Tools And Techniques
There are many effective tools and techniques that may be used throughout the course of your physical therapy. Some have stood the test of time, others are new and emerging. At Providence Physical Therapy we believe our greatest tools will always be our Head, Hands, and Heart:
Head : Continually pursuing the latest medical knowledge, improving clinical decision making, and thoughtfully applying the best evidence to your unique situation.
Hands : Active, skillful, hands-on interaction with our patients to enhance outcomes and deliver unmatched value.
Heart : Motivated by our faith, we seek to love and serve others genuinely to the best of our God-given abilities.
The most effective treatment combines the benefit of techniques such as manual therapy, exercise, and neuromuscular reeducation. Explore the components of our skilled services below. Let us develop an individual treatment plan that will accomplish your goals.
Manual Therapy
Manual Therapy encompasses a variety of skilled hands-on techniques such as joint and soft-tissue mobilizations, manipulations, massage, release techniques, manual traction, and instrument augmented techniques, to name a few. There many specific approaches within these categories.
David is a manual therapist who enjoys utilizing a variety of manual techniques. He has advanced his skills and training specifically in manual therapy as a focus of his continuing education.
Manual therapy is used to restore and promote:
Tissue mobility
Range of motion
Joint mechanics
Neuromuscular tone
Improved circulation
Reduced pain
Scar and fascia remodelling
Reduced swelling/inflammation
Therapeutic Exercise
Therapeutic Exercise is different from general activity and general exercise. It is the skilled application of prescribed movements to achieve a targeted effect to improve function. Physical therapists assess your body and determine which exercises, movements, and postures are needed for your condition. How, when, and why each exercise is selected and performed is where the skill of a physical therapist is needed.
Research strongly suggests that a combination of manual therapy and proper therapeutic exercise produce effective, lasting results for most conditions.
Therapeutic exercise restores and promotes:
Flexibility
Strength
Endurance
Stability
Coordination and control
Healthy movement patterns
Proper posture
Relaxation
Neuromuscular Reeducation
This is an important area that is often overlooked, or at least taken for granted. Our brain and central nervous system is the Control Center of everything our body does. It has an important and complex job!
Neuromotor control is a primary goal of physical therapy interventions. General activity and general treatment may not be enough to restore our body’s complex movement patterns. Our therapists assess and incorporate neuromuscular reeducation, creating and maintaining healthy function.
Neuromuscular Reeducation consists of:
Identifying the patterns and strategies your body uses to move and function
Specific activities to alter problematic patterns
Retraining parts of the brain that control posture, tone, and movement
Restoring healthy, efficient movement, control, and coordination
Trigger Point Dry Needling
If you haven’t heard of Trigger Point Dry Needling, you will! Dry needling is known for its potential to quickly alleviate trigger points, which are hyperirritable nodules within abnormally tight bands of muscle. Trigger points cause pain and contribute to muscular dysfunction. See why Providence Physical Therapy should be your choice for skilled Trigger Point Dry Needling.
Trigger points are hyperirritable nodules within an abnormally tight band of muscle. The presence of trigger points has been associated with mechanical, electrical, chemical, and neurologic changes within a muscle.
Dry needling has been associated with:
Alleviation of spontaneous electrical activity by restoring balance at the motor end plate
Reduction in concentration of nociceptive and inflammatory related chemicals
Relaxation of the taut band within the muscle
Restoration of circulation
Reduced pain and improved range of motion
Top 3 reasons to choose Providence Physical Therapy for dry needling:
Experience
David completed his advanced training for trigger point dry needling in 2014 and has used this skill to safely help hundreds of patients a year. His knowledge of anatomy, orthopedics, and clinical decision making provide a solid foundation for successful use of trigger point dry needling.
Expense
At Providence Physical Therapy we have the freedom to use the best tools and techniques based on your needs. Dry needling is a procedure that is often not covered by insurers. This leads many clinics to charge additional fees for this procedure or to develop dry needling only sessions. If dry needling is appropriate and beneficial to you it is available at no extra cost!
Integration
Dry needling is an effective tool to make targeted changes within the neuromuscular system. These changes should be part of a comprehensive treatment program and not a stand alone treatment. Combining manual therapy, therapeutic exercises, and neuromuscular reeducation techniques with dry needling can help create lasting benefits. At Providence Physical Therapy we provide comprehensive treatment plans to achieve your maximum potential.
Instrument Assisted Soft Tissue Techniques
Instrument Assisted Soft Tissue Mobilization (IASTM) is a form of Manual Therapy which utilizes a variety of tools to enhance a therapeutic effect. Tools can come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and materials. There are many manufacturer of tools and many systems you may be familiar with such as Graston Technique® and Astym®. Rationale for their effect includes altering neuromotor tone, controlled microtrauma to stimulate healing, mechanical force causing tissue remodeling, scar and fascia adhesion breakdown.
At Providence Physical Therapy we have experience with a variety of tools and techniques to perform Instrument Assisted Soft Tissue Mobilization. Understanding IASTM effects and selecting the proper application for each patient is important. IASTM can be a valuable part of a comprehensive treatment plan.
Modalities
This generally refers to the application of thermal, light, chemical or electromagnetic energy through the use of a physical agent. You more plainly know these as moist heat, ice packs, ultrasound, electrical stimulation, and iontophoresis, to name a few.
Research and best practice guidelines inform that modalities should not be the primary focus of an effective rehabilitation program. However, as an adjunct to a sound evidence-based treatment plan, they can improve a patient’s experience. Providence Physical Therapy has the freedom to use the treatments and tools that offer you the best outcomes and experience.