Rehabilitation Services
Physical therapy services are all about REHABILITATION.
Rehabilitation occurs with the restoration of function, mobility, range of motion, coordination, strength and endurance. A person is rehabilitated when they can return to their pre-injury activities without pain or restriction. The dictionary defines rehabilitation as the restoration of good health and useful life through therapy and education.
To achieve rehabilitation of our patients, we divide our PT services into three phases:
- Phase One: Acute care
- Phase Two: Rehabilitation
- Phase Three: Sports or Work Specific training
In PT, the first cycle of action is the initial evaluation. We use this time to take a history, perform a musculoskeletal evaluation and a Selective Functional Movement Assessment which we use to determine the specific tissue that is injured, and its state of repair — the "working diagnosis". This assessment enables us to plan treatment in accordance with your doctors' prescription, referral or order for Physical Therapy Services, as well as your goals and objectives. The product of the initial evaluation is a treatment plan including frequency of visits, a personalized exercise program, and the nature of further intervention such as manual therapy or the application of modalities.
Routine PT visits in our clinic include:
- Manual therapy, a skill based hands-on treatment approach that takes joint mechanics and joint neurology into consideration.
- Functional Exercise Progressions, exercise programs designed to increase the tolerance of the tissue toward loading.
- Modalities or PT tools designed to assist the healing process in one way or another
Each visit typically begins with a period of aerobic exercise followed by a functional exercise program and manual therapy plus modalities as appropriate. Each patient is instructed in a personalized home exercise program and rescheduled for their next visit. During PT visits, patient education is emphasized in order to help the patient fully understand and control the situation.
Phase One consists of manual therapy, modalities and pain free exercises designed to hydrate and nourish the dense connective tissue, and inhibit pain and guarding. This is how we typically begin therapy.
Phase Two is more exercise oriented, with the goal of increasing the tolerance of the tissue toward loading. Phase two includes a combination of specific exercises to increase mobility or stability, as well as functional (feet on the ground) progressions that demand increase over time. Activities in this phase move from balance to plyometric activities. We continue to intervene with manual therapy and various appropriate modalities during this phase of therapy as we move the patient back towards a pain free status. The purpose of phase two is to restore natural mobility and stability to the body and to improve the tolerance of the tissue for loading. Phase Two activities should improve the ability of tissue to attenuate the expected forces once the patient returns to work or sports participation.
Phase Three begins the sports or work specific phase of therapy, once the patient approaches a pain free status. This is typically a high intensity work out cycle that mimics the critical demands of the sport or job. We discharge patients when they can perform the critical demands of their sport without compensation or pain to minimize the risk of re-injury. Phase three is a high demand, high intensity approach where we consider specifically, sport by sport, the demands that the patient will have to cope with during their return to competition (or work). Phase three is wrapped up as the patient returns to unrestricted participation in their activity.
If you want more information or have any questions, please Contact Us or Request an Appointment.
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