Physical Therapy Modalities Manual Therapy: Within the physical therapy profession, manual therapy is defined as a clinical approach, utilizing skilled, specific hands-on techniques, including but not limited to manipulation/mobilization; used by the physical therapist to diagnose and treat soft tissues and joint structures for several purposes, including: increasing range of motion (ROM), reducing or eliminating soft tissue inflammation, inducing relaxation, improving contractile and non-contractile tissue repair, extensibility, and/or stability, facilitating movement, and improving function. Exercise Therapy: The primary focus of exercise therapy is to restore function, improve your quality of life and reduce pain by providing skillful, personalized exercise therapy programs for clients of varying ages and levels of dysfunction. Muscle Strengthening: Many forms of exercise increase muscle strength. All involve progressively increased resistance. When a muscle is very weak, movement against gravity alone is sufficient. As muscle strength increases, resistance is gradually increased by using stretchy bands or weights. In this way, muscle size (mass) and strength are increased, and endurance improves. Restorative Therapy (Range of motion): This care helps patients restore, maintain, and prevent further loss of ability. Balance Training: The focus of balance training is to teach the brain how to quickly activate the right muscles at the right time to keep you upright. Typically, the muscles of the feet and lower leg will turn on and off quickly to pull the body over to each side. The muscles of your torso can also activate to help keep your pelvis over your feet. The upper body muscles will often move the arms around allowing you to shift your center of gravity in order to help maintain balance. Functional Mobility Training: The idea of functional training is to help the body perform physical tasks from everyday activities, to specific sport movements. When most individuals think about functional training, they think muscle strength. However, the muscles must have the mobility to perform movements with proper body mechanics. Mobility is not the same as flexibility. Flexibility is the ability to stretch and hold movements. Mobility is the joints' and muscles' ability to stretch and maintain strength during movement. Developing functional mobility helps prevent injuries. Ultrasound: Ultrasound is a deep heating modality that is most effective in heating tissues of deep joints. It has been found to be helpful in improving the tension in connective tissue, which facilitates stretching. It is perhaps best used to improve limitations in segmental spinal range of motion following recurrent or chronic low back pain, as an adjunct in facilitating soft tissue mobilization and prolonged stretching by a skilled manual therapist. Electrical Muscle Stimulation (EMS): High voltage pulsed galvanic stimulation has been used in acute pain conditions to reduce muscle spasm and soft tissue edema (swelling). Electrical stimulation may be utilized in the initial stages of treatment in order to restore range of motion and strengthening. EMS is often combined with ice or heat to enhance its analgesic effect. Deep Heat (Diathermy): Diathermy is the therapeutic generation of local heat in body tissues by high-frequency electromagnetic currents. When deep heat is applied to the injured area, cellular metabolism speeds up, blood flow increases and accelerates tissue repair. The modality helps the tissues relax and stretch, thus alleviating stiffness. Heat also reduces nerve fiber sensitivity, thus increasing the patient's pain threshold. Inversion (Anti-gravity Decompression): Inversion or anti-gravity therapy is a natural way to help relieve back pain, increase circulation, and reduce stress and tension on the body. The benefits of inversion have been known to increase oxygen to the brain, remove toxins, increase physical and mental energy, reduce anxiety and stress; plus act as an effective treatment for many conditions of the spine. When the body is in a reverse gravity position, it slows down the degenerative process, strengthens ligaments, and increases balance, thus acting as a potent preventive treatment. Cervical Traction (Neck): Manual (by hand) therapeutic traction involves having the patient lie on his or her back in a relaxed position. The therapist carefully positions their hands in a way to support the patient's head while stretching or distracting the neck in a gentle and controlled manner. During traction, the therapist may reposition the head to one side, flex, or extend the neck using their hands. A change in head position during traction may affect more positive results in reducing the patient's symptoms. When a device is used, whether it is done in a seated or supine position, it is called mechanical traction. Lumbar Traction (Low Back): Manual lumbar traction involves distracting about half of the body's weight. After the patient is positioned, the therapist may pull at the ankles using controlled force. Another technique involves draping the patient's legs over the therapist's shoulders. The therapist then steadily pulls with their arms positioned across the patient's thighs. An alternative is a pelvic belt with straps used for distraction. Mechanical traction may incorporate the use of a motorized split-traction table. The patient is placed in a pelvic harness secured to one end of the table. Some motorized units are computerized, enabling the therapist to program the patient's session of therapeutic traction. Medical Massage: Medical Massage therapy is the practice of manual manipulation of the muscles and soft tissues of the body through a variety of techniques ranging from relaxation to clinical and therapeutic applications. Our massage therapists are highly experienced in the treatment of several conditions, ranging from chronic pain management to acute musculoskeletal injuries. In some instances we offer post-operative massage. Massage therapy promotes healthy circulation, range-of-motion, deep breathing, enhances immunity, and mental clarity. It naturally reduces stress and anxiety levels. Massage can be effective in: Paraffin Wax Treatment: Paraffin therapy is a soothing treatment that increases circulation, moisturizes the skin, and promotes a sense of calm. It aids in treating various conditions including: arthritis, fibromyalgia, tendonitis, fibrosis, and inflammation and muscle spasm. Paraffin wax treatment assists in reducing joint pain and stiffness by reducing excess fluid from surrounding tissue while providing lubrication. Many types of healthcare providers have long endorsed paraffin wax treatment as a therapeutic modality to increase the healing process naturally. |