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Physical Therapy

Injuries can occur at any time, even during common activities like driving, playing sports, exercising or even just being at home. Without immediate medical attention, these injuries can lead to serious impairment of function. Physical Therapy is a unique medical science and art that utilizies a variety of non-invasive treatment programs to help patients with limited physical functions, pain or movement disorders recover their full function and independence.

Modalities Used:

 

Detailed Information on Specific Techniques and Modalities

 

Ultrasound

Most people are familiar with "diagnostic" ultrasound which is a non-invasive method employed to image organs within the body, without radiation. Less common is the awareness of this technology as a therapeutic tool. Diagnostic ultrasound uses sound waves to create an image, whereas therapeutic ultrasound uses sound waves as the treatment.

Therapeutic ultrasound is a common modality that has been used in the healthcare industry for several decades. While once used mainly in sports and athletic rehabilitation, its use has become commonplace for the treatment of musculo-skeletal conditions, back and joint conditions, soft tissue injuries, decreased range of motion problems and for certain chronic conditions. The treatment increases blood flow, relaxes muscle spasms, repairs damaged tissue and speeds the healing process. It assists in the repair of both hard and soft tissues. It can be used to break up scar tissue, adhesions and reduce nerve root irritation. Its effectiveness has been enhanced over the years by studies that helped determine optimum techniques for application.

Ultrasound treatments are administered directly to the skin of the affected area with the use of gel as its conduction medium. It also can be performed by immersing the affected area in water. The water immersion method is best suited for hands and feet and other small, bony areas. Both methods provide a painless rehabilitative modality.

As with any medical treatment, therapeutic ultrasound should only be administered by a trained practitioner to assure its safety and effectiveness.

Electric Stimulation

Electrical muscle stimulation is a therapeutic modality that is used in pain management and physical therapy protocols for rehabilitation. It is a non-invasive procedure that uses interferential current. The average treatment time is 15 minutes.

It is used to treat tendons and ligaments as well as muscles, deep joints and viscera. It has been clinically proven to increase muscle tone, blood flow and lymphatic flow as well. It stimulates endorphin release and enkephalin production.

It is a useful adjunct when treating the following conditions: bursitis, capsulitis, disc syndromes, edema, facet syndrome, frozen shoulder, heel spur, low back pain (lumbago), migraine, myalgia, neuroma, osteoarthritis, sciatica, shingles, trigger points, muscle spasm, strains and sprains, stiffness, tendonitis, and TMJ dysfunction. (This is not a complete list of indications).

It is a painless procedure and many patients report they experience a pleasant sensation when being treated.

Craniosacral Therapy

Craniosacral (cranialsacral) therapy is a holistic healing practice which employs extremely light finger pressure focused primarily on the head, spine and sacrum.

The History of Craniosacral
Laying on of hands for healing is as old as humanity. The earliest written reference to "movement of spinal nerves" and its importance is found in the I-Ching, the Chinese Book of Changes which is 4000 years old. The ancient Chinese called craniosacral work "the art of listening." In the middle ages it was the bonesetters that sensed the fine movements of the body to assist healing and to treat headaches. In modern times, an American osteopath and biomedical genius named William Sutherland spent 50 years detailing the individual movements of the human cranium (skull) and pelvis. He called his work "Cranial Osteopathy". This was a tremendous contribution to the healing arts.

How Does It Work?
The cranial bones are connected to the sacrum by a continuous membrane system of connective tissue that houses the brain and spinal cord. The spinal fluid is pumped through the membranes, creating a rhythm which can be monitored and balanced. The rhythm, or cranial sacral pulse, is similar to the heartbeat, but it results from the rhythmic pumping of the spinal fluid in the head and spinal column. The whole body expands and contracts with this rhythm, but the cranial pulse can be felt most easily on the head. The core of your being, motor function, learning patterns, emotions, and ways of perceiving the world are affected by the balance of your Cranial Sacral system.

The therapist places their hands gently in different positions on the skull, spine and sacrum. As your Cranial Sacral system comes into balance, you will usually feel a release of accumulated stress and a general sense of well-being. Some specific complaints and physical problems will also clear up with Cranial Sacral work.

Cranial Sacral Therapy can be effective in shifting emotional holding patterns and draining accumulated stresses in the nervous system. Clients often experience relief from headaches and other problems located in the head, jaw, neck, pelvis, and diaphragm. Conditions as diverse as learning disability, poor concentration, biomechanical dysfunction, and palsy can start to clear up using Cranial Sacral Therapy. It can be used on newborns through geriatrics.

Low Level Laser Therapy (a.k.a. "Cold Laser")

Low level laser therapy is a painless, sterile, non-invasive, drug-free treatment which is used to treat a variety of pain syndromes, injuries, wounds, fractures, neurological conditions and pathologies. Laser therapy can be used any time a patient requests or needs a draggles procedure for the control of pain, when conventional therapies have been ineffective, or when the acceleration of healing from injuries is desired.

The theory for the creation of laser light was proposed by Albert Einstein in 1917, but is was not developed until 1960. It was in the late 1960's that Professor Endre Mester of Budapest, Hungary first reported his experience using laser light to treat non-healing wounds and ulcers in diabetic patients. Mester's 70% success rate in treating these wounds lead to the development of the science of what he called "laser biostimulation."

Around the world, laser therapy is rapidly becoming a medical therapy that can heal wounds and fractures up to 60% faster and also reduce the cost of treatment for many conditions. In the U.K., low level laser therapy has become the treatment of choice for soft tissue "whiplash" injuries and for the treatment of painful post-hereabouts neuralgia (shingles pain).

For more information about "Cold Laser," go to: www.laserhealthproducts.com.