Physical Therapy Services We Offer

• Back and Spine Care
• Balance Training and Vestibular Rehabilitation
• Aquatic therapy
• Electrical stimulation
• Home exercise plan/self-management
• Soft tissue mobilization and massage
• Therapeutic exercise
• Ultrasound
• Adapted wellness

After your initial evaluation, your therapist will work with you to develop a treatment plan that fits your goals.

Back and Spine Care

We are proud to be one of the first in the area to offer a new treatment called the “Active Therapeutic Movement” technique. The ATM-2 has been shown to provide rapid relief of pain for patients with both acute and chronic conditions. This method of treatment is used extensively with professional golfers and growing in popularity because of the outstanding results achieved.

We also use a blend of the following techniques as needed to assist our patients on their road to recovery.

• Manual therapy
• Guided exercise for stretching and dynamic strength training
• Body mechanics training and posture re-education
• Ultrasound and electric stimulation

Balance Training and Vestibular Rehabilitation

Balance requires a complex set of reactions and co-ordination between several systems of the body. We rely on our vision and inner ear (vestibular system) for positional sense. Additionally, we rely on our muscular system give us clues about our position. Then it carries out the needed motions to keep us in balance. Problems in any one of these systems can result in poor balance. This may result in the worsening of painful conditions, decreased endurance and falls. An evaluation by your doctor or a therapist can help to determine the cause of your balance problems.

Dizziness is a common cause of balance difficulties and it can be caused by a number of different problems. A few causes of dizziness include problems with blood pressure, medications or inner ear dysfunction. Your doctor can determine the cause of your dizziness and how to treat it. Some common inner ear problems can be effectively treated with physical therapy. A qualified therapist will assist you with a precise set of exercises to reposition small objects in the inner ear and stop the dizziness. These techniques have been shown to be very effective when done properly with the right patients.

Muscular weakness and lack of co-ordination is also another common cause of balance difficulties. A therapist will determine the specific areas the patient has problems with. Based on these findings, they will use a blend of biofeedback and various therapeutic techniques to assist the patient to better strength and control.

Aquatic Therapy

Patients with a variety of disorders and painful conditions may exercise their bodies without suffering stress and impact on joints. Working in a warm pool helps you to relax and allows you to move your body with less pain while increasing mobility and soothing arthritis.

Without the physical limitations experienced on the ground or with an exercise table each movement is met with resistance in all directions simultaneously. This helps to improve your balance and core stability and to alleviate many painful conditions.

Aquatic therapy has been around for many years, yet we are just beginning to realize the extent of its therapeutic benefits. Patients with a variety of disorders and painful conditions may exercise their bodies without suffering stress and impact on their joints.

Physical and occupational therapists work with their patients in a warm pool to achieve a variety of goals. Warm water is relaxing, allowing patients to move their bodies with less pain and increased mobility, soothing arthritic pain and spasticity. Patients who are very weak benefit from buoyancy. In water body weight may be reduced as much as 90%, allowing patients to move in ways that are not possible on land.

Movement is possible in all directions without the physical limitations experienced on the ground or with an exercise table. Each movement the patient performs is met with resistance in all directions simultaneously. Enhanced reaction forces in the pool allow patients to experience unique challenges with their balance and core stability. Improvement in a patient's stability and balance may help many painful conditions.

The pool offers something for everyone. Aquatic therapy may be used at any age, from the very young to the elderly. Patients with impaired balance have more freedom to explore movement, walking and standing. Buoyancy offers a measure of safety that is not available on land. The pressure and turbulence created in the pool provide the exerciser additional feedback about position and movement. Flotation or resistive devices offer outstanding results for those patients who need advanced challenges in developing core stability.

Aquatic therapy provides a wealth of therapeutic opportunities for all types of patients. A skilled practitioner uses properties unique to the pool to help patients achieve goals that may not be achieved with traditional land-based therapy alone.

Electrical Stimulation

Since your nerves and muscles are driven by weak electrical impulses, therapists can use electrical stimulation to improve your health. Electrical stimulation can relax or strengthen muscles. Concentrated applications can help to manage acute or chronic pain. At times electrical stimulation can be used to reduce swelling. Like ultrasound, this form of treatment is often performed in conjunction with therapeutic exercise or massage to help patients reach their goals. Please note: Electrical stimulation is not for all patients, like those with cardiac pacemakers or other electrical implants. Your doctor and physical therapist will determine if this form of treatment is right for you.

Home Exercise Plan/Self-Management

Your physical therapist may determine that you would benefit from specific exercises or activities done outside the clinic. The frequency and type of exercises vary according to your needs.

Frequently small changes in lifestyle and recommended to assist the rehabilitation process and help you maintain the gains you have made once therapy is completed. These small changes may include practice with proper lifting techniques or correct posture when sitting.

Part of self-management may include making changes or adding to your wellness routine. Our goal is to help you manage your symptoms and maintain a healthy active lifestyle. We work to give you the information you need to take good care of yourself.

Soft Tissue Mobilization

Soft tissue massage is often used in physical therapy. A skilled physical therapist will use soft tissue massage to help relieve muscle spasms and tightness. Specific myofascial release techniques can be used to improve posture and painful conditions like back pain and rotator cuff impingement. Physical therapists may also use this technique to reduce scar tissue and improve general mobility or to help with chronic swelling in the arms and legs after surgical procedures.

Therapeutic Exercise

Physical therapists use a variety of exercises to assist with the rehabilitative process. Stretching and strengthening exercises are often used to improve posture, decrease pain, and improve strength and function. Some activities are prescribed to improve balance and walking. For certain patients exercise and other therapeutic activities may help to improve coordination or agility.

Exercise may be done with a variety of equipment or using your own body weight as resistance. Your physical therapist will carefully evaluate your condition and goals before determining which exercises are right for you. Next you will learn how to do the exercises properly with the help of your physical therapist. You may be assigned certain exercises to do as homework. This will help your healing process.

Ultrasound

Therapeutic ultrasound is high frequency sound used to create heat deep within your muscle tissue. The ultrasound used in physical therapy is of a higher frequency that the diagnostic ultrasound used by doctors to see unborn babies. After evaluation of your condition and goals your physical therapist may use therapeutic ultrasound to promote muscle relaxation and tissue healing.

Many patients feel only a gentle warmth, if anything at all, because the heat is directed deep within the muscle. At times your physical therapist may use ultrasound before stretching or a massage to help relax the muscles and enhance the effect of your treatment.

Adapted Wellness

When it comes to wellness, one size does not fit all. Many Americans live with chronic conditions like diabetes, stroke, pain, heart disease and clinical obesity. Studies show that exercise is an important component in the management of these conditions. How can you exercise when two or more of these conditions seem to conflict? What type of exercise is best for you?

People, like you, with limited time want to make the most of their precious workouts. Finding a program that provides you with the most benefit can be difficult. With the approval of your doctor a physical therapist carefully evaluates all your needs and creates a wellness program that is right for you! Learn to think of exercise as recess for adults. It makes it more fun.

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