Treatment and Conditions

The Process

The process begins with an extensive initial evaluation that assesses your biomechanics, the interaction of your structure, motion and function. Treatment will focus on the joints, muscles/soft tissue, viscera and neurovascular aspects of the body and the interplay between them.

The Session

Each treatment session is 55 minutes in length. Patients will spend high quality, one-on-one time with the practitioner at all sessions; hands-on care will be emphasized. All manual therapy will then be supported with exercise to address strength, flexibility, muscular recruitment, balance/proprioception and overall function.

Services

Manual Therapy A hands-on approach to treatment in which change is created in the muscle, joints, fascia, or nerve through the mobilization of joints and soft tissue. Specifically, techniques will be used from the Certified Manual Therapy program from The University of St. Augustine (Stanley Paris) and from the Certified Functional Manual Therapy program from The Institute of Physical Art (Gregg and Vicky Johnson). Techniques from Mulligan and Maitland are incorporated as well.

Visceral Manipulation This is a gentle hands-on approach to treatment in which the therapist “evaluates and treats the dynamics of motion and suspension in relation to organs, membranes, fascia and ligaments.”

1: gentle manual therapy that assesses the structural relationships between the viscera (organs), and their fascial or ligamentous attachments to the various systems in the body.

2: assists functional and structural imbalances throughout the body including musculoskeletal, vascular, nervous, urogenital, respiratory, digestive, eliminatory, neuroendocrine and lymphatic dysfunction.

Source: (The Barral Institute)

Neural Manipulation This is a gentle hands-on approach to treatment in which the therapist “examines mechanical relationships between the cranium/spine hard frame to the dura and neural elements.”

1: light-touch hands-on treatment that releases local nerve restrictions while at the same time examines the effect these local fixations have on the rest of the body, and by accessing this relationship, changes the more comprehensive (global) dysfunctional patterns.

2: enhances the proper functioning of the nervous system - one of the communication highways throughout the body.

Source: (The Barral Institute)

Neuromuscular Re-education This technique is designed to address specific body movement patterns by training or retraining the muscles, the brain, and the nerves that communicate between the two to allow for improved mobility and function.

Weighted Vest Evaluation The BalanceWear vest/garment is designed to “help patients suffering losses of three-dimensional balance, postural control, and alignment, which may be a side effect of a wide variety of neurological and orthopedic disorders including multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s Disease, ataxia, stroke, spinal disc dysfunction and more.”

Source: (Motion Therapeutics)

Graston technique An approach that utilizes a patented, evidence-based form of instrument-assisted soft tissue mobilization to aid in injury recovery. Stainless steel instruments are utilized by the therapist to discover and treat fascial restrictions as well as muscle and tendon dysfunctions in the body.

Therapeutic exercise A structured group of exercises designed for the specific individual that is designed to improve strength, flexibility, neural mobility, and joint mobility to enhance a person’s function. Mat exercises from BASI Pilates are often used as foundational exercises to improve stability and proximal control.

Gait training A treatment that addresses muscle strength, joint mobility, coordination in the lower extremities, balance and posture, endurance and muscle memory in order to improve your ability to walk with a more normalized or normal gait pattern.

Balance training A treatment approach that incorporates specifically designed exercises that address the strength of muscles around joints, postural control, and stability of your body’s upright position. Balance training can help prevent falls as well as improve athletic performance.

Conditions Treated

Musculoskeletal Spine: Neck and low back pain are two of the most common reasons individuals seek out medical treatment. Both cause altered function in daily life. Low back pain has consistently accounted for the largest number of years that people live with a disability in the U.S. It does not have to be this way. Suffering from neck or low back pain can be changed with specific care designed for the individual that incorporates hands-on care with education and exercise.

Back pain

Pinched nerve (radiculopathy)

Sacroiliac joint dysfunction

Soft tissue sprain/strain

Ribcage/thoracic pain and stiffness

Neck pain

Headaches

TMJ

Herniated disc

Sciatica

Upper extremity: So much of what we do in the course of the day requires optimal functioning of the shoulder, elbow, wrist, and hand. From getting dressed to reaching into the cabinet to playing a sport, a healthy arm matters. Common injuries such as rotator cuff disorders, golfer’s/tennis elbow or carpal tunnel can truly limit your ability to do the things you need to do or love to do. With a skilled and comprehensive evaluation, a treatment plan designed for the individual and high-quality one-on-one care, you can get back to doing the things that matter.

Rotator cuff tendonitis/impingement

Lateral epicondylitis (tennis elbow)

Sprain/strain

Carpal tunnel

Scapular dyskinesis

Adhesive capsulitis (frozen shoulder)

Medial epicondylitis (golfer’s elbow)

Post-surgical/post-fracture

Thoracic outlet syndrome

Osteoarthritis

Lower extremity: Whether you are an athlete who sustained a recent injury or whether wear and tear have impacted your joints, there is something to be done. Hip, knee, ankle, and foot injuries often cause difficulty in doing the normal things you want to do: walking, household chores, yard work, or participating in a sport or exercise program. Physical therapy can guide the process to return to normal function.

Hip pain

Hamstring injury

Hip impingement syndrome

Ligamentous sprain (MCL, ACL)

Ankle sprains/tendonitis

Knee pain

Patellofemoral syndrome

Patellar tendonitis

Meniscal injury

Plantar fascitis

Neurological The nervous system, which includes the brain, spinal cord, and nerves, may be affected by biochemical, electrical, or structural abnormalities. While cause and symptoms vary greatly, physical therapy can help intervene in mechanical and structural challenges related to neurological conditions. The symptoms related to diagnoses such as headaches, ataxia, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, and stroke can be addressed to allow for improved function and quality of life.

Balance dysfunction

Ataxia

Multiple Sclerosis

Parkinson’s Disease

Post-Stroke

Gastrointestinal Functional GI disorders and motility issues are among the most common gastrointestinal disorders in the US. Functional GI disorders can include a disruption in normal motility, hypersensitivity of the viscera (organs), restricted fascial and ligamentous attachments of the viscera to the musculoskeletal system, altered mucosal and immune function, dysfunction of the gut microbiota and changes in the central nervous system processing.

Physical therapy, specifically visceral and neural manipulation by a physical therapist, can help to improve the function of the gastrointestinal system by affecting fascial restrictions which alter the way an organ may function, by treating nerve buds which can have a positive effect on adjacent viscera and by improving neural control to allow for proper visceral (organ) activity which then provides feedback to the central nervous system. Some common reasons for the altered function of viscera are strains in connective tissue which may be caused by chronic postures, injury to specific structures, surgical scars, adhesions, or illness/disease.

GERD/reflux

Constipation/diarrhea

Bloating

Other There are many conditions that arise from degenerative changes, from repetitive stress or from disease processes that can be addressed with physical therapy. In all of these cases, the physical therapist gets a thorough understanding of the changes in your body and, with hands-on therapy, exercise, and education, guides you to improve your function in daily life.

Postural dysfunction

Gait dysfunction

Fibromyalgia

Scoliosis

Osteoporosis

Hypermobility syndrome

Balance dysfunction

Migraines