SPINAL ORTHOPEDIC REHABILITATION
OVERVIEW
Over 80% of people will develop spinal pain at some point in their lives. Spinal rehab starts with a comprehensive assessment by one of our fellowship trained therapists. A properly directed spinal therapy may be the best choice for avoiding surgery, injections, decreasing your health care costs and improving recovery time and results. If you are currently working with a physician (or other health care provider), we will closely collaborate to further optimize the entire healing process.
CONDITIONS AND INJURIES
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Motor vehicle accidents (MVAs)
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Whiplash
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Stenosis/ Degenerative conditions
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Herniated disc or nerve root irritation ei “sciatica, pinched nerve, slipped disc”
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Post surgical therapy
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Chronic pain of the neck or back
WHAT DOES TREATMENT LOOK LIKE?
As you can see from the list above, there are many causes for spine pain. Looking at this, you might realize, if there are multiple causes for your pain, a specific treatment should be used. All of our physical therapists are fellowship-trained spinal specialists (<1% of PTs have this designation) with many years of working with this population. They will focus on your symptoms, history and examination, then recommend the best plan of care based on their diagnosis and clinical findings. Common treatments include exercise, dry needling, joint manipulation or spinal mobilization. Education is considered a key element. If you are better able to understand the cause, your recovery will be improved greatly and future issues will be better prevented.
SPINAL STENOSIS
This condition can be found in the neck or lower back. It is a condition where the canal from the spinal cord and nerve openings are decreased. If there is too much compression of the nerve, you may experience pain, tingling, numbness, or even weakness in the spine or extremities. The most common causes are arthritis, spinal injury or the natural aging process. Spinal stenosis is often very well managed with postural education, stretching, exercises for strength and manual therapy.
HERNIATED DISC, SCIATICA, PINCHED NERVE, ETC
Patients with disc issues often describe an onset with improper twisting or lifting. You may experience back, hip, leg symptoms of pain, tingling, or numbness. There can also be weakness involved in the lower limb.
A comprehensive assessment is invaluable, as you could have these worrying symptoms with less severe issues such as a tight piriformis muscle (one of your hip rotators). Your physical therapist will help diagnose the main cause of your symptoms and, if needed, will work with your physician to help mitigate your problems and get on the road to recovery and decrease the risk of similar setbacks in the future.
POST OPERATIVE SPINAL REHABILITATION
Optimal success from spinal surgery may require physical therapy for optimal recovery. Our expert team of physical therapists will guide you through this process to help improve your muscle and nerve recovery, as well as help you to return to higher activity levels. When indicated, we will coordinate with your surgeon to implement the appropriate course of action.