Rehabilitation Services
Physical therapy will often be prescribed by your doctor for many conditions before and after surgery. The goal of physical therapy is to streamline your recovery, improve your function and range of motion, and strengthen your muscles. Our physical therapists work closely with patients and doctors to create the best possible plan for you.
Our licensed physical therapists have years of experience. They provide physical therapy for a variety of diagnoses including orthopedic injuries, sports injuries, chronic conditions such as arthritis, and rehabilitation of pre and post-operative patients.
Advantage Physical Therapy provides physical therapy specific to the needs of each patient. Treatment may include manual “hands-on” therapy, joint mobilization, cervical and lumbar stretching, therapeutic exercises, balance training, posture, body mechanics training, and patient education.
Conditions affecting the musculoskeletal system
Orthopedic physical therapy can be a primary or complementary treatment option for the following types of musculoskeletal conditions:- arthritis
- bursitis
- scoliosis
- frozen shoulder
- knee instability
- spinal stenosis
- joint pain
- limited range of motion
Rehabilitation after surgery
After you have surgery, orthopedic physical therapy is recommended to help reduce pain, normalize your walking, improve your range of motion, and prevent excessive scar tissue buildup. Additionally, it may also help you regain your balance, strength, and mobility. Patients often work with an orthopedic physical therapist after surgeries such as:
- hip replacement
- knee replacement
- shoulder replacement
- knee arthroscopy
- rotator cuff repair
- Spin surgery
Rehabilitation after chronic injury
Chronic injury is damage to your body that occurs over time, usually because your movement patterns have caused small, repetitive injuries to your tendons, bones, or joints. Examples of chronic injuries include:
- shin splints
- shoulder impingement
- tennis elbow
- back pain
Rehabilitation after acute injury
An acute injury is one that happens as a result of a single trauma to the body. If you sprain an ankle, tear your meniscus, or herniate a disc in your back, an orthopedic physical therapist can help you:
- manage pain and swelling
- function with the weight-bearing restrictions your doctor recommends
- regain as much of your range of motion as possible
- rebuild your strength
- learn how to move in ways that don’t make your condition flare up again
What types of treatments are used?
Orthopedic physical therapists use a wide range of therapeutic modalities, exercises, assistive devices, and patient education methods to help you.
Depending on how your therapist uses these treatments, they may be:
- Passive modalities meaning the therapist gives you a treatment.
- Active modalities where you perform or participate in a movement.
Here are some examples of treatments that may be used with orthopedic physical therapy.
- Hot/cold therapy treats the musculoskeletal system for pain and swelling
- Exercise therapy is an exercise plan that will likely include strengthening, mobility or balance-building exercise. Your physical therapist will go over these exercises and make sure you are doing them correctly.
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E-stim (TENS or NMES)
- Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) uses low voltage electrical current to provide pain relief. It’s thought that the electrical impulses may help block pain receptors from being sent from your nerves to your brain.
- Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation (NMES) uses a device that sends electrical impulses to nerves. This causes your muscles to contract. This causes your muscles to contract which is useful for retraining muscles on how to work after an injury or surgery.
- Traction takes the pressure off irritated compressed or damaged joints. It can be conducted by a piece of equipment or the therapist’s hands. This an effective treatment for neck pain, lower back pain, and degenerative disc conditions in the spine.
- Soft tissue mobilization is a form of manual physical therapy in which the physical therapist uses hands-on techniques on your muscles, ligaments and facia. This is done to break adhesions and to optimize muscle function.
- Personalized Blood Flow Restriction Therapy (PBFR) is the application of a specialized tourniquet system to a proximal arm or leg, which is inflated, to a personalized and specific pressure to reduce blood flow to an exercising extremity. The application is brief and intermittent, typically about 6 minutes per exercise, but can last up to 30 minutes based on the specific protocol.
