Orthopedic Physical Therapy
In general, physical therapy is a non-invasive discipline that helps individuals develop, maintain and restore maximum body movement and physical function. Physical therapy can help patients recover from an injury, relieve pain, prevent future injury or deal with a chronic condition.
Orthopedic physical therapy targets the musculoskeletal systems including: joints, ligaments, muscles, bones, and connective tissue. A physical therapist who specializes in orthopedics, like at Aptiva Health, will evaluate your chronic or acute orthopedic condition to determine the best treatment plan for you. At Aptiva Health, we provide orthopedic physical therapy in an outpatient clinic setting. Often, we can see patients the same-day, or within 48 hours, for their orthopedic physical therapy needs.
Conditions Treated
Orthopedic physical therapy primarily focuses on treating acute and chronic conditions of the musculoskeletal system. These conditions include:
In addition to these conditions, orthopedic physical therapy also focuses on post-operative rehabilitation following a needed orthopedic surgery. At Aptiva Health, our physical therapists provide post-operative physical therapy for the following orthopedic surgeries:
Shoulder arthroscopies and total reverse shoulder replacement surgery
Carpal tunnel surgery
Discectomy
And More!
Treatments & Modalities
Orthopedic physical therapists at Aptiva Health utilize a wide range of therapeutic modalities, exercises, assistive devices, and patient education methods to treat patients.
Most treatments within orthopedic physical therapy fall into two categories:
passive modalities (the therapist gives you a treatment), or
active modalities (you perform or participate in a movement)
Here are some examples of treatments that may be used with orthopedic physical therapy.
Hot/cold therapy
Orthopedic PTs use both cryotherapy (cold therapy) and thermotherapy (heat therapy) to treat musculoskeletal pain and swelling.
In a 2015 study involving 100 patients, both heat and ice helped prevent muscle damage, but cold used immediately after intense exercise was more effective at preventing muscle soreness.
Exercise therapy
Your therapist will create an exercise plan that will likely include strengthening, mobility, or balance-building exercises.
It’s a good idea to practice the exercises with your therapist at first so you know you’re doing them correctly. Once you know how to do the exercises properly, you will be encouraged to do them at home on a regular basis to help boost your strength and mobility.
E-stim (TENS or NMES)
There is growing evidence that electrical stimulation has the ability to cut down on pain.
When a PT uses this treatment modality, the therapist attaches an e-stim device to the injured area of your body.
There are two main types of e-stim devices. They include:
TENS. Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) uses low voltage electrical current to provide pain relief. It’s thought that the electrical impulses may help block pain receptors from being sent from your nerves to your brain.
NMES. Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation (NMES) uses a device that sends electrical impulses to nerves. This causes your muscles to contract. It’s thought that the repeated muscle contractions can improve blood flow and help repair injured muscles.
Traction
Traction takes the pressure off compressed or damaged joints. It can be conducted with a piece of equipment or with the therapist’s hands, and is considered helpful for people with:
neck pain
lower back pain
degenerative disc conditions in the spine
Soft tissue manipulation
A soft tissue manipulation is a form of manual physical therapy in which the PT uses hands-on techniques on your muscles, ligaments, and fascia. This is done to break adhesions and to optimize your muscle function.
Although more research is needed to verify the specific effects of soft tissue manipulation, it is generally recommended as a way to reduce pain and decrease muscle tension.
Joint mobilization
This technique involves a therapist moving your joint firmly and carefully in the desired direction. Like soft tissue manipulation, it is a manual technique.
Dry needling
With this technique, the therapist inserts a thin needle into a specifically targeted muscle with a trigger point — usually one that is the source of tension or pain.
Laser or light therapy
Orthopedic physical therapists may use low-level laser or light therapies to boost muscle performance, reduce muscle fatigue, and enable muscle repair after an injury.
Kinesiology taping
Kinesiology tape is an extremely flexible band of tape made of stretchy fabric. This therapeutic tape, which often comes in bright colors or snappy patterns, is applied to specific areas of the body.
There is also growing evidence that kinesiology tape may help:
provide support
reduce pain and inflammation
decompress trigger points
boost circulation
improve lymphatic drainage
improve flexibility