Services
Massage/Soft Tissue
Home Exercise Program
Electric Stimulation
Ultrasound
Balance & Coordination
Joint Mobilization
Phonophoresis
Pre-Post Surgical Therapy
Core Stabilization
Traction
Massage/Soft Tissue
Manual form of therapy in which the soft tissues are made more pliable with different techniques, promoting increased blood flow, decreased guarding, increased tissue mobility and subsequent healing.
Ultrasound
Ultrasound is a name given to sound waves that are of such high frequency that they are not detectable by the human ear. The sound waves when applied to human tissue are absorbed by the various tissues with the production of heat. Ultrasound does penetrate heat into human tissues deeper than any other heat modality, 4-6 cm. The benefits of heat from ultrasound include promotion of muscle relaxation, increased local metabolism, and reduction of pain by sedating nerve endings. Ultrasound waves also have non-thermal benefits resulting from vibration of molecules. These effects include increases in the flexibility of connective tissues such as joint capsules, ligaments, tendons, adhesions, scars and cellular membrane permeability that accelerates healing. Therapeutic ultrasound is a safe and effective tool for treating a variety of conditions that a physical therapist commonly encounters. Pulsed and continuous modes allow for ultrasound to be used for both acute and chronic cases, and ultrasound is most effective as part of an overall treatment plan, including stretching, therapeutic exercise, and mobilization.
Pre-Post Surgical Therapy
Therapy programs may follow specific protocols or individualized treatment plans with the aim of therapy being the return of strength, function and mobility. The programs may involve a variety of treatment options with goals set for the patient to resume normal activities of living as much as possible are established by a physical therapist after a thorough evaluation.
Home Exercise Program
Positive physical therapy results are largely dependent on a person’s adherence to a specific exercise regime that is established by a Physical Therapist. Individual home programs are written, taught, and monitored closely by the therapist through the duration of one’s therapy with progressive modifications that are based on the individual’s needs, progress and established goals.
Balance/Coordination Training
Balance is the ability to maintain the body in equilibrium with gravity both statically (e.g. while stationary) and dynamically (e.g. while walking). Persons with balance/coordination deficits due to trauma, disease, stroke or other impairment are assisted through physical therapy in improving their balance by following individual treatment plans established by a physical therapist after a thorough evaluation. Treatment plans may include balance activities, sensory training, ambulation training possibly with an assistive device, therapeutic exercise and modalities as appropriate.
Core Stabilization
Teaches the subtleties of movement to progressively train the muscles involved in segmental spinal control. The muscles involved in core stability ensure that the spine remains in a neutral position during functional movement. The goal of this training is to create dynamic spinal stability, increase core spinal strength and endurance, allow pain-free movement and function, and prevent future injury.
Electric Stimulation
Intervention through the application of electricity. Electrical stimulation of individual muscles is a means of providing exercise to muscles that the patient is unable to contract voluntarily. If the muscle has lost its physical connection with its nerve supply (is denervated), electrical stimulation can maintain nutrition of the muscle through promoting blood flow, decrease fibrotic changes and retard denervation atrophy. Electric stimulation used on muscles that have a nerve supply (are innervated) can strengthen healthy muscle, prevent or reverse disuse atrophy, maintain or improve mobility, promote peripheral circulation and prevent fibrotic changes. There are various types of electrical stimulation in use today and the type used and its specific application depends on the goals of treatment.
Joint Mobilization
Focus will be placed on Assessment, treatment and reassessment of the spine, pelvis and extremities using passive and active Joint mobilization to correct imbalance, pain and stiffness. Your hands will learn to palpate and to think skeletally rather than muscularly. Joint Mobilization is a manual technique directed at joints to restore function, decrease pain and restore mobility. It can help to improve the environment within the joint space and relax the surrounding tissues. When indicated, joint mobilization is a safe and effective means of restoring or maintaining joint play within a joint and can also be used for treating pain. Day one will focus mainly on the spine and pelvis and day two on the extremities.
Traction
The therapeutic use of manual tension created by a pulling force to produce a combination of distraction and gliding to relieve pain and increase tissue flexibility. Indications for traction therapy include, but are not limited to, decreased sensation that temporarily improves with manual traction, increased muscle tone that is reduced with manual traction, extremity pain or tingling that is temporarily relieved with manual traction, spinal nerve root impediment due to bulging, herniated or protruding disc, and muscle spasms that are causing nerve root impingement and general hypomobility of lumbar or cervical spine regions.
Phonophoresis
Phonophoresis is performed to relieve any pain or discomfort on the injured area(s). Phonophoresis uses an ultrasound to push medicine deep into your joints or muscles. An ultrasound machine makes sound waves that are too high for the human ear to hear. These sound waves travel through your skin and into your body. A gel is used between the head of the ultrasound machine and the skin to help the sound waves enter your body. Ultrasound waves create the effect of deep heat in your muscles and joints. In phonophoresis, medicine is added to the gel. The sound waves from the ultrasound machine push this medicine deep into your body. Phonophoresis is performed to relieve any pain or discomfort on the injured area(s).