I’ve heard of physical therapy but I don’t know what it is. What is it?

Physical therapy is a medical, hands-on approach to relieving pain and restoring function. Physical therapists are medical experts in musculoskeletal and neurological conditions and work closely with physicians.

Our physical therapists evaluate your movement patterns, identify the cause of your pain, and work to eliminate it.

While every patient’s condition and pain is unique, our physical therapist will use a variety of gentle hands-on techniques, exercises, and equipment to relieve pain quickly and restore your function to optimum levels.

The overall goal is to restore pain-free mobility and function and to prevent the injury or pain from recurring.

Q. Do you only treat athletic injuries?

A. No. Although I am known for providing rapid recovery of injuries (which tends to be very popular among athletes), I have just as many patients who come to me with chronic pain and long-term issues. I treat any musculoskeletal condition from head to toe from headaches to back pain, and TMJ to ankle sprains.

Q. Will I have to stop participating in my sport or any exercise routine while I am getting treatment?

A. Occasionally this is a necessary move to allow for the most rapid and full recovery, but in my clinic it is very rare. I pride myself on getting my patients back to the activities they love extremely quickly and quite often that means I have them performing these activities by the end of the first visit. After all, we can’t say that you are “fixed” until you can do the things you want without pain, right?

Q. How long after an injury should I wait to get treatment?

A. In general, the longer you wait to get treatment, the longer time will take to fix the injury. Moving the tissues back into their pre-injury arrangement becomes harder the longer they have been in a distorted/injured state. Of course, newly injured tissues will be more sensitive to touch, but immediate treatment will help ensure a faster return to normal painfree activity.

Q. What is Fascia?

A. Fasia is “the soft tissue component of the connective tissue system that permeates the human body. It interpenetrates and surrounds muscles, bones, organs, nerves, blood vessels and other structures. Fascia is an uninterrupted, three-dimensional web of tissue that extends from head to toe, from front to back, from interior to exterior. After injury, it is the fascia that creates an environment for tissue repair.”- Paoletti, Serge (2006). The Fasciae: Anatomy, Dysfunction & Treatment.

We focus on treating MYOFASCIA to restore chronic pain or your dysfunctions such as reaching, bending, lifting, walking, stair climbing and running.

For more details on Fascia, visit here ‘https://www.anatomytrains.com/fascia/

Q. How is it possible for these treatments to resolve pain and injuries so much faster than other healthcare practitioners I have seen in the past?

A. After injury, most people visit an orthopedic specialist or general practitioner. If the injury is not in need of surgery, the common plan of care involves medications as needed for pain, inflammation, or spasm; in addition, a referral to Physical Therapy. Though there is certainly a place for these medications, it is important to know that they are treating the symptoms and secondary results of the injury, Not the cause of the symptoms and inflammation. In traditional Physical Therapy, there is a large emphasis on modalities (ultrasound, electrical stimulation, heat/cold packs, etc) and exercises to help ‘set the stage’ for the body to heal the injured tissues, resolve excessive inflammation, and regain strength and range of motion. The focus is now more on the causes of pain and dysfunction, but still relies heavily on the body’s lengthy process of the healing itself. Something many do not know is that a primary cause of a person’s pain/dysfunction is actually the changes/distortions of the body’s connective tissues (called “Fascia”). With very specific, and fairly rare, hands-on manual therapy techniques, these Fascial distortions can be immediately moved back to a more normal position/arrangement. When this happens, the pain, weakness, and limited movement associated with an injury is also immediately improved. Pain from tendinitis and ligament sprains can usually be made at least 50% better, and sometimes 100%, in the first treatment.

Are your physical therapists trained to treat my condition?

Physical therapists have years of university level training in anatomy, physiology, kinesiology (study of joint movement), neurology, and many of the other medical sciences.

Our physical therapists have graduated from accredited physical therapy programs and are state licensed. Depending on the university, the physical therapy program is either a masters or doctorate level degree.

Rest assured, your therapist is well trained to evaluate and treat your condition.

Will physical therapy hurt me?

Physical therapy is not meant to hurt, but to relieve pain. However, as you restore your mobility, pain levels, at times can fluctuate. You might experience some temporary soreness from using muscles that are weakened or recovering.

This is a normal response to therapy treatment. Good communication with your therapist will help minimize any discomfort. We want you on your way to quick pain relief and back to normal activities.

Will physical therapy benefit me?

Working with you and your doctor, we can discuss your options and help determine if physical therapy will be the right choice for you. Call us today to discuss your current condition or request an appointment now.

How do I find a physical therapist?

As a patient you have the right to receive physical therapy at any place you choose. At Balance in Motion Physical Therapy, you will receive the highest quality care while achieving the results you need.

We pride ourselves on providing a positive, encouraging environment with well-trained, friendly staff. We are confident in our ability to help you reach your goals and live a pain-free life.

Q. How many visits would I need to return to 100 % normal condition?

A. This is always a tricky question, because it varies with every patient, and is dependent on a large number of factors. What I can say is that, in general, you will usually need less than half as many treatments as you would expect to need when going to a more traditional PT clinic. Pain and dysfunction that has been present for a long time will usually, but not always, take longer to fix than more recent & acute problems. Certain conditions like herniated disc will obviously take longer to resolve than something like a hamstring strain. In general, muscle pain gets better within 5-7 treatments for the average patient, and quite often 2-4 treatments are all that is needed