Treatments
Chiropractic
Chiropractic is a form of complementary medicine that focuses on disorders of the musculoskeletal system and the nervous system, and the effects of these disorders on general health. Chiropractic services are used most often to treat neuromusculoskeletal complaints, including but not limited to back pain, neck pain, pain in the joints of the arms or legs, and headaches.
Fascial Distortion Model
FDM, developed by Dr. Stephen Typaldos, is a treatment model in which soft tissue or musculoskeletal injuries are viewed through 1 or more of the 6 different types of alterations to the body’s connective tissues.
While FDM has no specific protocols, it contains a detailed physical assessment which leads to a specific diagnosis and provides objective outcomes.
The patient’s verbal and physical descriptions, coupled with the mechanism of injury and relevant orthopedic tests, will lead the practitioner to the proper form of soft tissue treatment
Active Release Technique
ART® is a patented, state of the art soft tissue system/movement based massage technique that treats problems with muscles, tendons, ligaments, fascia and nerves.
Headaches, back pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, shin splints, shoulder pain, sciatica, plantar fasciitis, knee problems, and tennis elbow are just a few of the many conditions that can be resolved quickly and permanently with ART. These conditions all have one important thing in common: they are often a result of overused muscles.
Overused muscles (and other soft tissues) change in three important ways:
- Acute conditions (pulls, tears, collisions, etc.)
- Accumulation of small tears (micro-trauma)
- Lack of oxygen (hypoxia)
Each of these factors can cause your body to produce tough, dense scar tissue in the affected area. This scar tissue binds up and ties down tissues that need to move freely. As scar tissue builds up, muscles become shorter and weaker, tension on tendons causes tendonitis, and nerves can become trapped. This can cause reduced range of motion, loss of strength, and pain. If a nerve is trapped you may also feel tingling, numbness, and weakness.
Every ART® session is actually a combination of examination and treatment. The ART® provider uses his or her hands to evaluate the texture, tightness and movement of muscles, fascia, tendons, ligaments and nerves. Abnormal tissues are treated by combining precisely directed tension with very specific patient movements.
These treatment protocols - over 500 specific moves - are unique to ART®. They allow for identification and correction of the specific problems that are affecting each individual patient.
Functional Dry Needling, FDN 1and 2
Dry needling is a general term for a therapeutic treatment procedure that involves multiple advances of a filament needle into the muscle in the area of the body which produces pain and typically contains a ‘trigger point’. Most patients will not even feel the needle penetrate the skin, but once it has and is advanced into the muscle, the feeling of discomfort can vary drastically from patient to patient. Usually a healthy muscle feels very little discomfort with insertion of the needle; however, if the muscle is sensitive and shortened or has active trigger points within it, the subject may feel a sensation much like a muscle cramp — which is often referred to as a ‘twitch response’. The twitch response also has a biochemical characteristic to it which likely affects the reaction of the muscle, symptoms, and response of the tissue.
The patient may only feel the cramping sensation locally or they may feel similar symptoms for which they are seeking treatment. A reproduction of the pain can be a helpful diagnostic indicator of the cause of their symptoms. Patients soon learn to recognize and even welcome this sensation as it results in deactivating the trigger point, thereby reducing pain and restoring normal length and function of the involved muscle.
Typically positive results are apparent within 2-4 treatment sessions but can vary depending on the cause and duration of the symptoms and overall health of the patient. Dry needling is an effective treatment for acute and chronic pain, rehabilitation from injury, and even pain and injury prevention. This technique is unequaled in finding and eliminating neuromuscular dysfunction that leads to pain and functional deficits.
Acupuncture
Acupuncture is a holistic health technique that stems from Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) practices in which trained practitioners stimulate specific points on the body by inserting thin needles into the skin.
Today acupuncture is one of the most popular practices of TCM in the West. It is a complimentary health approach that first originated in ancient China more than 2,500 years ago and has been evolving ever since.
To treat a wide variety of diseases, pain and stress-related symptoms, practitioners of TCM use holistic techniques that include acupuncture, herbal medicines, tai chi, qi gong, massage therapy, and various “mind and body practices.”
Results from a number of studies suggest that acupuncture may help ease types of pain that are often chronic such as low-back pain, neck pain, and osteoarthritis/knee pain. It also may help reduce the frequency of tension headaches and prevent migraine headaches. Therefore, acupuncture can be a viable treatment for people with chronic pain.
IASTM
IASTM has come to mean any type of tool-assisted massage. Sometimes it goes by the shortened name of ISTM, or by particular brands of IASTM such as Graston® and Fibroblaster. Westernized Gua Sha has often been called an IASTM as well.
Cup Therapy
Cup Therapy (Cupping) is also known as myofascial decompression. Most manual therapy techniques are compressive in nature, but the negative pressure from the cups when placed on the skin works by decompressing adhesions, creating a better physiologic sense for flow, and reducing inhibition of fluids and nutrient exchange.
This makes cupping a great technique for relieving pain, as well as enhancing recovery.
Mckenzie Method, part A,B, C, and D
The McKenzie Method® of Mechanical Diagnosis and Therapy® (MDT), developed by physiotherapist Robin McKenzie, is an internationally acclaimed method of assessment and treatment for spinal and extremity pain. It has been widely used all over the world for more than 30 years.
MDT clinicians are trained to assess and diagnose all areas of the musculoskeletal system. That means that if a problem exists in or around the spine, joint or muscle, an MDT evaluation may be appropriate.
MDT is a philosophy of active patient involvement and education that is trusted and used by clinicians and patients all over the world for back, neck and extremity problems. This approach continues to be one of the most researched physical therapy based methods available.
A key feature is the initial assessment - a safe and reliable way to reach an accurate diagnosis and only then make the appropriate treatment plan. Expensive tests such as MRI’s are often unnecessary. Certified MDT clinicians are able to rapidly determine whether the method will be effective for each patient.
In its truest sense, MDT is a comprehensive approach based on sound principles and fundamentals that, when fully understood and followed, is very successful.
Rock Tape
RockTape turns down the volume on pain
More specifically, it runs interference on pain. Ever whack your shin and rub it, and suddenly realize you feel better? RockTape on the skin can interfere with painful signals which are directed to the brain.
When the signals arriving to the brain are altered, it does not produce the sensation of pain. When kinesiology tape is properly applied, many of our customers call it “magic” or think that it fixed their injury instantly. In fact, it helps to change how your body interprets pain, turning down the pain “volume” that your body hears.
Decompresses an area of swelling and inflammation
When RockTape is applied to the skin, it has a microscopic lifting effect underneath the skin and between the many layers. This allows the by-products created by inflammation to be removed more quickly.
It delays fatigue
Research has shown that RockTape on skin can attenuate muscle fatigue. In rehab, this is very important, not only for the parts of your body that are currently hurting, but also for the surrounding areas as they help to pick up the slack for muscles that are currently not working well.
It normalizes muscle tone
When someone is injured, fatigued, sick, or inflamed, the symphony of muscle action that normally takes place with great accuracy often falls out of tune. This can happen all over the body. For instance, research has shown that people who sprain their ankle tend to have altered activity of their hip muscle as a result. RockTape helps bring dormant muscle back to life and help calm down the overactive muscles. It helps your body coordinate movement as if it weren’t hurt, hence allowing it to heal properly.
It distributes physical stress
Unlike conventional taping, which prevents movement – RockTape allows full movement of a taped area. Through elastic properties and quick recoil, RockTape can help distribute forces to other nearby areas through the fascia, ligaments, and even bones.