Physical Therapy: Treating Arthritis the Safe and Easy Way

Anyone living with arthritis knows how debilitating it can be. Several people dealing with arthritic aches and pains end up resorting to steroid injections, antirheumatic drugs, or even joint replacement surgery, in order to manage their pain. However, physical therapy itself has proven successful for many arthritis sufferers. Before turning to potentially harmful drugs or an invasive surgical procedure, give physical therapy a try! Contact us today or visit us in Orland Park or Homer Glen, IL to schedule a consultation and learn how we can treat your arthritis the safe and easy way.

Isolating painful joints:

Rest can sometimes be the best cure for arthritic joints. However, too much inactivity can actually worsen the problem by weakening the surrounding muscles.

Your physical therapist can help you isolate the painful joint, so you can remain active while finding relief. Bracing provides natural pain relief for your arthritic condition. Depending on where your arthritis is rooted, a specialized neck collar or wrist splint can also provide specialized support for that joint. By isolating the painful area, you will be able to go about your daily life without worrying about the aches and pains you are carrying with you.

Building range-of-motion:

Anyone with arthritis can vouch for the painfully stiff joints that accompany the condition. If you try to push the affected joint further than it can move, the resulting sensation can range from a nagging twinge to sheer agony. Flexibility exercises learned in physical therapy sessions gradually allow your joints to become more limber, while resistance exercises work to strengthen the muscles that support those joints. By participating in such treatments, your complete physical therapy session will allow you to achieve lessened discomfort and greater freedom of movement.

Incorporating manual therapy:

Physical therapy isn’t just about doing specialized exercises. In fact, manual therapy is a crucial part of many physical therapy treatment plans. It is the hands-on component of PT that not only gives arthritic patients much-needed pampering, but also helps to ease discomfort. Manual pain relief treatment often occupies a significant portion of an arthritic patient’s physical therapy session.

Additional treatment methods may include ice and heat therapies, massage, and even specialized machines, in order to ease aching joints. Your physical therapist can alternate heating pads and ice packs to naturally relieve pain. Targeted massage boosts circulation and creates a soothing, warming sensation for arthritic areas. Ultrasound machines bring soothing heat deeper into the affected joints. No matter what methods and modalities you are prescribed, you can find solace in the fact that your physical therapist designed your treatment plan specifically for you.

Moving in new ways:

It’s not always simple to anticipate which actions you make will bring on arthritic twinges and sharp pains. Even something as simple as turning a corner while walking can cause your arthritic shoulder to tense and twist in a way that you never even noticed before, resulting in a jolt of pain that seems to shoot right through you. Because of this, learning new ways to move is important, in order to help you avoid some of those unwelcomed painful sensations throughout the day.

During physical therapy treatments, arthritic patients are able to learn which motions lead to discomfort. Their physical therapists are also able to demonstrate new joint protection techniques, in order to avoid unnecessary pain. This could be something as simple as using a purse with a particular kind of strap, in order to take pressure off your wrists, or exiting the car or bathtub in a different way.

If you have arthritic fingers, a physical therapist can demonstrate how to carry objects with your palms instead of grasping them. Laying objects across the arms instead of carrying them in your hands is another common technique. Throughout your treatments, you will also gain information on the latest tools and gadgets that can help make day-to-day tasks much less challenging.

Find relief today!

Each arthritis case is different. Because of this, your treatment plan will be dependent upon the location and severity of your condition, as well as any physical limitations you may have. At your initial appointment, you will undergo a thorough assessment in order to determine which methods will provide you with optimum pain relief. If you are looking for a safe and easy way to treat your arthritis pains, look no further! Schedule a consultation today and get started on your path toward long-lasting pain relief.

Sources:

https://www.arthritis.org/about-arthritis/understanding-arthritis/what-is-arthritis.php

https://www.arthritis.org/living-with-arthritis/treatments/

Find Relief for Your Hip and Knee Pains with PT

You Don’t Have to Live with Constant Pains!

There are many factors that could lead to pain in the hips and knees, from excess weight, to sports injuries, to rising age, to repetitive motion injuries. Regardless of the cause of your hip and/or knee pain, if you experience it regularly, it’s important to find a way to manage it.

Hip and knee pain can be difficult to live with. According to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, knee pain is a common condition resulting in 19.4 million pain-related visits to a physician’s office each year!

Many people rely on medications, such as anti-inflammatory drugs to minimize their discomfort. However, these drugs do have potential side effects, so it would be in your best interest to also find other ways to relieve your pain. Physical therapy may be the solution you’re looking for!

Why pain management drugs are not ideal

If you have been prescribed pain relievers by your doctor, it is best to follow the advice they have given you.

However, you are welcome to discuss physical therapy with your doctor as well or with one of our dedicated team members. If you find that your pain level has decreased through physical therapy, you can discuss reducing the use of your pain reliever with your doctor.

PT for persistent pain

You may notice pain relief when you’re actively participating in your PT sessions, but what about when you go home? Your physical therapist’s main goal is to heal your injuries over the long term.

The various exercises and treatments that they prescribe to you will constantly improve your condition so that you experience less pain on a daily basis. As your body gets stronger and more mobile, you are likely to experience less pain in your hips and knees over time.

How will physical therapy benefit me?

If your doctor has told you to take pain relievers every day for your hip and/or knee pain, you should follow your doctor’s recommendations. But it also cannot hurt to ask about alternatives like physical therapy.

Working with a physical therapist can help reduce or eliminate your pain in a variety of ways, including:

  • At-home exercises – Did you know you don’t always have to be in a clinical setting to do physical therapy exercises? It’s true! Physical therapy techniques can be incorporated into a home exercise program that can become part of your daily routine.
  • Manual physical therapy – Hands-on techniques are used often in physical therapy to reduce pain in your hips and knees. This could include stretching exercises or a variety of massage techniques.
  • Laser therapy – Laser therapy has become much more popular in physical therapy for pain management. It can help improve the growth and reproduction of cells, increase circulation, and also reduce inflammation.
  • Heat and ice therapy. Heat can be used to improve your mobility and decrease the amount of pain you are experiencing so that you can move more freely. Ice can also be used to lessen pain from your hip and/or knee as well as to reduce inflammation.
  • Mobility and flexibility exercises. Often hip and knee pain can lead to loss of mobility and flexibility – which then increases the wear on your joints and leads to even more pain. Physical therapists can take you through exercises to improve your mobility and flexibility so that you can move your limbs and joints in the fullest range of motion that is available based on your body and circumstances.
  • Ultrasound therapy. Ultrasound is used by physical therapists to apply heat deeper in your soft tissues to provide pain relief. The heat can improve circulation and aid in healing, which can ultimately reduce the pain you experience day to day.
  • Strengthening exercises. Loss of muscular strength can contribute significantly to hip and knee pain because the weaker your muscles get, the more stress is put on your joints. Physical therapy centers around specific exercises designed to target various muscles and strengthen them so that they better support your joints.
  • Identifying the root cause of pain. There may be one or several reasons why you are experiencing hip and knee pain. A physical therapist can examine your movement to help identify things that are contributing to your pain, such as poor posture, unhealthy walking patterns or unhealthy movement patterns at work. Once they identify these kinds of issues, physical therapists can tell you how to correct them.

Ready to begin treatments?

Please contact us today to schedule an appointment with a PT who specializes in hip and knee pain. We’re waiting to help you!

A Physical Therapist’s Role in Chronic Pain Relief

Ready to Relieve Your Chronic Pain?

Chronic pain is extremely common – with more than 100 million sufferers alone in the U.S. So, if you’re struggling with chronic pain – you’re not alone.

Standard pain medications have so many undesired qualities that you can’t rely on them to fully treat your pain, which can leave you wondering if you’re just stuck with your pain.

Luckily, there is another potential solution. Physical therapy has been shown to be effective in reducing or eliminating chronic pain. With the right treatment plan, you may be able to reduce your discomfort significantly.

How can a physical therapist help relieve my chronic pain?

1. TENS, Ice Therapy, Heat Therapy

Physical therapists have a variety of tools at their disposal to treat your immediate pain as well. They can use things like transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS), hot and cold therapies to help reduce inflammation and ease some of the pain you are feeling. These therapies can also help improve your body’s ability to heal.

2. Safe movements

Most people are not fully aware of how they move in their day to day activities. You could be bending over, lifting, walking, running, sitting, or moving in some other manner that is contributing to your chronic pain. Learning how to improve the issues with your movements can significantly decrease the pain you experience.

Your first session with your physical therapist will include an exam where they watch the way you perform different activities – like walking – to identify any possible problems. Once they know where things are going wrong, they can teach you how to improve so that you do not unknowingly increase your chronic pain.

3. Flexibility improvement

Improving your flexibility can also help reduce your pain. When you are suffering from an injury, it is common for your body to compensate in some way to avoid the pain – which can lead to unhealthy movement patterns that you may not even be aware of.

The way your body compensates may help right after the injury, but over time it will lead to wear and tear on other parts of your body. If you feel really tight or locked up in one way or another, you are probably experiencing this type of situation.

Physical therapy can gently relax your body so that you can return to moving in a healthy manner. Your physical therapist will work with you to ease the tension so that your body can move correctly and increase the strength of the muscles surrounding the joint so that you can maintain the correct movement patterns.

4. Strength training

Depending on your condition, your physical therapist may teach you some exercises designed to strengthen your muscles and soft tissues.

It may seem strange that getting stronger is recommended by medical science when you are in pain – since exercising may be painful in and of itself, especially at first. But there are good reasons to try and make you stronger.

Often, the cause of chronic pain is pressure on nerves in your joints, whether your spine, knees, hips, elbows, or some other joint. When you make the muscles around those joints stronger, they are better at providing support – which can take some of the pressure off of your nerves.

What should I know about chronic pain?

As stated by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke,

“While acute pain is a normal sensation triggered in the nervous system to alert you to possible injury and the need to take care of yourself, chronic pain is different. Chronic pain persists. Pain signals keep firing in the nervous system for weeks, months, even years.

There may have been an initial mishap — sprained back, serious infection, or there may be an ongoing cause of pain — arthritis, cancer, ear infection, but some people suffer chronic pain in the absence of any past injury or evidence of body damage. Many chronic pain conditions affect older adults.

Common chronic pain complaints include headache, low back pain, cancer pain, arthritis pain, neurogenic pain (pain resulting from damage to the peripheral nerves or to the central nervous system itself), psychogenic pain (pain not due to past disease or injury or any visible sign of damage inside or outside the nervous system).

A person may have two or more coexisting chronic pain conditions. Such conditions can include chronic fatigue syndrome, endometriosis, fibromyalgia, inflammatory bowel disease, interstitial cystitis, temporomandibular joint dysfunction, and vulvodynia. It is not known whether these disorders share a common cause.”

Find relief for your chronic pains today

If you’re struggling with chronic pain, we want you to know that we’re here to help. Our physical therapy team can design an individualized treatment program to help relieve your pain and improve your life. Please don’t hesitate to contact us today to schedule a consultation!

Feeling Those Morning Aches and Pains? We Can Help!

Find Out How Physical Therapy Can Help You Fight Painful Mornings!

Do you jump out of bed excited to experience another morning—or do you just lie there, afraid to move because of the pain you know you’ll feel when you get up?

Aches and pains are never welcome, but they can really break your spirits when they have plagued you from the very first moments of your awakening.

It helps to understand why these discomforts occur in different parts of your body, and how you can stop them by using safe, drug-free methods such as physical therapy.

How can physical therapy help me relieve my pain?

Morning pain and overnight pain are closely linked. Issues such as chronic lower back pain may cause you to wake up many times every night, creating a twinge with every little body movement. When you get up, you feel even more pain than you did when you went to bed.

Physical therapy can help you reduce your morning aches and pains. An experienced physical therapist knows how to evaluate your symptoms in detail, see how they relate to your quality of sleep (or lack of sleep), and identify the underlying causes.

This understanding enables the development of an individualized physical therapy program, aimed at eliminating or controlling the specific causes of your pain. For example, we might determine that your back needs a firmer or softer mattress, or that your neck might benefit from a contoured cervical pillow.

Other proven physical therapy methods can help you strengthen your back, tame bursitis, relieve plantar fasciitis, or control the symptoms of osteoarthritis. We can even help you learn stress-relieving techniques to help your jaw, as well as which sleeping positions are most likely to ease your joint discomfort.

Do you have any of these conditions?

Each area of the body has its own particular vulnerabilities to different kinds of morning pain. Here’s a quick troubleshooting guide to help you figure out what’s going on:

  • Heel pain: If taking those first steps in the morning are torture for your heels, but the pain then recedes as you walk around, you probably have a chronic inflammation of the arches called plantar fasciitis.
  • Hip pain: If you experience hip pain that feels like it’s coming from within the joint and is at its worst upon awakening, suspect osteoarthritis. If the pain feels like it’s on the outside of the hip and bothers you more at night, suspect bursitis.
  • Back pain: Pain can afflict any part of your back first thing in the morning. If you can barely move in the morning or never get quite comfortable at night, you may be using the wrong kind of mattress for your back.
  • Neck pain: If you feel like someone tried to twist your head off during the night, you may have the wrong kind of pillow for your individual needs. Incorrect head and neck support can leave you with agonizing stiffness.
  • Jaw pain: Does your jaw feel stiff and achy when you wake up in the morning? You may be grinding your teeth or clenching your jaw as you sleep, a problem known as bruxism. This habit is associated with emotional and physical stress.

Increasing your physical activity could help!

If you spend your days hobbling painfully from your bed to your reclining chair and back, the notion of pursuing any kind of vigorous activity may be the furthest thing from your mind.

The truth, however, is that getting active can vastly improve your health, your comfort, mobility, and overall quality of life.

The key is to find a fun activity that you enjoy doing and that also fits your current fitness level.

Make your mornings more comfortable with physical therapy!

From conquering chronic pain sources to improving sleep hygiene, physical therapy can help you ease morning aches and pains in a number of ways.

Don’t sleep through life in a haze of chronic pain—wake up and get in touch with our physical therapist for an evaluation!

Living With Pain? Don’t Turn to Opioids

Physical Therapy Can Provide You With Faster, Safer, and More Effective Relief Than Opioids

Long-term opioid consumption is not a good strategy for chronic pain management. In addition to the risk of addiction, opioids simply reduce the pain that comes as a result of a bigger issue, rather than solving the problem at hand.

Physical therapy has been shown to be a much better option than opioids or other pharmaceutical painkillers for very real, measurable improvement of chronic pain. If you are considering opioids but would like to explore other pain relief options first, please contact our office to talk to a physical therapist today!

How physical therapy can help you find long-term relief

Researchers at Stanford University have shown that when turning to physical therapy early on (as soon as a person is diagnosed with musculoskeletal pain), the need for opioid pain prescriptions is greatly reduced. Among patients requiring pain relief opioids, the duration of use of painkillers was reduced by as much as 10%.

Physical therapy helps patients to cure the source of the pain rather than masking the source of the pain. If a patient suffers from arthritis or any other type of chronic pain, a physical therapist may teach a patient how to move and use key muscle groups in such a way that the source of pain does not worsen.

Another goal of physical therapy is to strengthen muscle groups that support aching or painful parts of the body so that real healing can take place. Your physical therapist will design a personalized treatment plan that will produce measurable results in pain relief. Because PT targets the source of pain, you can often eliminate the need for prescription painkillers or opioids with PT alone.

Opioids are not a cure for pain

The opioid epidemic in America has been so severe in recent years that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is now recommending that patients explore alternative options for pain relief.

The opioid epidemic is a very real (and very deadly) problem. It’s believed that some 2 million Americans suffer from an opioid use disorder such as addiction. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an average of 130 people die from opioid overdoses every day here in the U.S. Since 1999, the number of opioid-related deaths has multiplied sixfold.

Many people who become addicted to opioids were first prescribed by a medical doctor to treat acute or chronic pain. The problem is, opioid medications:

  • Are associated with an increased risk of uncomfortable withdrawal symptoms and depression
  • Only hide symptoms of pain—they don’t address the underlying causes, which makes opioids less cost-effective over time
  • Can be highly addictive

The CDC recommends that opioids be considered as the “last option” for only the worst cases of pain. Alternative and holistic pain relief methods, including physical therapy, do not pose the extreme risks of addiction and overdose that opioids do.

It is important that anyone suffering from pain should understand that opioids will not solve the underlying physical problem that causes pain. In fact, opioids can actually make the original problem worse.

Suppose, for example, that a person has been dealing with chronic pain several months after surgery to the shoulder. The shoulder may be healed, but the pain persists. If the patient relies on opioids to soften the pain, they can run the risk of re-injuring their shoulder.

Pain is the body’s way of telling us something is wrong. With opioids, the patient may use their shoulder muscles incorrectly and ultimately make the underlying problem worse.

If the same patient had worked with a physical therapist for pain relief, they would have had a much better chance of completely eliminating the pain in the long-term. Through physical therapy, manual therapy, proper exercise, body mechanics, and posture work, you can find the relief you’ve been searching for – all without turning to addictive opioid painkillers.

Schedule a consultation with a physical therapist today!

If you have been living with chronic pain and would like to know more about how physical therapy can help, please call our office today to schedule your first appointment with a licensed physical therapist!

We’ll help you find long-term pain relief so you can live life comfortably.

The Connection Between Nutrition and Pain Relief

Find Relief for Your Aches and Pains with Nutrition Changes

Could you be feeding your chronic aches and pains without even realizing it? If your pain problems have steadily worsened, you may need to look at your nutrition choices.

Certain foods have been known to alleviate inflammation, where some foods can aggravate it. In fact, according to Harvard Health Publishing, “A lot of chronic pain is the result of chronic inflammation, and the evidence is quite strong that your diet can contribute to increased systemic inflammation.”

Eating too much and/or eating the wrong types of foods can trigger your inflammatory reactions that contribute to muscle, nerve, and joint pain. Fortunately, you can reverse this cycle by adopting a healthy nutritional strategy as part of a holistic physical therapy program at GoodLife Physical Therapy.

Physical therapy and nutrition

The good news is that the right foods can fight inflammation just as easily as the wrong foods can exacerbate the issue. Simply switching to a more nutritional diet can help put you on a healthier, less painful path.

This diet highlights fruits, vegetables, fish, whole grains and healthy oils such as olive oil—all delicious choices with high nutritional value and low inflammatory potential! Even your choice of spices can make a huge difference in your comfort. Turmeric, for example, is a powerful natural anti-inflammatory agent. Your physical therapist can point you to the right nutritional changes for your specific needs, in order to help control your pain.

Weight control is another key aspect of pain management. Your physical therapy plan may include recommendations as to how many calories you should consume, what kinds of foods you should eat to avoid additional weight gain, and any other necessary changes to your eating schedule or patterns.

Increasing your physical activity will also help you get the most out of your new nutrition routine. For example, muscle building through strength training boosts your metabolic rate, helping your body burn calories more easily. Other physical therapy techniques to ease chronic aches and pain will help you become much more mobile—allowing you to boost your workout regimen, lose more weight, and take more strain off of your joints and tissues.

What should I know about pain and a nutritional diet?

How many times have you heard the old expression, “You are what you eat?” Certain kinds of foods are known to cause or aggravate inflammatory responses and chronic pain. You may be doing yourself more harm than good if you regularly consume:

  • Foods heavy in processed sugars and/or trans fats (including cookies, donuts and margarine)
  • Potatoes, tomatoes, eggplant, and other members of the nightshade family
  • Caffeinated foods and drinks
  • White bread or other highly-processed carbs
  • Alcohol
  • Red meat

These foods can make you feel painful in various ways. Sugar and aspartame, for instance, raise both your insulin levels and your pain sensitivity. Caffeine and tomatoes both raise your body’s acidity levels, promoting inflammatory pain. But for all these foods (and several others), the bottom line is the same: an increase in your aches and pains.
Additionally, fatty and sugary foods can lead to extra weight, which can accelerate joint degeneration and aggravate pain. It can also place undue strain on your muscles and may even encourage the development of bulging or herniated discs, leading to neurological issues such as sciatica.

Nutritional changes can help with…

  • Obesity: Pain related to obesity can become a vicious cycle. Being overweight causes a patient pain, so they become more sedentary. Becoming more sedentary causes them to gain more weight, which leads to more pain. Nutritional diets can help shed unwanted weight and decrease pain on the joints.
  • Osteoarthritis: Once a person has been diagnosed with osteoarthritis, managing their pain becomes the most important key to leading a comfortable life. Certain foods can decrease inflammation, easing arthritis pains.
  • Inflammation: American diets tend to have a lot of vegetable oils and other inflammatory foods in them. This can make the pain from inflammation even worse. In many cases, a physical therapist will prescribe a diet with more antioxidants and anti-inflammatory foods to help manage pain.
  • Autoimmune Disorders: The combined total of various autoimmune disorder patients (such as Crohn’s disease, multiple sclerosis, type 1 diabetes and rheumatoid arthritis) now outnumber cancer patients in America by a wide margin. Autoimmune disorders are frequently linked directly to deficiencies in a patient’s diet.
  • Diabetes: Diabetes and pre-diabetes pave the way for more serious conditions such as heart disease, kidney disease and blindness. More than 90 percent of patients with diabetes also experience neuropathic pain. Diet and nutrition will play a key role in managing these conditions.

Discover how nutrition can help you find relief

Eating for health can include eating for pain management. Contact our physical therapy center or visit us in IL to make this strategy work for you!

Stay Away From the Dangers of Opioids – Instead, Opt for Physical Therapy

Did You Know Physical Therapy Could Provide You With the Relief You Need?

Do you take opioids to manage your pain? Well, you’re not alone. Health care providers in the US write over 200 million prescriptions for opioid pain medication every year. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention has even issued guidelines about this and urged safe non-drug alternatives, such as physical therapy.

A recent study published in Health Services Research found that people who saw a physical therapist prior to other treatments were 89% in less need of an opioid prescription.

Before you take another pill for your pain, call our office to schedule an appointment with a physical therapist. We want you to know that relief from arthritis pain is possible with the help of physical therapy.

Physical therapy can help you govern your pain without drugs, giving you a chance to break away from your reliance on opioids.

If you’re suffering from pain, be sure to call us to schedule an appointment with one of our physical therapists.

Opioids – what are they and why are they dangerous?

Opioids are strong pain-killing drugs that are often prescribed to combat severe chronic pain. They are traditionally derived from substances in the poppy plant.

Prescription opioids are painkillers often prescribed to block pain signals and prescribed to treat moderate to severe pain. These drugs can also be addictive.

Opioids such as morphine, codeine, hydrocodone, and oxycodone can often deaden the pain when milder drugs cannot, making them a common prescription for cancer pain, acute injuries, and severe neurological or musculoskeletal pain. They can also produce euphoria or unconsciousness, making them a highly abused substance in both legal and illegal forms (such as heroin).

Opioids work by binding to opioid receptors in the brain and other structures of the body. As the opioids occupy these receptors, they prevent the receptors from receiving pain signals. At the same time, the opioids trigger the release of large amounts of dopamine, a substance that evokes feelings of pleasure.

Regular usage can increase your dependence and make you need higher and more frequent doses. Opioids can restrict your ability to breathe and can lead to a fatal overdose.

Opioids are not in the same category as over-the-counter drugs like Tylenol and aspirin. The most common ones prescribed are Oxycontin and Vicodin.

Are you experiencing these symptoms?

Opioid use disorder is a medical condition used when one is not able to not stop taking opioids.

When one is physically dependent on opioids, they typically have withdrawal symptoms like sweating and cravings.

Other signs include drowsiness, weight loss, change in sleep habits, flu-like symptoms, changes in exercise habits, and isolation.

How can physical therapy decrease the need for opioid use?

According to a study published in JAMA, most people see a physical therapist for musculoskeletal conditions that result in back, neck, knee, and shoulder pain.

Researchers found that when a person saw a physical therapist, they were less likely to be prescribed opioids. “This study provides early evidence that the CDC guidelines may help decrease long-term opioid use,” said Steven George, PT, Ph.D., one of the study’s contributing researchers. “The biggest takeaway is that early physical therapy may be a viable option for several musculoskeletal conditions, especially if preventing long-term opioid use is a treatment goal.”

You should consider physical therapy if:

  • You’re experiencing issues such as addiction, depression, or physical side effects from opioid usage – or you’re determined to avoid such issues
  • You suffer from a chronic, incurable pain condition that might otherwise require a lifetime on opioids
  • Your pain is musculoskeletal or neuromuscular in origin (as opposed to cancer pain, for instance)
  • You’re interested in actually treating the underlying cause of the pain, instead of simply numbing the pain itself

A physical therapist is a healthcare movement expert who helps patients decrease their pain and increase their quality of life through specific exercises, hands-on care, and education.

A physical therapist does a complete evaluation of the patient and develops an individualized treatment targeted to the root cause of pain. Patients experience pain relief, increased mobility, and regain the ability to perform daily tasks.

There’s a lot involved in a physical therapy treatment plan. It often includes both active and passive modalities. Active modalities may include targeted exercises and stretching.

Passive modalities typically include ice and heat therapy, electric stimulation, ultrasound, massage therapy, and stabilization methods.

Ready to say goodbye to opioids?

If you’re suffering in pain, stay away from opioid prescriptions. The risks outweigh the rewards. Instead, see a physical therapist.

Be sure to give our office a call to schedule a one-on-one consultation and evaluation.

Our physical therapists are certified and experienced. They’ve helped many others and can help you, too.

Are You Experiencing One of These 5 Common Shoulder Injuries? Find Relief With PT

Physical therapy is used to treat any sports injury, workplace injury, shoulder injury, or musculoskeletal condition you may be experiencing. It is a natural, safe, and effective way to treat both acute and chronic pain.

One of the most common reasons people seek the help of a physical therapist is to manage chronic shoulder pain. There are a number of different reasons why shoulder pain may occur, and it can greatly limit your everyday life. If you have been experiencing shoulder pain or decreased function within your shoulder, don’t hesitate to contact our office today.

5 of the most common shoulder injuries:

The average person probably doesn’t give much thought to their shoulders as they go about their day. However, your shoulders actually do quite a lot of work to help you complete everyday tasks, and if they become strained or injured, you could be left to experience severe shoulder pain. Some of the most common causes of shoulder pain include:

1. Tendon tears.

The tendons in your shoulder can tear as the result of an acute injury or certain degenerative conditions. The natural aging process, sudden injuries, and overuse often cause the tendons to split or tear. Whether a patient is experiencing a partial or a full tendon tear, the pain can be extremely intense and it may require regular appointments with a skilled physical therapist.

2. Bursitis.

The shoulder is a complicated joint that is made up of an intricate network of moving parts. One of the key components that make up the shoulder is called a bursa. The bursa contains tiny sacs of fluid that work to keep the shoulder joint lubricated. If the bursa becomes irritated or inflamed, you can develop bursitis, and you will need to schedule a physical therapy appointment as soon as possible.

3. Tendinitis.

Tendinitis is a common condition that causes inflammation in the shoulder area, and it has been known to send many people straight to a physical therapist in order to find relief. The condition typically affects those who are physically active or people who work at a job that requires them to complete repetitive motions. For example, if you’re an athlete who plays tennis, or if you work as a professional painter, you could be at risk of developing tendinitis in your shoulder. If you are at a high risk of developing tendinitis, it is important to remember that along with physical therapy, resting your shoulders regularly can help to prevent chronic pain.

4. Frozen shoulder.

Frozen shoulder typically occurs after an injury or alongside another shoulder condition. Most physical therapists recommend that patients with frozen shoulders get plenty of rest in between physical therapy appointments, in order to avoid developing scar tissue in the shoulder. If the scar tissue does develop, the muscles surrounding the shoulder could eventually freeze up as well, restricting your full range of motion and resulting in chronic pain.

5. Impingement.

Shoulder impingement can occur when the top part of the shoulder blade puts excessive pressure on the underlying soft tissues in the arm when it is lifted away from the body. As the arm lifts, the shoulder blade rubs against the tendons and bursa. If left untreated, an impingement in the shoulder can result in bursitis and/or tendinitis.

Schedule a consultation with us today:

If you have sustained one of the injuries above, or if you’re looking for assistance with a different shoulder pain condition, contact us today to schedule a consultation. Physical therapy is the ideal way to treat shoulder pain in people of all ages. Our dedicated physical therapists will address your condition and design the best treatment plan for your specific needs!