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3 Chronic Conditions Eased or Cured by Physical Therapy

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When most think of physical therapy, they think of the stretching and exercises necessary after an injury or surgery. For that reason, many conditions go untreated, simply because the patient doesn’t realize physical therapy could ease the pain. If you’ve been dealing with chronic pain from these conditions, maybe it’s time to seek treatment.

TMJ

For tracking of your TMJ joints, you must balance the muscle and connective tissue that attaches to the lower part of the jaw. Some of your daily activities can disturb this balance—even chewing on one side of the mouth. Still other times, you’ll be required to do things that will throw that balance out of whack. What about an hour spent in the dentist’s chair? What happens after a car accident? Maybe you even suffer from neck problems that exacerbate the TMJ symptoms. Physical therapy can help to ease the pain and discomfort of TMJ.

Migraine

Migraine and chronic headaches could have several different causes. In many cases, we can teach you posture correction techniques that may significantly help to alleviate pain. We’ll take care of the myofascial, craniosacral, and joint techniques for the spine and pelvis. The result is a loosening of the structures in the body that pull at the nervous system and cause the pain. We will also teach you self-treatment techniques that you can perform at home, so you’ll know how to manage your pain on your own. Significant relief of migraines can be achieved with physical therapy using our hands-on approach.

Vertigo

Believe it or not, balance problems as a result of vertigo or other conditions can actually be treated by physical therapy. The cause could be a central nervous system issue, which physical therapy could certainly address. Another cause of balance problems may be crystals in the inner ear that have fallen into the semi-circular canals. This is a type of positional vertigo called BPPV. Physical therapy can help you manage the symptoms of vertigo and other balance problems.

Wouldn’t you love to find relief from these chronic conditions? Contact us to meet with one of our therapists.

As an ultra marathon runner I frequently have issues with my neck and back…

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I ruptured a disc in my neck last March. As an ultra marathon runner I frequently have issues with my neck and back becoming painful and stiff during events. I have been working with Kerry for over two months now. My neck pain is virtually non existent and my back stiffness during events has decreased dramatically. I attribute her assistance to my recent success in my last few 24 hour runs. I especially like the way she modifies her approach to my specific needs. Thanks so much for the help!

- Greg Armstrong, Nationally Recognized Ultra Marathon Runner

What to Expect from Physical Therapy When Healing

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Many are under the mistaken impression that physical therapy isn’t necessary during the healing process. Sure, there are several injuries that will heal on their own without the assistance of a PT, but probably not as many as you think. The next time you’re contemplating the need for a physical therapist, ask yourself one question: What if waiting for this to heal on its own causes lasting damage?

See, we like to avoid pain if at all possible. That means we’ll develop a whole new set of bad habits if they keep us from hurting. Can you stand the thought of weaker limbs or a permanent limp in return for skipping out on physical therapy? If not, read on to learn what you can expect from your physical therapist during the healing process.

Identify the Problem

As physical therapists, we’re trained to identify the problem. That doesn’t stop at your injury, either. We assess the muscles and joint surrounding the injury, determine what has been and well be affected, and watch for compensation you may make to avoid pain. For instance, if you’re dealing with an ankle sprain, we want to make sure you’re not going to damage other muscles as you heal.

Without our assistance, you could end up with muscular atrophy, hip and back pain, and limited range of movement in your injured limb. With our help, you can avoid these problems. Not only will you avoid further issues, you’ll experience the fastest and most effective healing possible for your injury.

Education and Instruction

Once we’re aware of the big picture, we make sure you see it, too. We’ll show you how your injury is affecting other parts of your body and why. If you’re aware that your compensation is causing problems elsewhere, you’ll be more likely to avoid it, right?

We don’t stop there. After showing you the problems, we’ll show you how to fix them on your own. We can’t be there all the time, so it’s important that you understand how to care for yourself.

Rehabilitation of Injury

We’re not going to lie; rehabilitation hurts. It’s more important to hurt now and experience recovery than to continue on your own and deal with pain for the rest of your life. Expect to work hard, stretch your body to its limits, and to experience some pain. Also, expect that pain to be worth it in the end.

We’ll show you stretches and exercises you can perform at any time to keep your body on the path to recovery. We’ll push you every day—not because we want to see you hurting but because we love to see recovery.

Prevention Techniques

Once you’re well on your way to being healed, the thought of re-injury will scare you silly. The idea of going through the pain and frustration more than once is enough to keep anyone indoors, but you shouldn’t have to fear activity after recovery. We’ll show you how to avoid aggravating or re-injuring the muscles, joints, and bones so you can get involved again. Not only that, we’ll show you how your compensation for current injuries might cause problems in the future.

Is this all you can expect when you visit us for physical therapy? Not even close. Yes, we’ll do all of the above, but we add so much more. We encourage, believe, push, sympathize, and empathize. We become your partner in healing and won’t quit until we know you’re ready to run on your own. That’s what you can expect.

 

5 Tips for Choosing the Right Physical Therapist

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Not all physical therapists are created equal. Choosing the right physical therapist isn’t easy, and to find one that meets your every need, you may need to do a little research. We’re committed to making sure we can help, and that’s why we created this little guide to choosing the right physical therapist. Maybe we’re not the right fit for you, and that’s okay—as long as you get the help you need.

Check the License

Every physical therapist should be able to present a current license in good standing within your state. You can use this website to find physical therapists in your area. Only those licensed are listed, so if you don’t find the PT you’re considering on this list, you can avoid a catastrophe by just locating a new one.

Check Specializations

Once you think you’ve found a qualified and licensed physical therapist, you should ask his or her specialties. Not all injuries are alike, which means you may need to seek out a therapist with specific experience with your injury. This could include shoulder, head, neck, leg, ankle, and back therapists. Some may specialize in smaller injuries with bigger impacts, such as fingers and toes.

Check the Practice History

The Internet has made investigation easier than ever. Before you commit to a physical therapy practice, use your sleuthing abilities to research the history of the employees and therapists. You want to make sure all involved are honest and aboveboard, including those working in the business office or handling medical records.

Check the Insurance Accepted

You won’t get anywhere if your chosen physical therapy clinic doesn’t accept your insurance. If you do find that your practitioner isn’t covered by insurance, you can seek out another therapist or approach your favorite to work out payment plans. There are often many solutions available, but you must know what you’re dealing with before you can make plans.

Check Patient Satisfaction

Again, the Internet is a fount of information. Websites like HealthGrades, Angie’s List, and Yelp! provide unbiased reviews and testimonials for medical practitioners, including physical therapists. Don’t you want to know if your therapist will give his or her all? Don’t you want to know if he or she has been able to help others in the past? Take the time to research your favorite therapists before you commit. Otherwise, you could discover you made the wrong choice when it’s too late.

We wish you health, wellness, and a life free of pain. If, however, you need the assistance of a physical therapist, we hope you’ll follow these guidelines right to our door. If we can help you in any way, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

The Kerry Becht Approach to Physical Therapy

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How would you like a different approach to physical therapy? Not just the same old, traditional exercises paired with ultrasound and maybe a therapist stretching or working your muscles, but one-on-one time with a licensed therapist that addresses both function and performance? Now, I am not saying that traditional orthopedic therapy does not work to decrease back pain or rehab an ACL injury; that is why so many clinics continue to conform to those practices. They are, however, less time efficient and frequently lack in addressing function and performance. If you want to improve your quality of life and find out how good you can really feel, check us out.

From the Beginning

You are probably wondering how our approach to physical therapy could be so different here. Once we call you back for your appointment, we stay with you one-on-one for the entire appointment. We find out what your goals are for yourself and not just what we see as important. What do you want to do? It may be as simple as being able to walk and move pain-free. It may be that you are an athlete, whether middle aged or school aged, who needs to get back to competition.

Your Goals Matter

We are a manually based clinic. We address the issue at its core, using our hands to address the pain and physical restrictions, then get your body to tolerate the exercises needed to stabilize, strengthen, and perform at your best. Exercises can range from foam rollers and trigger point balls, to core stabilization exercises, to the use of our Rogue squat rack, kettle bells, and plyo boxes. Our approach to physical therapy also takes your goals into consideration. Whatever your need and whatever your goals, our goal is to get you there quickly and effectively, and teach you how to do what you want to do…safely.

Look for our future blogs which will address specific diagnoses, treatment techniques, and self-management skills.