Physical Therapy

Physical therapy focuses on improving muscle flexibility, strength, and joint function. This can help with increased balance, coordination, kinesthetic awareness, and better posture.

Physical therapy reduces pain and dysfunction by correcting imbalances. This is all achieved through specific exercises, therapy, and modalities individualized for each patient’s condition. Our staff develop unique treatment plans for each patient’s condition.

Physical therapy requires active participation of the patient in the clinic 2-3 times per week (30-45 minutes) and home exercises daily. The duration of therapy varies by condition but generally consists of 4-6 weeks. Patients who follow the program provided by their therapist receive the most benefit.

Extracorporeal shockwave therapy (ESWT) is a treatment used in physical therapy, orthopedics, urology and  cardiology. The shock waves are abrupt, high amplitude pulses of mechanical energy, similar to  soundwaves, generated by an electromagnetic coil or a spark in water.

Similar technology using focused higher  energies is used to break up kidney and gallstones, and is termed lithotripsy. “Extracorporeal” means that the shockwaves are generated externally to the body and transmitted from a pad through the skin.

Extracorporeal shockwave therapy is used to treat a growing number of tendon, joint and muscle conditions.  These include tennis elbow, chronic tendonitis of the knee and shoulder rotator cuff pain, Achilles tendonitis, hamstring tendonitis and plantar fasciitis have also been treated successfully.

The above conditions are often difficult to treat using other methods and can become chronic. With ESWT  patients report reduced pain and faster healing, without significant adverse side effects. However, the treatment  has proven challenging to verify categorically in large controlled studies, in part because the therapist and  patient are aware whether or not they are in the treatment cohort or the sham cohort. ESWT is also used to promote bone healing and treat bone necrosis. It is an effective alternative to surgical treatment of  non-healing fractures.

Shock waves stimulate angiogenesis (new blood vessels) and neurogenesis (new nerve cells). The exact physiological mechanisms at this stage are poorly understood, but it appears that the cells undergo microtrauma which promotes the inflammatory and catabolic processes that are associated with removing damaged matrix constituents and stimulating wound healing mechanisms.