Soft Tissue Injuries
A muscle, tendon or ligament strain or tear can cause swelling and pain. Knowing when to use cold compression, bandaging, heat and massage can have an impact. Clinical treatment with thermal and electrical methods will speed your healing and your return to normal activities.
Overuse and Inflammatory Conditions
These injuries are commonly the result of the overuse of a body part which causes tendon and ligament tissue to become irritated. This type of injury can cause painful movement in that body part and may even be painful while at rest. Physical Therapists can provide modalities to facilitate recovery from this irritation and will then educate a patient regarding prevention of further injury and irritation.
Neurological Injuries
A wide variety of neurological injuries and progressive neurological diseases can develop, including stroke, spinal cord injury, Multiple Sclerosis and nerve damage. Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy (RSD) causes pain and dysfunction after some traumatic injuries. These conditions often result in pain or numbness, and loss of strength during daily functions as well as loss of mobility. Physical therapists use techniques to restore normal function, control pain and improve strength, flexibility and endurance and may suggest adaptive equipment or activity modifications to overcome disabilities.
Post-Operative Rehabilitation
After orthopedic or general surgery there can be a need for treatment to reduce inflammation, assess and treat gait problems and instabilities, improve range of motion, decrease muscle weakness, decrease pain and restore normal movement patterns around the joint affected by surgery or the original pre-surgical condition. The careful progression of exercises and activities after joint surgeries are directed by a physical therapist to accelerate healing and yet protect surgically repaired tissues.
Chronic Pain and Stress Related Pain
Many times pain persists for months or years following injuries. Difficulty in managing stress factors may cause postural weaknesses that can lead to headaches, musculoskeletal irritation, and long term shortening of muscles. Specific techniques and exercise can be taught and treatment can be administered to reduce the frequency and intensity of the pain associated with these.
Muscle Imbalances and Postural Defects
Occasionally, people suffer from postural weakness and muscular strength imbalances. These problems may effect joints and produce irregular curves of the spine or excess joint stress and dysfunction that can lead to chronic pain. These may be treated through activities and exercises which change muscle length and strength and lessen the chance of irritation.
Athletic and Sports Related Injuries
Both professional and recreational athletes may suffer injuries that can be treated with an emphasis on minimizing recovery time. With many injuries, specific treatment and exercise may decrease the recovery time. The development of strength, flexibility, coordination and reflexes will lead to recovery.
Gait Disorders or Instabilities
Changes in your balance or ambulation can occur following injury or illnesses. Physical Therapy can aid in improving balance, gait and safety during ambulation for patients in both the geriatric and general populations.
