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.
Download
Exercises:
4-Way
Ankle with Theratubing - (.pdf 30k)
4-Way
Hip Exercises on Plinth - (.pdf 56k)
4-Way
Hip with Theratubing (Standing) - (.pdf 24k)
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 painfree 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.
Iontophoresis
Iontophoresis is an effective and painless method
of delivering medication to a localized tissue area
by applying electrical current to a solution of the
medication. Like electrical charges repel and opposite
attract. Therefore, application of a positive current
will drive positively charged drug molecules away
from the electrode and into the tissues; similarly,
a negative current will drive negatively charge ions
into the tissues.
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).
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