Hyperice products available at QuistMD: just in time for vacation!

Did you know that QuistMD carries Hyperice percussion therapy products? These are top of the line, durable percussion therapy products at competitive prices. Several items we have in stock are especially well-suited to taking with you on your summer travels because they are compact with a long battery life. Nothing better than something to ease aches and pains from a long plane or car ride!

Because of our partnership with Hyperice, we sell these items at the same price you’ll find anywhere online – no markup. A few of the items we carry:

Hypervolt GO 2: This compact percussion device is incredibly versatile. You can use it on yourself to reach almost any body part, and can enlist a friend for the rest!

Hypersphere Go: This is like a lacrosse ball (a commonly used tool for targeted self-massage  in physical therapy), but with the added benefit of vibration therapy. It has a compact, travel-friendly design as well.

Vyper 2.0: This percussion therapy device provides the shape and functionality of a foam roller, with the added muscle relaxation function of vibration.

Get in touch if you have any questions or would like to learn more about these devices! As always, you can reach us at 202-244-8222 or info@quistmd.com.

Take care!

Join us at Spooktacular Chevy Chase!

Happy Halloween to the QuistMD community!

 After a couple years’ hiatus, we are excited to once again be participating in Spooktacular Chevy Chase this Monday on Connecticut Ave. This event brings an annual horde of trick-or-treaters visiting participating establishments along the Chevy Chase Main Street. We are ready!

 If you can make it, we hope you will stop by our table, say hello, and grab some candy. If you’ve ever wanted to hang out with your doctor in costume, this is your chance!

Full event details:

Spooktacular Chevy Chase

Monday, October 31st, 2022, 3-6 pm

Area: Connecticut Avenue between Chevy Chase Circle and Livingston Street (and side streets)

Look for balloons to find participating businesses.

As always, if you have any questions or would like to schedule an appointment with us, please call our office at 202-244-8222 or email us at info@quistmd.com.

Cheers,

The QuistMD Team

Announcing the new and improved QuistMD brand!

Hello QuistMD community,

We’re just dropping a few lines to introduce our refreshed brand design coming up soon!

We know you come to us for great medical care and not because we have an amazing logo. However, if you notice some changes and become curious, here’s the story!

We have chosen to redesign our brand image to present a fresh face to current and new patients. While we love many elements of our previous logo design, elements of it look dated. We want to represent our innovative team and modern office space with a more contemporary brand appearance, while retaining the strengths of the previous design. In particular, we heard from many people close to the clinic that the stretching figure in our previous logo is a very effective illustration of our work, so we made sure to incorporate that into our new design.

Our new brand image features strong lines and bold colors for a contemporary, clean look. As before, the image of a person in dynamic motion, now further accentuated, captures our philosophy: MOVEMENT IS LIFE, and we’re here to help you return to motion without pain.

Over the next few weeks, you will see our new logo showing up on our website, social media, and at our clinic. Let us know what you think, and we look forward to helping you reach your health goals!

As always, if you would like to schedule an appointment or if there is anything else we can do for you, please call our office at 202-244-8222 or email us at info@quistmd.com.

Now offering additional massage services with Zelda Wafer-Jones, LMT!

Help us welcome QuistMD’s newest massage therapist, Zelda Wafer-Jones, LMT!

 Zelda’s hands speak for themselves. Her strong and inquisitive hands, along with years of experience and training, allow her to track down your aches and pains and resolve them. She looks forward to collaborating with Dr. Haggquist and the QuistMD team to provide you an unparalleled therapeutic experience.

Zelda has built a strong reputation in our community, and we are excited to make her services available to our patients. With 20 years of experience in the field, she is skilled in a wide range of massage techniques including Deep Tissue, Swedish, Pre-Natal, and Sports Massage.

 Highlights of her career have included serving as the massage therapist for the Washington Wizards NBA team for 5 seasons, providing wellness programs to the International Monetary Fund, and working as a staff massage therapist at the Four Seasons in downtown DC.

 Zelda became a Licensed Massage Therapist through the Potomac Massage Training Institute in DC. She is an alumna of Howard University where she received her BA in English.

 Zelda will be seeing patients at QuistMD on Tuesdays and Thursdays, 10 am to 4 pm, beginning August 2, 2022. Speak with our staff to schedule your massage with Zelda today! You can call our office at 202-244-8222 or email us at info@quistmd.com.

Hyperice Summer Sale at QuistMD!

Announcing our Summer Sale on Hyperice items, happening in-clinic at QuistMD while supplies last!

These vibration and percussion therapy tools are a great way to keep up with at-home rehabilitation and athletic recovery. We find they are a convenient and effective way to massage and relax sore muscles, supporting you as you work toward your fitness and mobility goals!

Hypervolt Bluetooth: Full-size percussion massage device. This versatile tool can provide therapeutic percussion to virtually any area of the body. You will see these in every treatment room in our clinic as we frequently utilize them with patients. 

Vyper 2.0: Vibrating massage roller. Use it as you would a foam roller, with the added benefit of vibration.

Hypersphere Mini: Vibrating massage ball. Perfect for targeting small areas of the body through pressure and vibration.

Venom shoulder: Heat + vibration therapy fitted to wrap around the shoulder, great for a workout warm-up or tension release.

Some of these items are not available on the official Hyperice website, as newer editions have been released. The wholesale prices we are offering are about 25-45% off the retail price currently available online.

We are also continuing to offer the ever-popular, super portable and affordable Hypervolt GO in-clinic: same price you will find online, and you don’t have to wait on shipping!

Supplies are limited! We are offering only in-clinic sales and no shipping is available. To learn more, please call us at 202-244-8222 or stop by our clinic at 5630 Connecticut Ave. NW, Suite 2, Washington DC 20015.

QuistMD Office Move Announcement!

Moving just a couple blocks!

QuistMD has some big news: our clinic will be moving to a new office space on the Chevy Chase Main Street. As of September 27, 2021, we will see patients at 5630 Connecticut Ave NW. This space is three blocks from our current location.

 Appointments through September 24, 2021 will continue to occur at 5506 Connecticut Ave NW.

 We look forward to offering the following amenities for our staff and patients:

·      Larger, newer facility, allowing expanded availability of services  

·      Updated building features including elevator service  

·      Proximity to Magruder’s, the Avalon, and the Chevy Chase Neighborhood Library

Parking options for patients will still include 2-hour residential street parking.

Please note that the move schedule is subject to change. Rest assured that patients with scheduled appointments will be given regular updates regarding any changes to the plan!   

We would like to acknowledge the meaningful support of the Chevy Chase Main Street and District Bridges, especially the District Bridges Grant and legal commercial lease advice.

Above all, we appreciate the support of our patients and community in helping us grow as a clinic. We love to take care of you. If you have any questions regarding our office move, or if you would like to schedule an appointment, please feel welcome to reach out to our office staff at 202-244-8222, or at info@quistmd.com.

Care,

 The QuistMD Team

Our new building facade. Our office will be located on the second and third floor of the building (reception on the second floor).

New video by Dr. Chris McIlvaine!

Watch Chris McIlvaine, DPT explain the mechanics of one of the most common youth sports injuries, feared by many an athlete: the ACL Tear.

Pre-registration for the COVID vaccine

The DC Health department is now offering pre-registration for the COVID-19 vaccine for District residents and workers who have not yet received it. While QuistMD is not administering the vaccine, we want to share information about this process with you. The following is taken from the DC Health announcement:

“Mayor Bowser and DC Health are calling on Washingtonians to help get friends, family, and neighbors pre-registered for a vaccination appointment. Please reach out to people you know and talk to them about their plans to pre-register and get vaccinated. At this time, all residents and District workers who are not yet vaccinated are encouraged to pre-register, regardless of current eligibility.

Remember, with the new pre-registration system, individuals can register online at any time on any day via vaccinate.dc.gov, or register by phone by calling the call center Monday-Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. or on Saturday and Sunday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.”

Find more information about vaccine pre-registration and distribution at vaccinate.dc.gov.

New video on COVID-19 Safety Measures!

We recently produced a video to outline the safety measures we are taking to keep our patients and community safe. While we are in the last stages of receiving the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine, we are continuing to take these steps to reduce the risk of receiving care as much as possible. Thanks for watching!

We've received our first dose of the vaccine!

We are happy to announce that the full QuistMD team has received the first dose of the Moderna vaccine, and we are scheduled for the second dose later this month. We are grateful to benefit from the impressive work done to develop this vaccine, and happy that our heightened immunity will offer additional safety to our patients, family and community. 

We hope that the vaccine will become available to the broader community quickly, and that when your time comes, you will take advantage of it as soon as possible! This is the most important and promising pathway to returning to normal life. You may be wondering what it was like to receive this vaccine. Most of our team received the shot from a nearby pharmacist. Almost all of us experienced a very sore shoulder for a few days, and one team member experienced very mild flu-like symptoms the following day. The vaccine does not contain any live virus, and this type of reaction is a result of the immune system responding to and learning from the vaccine. 

While we take comfort in having the vaccine, we are all continuing to take COVID safety precautions including mask wearing, physical distancing, hand hygiene, COVID screening at entry, and enhanced ventilation. We ask our patients to continue taking these precautions as well.

For more context on the view we are taking of the vaccine and our continued precautions, we recommend an informative recent New York Times op-ed: Underselling the Vaccine. It features views of prominent and well-regarded public health scientists on what the vaccine means for us going forward. We especially wanted to share the concluding sentences of the article as a concise summary of how we will be proceeding, inspired by President Biden and the top doctors and scientists working for our public health: 

"We should immediately be more aggressive about mask-wearing and social distancing because of the new virus variants. We should vaccinate people as rapidly as possible — which will require approving other COVID vaccines when the data justifies it. People who have received both of their vaccine shots, and have waited until they take effect, will be able to do things that unvaccinated people cannot — like having meals together and hugging their grandchildren. But until the pandemic is defeated, all Americans should wear masks in public, help unvaccinated people stay safe and contribute to a shared national project of saving every possible life." - David Leonhardt

We will beat this thing together! As always, we welcome every opportunity to support your sports medicine and physical therapy needs. If we can support your fitness and wellness goals, please call us at 202-244-8222 or email us at info@quistmd.com.

Cheers,

Dr. Jeffrey Haggquist

Introducing new Hyperice products at QuistMD!

We are happy to announce that we now offer Hyperice products for purchase! You may have noticed that the Hypervolt Percussion Massage Device has become nationally famous in the last few years. Hyperice specializes in percussion therapy, heat, ice, and vibration massage tools to promote healing and recovery. We utilize them regularly in our work with patients, and you can use them at home too! We have a variety of products that you can try out and purchase during your visit with us. We’ve featured some of the most popular products below, but have more! Please call us at 202-244-8222 or ask during your next visit to learn more.

An Intro Guide to Telehealth with QuistMD

At QuistMD, we pride ourselves on providing high quality, individualized care, and we are taking many steps to keep our patients safe when they come to our office. We are also offering telehealth appointments as another way to evaluate new concerns and follow up on existing conditions. That said, for many people, telehealth is a new experience. Here’s what you can expect! 

• Continued one-on-one care with our providers

• Easy link access to our secure and HIPAA compliant telehealth platform to connect for your visit

• Thorough case review by our providers prior to your visit

• Continued email contact for pre-visit updates you wish to share

• Case dependent pre-visit correspondence on equipment, tools, and demonstrations that will assist us in tailoring your home care. 

• Promotion of movement demonstration and self-initiated home exercise

You can make the most of your telehealth visit by having a few items available, such as: 

• Foam roller, Hypervolt massage device, lacrosse/ tennis/ massage ball

• Theraband and a place to loop it around (door jam or banister)

• Dumbbells, kettlebells, or something weighted to hold onto (Cans, milk jugs, bag that you can add weight to)

• Yoga ball/ physioball 

• Flat surface to exercise on- floor, bed, yoga mat, or gym mat

Additional activities or issues you would like examined? With telehealth, we can provide: 

• Treadmill running assessment

• Stationary bicycle set up for proper use

• Workstation ergonomics/posture

• Gait Assessment

• Lifting mechanics

• Gardening mechanics

Lastly, it can be helpful to have various props such as a table or chair to support your camera or computer so you can be seen in different positions, including:

• Laying down on a flat surface

• Standing with your full body in the picture

• Any postures or activities that you would like examined

For more tips on setting up for a successful video call, see our previous blog post Zoom Tips (Learned the Hard Way). 

Whether you come in person or participate in telehealth, thank you for allowing us to do what we do best: caring for you. We are excited to work with you and help you meet your fitness and wellness goals! Call us at 202-244-8222 to set up your next in-person or virtual visit. 

Let's Play Golf!

An all too common adage of golf is “It’s all in the hips!”

Yes! Mobility of your hips is crucial; however, we also need to control the “home” of the hips: The Pelvis!  The ability to move and control the position of the pelvis is critical for optimal power transfer from the lower body to the upper body.

This blog focuses on pelvic anterior to posterior motion (sagittal plane) and improving power. 

Top level golfers tilt their pelvis backwards (posteriorly) up to 20 degrees during the downswing. (due to the contraction or firing of their abdominals and gluteal musculature.) This is one of many reasons why the pros can hit the ball much further than any of us at QuistMD!

Improving lumbar spine mobility allows for great posterior pelvic tilt. In this video we go over the “Pelvic Tilt Test.” This test assesses the mobility of the hips, lumbar spine, and ability to control the position of the pelvis in the sagittal plane. 

If you have pain with this test, it is a red flag that you may need to correct this before playing 18 this Saturday! 

To immediately improve your game, 

• Address tightness in the hip musculature especially of the quadriceps and psoas

• Restore coordination of the pelvis 

Chris Mcilvaine, DPT loves the game and works hard at understanding the intersections between improving your performance, strength, and flexibility.  Dr. Mcilvaine is a Titleist Performance Institute Certified Level 1 practitioner and NSCA Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist.  He works with many golfers across the skill spectrum, and is excited to help you hone your skills .

If you would like to schedule an appointment with Dr McIlvaine or any one of our clinicians, please feel free to contact our superstar scheduling team at 202.244.8222 or via email at info@quistmd.com.  They are always happy to help!

When Things Get Heated: How to Hydrate

As the thermometer creeps above 90 degrees, we all need to focus a little bit more on hydrating properly. 

When sports were still on TV, we saw plenty of athletes drinking various sports drinks (like my alma-mater’s Gatorade). What they didn’t show you is that these athletes might take a little sip, but spit most of it out.  This is for two reasons: 

1) Carb rinsing, to trick the brain into thinking more nutrients are on the way by stimulating taste receptors in the mouth, effectively allowing the body to push itself harder.  We won't get much into the details here, but you can read about it here in this great piece by Times sportswriter Jére Longman.

2) These drinks are just plain bad for you, mostly because of the massive amounts of sugar they contain.  Here are a few problems with that:

• They can upset your stomach because of the rapid influx of sugar into your body.

• They can upset your body’s optimum fluid, mineral and hormone balance.

• They do not necessarily contain the variety of trace minerals you naturally lose through sweat.

So if sports drinks are bad for you, what is optimum?

One of my favorite books, Born to Run by Christopher McDougall, talks extensively about what Kenyan long distance runners and their strategies.  These elite athelets, for example, drink just a few ounces of sweet tea after training, then hydrating with water and eating a normal meal. 

If sweet tea isn't much your style, I recommend you try a cold glass of water with just a pinch of Himalayan or Celtic sea salt. These less processed salts contain greater than 50 trace minerals that are naturally found in human sweat. Putting them back into your body in small amounts helps your body adjust progressively.

These trace minerals can:

• Facilitate better contraction of muscles and less cramping. 

• Help nerve conduction. 

• And thereby lead to better brain function. 

As we enter the summer months, hydration is essential to staying healthy, but doing so properly is  important.

If you are an established patient or you interested in becoming a patient and would like to schedule an in person or telehealth visit with our clinicians, please feel free to contact our superstar scheduling team at 202.244.8222 or via email at info@quistmd.com. They are always happy to help!

Cheers,

Dr. H

Zoom Tips (Learned The Hard Way)

I’ll tell you one thing…I’ve been doing quite a bit of teleconferencing these days, but computers can’t do everything for us in this new, virtual world.

I thought I would share a few tips I’ve gleaned* from my experiences (and many mistakes) while teleconferencing with my patients and family members. Here are a few tips to bring out your best when contacting your friends, family, or healthcare provider via video.

1. Diffuse natural light is best. Place your camera/screen with its back to a source of natural light, such as a window, such that the diffuse light is shining onto your face and not into the camera. If the light is too intense, don’t hesitate to dim it with curtains or blinds.

2. Make sure that the camera/screen is pointing downward. To achieve this, use a box (or even a specifically designed stand) to position it slightly above your eyes, as this will encourage you to keep your eyes open.

3. Practice zooming yourself prior to the meeting. This will allow you to center yourself in the screen and get the height correct.

4. Make sure that your hair and clothes are neat. Once you know you look nice, remember to look into the lens while talking and not into the picture of yourself (as tempting as that might be). I’ve found that lighter color business attire is usually best (though it really only has to be from the waist up).

5. Sit up straight! This gives you the appearance of paying attention.

6. Try not to touch your face, reduce noise distractions, and keep the area behind you tidy.

7. Finally, if you are using a phone, consider purchasing a tripod to allow for finer adjustments. Or, if you have a pop socket on your phone, you can simply hook the pop socket over the rim of a coffee mug, which will hold your phone in a good position for filming.

These are just a few of the things I try to remember while teleconferencing (though these ideas aren’t foolproof; I’m certainly evidence for that!). That being said, our clinic is currently offering telehealth visits to our already established patients if you would like to check in with myself or any one of our providers.

If you are an established patient or you interested in becoming a patient and would like to schedule an in person visit with our clinicians, please feel free to contact our superstar scheduling team at 202.244.8222 or via email at info@quistmd.com. They are always happy to help!

*All ideas borrowed, not original