Physical Therapy
Physical therapists (PTs) are health care professionals who evaluate and manage health conditions for people of all ages. Individuals consult a PT for the management of medical problems that cause pain, limit their ability to move, and limit the performance of functional activities.
PTs also help prevent health conditions through prevention, restoration of function and through fitness and wellness programs that achieve healthy and active lifestyles. PTs evaluate individuals, diagnose conditions, and develop management plans using treatment techniques that promote the ability to move, reduce pain, restore function, and prevent disability.
The PT considers functional progress; and includes ongoing review and refinement. Patient education is a key aspect of all treatment plans.
PTs use a range of techniques to help with prevention of pain/pathology. Listed below are a few of Rebound's specialties used to get you back on the road to recovery.
SPECIALIZATIONS INCLUDE
Advanced Manual Therapy
Advanced Manuarl Therapy describes numerous hands-on skills and techniques a clinician uses to help obtain optimal performance and recovery quickly. Rebound therapists have advanced training in the use of many of these skills.
Some are applied to help mobilize joint and soft tissue restrictions, while others are used to help strengthen and retrain weak and discoordinated muscles, in addition to postural or biomechanical problems. Some of the more common names of these techniques include, but are not limited to:
- Myofascial Release
- Transverse Friction
- Massage Strain-Counterstrain
- Muscle Energy Techniques
- Trigger Point Therapy
- Muscle Balancing Joint
- Mobilization and Manipulation
- Manual Traction Therapeutic
- Exercise Stabilization
- McConnell Strapping
- Craniosacral Therapy
Aquatic Rehabilitation Therapy
Aquatic Rehabilitation Therapy by a Licensed Physical Therapist is offered for rehabilitation as well as for individual program training. Some therapies include a combination of land and water. For the comfort of our clients, our Olympic pool is 82 degrees with depths varying from 3.5' to 7'.
Water provides 3 important elements: buoyancy, hydrostatic pressure and viscosity. Buoyancy helps unload a painful joint by “lifting you up” and thus allows you to increase range of motion (ROM), flexibility and mobility. Viscosity provides resistance to allow you to work on strengthening and aerobic conditioning.
BENEFITS
- Earlier return to sport specific training
- Increased cardiovascular endurance
- Increased strength with less pressure on your joints
- Decreased pain and swelling
- Increased circulation Improved balance and coordination
- Enhanced weight bearing progression Increased kinesthetic/proprioceptive input
- Increase range of motion Significantly improves flexibility
- Allows you to exercise with less stress to your heart & joints
- Decrease pain & improve your mood
- Improve muscle strength & body awareness
- Improve cardiovascular fitness
- Maintain fitness during injury
Tell us if you are nervous! We have techniques to assist you. You do not need to know how to swim. The therapist is also trained in water safety, and certified lifeguards staff the pool.
Balance and Proprioception
Proprioception refers to the ability one has to detect the position of something in space. We all have sensors in our joints, ligaments, tendons and muscles that talk to our brains and tell us where our arms, legs, or spinal areas are at any given time. After an injury however, many of these receptors are torn or damaged. While recovering and repairing many of our receptors loose their fine touch when they are not properly re-stimulated.
Balance is the common term we use to describe how our bodies know how to stay upright or when we are about to fall over. Our brains (the cerebellum) depend on the proper integration of input from 3 major receptor areas: our eyes, our middle ears, and our proprioceptors. Keeping your balance depends on your cerebellum properly talking to your muscles in numerous precise ways to react to any disturbance in position. Normally, these systems are working constantly, subconsciously.
Our middle ear holds the Vestibular System, which indicates when our heads are looking up or down, left or right. As we age, the tiny hairs that feel the flow of fluid in our vestibular’s semi-circular canals can begin to break down and break. When this happens we automatically start to rely more on our visual cues, and often pay far more attention looking at the ground when walking. In the absence of regular exercise, proprioception also gets lazy, and vision takes the front seat in our balance system.
No matter one’s age or level of activity, each of these areas can be exercised. Anyone can develop better balance. It is an area especially neglected in the sports rehab arena, and an area poorly understood by most of our senior citizens. Furthermore, there are both stationary and dynamic balance systems, just as there are postural (static) and dynamic muscle systems.
Foot and Ankle Biomechanics
Many back, hip and knee problems start with issues of the feet. Arches tend to drop over time; some faster than others. Often one side begins to fall before the other creating ITB pains, a lateral tracking patella, or chondromalacia (CMP). Many back problems and even scoliosis can come from bad feet, or conversely, spinal issues can cause foot problems.
A proper evaluation of any problem of the spine or lower extremity begins with a thorough observation of foot and ankle biomechanics. Many times it surrounds a strength deficit of the hip or knee, an old ankle sprain, or the development of a bunion. Even sciatica, osteoarthritis of the knee and hip, or lumbar stenosis can have roots coming from bad feet.
Finding the problem or why something in your body hurts is job one. Job two is knowing the right way(s) of steering you back on track, resolving the issues and working to feel better again. Job three is teaching our patients how to care for their issues themselves, to avoid problems long into the future.
Industrial Rehabilitation
Industrial Rehabilitation refers to a program of exercises and activities designed to help smooth the transition back to work and related work activities with minimal impact or stress to the recovering body. A large part of this program is directed at optimally restoring the endurance and stamina needed to successfully get through a normal 8-hour day. Attention is also given to ensuring restoration of proper strengths and tolerance to task such as repetitive use and lifting, or strenuous and awkward positioning. Activities are specifically tailored and designed to the individual’s needs.
Our location within the Longfellow Sports Club enables our patients access to an enormous variety of lifting and conditioning equipment. From sitting to standing, walking to climbing, twisting and crawling, virtually every job condition can be replicated and tested over properly graded activities.
We have worked extensively with Nurses, Firefighters, Police Officers, Soldiers, Bakers, Bankers, Doctors, Administrators, Technicians, and the full spectrum of Athletes to help them return to work and play safely and effectively.
Coordinated efforts are often made between employers and your therapist.
Medical Excerise Therapy
M.E.T. is a therapeutic approach initially designed and developed in Norway. Extensive documentation has proved it to be a superior method of treatment for numerous physical therapy issues. Its success is based on deloading stress on muscles and joints thorough the action of pulley-assisted exercise that enables an injured body part to continue to work and train while it heals.
Weights can be adjusted in 0.5 kg increments to try and mimic the buoyancy principles of water, on land. Ones bodyweight can be minimized through the use of specially designed harnesses and straps, or resistance added to specifically load a joint when ready. This fosters faster than normal recovery from injury or surgery, minimizing time and atrophy lost from deconditioning.
M.E.T. is an ideal link between injury and return to normal everyday or gym activities. It is particularly helpful with the recovery of pre and post-operative injuries of the extremities, including:
- Shoulder Impingement
- Rotator Cuff
- Tendonitis
- SLAP Lesions
- Biceps Tendonitis
- Tennis and Golfer’s Elbow
- Wrist Overuse Syndromes
- Hip Bursitis & Tendonitis
- ITB Syndrome
- Jumper’s Knee
- Patellar Tracking Disorders
- Chondromalacia Ankle Sprain & Strains
- Plantar Fascitis
- Achilles Tendonitis
- Partial & Total Joint Replacements
It is similarly helpful for the treatment of spinal disorders such as:
- Neck Strains
- Postural Disorders
- Thoracic Outlet Syndrome
- Scoliosis
- Lower Back Pain
- Spinal Stenosis
- Spondylolysthesis
- Arthritis
Plyometrics
The fun part of therapy begins with plyometrics. It is the dynamic integration of impact and rebound, catching and throwing, stopping suddenly and starting fast. Plyometrics integrates use of all the carefully designed exercises and conditioning activities, putting them all together to ensure your joints and muscles can stand up to the specific targeted tasks.
It may be taking a hit on the shoulder pads, or safely landing a jump on the court; striking the ball hard during a serve, or kicking the penalty shot after being tripped; lifting the 5-gallon water jug, or pushing the dolly up the ramp. Whatever the venue, plyometrics means you are ready, safe, strong and balanced for the impact. Plyometrics are exercise activities that progressively ready a body for a given dynamic activity.
It often involves movement training within the sport activity or job task. When you’re ready for plyometrics, you’re nearly ready to get back to full capacity.
Sports Conditioning
Sports Conditioning refers to multi-dimensional exercises and activities designed to target all the ‘strengths' you need to return to competition.
It's not just for athletes. Not just cardiovascular exercise.
Strength really defined by 6 main categories:
- Power
- Flexibility
- Balance
- Speed
- Coordination
- Endurance
Our goals are designed to restore all the strengths pertinent to a given activity. Whether a premier soccer player, tri-athlete, Little League pitcher, or weekend athlete, each area of strength needs to be properly addressed to ensure ideal performance and readiness.
We don't like to just get you back on the field; we aim to keep you out of our office in the future. That means applying many state of the art strategies and techniques needed to enable you or your athlete to return to play safely. Proprioception and Plyometrics are sub-category sports conditioning activities.
Specializations Include
What our Clients Say
"Your above and beyond knowledge shows in your treatments. Your care and personal touch is what brings patients to return time after time. Thank you Rebound!"
-N.A. (rotator cuff injury)