PHYSIOTHERAPY
INTERNATIONAL

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April, 1997

HANDS-ON PAIN MANAGEMENT
SOLUTIONS FOR PERSISTENT PAIN !!!
 

Pain is the number one reason that brings patients to their medical doctor. In many cases pain may have muscular or skeletal origin. This means that pain may be the result of stress on the muscles or stress on the joints. In these cases your doctor may give you medication and refer you to a Physical Therapist.

Physical Therapy for musculoskeletal problems includes the application of heat, ice, electrical stimulation, ultrasound, aquatic (pool therapy) and of course exercise. When these conventional treatments do not work, the solution can be TRIGGER POINT THERAPY.

Trigger Points are hypersensitive areas in a muscle that produce extreme pain radiating in other areas of the body. In other words you may have a trigger point in one of the muscles of the neck (sternocleidomastoid) and you may feel terrible headaches in the base of the skull or at the temples One can be taking tylenol and other pain killers, however until the trigger point is resolved pain will persist. Another example can be low back pain as a result of a trigger points in a muscle of the thigh (Iliopsoas muscle).

Treatment of trigger points is performed with the application of pressure on them. This pressure softens the muscle and it becomes smoother and more capable for stretching. The application of pressure is followed by stretching exercises applied specifically to the muscle suffering from trigger points. After the application of stretching the muscle becomes more flexible and the pain disappears. In our offices we specialize in the treatment of this kind of pain.

HANDS-ON OFFERS BEST CARE !!!

Hands-On Physical Therapy has now expanded to three brand new State of the Art facilities. Some of our facilities now offer the following Advanced services:
* Pool and Aquatic Therapy - excellent for arthritis problems, sports injuries, back, knee and shoulder problems.
* Hand Therapy for the rehabilitation of hand problems.
* Strength Testing - excellent for knee, shoulder, elbow, back and neck
problems.
* Gait Analysis Testing - indicated for foot, knee, hip and back problems.
 

ORTHOTICS FOR
LOW BACK PAIN
 

Suffering from low back pain? You are not alone. Millions of Americans go to the doctor every year because of low back pain. Some others do not even bother seeking help. Many of them suffer from low back pain year, after year, after year.

Well, the answer may not be always to treat the back. Several researchers and scientists who investigate the etiology of low back pain conclude that foot problems, foot asymmetries, low arches and other conditions can be the perpetuating factor for reoccurring low back pain.

Flat feet, shorter leg conditions, foot asymmetries cause muscle imbalances that can be transmitted from the feet, to the knees, to the hips, to the lower back and sometimes they can even cause neck problems and headaches.

Is there an answer to this? YES!
Orthotics may be the answer to your problem. Orthotics are flexible leather made inserts designed specifically for your feet. Your physical therapist can perform a thorough feet evaluation and can cast you for orthotics.

Have you ever had your feet evaluated?
If no, then take action NOW!

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