Your Physical Therapy Journey

You are about to embark on a journey to better physical health.

You will feel your physical problems grow smaller like a shore which you are sailing from. You will receive tools that you can use for the rest of your life to assist you in preventing recurrence. Ready? Let's Go.

You start your trip with an evaluation. This includes a history of you and your problem, past medical considerations and present treatments. It also includes where you want to go, that is, what are your personal goals and aims for your service here. From this we will develop a map for your recovery.

Next you will begin your treatment. Usually because pain or discomfort is a factor this is addressed first. You may get to experience a variety of physical agents to deal with this aspect of your problem. These may include:

Hot packs — These are silicone gel canvas packs that are heated to 150° degrees F and applied to the body part with a minimum of six towel layers. This provides soothing heat to relax the body and sore muscles.

Cold packs - These are gel packs that are frozen and applied to the body. Cold will numb the pain and reduce swelling.

Ultrasound - This is a device that converts electricity into sound waves. The sound wave is transmitted into the body through a conductive gel or lotion. These sound waves penetrate up to 3 inches in depth and are then changed to heat energy in the tissues of the body. This deep heat increases circulation to sore muscles, soothes irritated nerves, and increases tissues' elasticity. If a medicine is used in the conductive gel, it is called phonophoresis. In this case the sound waves "drive" the medicine through the skin to the underlying tissue.

Electrical Stimulation - This treatment uses different types of electrical current to block the pain signal, increase the circulation, or cause under used muscle to contract. The effect of the stimulation is dependent on the current type. A special type of current is used to drive medicine through the skin. This is called lontophoresis.

Traction - This treatment helps to stretch muscle and reduces tension on spinal tissue.

Manual Therapy - The therapist

uses his/her hands to manipulate

soft tissue (myofascial release)

and/or joints to decrease spasm, increase flexibility, and reduce pain.

Supportive Equipment -

This may include tape, braces or splints to put irritated tissue at rest. It may also include walker, crutches, or canes to help you move about safely.

Exercise - The basis of all programs is exercise. These may include stretching or strengthening. These activities are introduced slowly to determine the effect on you. You can help by doing the exercises given to you by the therapist at home. Almost all exercises are going to help your posture. That's because your body works best when your posture is most ideal.

Education - With knowledge we can help you prevent reoccurrence. This may be how to do something or what to do if the problem happens again. This may be what exercise you have to do to prevent the problem or body postures that will minimize the risk.

This is your view of your therapy journey. Now it's time for you to come on board and let us work with you on "Engineering Your Return to Healthy Living".