted load, the heart rate was coming up, and then with the duration, I'm able to do 20 minutes, 30 minutes, or slower or faster and kind of find my sweet spot. But then as you get stronger or cardiovascular strength and benefits and endurance, that heart rate takes more to get to that level. So, if depending on your age, gender, weight, and all those things. Personally, for myself, my heart rate was hitting 180 and it was really high. I mean, it was high, and I wasn't even doing a whole lot at that time. Uh, several months later, now I'm down to the 120 range. I lost a couple pounds, sure. I'm used to it, I'm conditioned. Uh, did my calves, paraspinals, trunk, all that adapt to it? Yeah, did my heart a whole lot more? I spent a lot more time, so I went from doing 15 minutes three times a week to doing like an hour three times a week. So it's it's what you can do, but the bare minimum for like longevity and health, I would say honestly, 30 minutes a day of something every single day, whether it's heart health, muscle strength, elongating. We live in such a flexed world. Our office chair is flexed, our phone, um, I'm here flexed. We're driving, God forbid it's a bucket seat because you got a performance car, it's gonna want to hug you in it, it's gonna feel awesome, but then you're you're flexed. As soon as you're flexed, your hips are bent, your shoulders are protracted. What happened to my ear and shoulder alignment? It's out of whack. Everything is everything is terrible. Really, I mean, so head to toe, every every little thing has an impact. So if we can elongate something and undo that majority of our world being flexed, you know, yoga, regular stretch, walk around, yeah, walk around, set a timer and get up, but we never really truly go into an extension. Uh, it's just not part of our day. So laying down on the floor and doing like a little press up and get yourself all the way into extension, just some things to kind of offset the the daily grind.

Consistency Beats Big Weekend Workouts

SPEAKER_02 16:50

You're making me want to stand up and stretch right now, really. Uh exactly, right? Do you think that consistency is more important, like frequency and consistency, or the amount of time you put in? For instance, is it better to do like 15 minutes of this stuff seven days a week, or pick like four days and really go in for like a 30 minutes or 45 minutes? Or it just depends on the person. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 17:14

I think that's a perspective thing. Like uh movement is key. If you don't use it, you lose it. Those adages are gold, and that's actually the um uh like one of my taglines is like you don't use it, you lose it, and that's exponentially as you get older. But if it's if it's something, I would say that that's better than nothing. So if you're strapped for time or you're not mentally there yet, or you're just setting the goals up 15 minutes a day, that's a start, and then that's a little win too, to see I'm gonna keep moving. Um, and then you just keep that going.

SPEAKER_02 17:42

So, yeah, yeah, I think that's I couldn't agree more when it comes to this stuff because the consistency and the frequency, like you, you you have to start somewhere. And if you're not doing anything at all, to say, hey, I'm just gonna take 30, 45 minutes and lean into this thing, that could be a lot for somebody. But to say, hey, I'm gonna go outside and go for a walk for 10 or 15 minutes and start there and then just make it a habit, a daily habit of doing. And then over time, you just like we're doing with the the rucking, right? Every month add a couple more miles, right? Just keep on adding to it. And before you know it, you've developed a habit around that and you're putting in the time, putting in the effort, and feel good, baby.

SPEAKER_03 18:16

Yeah, and then that discipline that led to the habit, it's no longer like I'm forced, it's a habit, so now my priority shifted. Now I'm trying to go to bed a little bit earlier, and you know, I'm finding the time, like, oh, the day is still the same 24 hours, but you know, I mean I got up earlier, and then the benefits psychologically, you're whether you're connecting with somebody or seeing the sunrise, that in itself has a tremendous amount of benefits for your own, uh, your own health and wellness to say, you know, you feel good about it, you got the dopamine, the blood flow, everything's feeling good, and certain, you know, you it keeps you going, keeps you going, and that's a good, healthy, uh, lifelong habit that keeps you going.

Exercise Changes How You Eat

SPEAKER_02 18:51

Absolutely. And another unintended consequence for me, anyway, and I'm sure this is the same with tons of people out there. Once you start exercising, like you would think, oh, I'm exercising, now I can eat whatever I want. That's not the case. The more work I put in in terms of like physical effort and exercise, the more health conscious I become about the food that I put into my body and the fuel that I put into my body, because it's like the men, the mindset is, well, I'm doing all this work. I don't want to ruin it by going to McDonald's and putting this crap in my body. And then the one thing feeds the other. And then when you start fueling yourself properly, you start performing better, you start feeling better, and all sorts of magic starts to pop off, right?

Supplements Need A Real Foundation

SPEAKER_03 19:24

Right, right. And then that compounded with like you're doing everything right, you're working so hard, you're seeing results, whether it's your heart rate being steady throughout the day, or you're not as tired going up the stairs or getting to something you're doing, it's not as taxing. And then you say, Oh, you know what? Let me let me get into some supplements. And then I feel like people realize, well, if I'm buying XYZ supplement, I don't want to be drinking on the weekends and offsetting that. And then you just start making these more and more positive trends to you know better, better goals and better health. Like you prioritize yourself, like definitely.

SPEAKER_02 19:56

What are your thoughts on a lot of these uh supplements? I'm not talking necessarily the over-counter stuff, a lot of the things that are being offered for recovery, like peptides and things of that nature, and then testosterone. What are your thoughts on a physical therapy standpoint? It's like from where I sit, they're very useful tools and they have their place, but I think people have a tendency to look for shortcuts and look for quick fixes, so they end up utilizing those as and they rely on those and they don't do the actual work that they need to to fix the underlying issue.

SPEAKER_03 20:24

Correct. You nailed it 100%. That's exactly what that is. Supplement, you have to already have a good structure, you have to have already a good foundation, you're doing everything right, and then you kind of do these add-ons, just ancillary, kind of get you get you over the hump a little bit, or you know, get that little piece that was missing. But I mean, that's not the cure all. And then I I didn't even realize today, too. I was reading that um, you know, certain I don't know what amount, but uh alcohol can convert testosterone to estrogen. So you tell that to somebody, it's gonna be like, well, I definitely don't want to drink anymore. Uh my goal is to bench 315 and get those three plates on there, or whatever it may be. Um, so you know, you learn these things, and then you know, why would you take the peptides or the testosterone for placement and then binge drink over the weekend? You gotta really have yourself at a high tier level to add these extra things, otherwise, it's like putting a chandelier in a haunted house. You're just not you're not there, you know.

SPEAKER_02 21:15

Yeah, it's so I mean, humans, we're such fickle creatures, it's so easy to start relying on the eat the quick and easy things, right? Like once we start.

SPEAKER_03 21:24

Oh, it didn't work. Uh, well, yeah, you're eating you know, fast food all weekend, whatever's not gonna work, or whatever supplements is not gonna work.

Staying On Track After Injury

SPEAKER_02 21:31

Yeah, it's so easy to it's so easy to fall back into old patterns and old programs, but then once you get the momentum going, right? You get some exercise in, you start eating right, you start feeling like a million bucks, and you're going and you're going and you're going. And then I think this has happened to me many, many times, and I think a lot of people could probably relate to this. You get injured, something happens, and you get completely sidetracked. And then I'm sure for many, you get pulled back into old patterns. You get sucked back, and all this work that you put in seemingly is just gone in an instant. What's what's some advice you can give to somebody that that has had that happen or is is going through that right now? Because it is a slippery slope.

SPEAKER_03 22:13

Yeah, yeah. Then it all cascades and goes out the window really quickly. Um, and that's that's just like that mental resilience, that mental toughness. And then it gets so discouraging for it to be lost. Uh, and then you just you just can't, you know, you can't be one extreme to the other. There has to be that balance. That's why I was saying before, too. 15 minutes a day is still something. Just because just because something happened and I couldn't do my usual hour in the gym because I I'm limited right now doesn't mean you have to throw it away. And then if you throw away the activity, means the diet also goes out the window, means everything else is just compounded and it's just extreme opposite direction. Uh, that's really, really tough. I would say take it as like incremental baby steps and um just don't let it completely discourage you to the point of saying you're gonna throw away years of work just because of uh you know, you know, a cold or flu or something setting your back or a sprained ankle. Recover it, but then you know you can still do your other body parts, you know, focus on that, address it. Um, we've got to figure out ways to get around it and you know, clinically, you know, problem solve and think about okay, what can we do? Maybe swimming is a good alternative right now. Maybe I don't have to have pizza and beer on the weekend just because I sprained my ankle, and then everything else goes out the window. Um, so yeah, you you can't just lose it all. It can't be all or nothing. You have to have some middle ground, and and then if it's mentally, think about other systems. Okay, my heart and lungs, my my muscles, my endurance, my coordination. Let me work some other system out right now to kind of keep myself going and and uh give myself a little win because to lose it all, it's so discouraging. And then you're picking up the pieces, then you're saying, like like myself, I I'm no longer deadlifting 405 pounds. That was amazing, but then it's like uh I had a little injury too. Then it became I kept the caloric intake high and my activity went down, and it was you know, the dad bot hit, and then I had my second kid, and there was a hundred excuses, and it was just like, no, no, no.

Breathwork For Recovery And Mindset

SPEAKER_02 24:06

Um you got to have little wins, hmm? No excuses, Vinny. No excuses, exactly, exactly. It's all good and well, and it's easy to sit here and talk about it, right? But when you are in it, right? When you have the injury happen or whatever it is, and you're stuck in your head, and you're just like, oh, and you got in this in this loop of like I put all this work in and now here I am. And you're it's easy to say to just get out and do and do the thing, but let's say you're let's say you can't, right? You're incapacitated. Like what can we do? I'm I'm just thinking in my mind out loud here, I'm thinking like a lot of like meditation and breath work has been very helpful in my world in terms of like introspectively, um, to kind of ground myself. What are your thoughts on using those modalities to regulate your your physiology?

SPEAKER_03 24:59

Uh like breath work and meditation. Um, I think that would be tremendous to keep you on track. Uh, and and that probably really helps uh anchor somebody and solidify them, say, you know what, I'm in tune, I'm in peace. Uh, I gotta create a plan, I gotta work on this and and not just let go of everything completely. Um uh breath work, uh, I'm learning more and more about it. Uh, I think it's a tremendous thing, and there's there's a lot of evidence behind it. And then also there's too a lot of literature, a lot of research, uh, not just for athletes, but the psychology of somebody injured, which is why you know they would go back out and play that sport with a partial sprain or tear. Just they they they can't not. Um, but to to kind of give yourself that moment to kind of recollect, uh, I think that would that has a tremendous backing, but not something I'm very um uh that's not not one of my strong points. Uh, I definitely want to look into it more though.

SPEAKER_02 25:51

We got to get you into it. I'm doing an event next month, May 16th. We're doing breath work and and your favorite, the cold plunge. You gotta I saw that.

SPEAKER_03 25:57

I saw that. Uh I um six tonight, something like that. Yeah, yeah. I wrote it down this morning. Funny enough.

Why He Became A Physical Therapist

SPEAKER_02 26:03

That'll be if you if you're not into breath work, if you haven't been practicing breath work, that'll be a good guided session for you to get into and and kind of dip your toe in the water and see what it's what it's all about. But it's been very, very instrumental for me. There was no pun intended there at all, honestly. That just came out the way it came out. Um so physical therapy, man. What's what's the story about it? What why did you become a physical therapist? What's your backstory, man?

SPEAKER_03 26:28

Uh, well, that is good. Um, right out of high school, you know, you got the urgency, you know you gotta pull the trigger on something, but not everything might be enticing and exciting for you. Uh, so I love the gym. I was a gym rat. I thought it was, you know, really, you know, it was calming for me. Um, and then when I would read the you know, muscle bodybuilding magazines, I was really just in tune. I was like, it was effortless to really just nerd out and dive deep into that stuff. It was it was a pleasure. So I said, well, then I was a personal trainer for a few years, and you know, uh I could have stayed with it, but I felt like I wanted to kind of dig deeper a little bit and um make make a make impactful changes in a different level. And then uh then I picked up physical therapy. Um, and that was a doctorate program in college, and then I did a post-professional residency to kind of go a step further, even beyond with a gerontology uh uh residency, and even went down the pipeline to be neurospecialist with Parkinson's. So um it's it's really started honestly with health and wellness in the gym. And that's really the stem of it all, just to kind of uh take care of yourself because you like you said earlier, we only have one body, and you gotta be mindful and put your effort into your own care and wellness.

SPEAKER_02 27:46

Did you have, other than that progression, did you have anything in your youth or your life that you had an interaction with the craft with physical therapy that sparked the interest, or it was just basically that natural progression that you had?

SPEAKER_03 27:59

Nine times out of ten, I've seen it in clinics, residencies, um, and and in many, many interactions. You'll see somebody get injured, fall in love with the therapist, be like, what did you do? I want to do that. And you know, they're healing them and they're connecting, they build that rapport. Uh, very, very common. Do you see that? But not for you. Not for me. No, I was just a gym rat. And um I was thinking, what's a step, what's what's something else, what's something else? And then what's something that I could really connect with my patients? And I still have the therapeutic exercises, I still have that gym routine, and I still have that biomechanics of it. Um, just just uh just in a different direction. But for for me, it was kind of going down that rabbit hole.

The Hidden Gap In Home Healthcare

SPEAKER_02 28:38

I've spoken to quite a few chiropractors on the podcast, and they all tell me oh, I I can't think of one that didn't tell me some kind of story where they had an interaction with with another chiropractor that they kind of fixed them and it sparked the interest for them. Speaking of uh speaking of geriatrics, I know that's an area of specialty that you have. Tell tell me a little bit about you see that okay on the camera there. We got uh this recently published book, Reclaiming Home Healthcare, which this is an interesting, this is of interest to me because we've talked about this. Um, I have a friend and client, uh, Christy Groulet from Comfort Keepers, um, who they provide in-home health care services or in-home care. They're not doctors, but they come and they help and they help with shopping and uh bathing, grooming, and company and things like that. Um, so I've done quite a few episodes of podcasts on those issues, and I know that's a big area of interest for you. What was the the genesis of this book? How did you come up with the idea for uh writing reclaiming home health care and tell us a little bit about the like the synopsis of it?

SPEAKER_03 29:38

Uh definitely. Well, being a clinician for 16-ish years, give or take, um, uh there's many settings in the industry. You can do the outpatient clinic work on things, you could do inpatient, you could do acute inpatients where you can't quite go home, or like a SNF setting, skilled nursing facility, just to kind of help uh honestly bridge the gap before you go back to home. Uh, so I've been even in management of sub-acute rehab facilities, and many years I would see somebody come in. Mrs. Smith broke her left hip, she fell at home. Well, we're treating her left hip. Why did she fall? Weakness, neurosuff, anything like that led to the fall, but we're treating the injured bone now. We re-rehab her. Um, the insurances are pushing, pushing, pushing. We get her out as soon as we can, metrics, keep you know, KPI and performance, things look great at corporate worlds, and we get her home. Now at home, she's got options she doesn't even know about or are limited. So the home health, uh, they may come in and do a couple weeks, whatever's allowed, depending on her as well. She does too well too soon, they actually logistically have to stop, uh, which is which is terrible. But she didn't quite get to the point of getting dressed, getting in the car, and going to an outpatient clinic. But she could walk 100 feet. So certain laws in certain states say, Oh, you're doing X, that's all that we care about. Your payment, your insurance, you're cut off. Good luck to you. Now, one of two things happens. She's not well enough to go down the driveway, get in the car, drive two miles down to the local therapy center for outpatient therapy, which would then really help transform her. Uh, but then or she doesn't know it exists, and she thinks that two weeks of whatever therapy she had in the living room was enough. So, and then she would break her hip, come back to me, and I would see it in the rehab facilities like, we just fixed your hip. Now you broke your other hip. You live alone, now you need to sell your home. And not that I'm telling her this, but the case manager, social workers, they're talking about liquidating things and becoming a ward of state and becoming institutionalized. I would see that once a month, honestly, depending on when I was working, it was very, very often. So then I dabbled a little bit into home health care and I solved some of those barriers and some of those limitations. And uh it was it was years of experience of years of turmoil and and craziness that I would see, and and that led to this book was that all those terrible experiences, it was it's it's not white or black, it's not yes or no. You went home, you get this care, it's not home health or outpatient. So it just was such a devastating gap that people don't even know it exists, that there's more, that the therapy can come to you and and get you going and get you continuing. So I kind of put some examples and some scenarios to say there's more, it exists. This book was there's not like a selling point by no means, but it was like these are the pitfalls and barriers. I'm not pointing fingers. Um, something else exists. And then the last part, I say, this was my personal call to arms. This was my my call to action to say I can do the greatest amount of good. This is a structural problem in the industry, and so I kind of put it out there to say, you know, hopefully help some people or create some awareness to say there is more, there are options, and uh it's not always white or black. So, you know, um, and that that's what led to the uh writing of the book. And I've actually had a couple patients say, Was this all about me? And I was like, Well, no, but your story is in there, and they call me crying, like, yeah, I was ready to sell my home. I was ready to go live in an AL, uh, you know, one of those senior facilities. I was ready to give it all up. Uh, and and I was able to kind of work with them and show them that you know you have dignity and your quality of life in years left. Just because you had one fall doesn't mean you need to get rid of it all and go live in a you know some facility, unless you want to have the pool and the drinks and whatever. That's that's another story, but you know, this so there's there's options, there are options, and that's what led to the book.

SPEAKER_02 33:28

Out there rattling some feathers, stirring the pot, right? Bringing some attention to a deeply, deeply flawed system. The insurance companies must must love you, brother.

SPEAKER_04 33:38

I know, I know.

SPEAKER_02 33:41

Gotta gotta make a difference. We have a uh a very flawed system, very grateful. We live in a wonderful place, a wonderful time, abundance everywhere, but a lot of the structural systems are lacking and are broken and aren't serving people the way that they should. So anytime we could raise awareness to uh gaps in the system, right? Amen, brother. Good stuff, right?

How To Connect And Final Takeaways

SPEAKER_03 34:01

And it's sad to see, like you said, too, the abundance, some when they don't have it and they're dependent on the insurance. You know, I do take insurance and I do the concierge route as well. And those that just can't do it, when I see that we have to logistically stop and they can't get that extra two months, and I see them thrive and I see them doing great, and then I get a call four months later once the insurance can kick back, or you know, whatever, year later. And then I'm like, Mrs. Smith, you you know, she got discouraged, she became sedentary, she became stuck on the couch, she stopped going out and socializing, playing Majana Canasta, and she stopped all that, and then now you don't use it, you lose it exponentially. So, you know, you're great, you're fit, you're healthy going into 60, 70, but then those next few years are worth more than the previous 10, you know. That that that mental mindset, that fear, because then she stopped walking, so her heart and lungs declined, her muscles got weaker, she got scared of it, but now she needs to go to the bathroom, so she gets up to go do it. Now she really feels worse. The muscles not tolerating it. She leads to that fall, and that's that really forceful, fast decline. And that's my yes, that's my specialty to mitigate that, stop that, give them back their life, and to say, you know, uh, falling is not normal for a senior. We can definitely mitigate that and work on some things, and that that's that's my specialty.

SPEAKER_02 35:20

Dr. Vincenzo Bombarra, out there doing the work, helping people one at a time. Love it, brother. How can our listeners learn more? What's the best way to connect with you?

SPEAKER_03 35:31

Um, visit my website, qualityinhometherapy.com. Uh, we've got different directions from success stories, what we specialize in. Uh, the book is linked in there as well as social media. So if you want to see, you know, what I'm kind of presenting routinely, uh, I've got a library talk in the neighborhood and uh, you know, Breck Center, I'm going out there for fall prevention, and I'm really just trying to be in the community, be out and around, and be available to to provide these services.

SPEAKER_02 35:56

Thank you. Beautiful, my brother. We will, of course, drop a link in the description below to all of that good stuff. So if you're out there listening and maybe you're again in a lot of pain and you're relying on videos and you just need a little bit of outside help, reach out to Vinny. He can help. Yes, and um, I said this before, and I'll say it again, and I'll keep saying it. We only have this one life to live. Let's make sure we take care of ourselves and live it to the fullest. Everyone, take care, have a wonderful day.

SPEAKER_01 36:32

Thank you. Thanks for listening to the Good Neighbor Podcast Cooper City. To nominate your favorite local business to be featured on the show, go to GNP CooperCity.com. That's GNP Cooper City dot com or call nine five four two three one three one seven zero.