Get Back to Living Your Life with Specialty Rehabilitation

Specialty Rehabilitation: What It Is and When to Get It

Muscle aches and pains. Stress fractures. Traumatic injuries. You might have injuries associated with any of these conditions that are common, but that doesn’t mean you need a common physical therapy program to help you get back on your feet. Each injury, each condition, each person has specific needs that need to be met in order to recover from an existing injury and to prevent future injuries. Specialty rehabilitation caters to your specific needs so that you can get back to living your life in the shortest time possible.

What is specialty rehabilitation?

Simply put, specialty rehabilitation is a program that is implemented specifically for the patient. It caters to the patient’s individual circumstances based on any number of factors – type of injury, how the injury was sustained, lifestyle, medical history, and even physique. With a custom-built rehabilitation program, physical therapists can help you recover as quickly as possible.

What kind of specialty methods are there?

Using the latest research in injury prevention and athletic conditioning, specialized programs help to keep athletes strong and healthy. By focusing on such areas as speed, power, body control, and strength conditioning, injuries can be prevented. Furthermore, a program that is evidence-based and focuses on performance enhancement and injury prevention can help future surgeries due to such injuries as ACL tears be avoided.

Not only are evidence-based programs beneficial to athletes, but also programs that offer flexible scheduling hours in consideration of performances, games, and competitions. These programs, especially if you’re a dancer or runner, collaborate with not only the patient but also the parents and coaches to achieve the best possible outcome in recovering or preventing injuries. Specialty equipment such as anti-gravity treadmills are used in these programs, along with focusing on technique.

What about special rehabilitation for non-athletes?

Athletes aren’t just the only people who need a rehabilitation program that is specific to their needs. If you’ve been in a traumatic accident or have sustained a traumatic head injury, getting specialized concussion rehabilitation is essential to recovering fully and quickly. A program that focuses on concussions will treat such debilitating symptoms as dizziness, chronic headaches and neck pain, instability and balance problems, and vision problems.

Even expectant mothers can benefit from a special physical therapy program. Pregnancy brings about so many changes to the body, including pain in the hips, groin, lower back, and knees. This pain can make pregnancy almost unbearable, but a specialized program will help improve multiple conditions caused by pregnancy and help you stay on your feet through the duration.

 

Specialty rehabilitation will yield exceptional results.

Whether you’re an athlete, accident-prone, or pregnant, a specialty rehabilitation program will give you the best results possible in the quickest time possible. Dealing with pain shouldn’t be a part of everyday life, which is why a custom-built program that helps reduce or eliminate pain and prevent injuries is the best way to get back to your normal standard of living and even improve that standard.

At OSR Physical Therapy, we have a firm belief that the methods of rehabilitation should be structured and customized to each patients’ specific needs. OSR has implemented rehabilitation programs that were built to get patients back to their normal standard of living in the shortest duration of time.

5 Injuries To Treat With Physical Therapy

Say the words “physical therapy” and most people automatically associate it with professional or career athletes. However, physical therapy isn’t just for sports-related injuries. Anyone at any time can get an injury; even just everyday life can cause pain that should not go untreated. Here are some of the most common injuries and conditions that physical therapy can treat:

1.       Sprains are one of the most common injuries, especially in sports.

Sports injuries is one of the most common reasons people seek physical therapy. In fact, one of the most widely seen injuries, especially sports-related, are sprains to ligaments. Sprains – a sudden over-stretching of ligaments – can happen during practice, a misstep on a training run, or just walking to the car. They are most common in the ankle, but falls can also cause sprains in the wrist and shoulder areas.

2.       Everyday muscle strains can lead to overuse injuries.

Strains – also called “pulled muscles” – are one of the number types of overuse injuries. Overusing a muscle can cause stress on the tendon, which can worsen over time. Muscle strains can happen to anyone, not just those living an active lifestyle. Even an accidental fall can cause a strain in the muscle that, if left untreated, can lead to a worse injury.

3.       If you have an “-itis”, it’s from overuse or misuse.

Tendinitis. Bursitis. Plantar fasciitis. These conditions are strains on the tissue that cause it to become swollen, irritated, and inflamed. Tendinitis and plantar fasciitis are common in the ankle and foot area, especially for runners – not to mention anyone who spends a lot of time on their feet. Bursitis is common in the hips and knee with any high-impact movement. These conditions always worsen if neglected, but with some rest and a strong conditioning program, you won’t be off your feet for very long. 

4.       Constantly losing your balance? It may be due to muscle instability.

Believe it or not, but muscle instability can be an actual condition in need of physical therapy. If this condition is in the ankle, it might be difficult to retain balance as the ankle continuously rolls to the side. Instability occurs most often in the ankle and foot. However, it can also be a problem associated with the head and neck, shoulder, and lower back. Chronic pain or movement trouble in those areas may be an indication of chronic instability. 

5.       Fractures – they’re not just sports-related.

Although fractures, such as stress fractures, are often associated with sports and physical activity, motor vehicle accidents, falls, overuse, and even osteoporosis can cause this condition. Stress fractures often occur in the ankle and foot and are typical overuse injuries, especially in athletes. However, other fractures can occur in the back and are caused by a traumatic event. No matter how the fracture occurs or how serious, physical therapy can help you recover and even prevent future injuries.

A strong physical therapy program will help you recover.

Physical therapy can help you recover from any injury or condition. From reducing and even eliminating pain to avoiding surgery, a good physical therapy program will provide multiple benefits. Furthermore, a program that is individualized to fit your needs will help you not only recover but avoid injuries in the future or manage chronic conditions. OSR Physical Therapy offers a wide-range of programs that focus on each individual’s pain and injury. If you’re in pain, contact one of our three locations to schedule a free consultation today.

To Seek Or Not To Seek Medical Attention

Whether you have pain in a new area or have been living with pain for a while, it’s sometimes hard to determine whether you should seek medical attention.

Perhaps it’s just soreness from working the muscles, you think.

Or, it’s just a dull ache – it’ll go away.

However, even a small ache could turn into a bigger problem and even a debilitating injury if it’s not seen right away.

So how do you know whether to seek medical attention for pain and when?

You should always seek medical attention for any kind of pain and right away, say most physical therapists.

If you’re concerned about pain, get it checked out.

“If an athlete or the general population is concerned about pain or an injury that they suffered they should be evaluated right away,” says Kyle McCuskey, a certified athletic trainer at OSR.

Kyle McCuskey, a certified athletic trainer at OSR Physical Therapy.

Physical therapy can help all kinds of pain – from traumatic injuries to lifelong chronic pain. Not only can a strong, individualized physical therapy program help you recover from any injury, but the goal is to always get you back to doing what you like to do – pain-free.

“The biggest benefit of physical therapy is improving quality of life and daily function. That’s the important thing and that’s what I keep in the back of my mind when I’m working with a patient,” says Matt Gannott, an OSR physical therapist that specializes in the spine.

For physical therapists, it’s never too early and you can never go wrong with getting your pain or injury evaluated. In fact, the longer you wait to get checked out, the harder it is to make an accurate diagnosis and start an effective treatment program.

The longer you wait, the longer rehabilitation may take.

Even if you think your pain is manageable or not serious enough, you should still seek medical attention. The result of waiting longer means possibly making the pain worse or it could lead to a more serious and debilitating injury. Rehabilitation could also take longer as it becomes harder to diagnose the problem the longer you wait.  

“It’s harder to determine what’s going on when a patient doesn’t come in right away,” says Gannott. “It’s more challenging to take steps backwards to determine the exact cause of the pain.”

However, even if you’ve had pain for a while that hasn’t been assessed, it doesn’t mean a full recovery is out of reach. With a strong physical therapy program that has been individualized for you, focusing on the causes of your pain, you’ll be on the road to recovery.

A consultation from a physical therapist is the first step to living pain free.

Having your pain assessed by a physical therapist or certified athletic trainer will help you get back to doing the activities you like to do. Setting up a consultation is the first step and OSR offers free consultations for anyone who is in pain and may need physical therapy.

Contact us today to set up a free consultation with one of our certified athletic trainers so that they can get you on an individualized physical therapy program designed specifically for you.

Introducing Physical Therapist Jessie Stevens

Hi! I am thrilled to be joining the OSR team and everything has been going great since starting at the Chanhassen location on Dec 1st! I recently relocated to Minnesota from Oregon, where I had been practicing in the outpatient setting for 3 years. I am a hands on therapist and my goals are your goals.

I grew up in the small town of Mora, MN and I just always knew I was going to be a PT. My mom works in the field, so I was exposed to the profession at a young age. After going through PT myself, for various athletic injuries in high school, I was sure that was the course I would take.

I attended the University of Minnesota and graduated in 2004 with a BS in kinesiology. I then moved to Florida to attend the University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences where I graduated with my doctorate in physical therapy. For no reason other than the desire to explore, my husband and I then decided to move to Oregon, which is where officially started my career.

3 Random facts:

1. My husband is also a PT.
2. I have a giant dog named Winston. He's a St. Bernard German Short Hair pointer mix and I love him!
3. I've completed 3 Ironman triathlons and I have high aspirations of qualifying for the World Championship in Kailua-Kona someday.

Position openings

Looking for a new career? 

• Full Time sports/ortho Physical Therapist position opening at our Chanhassen, MN clinic. 
• Full Time Athletic Trainer position opening at our Minnetonka, MN clinic. 

Email cover letter and resume to Zach at zach.giebler@osrpt.com. More info about our practice at www.osrpt.com

Back to School Back Pain?

School is back in session and with that comes hauling large books and a never ending amount of homework back and forth between home and school. A disturbing trend being seen in young adolescents is back pain attributing to overweight backpacks. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission estimates there are more than 7,300 backpack-related injuries annually treated by hospitals and doctors.

Here are a few tips to properly load and carry a back pack to help prevent your child from becoming a statistic.

• Make sure backpack does not weight more than 10% of your child’s body weight 
• Do not sling back pack over one shoulder; instead ALWAYS use both shoulder straps 
• Adjust straps so they are fit snugly to against the body keeping the bottom of the back pack two inches above waistline 
• Try packing all objects so they are evenly distributed, packing heaviest objects first and closest to the body and lighter objects in outer most compartments 
• Lift back pack using legs and avoid walking with a forward lean 
• Try finding a back pack that is light weight, has padded shoulder straps, and multiple compartments

If your child complains of back pain related to backpack use, contact your doctor or stop into O.S.R Physical Therapy for a free consult. Physical therapy can help address core strength important for stabilizing back and spine.

 This post was composed by Jason Kopp, ATR at our Chanhassen Office.

Sources:
http://www.acatoday.org/content_css.cfm?CID=65
http://www.webmd.com/parenting/features/kids-backpacks-101

Are squats bad for your knees?

Many times patients and clients say that they can't squat, lunge, or do leg extensions because they "have bad knees." Yet, they still manage to get up and down from the floor, climb stairs, and sit and stand from a chair. All of these daily activities use the motions of squatting, lunging, and leg extensions.

Much of the confusion arises from bad experiences with machines in the gym and fear of pain. Some of the gym machines like the knee extension and leg press are quite difficult to line up correctly. Repeated motions against a load on an incorrectly aligned machine can cause injury.

Many times those with "bad knees" have avoided these motions for so long that the quadriceps muscles and glutes become very weak. This can happen to people of all ages and activity levels.

The Journal of Orthopedic and Sports Physical Therapy recently released a patient recommendation on how to start strengthening to be able to perform these motions again. The recommendation is to perform squats to 45 degrees and leg extensions to 45 degrees as a way to get started.

Here is an image of what this looks like:

Start by performing 1 sets of 5-15 repetitions in the green ranges. Once you are pain free in these ranges, then you can start working up to 3 sets of 15. When this is easy, start progressing into the yellow ranges. This will help you improve your quadriceps strength  and function in a matter of weeks.

The full article can be found via this link.

If you have a current knee injury, consult with your Physical Therapist on appropriate timing and progression before you try these exercises at home.

Questions? Comments? We love to hear from you. Leave us a post.

This article was written by Meredith Butulis, DPT. Meredith works at our Eden Prairie office. You can contact her  and view her background via this link.