Treatments
On your 1st day your physical therapist will evaluate and examine your condition through a systematic series of tests and measures to identify the underlying cause of your pain and/or dysfunction. They will then develop a specific plan of care unique to your condition to eliminate your symptoms, prevent recurrence, and return you back to an active, pain-free lifestyle.
Below is a list of some of the most common treatments performed by your Doctors of Physical Therapy at CC’s. Keep in mind the plan of care developed by your physical therapist may include many different combinations of treatment techniques specifically tailored to fit you and your body’s specific needs.
“eliminate your symptoms, prevent recurrence, and return to an active, pain-free lifestyle.”
Augmented Soft Tissue Mobilization
This technique uses a tool or instrument that allows the therapist to detect and treat myofascial restrictions. The technique consists of repetitive gliding of the instrument along the affected area using massage cream or oil as a lubricant. The tool causes controlled microtrauma to the affected soft tissue and stimulates a local inflammatory response. This microtrauma initiates reabsorption of the scar tissue and subsequently facilitates healing of the treated area.
Balance and Gait Training
Physical therapists specialize in the study of the body’s movement, especially while walking. Through gait analysis, they will be able to find gait deviations or abnormalities that may be causing pain, loss of balance, or put you at a higher risk for an injury. These may be limitations in strength, range of motion, orthotics, or a simple adjustment to be conscious of while walking. Correcting these gait dysfunctions can often become a permanent solution to eliminating your symptoms, improving your balance and preventing future injury.
Electrical Stimulation
In conjunction with other treatments, your therapist may choose to utilize electrical stimulation to further improve your condition. Electrical stimulation is used to elicit a contraction in a single muscle or group of muscles. This causes muscle relaxation, increased blood flow, and will subsequently retrain the nervous system to utilize the muscle properly. Afterward, this can result in significant muscle relaxation and decreased overall pain.
Functional Dry Needling
All of our therapists have received advanced certifications in functional dry needling through Kinetacore. Functional dry needling is a therapeutic treatment procedure that involves the insertion of a solid filament needle into the muscle or tissue and often contains a “trigger point.” There is no injectable solution and the needle that is used is very thin. Patients will often feel a sensation that feels like a cramp, also referred to as a “local twitch response.” This treatment has a biochemical characteristic to it in which the muscle relaxes and lengthens, causing a decrease in pain and tension as well as return of normal function. This technique is unequaled in finding and eliminating neuromuscular dysfunction that leads to pain and functional deficits. Following a dry needling session, there is no rest period or limitation from exercise and patients are encouraged to stay active.
Iontophoresis
Iontophoresis uses electrical stimulation to drive negatively charged medication through the skin into the affected tissues to decrease pain and eliminate pain. This is especially useful in local areas of inflammation such as tennis elbow, ankle sprains, ITB Syndrome, and many others. We use an iontophoresis hybresis patch with the medication dexamethasone and after application it can be worn out of the office and disposed after just 2 hours.
Joint Manipulation
Joint manipulation is a step beyond a joint mobilization in which a gentle thrust is applied to a joint at its end range. This often causes a “pop” or “crack”, also known as a cavitation. This cavitation helps to restore joint range of motion and eliminate pain by realigning joint surfaces to their normal anatomical state.
Joint Mobilization
Joint mobilization is a hands on technique in which your therapist performs a skilled passive movement to the joint to restore optimal range of motion and function as well as reduce pain. These movements include gliding joint surfaces along each other or distracting a joint from the opposing surface to stretch a capsule and allow further range of motion at the specific joint.
Kinesiotaping
Kinesiotaping utilizes a unique elastic cotton tape with an acrylic adhesive that is applied to the skin at various locations, tensions, and lengths. This can be used in conjunction with your treatment to help reduce symptoms throughout the day. Kinesiotape can provide facilitation, support and/or stability to a muscle or group of muscles and help restore normal joint movement, decrease pain, or reduce swelling.
Myofascial Release (MFR)
There are 4 main layers of tissue in the body: bone – muscle – fascia – skin. Often times these tissues become adhered to one another and cause a restriction in range of motion and an increase in pain. MFR is a technique in which your therapist will use their hands to eliminate tissue restrictions and pain, as well as restore range of motion. MFR involves applying sustained pressure to painful tissues (trigger points) to allow the tissue to relax. This causes greater movement between the layers which your therapist will then use their hands to further mobilize the skin away from the fascia, or the fascia away from the muscle. Following treatment, you may immediately notice results such as decreased symptoms or improved range of motion.
Postural Correction
Our therapists have advanced training from the Postural Restoration Institute. This has allowed us to locate the true source of a dysfunction by assessing how a patient moves and what their current strength and range of motion is. With restrictions in certain areas, the body will compensate in another area to make up for that restriction causing increased strain and subsequent pain with movement. Postural re-education focuses on establishing normal movement in the body by preventing biomechanical compensations to eliminate pain and prevent future injury from occurring.
Strength and Conditioning
Physical therapy is not only for people with pain. If you are looking to increase strength, improve stamina, or just want to ensure you are headed in the right direction with your fitness plan, we are here to help. We will ensure your exercise program reflects your specific fitness goals, and will work together with you to find a program that not only challenges you physically, but is also enjoyable for you to perform on a regular basis. We strongly emphasize safety with exercise, and will meticulously correct weight lifting form to get the most efficiency from your muscles while preventing the risk of injury.
Therapeutic Exercise Prescription
As part of your individualized plan of care developed by your physical therapist, you will receive a specific therapeutic exercise prescription. This program will focus on stretches or strengthening with the overall goal of maintaining a pain free state, as well as preventing recurrence of your condition.
Vertigo Treatment
Initially, your physical therapist will complete a series of tests and measures will be performed to determine your particular type of vertigo. Often times with vertigo, there are calcium crystals that dislodge from the canals in your inner ear. These crystals are responsible for sending signals to your brain about your head and body movements in space. This is why the common symptoms of dizziness, room spinning, and nausea occur. To restore the position of these crystals, your physical therapist will perform a series of maneuvers to return the crystals to their normal resting position. Often times this treatment will result in immediate relief of symptoms.
Mechanical Traction
Free Consults
Our team of physical therapists are here for you. Whether your needs are prevention at the start of a new exercise program or injuries from the “good old” days that are now starting to haunt you, we can address the needs specific to your situation. We are always available for FREE consultations. As an added bonus, CC’s will verify your individual insurance benefits to avoid the guessing game of costs associated with physical therapy.