Dr. Ryan Armetta of Armetta Chiropractic spends a half-hour each Tuesday reaching out to members of The Glenwood through exercise.
As a student intern at Logan College of Chiropractic University, Armetta worked in assisted living homes. As a business owner in Mahomet, Armetta reached out to the Glenwood and Bridle Brook to work with residents in the assisted living facilities.
“A lot of what they do every day is done sitting,” Armetta said. “It’s always good to get up and get muscle activation and improve strength in other areas of the body. When they do get up and start moving, they need those muscles.”
Armetta focuses on the major muscle groups, but he also has residents practice stabilization of minor muscle group that will help them with balance and coordination. The program prevents falls in the long run.
While Armetta can only come to The Glenwood once a week, residents at The Glenwood get to exercise twice a week, as daughters of a few residents come in to do an exercise program on Fridays.
Armetta said he’s seen improvement in the group which started out at three residents and has grown to about 10.
“I try to keep it as light-hearted as possible,” Armetta said. “Nobody like exercising, and it’s not the type of exercise where we do a lot of dexterity stuff, but the bands really help with a lot of different muscle group. I think that’s the best way to get results I want with the residents.”
The group has come a long way with coordination, being able to grip the bands the right way and have made general strength gains. Armetta said the little gains equate to bigger successes in the long run when the residents stick with the program.
“As long as you’re getting them active that’s the whole key to the game,” Armetta said.
Armetta Chiropractic opened on February 20. The Armetta family has been residents of Mahomet for 30 years.
