rock-valley-physical-therapy

Is Dizziness When Standing Up Normal?

Wed, 29 Apr 2026 18:15:31 GMT

Standing up is something most people do without thinking, but it can sometimes bring on a brief feeling of dizziness. You might feel lightheaded, slightly unsteady, or notice your vision fade for a moment before everything returns to normal.

Feeling dizzy when standing up is fairly common and, in many cases, not a cause for concern. It often passes quickly and does not interfere with daily life. However, when it starts happening more frequently or feels more intense, it may be worth paying closer attention.

Understanding what is behind that sensation can help you know when it is simply a normal response and when it may be time to look for answers.

Why You Feel Dizzy When Standing Up

When you stand up, your body has to adjust quickly. Blood that was evenly distributed while you were sitting or lying down shifts toward your lower body. To keep you steady, your heart and blood vessels work together to move blood back up to your brain.

If that adjustment happens a little slower than expected, even for a second or two, you may feel dizzy when standing up. That brief drop in blood flow to the brain can cause lightheadedness, blurred vision, or a sense of imbalance.

This response is more likely to happen if you stand up quickly, have been sitting for a long time, or are slightly dehydrated. In many cases, your body corrects itself almost immediately, and the feeling passes just as fast as it came.

While occasional dizziness can be a normal part of how the body responds to movement, frequent or lingering symptoms may point to something that needs a closer look.

Is It Normal to Get Dizzy After Standing

In many cases, yes, it is normal to feel a little dizzy after standing up. A brief moment of lightheadedness that fades within a few seconds is usually part of how the body adjusts to a change in position.

For most people, the sensation is mild, short-lived, and does not interfere with daily routines. It may come and go without becoming a pattern or concern.

When dizziness starts to feel more noticeable, less predictable, or harder to shake, it may be a sign that your body needs more support to maintain balance and stability.

Common Causes of Sudden Lightheadedness

A quick wave of lightheadedness when standing can come from a variety of sources. Some are tied to how your body regulates circulation, while others relate more to balance or overall health.

Changes in circulation: Y our body relies on a fast response from the heart and blood vessels to keep blood flowing to the brain. If that response is slightly delayed, even briefly, you may feel unsteady.

Inner ear dysfunction: The inner ear helps control balance and spatial awareness. When it is not working properly, position changes can trigger dizziness or a spinning sensation.

Medication side effects: Certain prescriptions can affect blood pressure, hydration levels, or how your body responds to movement, leading to lightheadedness.

Nutritional factors: Irregular eating patterns or not getting enough nutrients can leave you feeling weak or off balance during everyday movements.

General deconditioning: Long periods of inactivity can make it harder for the body to adjust smoothly to movement, including something as simple as standing up.

Pinpointing the cause can make a meaningful difference in how dizziness is managed and prevented.

How Blood Pressure Affects Your Balance

Blood pressure has a direct impact on how steady you feel when changing positions. Your brain depends on a steady flow of blood and oxygen, and even a small drop can affect how you feel in the moment.

When you stand up, your body needs to quickly adjust to keep blood moving upward against gravity. If that adjustment is delayed or less efficient, you may notice lightheadedness, a brief loss of balance, or a need to pause before taking a step.

For some people, these changes are subtle and pass quickly. For others, the body may have a harder time regulating blood pressure, which can make symptoms more noticeable.

Balance is not just about muscles or coordination. It is closely tied to circulation, and when blood pressure is not well regulated, your sense of stability can be affected.

Signs Your Dizziness May Need Attention

Occasional dizziness that passes quickly may not raise concern, but certain patterns can signal that something more is going on.

Symptoms that last longer than a few seconds: Lingering lightheadedness or a feeling that does not settle can point to an underlying issue.

Frequent or worsening episodes: Dizziness that starts to happen more regularly or becomes more intense over time deserves a closer look.

Trouble with balance or walking: Feeling unsteady, veering while walking, or needing support to stay upright can indicate a balance-related concern.

Dizziness paired with other symptoms: Headaches, nausea, ringing in the ears, or changes in vision can suggest that more than one system in the body is involved.

Interference with daily life: Avoiding certain movements or activities because of dizziness is a sign that it is affecting your quality of life.

Paying attention to these signs can help you take the next step toward finding the cause and getting the right support.

How Physical Therapy Can Improve Balance

Physical therapy offers a practical way to address dizziness at its source. Vestibular therapy is a specialized type of physical therapy designed to treat dizziness, vertigo, and balance issues by improving how your inner ear, vision, and body work together.

Treatment is tailored to your symptoms, with guided exercises that build balance, coordination, and confidence over time. Many people notice they feel steadier and more in control during everyday activities.

At Rock Valley Physical Therapy, care is designed around you. You work one-on-one with the same therapist, and no referral is needed to get started. With convenient locations and flexible scheduling, it is easy to begin care on your terms.

If dizziness has been holding you back, now is a good time to take action. Schedule an appointment with Rock Valley Physical Therapy and start feeling steady, confident, and in control again.

Empowered Relief™ Event – Silvis

Fri, 13 Mar 2026 15:27:45 GMT

Looking for accessible non-pharmacologic pain management for chronic pain? Join us for a two-hour intervention that provides individuals with essential pain relief skills, delivered by certified clinicians. This is a great resource for those seeking relief from acute or chronic pain.

Event Overview:

NIH-funded and shown to reduce pain intensity, pain-related distress, pain interference and improve sleep
Attendees gain actionable pain relief skills
Includes didactics and experiential exercises
Create a personal plan for pain relief
Developed by pain psychologists at Stanford University

Event Information:

Date: Saturday April 11, 2026
Time: 10am-12pm
Address: 902 Illini Drive, Silvis, IL 61282

For questions please call (309) 796-3450.

RSVP Here

Read HIPAA Statement Here

Power From the Core: Self Defense & Pelvic Awareness for Girls and Moms

Thu, 12 Mar 2026 15:17:19 GMT

Confidence is achieved when the mind and the body are strong.

In this hands-on workshop, young women and their moms will learn practical self-defense skills while discovering how pelvic floor awareness supports strength, stability, and emotional resilience.

You’ll learn:

Simple self-defense strategies
Body awareness and pelvic floor basics
How to release tension and build confidence
Practical tips to improve awareness and safer in everyday life

A supportive, empowering experience designed to help girls grow into strong, aware, and confident women.

Best for ages: 14-25 young women

Event Information:

Location: Rock Valley Physical Therapy – 419 W. Bridge Rd. #A, Polk City, IA 50226

Date: Wednesday, April 29, 2026

Time: 6:30 PM – 8:00 PM

Price: FREE!

RSVP Here

Read HIPAA Statement Here

PCI 29 Clinic Refresh

Mon, 09 Mar 2026 15:05:20 GMT

Come celebrate our 29th St. refresh!

This refresh represents more than just updated space — it reflects our continued commitment to collaboration, communication, and delivering exceptional outcomes for the patients we share.

We would love the opportunity to:

Thank you for your partnership
Reconnect in person
Share updates on our team and services
Show you the enhancements designed to better serve our patients

Join us for appetizers, refreshments, and conversation.

We value the trust you place in our team and look forward to continuing to grow together. We hope you can stop by!

Event Information:

Location: Rock Valley Physical Therapy – 1825 29th St. NE Suite C, Cedar Rapids, IA 52402

Date: Thursday, April 23, 2026

Time: 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM

Price: FREE!

RSVP Here

Read HIPAA Statement Here

Pediatric Milestone Screenings – Polk City

Tue, 03 Mar 2026 14:59:16 GMT

Come learn about infant and toddler motor milestones and how to promote development! Our goal is to ensure you feel confident in supporting your child as they’re learning to move.

You will meet 1:1 with a physical therapist who will assess how your child moves, let you know if there are any areas of concern, and help you guide them to reaching their next skills!

What we will evaluate:

Range of motion
Strength
Motor development

Event Information:

Location: Rock Valley Physical Therapy – 419 W. Bridge Rd #A, Polk City, IA 50226
Date: Saturday, April 11, 2026
Time: 8:00 AM – 10:00 AM
Price: FREE!

RSVP Here

Read HIPAA Statement Here

*This event is best suited for kids ages 0-5*

Cedar Rapids Fall Risk Screening

Tue, 24 Feb 2026 14:47:30 GMT

Are you worried about your balance? Have you fallen within the last year? Do you have trouble keeping up with your friends and family or simply not feel as confident on your feet as you once did?

Join us for a free balance screening at our PCI Cedar Rapids clinic!

This individual assessment will involve several targeted balance tests followed by a one-on-one discussion about what you can do to get moving again!

Event Information:

Location: PCI Medical Pavilion, Building 1, Level 3 Community Room, 202 10th Street S.E., Cedar Rapids, IA 52403

Date: Wednesday, May 13, 2026

Time: 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM

Price: FREE!

Walk-ins are welcome!

RSVP Here

Read HIPAA Statement Here

We will be in contact to schedule a 30 minute time slot!

Reframe Your Pain – Copper Creek

Mon, 16 Feb 2026 14:43:25 GMT

Join us for an engaging and eye-opening community talk, “Reframe Your Pain,” where we’ll explore what pain really is, why it sometimes lingers longer than it should, and how you can take control of it. We’ll show how pain is influenced by the brain—not just the body.

Topics Covered:

The difference between acute and chronic pain
Common pain myths

How physical therapy can calm the nervous system and restore confidence

Whether you’re dealing with ongoing discomfort or just want to better understand your body, this event will give you practical, science-backed tools to move forward.

Event Information:

Location: Rock Valley Physical Therapy – 1280 Copper Creek Drive, Pleasant Hill, IA 50327

Date: Saturday, March 28, 2026

Time: 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM

Price: FREE!

RSVP Here

Read HIPAA Statement Here

Vestibular Therapy: What is it & How Does it Work?

Thu, 12 Feb 2026 19:12:28 GMT

Vestibular therapy is a powerful form of treatment. Its design is to help patients with vestibular disorders return to daily life without discomfort and dizziness.

In the following content, we explore a variety of vestibular disorders, including causes and symptoms, as well as the impact vestibular therapy can have on suffering patients. Finally, we answer – “What is Vestibular Therapy?”, and “what does this helpful therapy involve?”

What are Vestibular Disorders?

The vestibular system is a simple link between your ear and brain, keeping you steady and balanced while moving and performing everyday tasks. Vestibular disorders are produced if this small, yet incredibly important system is damaged in any way.

Vestibular disorders present a variety of symptoms, often slightly different for every patient. However, serious dizziness (vertigo) and trouble with balance are frequently reported symptoms.

Vertigo is the sensation of feeling like you are moving when you are not. Furthermore, it presents itself as an intense, room-spinning feeling. This extreme dizziness is prompted by calcium crystals moving to an unnatural area within your ear, telling your brain that your body is in motion – even when you are completely still.

While these are among the most common symptoms, hearing and vision issues can also be present. Take note of a few of the most common vestibular disorders and symptoms below:

1. Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV)

For individuals suffering from BPPV, vertigo is one of the most common symptoms.

2. Labyrinthitis

Known simply as an inner ear infection, Known simply as an inner ear infection, Labyrinthitis occurs when your labyrinth – a sensitive structure within your ear – is irritated and inflamed. The symptoms of Labyrinthitis can be extensive, including hearing loss, ear pain, pressure, high fever, dizziness, and nausea.

3. Vestibular Neuritis

Dizziness, nausea, and difficulty with daily functions caused by Vestibular Neuritis often stems from a viral infection in the inner ear or somewhere else in the body, which then attacks the inner ear and can cause severe nausea, dizziness, and imbalance.

5. Perilymphatic Fistula (PLF)

Individuals can be born with PLF or develop it from an injury. PLF stems from a tear between the middle ear and inner ear that is now filled with fluid. As a result, this condition causes dizziness and potential hearing loss.

Often defined by severe bouts of vertigo, imbalance, and tinnitus (a ringing or roaring sound in the ears), Meniere’s Disease is triggered by excessive fluid production in the inner ear. Meniere’s should be treated right away as the disorder can lead to prolonged hearing damage and balance impairments. A good relationship with a vestibular physical therapist is extremely helpful in managing the symptoms of Meniere’s disease.

Traumatic head injuries can occur from multiple incidents, including car accidents, sporting collisions, or accrued head trauma after a sudden fall. Whatever the cause, concussions often cause vestibular damage , and commonly result in dizziness, difficulty in maintaining balance, the inability to focus, headaches, and trouble stabilizing vision while in motion.

6. Concussion

4. Meniere’s Disease

How are Vestibular Disorder Symptoms Triggered?

Uncomfortable vestibular symptoms are often triggered by simple head position changes.

Individuals suffering from any of the previously listed disorders may have difficulty performing any of the following daily activities:

Rolling over in bed
Bending over
Turning head quickly
Looking up
Walking
Keeping balanced with eyes closed
Reading
Focusing on a single target while head is moving
Shifting eyes from one target to another
Walking through grocery stores
Riding in a car

How Does Vestibular Therapy Help?

Vestibular Therapy Techniques (VRT) are performed by specially-trained physical therapists.

For individuals suffering from vertigo, therapists can develop individualized treatment plans designed to improve each individual patient’s symptoms. Patients may be led through balance training that retrains the body to react properly to movement. Alternatively, they may be guided through specific eye/head movements that retrains the brain to react properly to vestibular information.

What Does Vestibular Therapy Involve?

At your initial visit, your physical therapist may perform a preliminary evaluation to understand your symptoms, review medical history, and accurately assess your current condition. The examination may include evaluations of:

Balance
Eye and head movements
Gait (the way you walk)
Visual stability
Positional testing
Neck mobility

Once the initial assessment is complete, your physical therapist will assign and walk you through the best exercises for your specific condition.

Rock Valley Physical Therapy: Vestibular Therapy Specialists

Individuals who suffer from the effects of vestibular disorders can find significant relief and rehabilitation working with vestibular therapy specialists. At Rock Valley Physical Therapy , we are dedicated to helping individuals return to normal life. To get in touch with our team, feel free to request an appointment today!

Rock Your Total Joint Replacement – Quad Cities

Fri, 23 Jan 2026 14:37:23 GMT

Do you have a knee replacement surgery scheduled or are you considering one in the future?

Join us for a comprehensive class that educates you and your loved ones about knee replacement surgery and how we can make your recovery easier.

Topics will include:

Knee replacement surgery
Preparing for your surgery
What to expect after surgery & pain management
Returning home
How physical therapy can help with your recovery pre- and post-operatively.

We hope that after this course you will feel better prepared for your knee replacement surgery. Our goal is to get you back to doing the things you love as soon as possible.

Upcoming Total Joint Events:

Saturday, May 16 – Davenport, 53rd Street: Rock Valley Physical Therapy – 4451 E. 53rd Street, Suite 200, Davenport, IA 52807
Saturday, August 8 – Moline, Avenue of the Cities: Rock Valley Physical Therapy – 3800 Avenue of the Cities, Suite 107, Moline, IL 61265
Saturday, November 7 – Davenport, Kimberly & NW: Rock Valley Physical Therapy – 900 W. Kimberly Rd., Suite B, Davenport, IA 52806

Event Information:

Time: 10:00am – 11:30am
Price: FREE!
You will receive a handbook with valuable pre- and post-surgery information to take home with you.

RSVP Below

Read HIPAA Statement Here

Mindful Eating During the Holidays

Thu, 13 Nov 2025 21:10:24 GMT

The holiday season is fast approaching, but that doesn’t mean that you need to put your health and wellness goals on hold! Consistency is key when building healthy habits at any time of the year. Allowing yourself to enjoy fun holiday foods, but in a mindful, balanced way can prevent you from derailing the trajectory of your wellness journey. Continue reading for tips to incorporate mindful eating during the upcoming holiday season:

Picture the Hunger/Fullness Scale

Learning to assess your hunger and fullness cues can be an extremely helpful tool to minimize overeating while still enjoying your favorite holiday foods. When you are at a holiday gathering or sitting down for your annual holiday meal, focus on rating your hunger from 0 to 10. 0 being ravenous and 10 being overly full to the point that you feel sick. Ideally, we want to eat at a 3-4 on the hunger scale, when feelings of hunger are just starting, to prevent overeating and uncomfortable levels of fullness. We don’t want to eat until we are at a 10 on the hunger scale, but at a 6 or 7 when our hunger is comfortably satisfied. Slowing down and pausing while eating, while also chewing your food thoroughly, can help you recognize when you are starting to become full. Keep in mind that it takes about 20-30 minutes for our brain to register that we are starting to feel full after eating!

Eat Consistently

Fueling yourself with a healthy breakfast and snacks leading up to your holiday eating occasions can be beneficial to prevent overeating. In most situations, it’s not the best idea to “save all of your calories” for the holiday meal, as this can cause overeating and excess levels of fullness.

Add Color When Possible

Many holiday foods may not be high in fiber, so it’s important to focus on adding color to your plate as much as you can. Fruits and vegetables as part of holiday appetizers or dishes can minimize calories, while also adding a fiber boost to aid in fullness and balance blood sugar. If you are attending a holiday gathering, offer to bring a fruit or veggie tray. At your main holiday meal, try to balance out the entrees or sides with fruit or veggie options as much as possible.

Minimize Distracted Eating

Distracted eating at holiday gatherings often leads to overeating – no one wants to leave feeling sick from eating too much! Using a smaller, appetizer size plate can be helpful to keep your portions in check while socializing. Before going back for seconds or another festive drink, make sure to take a pause and check in with your hunger cues!

By: Lauren Zust, MPP-D, RD, LD | Rock Valley Health Registered Dietitian

Can Physical Therapy Help Urinary Incontinence?

Fri, 10 Oct 2025 20:59:47 GMT

For many people, urinary incontinence isn’t something they like to talk about, but it impacts virtually every part of a person’s life. Activities become harder to do, heading out for lunch with a friend is worrisome, and monitoring how much you drink becomes a habit.

The condition isn’t uncommon, though. It’s estimated that 13 million people in the US suffer from incontinence. Of those, 85% are women. While it may seem like something you have to live with, that’s not the case for many people. Physical therapy for urinary incontinence can be highly effective and may change the path of your life as a result.

What Is Urinary Incontinence?

Urinary incontinence refers to bladder control problems. For many people, this leads to leakage of urine when a person isn’t going to the bathroom. It can happen when a person is active, sitting, or sleeping. Some people also struggle with starting and holding onto a stream of urine.

The condition varies in severity ranging from mild cases that only occur when a person sneezes or laughs hard to severe cases in which there is no control over when the bladder releases urine.

Types of Urinary Incontinence

Urinary incontinence occurs in various forms and for multiple reasons. Some of the most common include the following:

Stress Incontinence

This is one of the most common forms and often occurs in mild cases. Urine leakage occurs when a person engages in some type of movement that puts too much pressure on the bladder. This may mean a person has leaks when lifting something heavy, laughing, coughing, sneezing, or running.

This form often occurs due to a weakening or poor coordination of the pelvic floor muscles. These muscles help the bladder to function properly but can, especially over time and in women, weaken, creating a lack of bladder control.

Urge Incontinence

Some people feel a sudden onset of the need to go to the bathroom right away. Called urge incontinence, this condition often involves a dash to the bathroom that sometimes is too late. This type of condition often occurs due to a lack of pelvic floor muscles that reduce the urge to urinate. Some with this condition suffer from it because their bladder has spasms that increase the need to go.

There are various reasons for this occurring, and in some cases, it can be a learned situation. (ie. going “just in case” you’re leaving the house, cleaning, or you’re already awake at night) However, bladder or muscle inflammation can also be a factor in this condition.

Functional Incontinence

This form of incontinence occurs for reasons that are outside of the area of pelvic floor muscle damage. It could be due to joint pain or muscle weakness, especially in those who suffer from hip pain or low (weak) core. It may be brought on by mental health conditions like confusion or dementia or as a result of depression and anger. Low mobility can also be a factor.

Not all forms of urinary incontinence can be treated with physical therapy, and some forms of functional incontinence fall into that area. However, improving mobility and strengthening all muscles may offer some assistance.

What Causes Urinary Incontinence?

Each type of urinary incontinence is a bit different in terms of what the cause is. For some people, it occurs due to damage to the pelvic floor muscles, while for others, it is due to muscle weakness, which is common, for example, in women who have children. In many cases, improving the function of the pelvic floor muscles can directly impact urinary health.

How Can a Physical Therapist Help?

Pelvic floor therapy for urinary incontinence can be one of the best ways to find long-lasting relief. A physical therapist can offer help in determining what is occurring and why and then work with you to create a regimen of exercise that can help improve incontinence.

There are some situations that require additional care and surgical procedures. However, for many people, the first step in treatment is to seek out physical therapy for urinary incontinence because of the numerous benefits it offers in a non-invasive manner.

The following are some of the therapies that may be beneficial to those with urinary incontinence:

Pelvic Floor Exercises

Working with a physical therapist to learn how to do pelvic floor exercises is a solid first step for many people. That includes learning how to do Kegels, a specific type of contracting and releasing of these muscles to build strength in them. Physical therapists can teach breathing and timing methods that can make these exercises more effective as well.

Bladder Training

Your physical therapist can also work with you to learn how to train your bladder – which allows you to extend the amount of time you have between voiding. Doing this allows people who may have urge incontinence to teach the bladder to work in a more effective manner.

Manual Therapy

In some situations, soft tissue mobilization techniques can also be used. This works to tighten up the muscles and improves their overall function. It also creates improved posture at the pelvic floor, which supports the bladder’s natural function better.

In this type of treatment, physical therapists may show patients how to use tools, like a vaginal dilator, to help them better work on exercises at home. Don’t be afraid of physical therapy like this – it can be very private and provides significant improvement in many people.

Other treatment options may exist as well. That includes biofeedback therapy and electrical stimulation.

Allow Rock Valley Physical Therapy to Help You

Take a few minutes to get to know Rock Valley Physical Therapy. Our physical therapists can help you with many of the needs you have, including pelvic floor therapy for urinary incontinence. We strive to provide our patients with exceptional care and attention to their very specific needs. We listen, teach, and guide in a supportive environment.

Find a clinic in your area now. Schedule an appointment to discuss treatment options.

Can Bad Posture Cause Headaches?

Fri, 10 Oct 2025 19:57:24 GMT

If you’ve ever felt a headache build after hours at a desk or scrolling through your phone, posture could be playing a bigger role than you think. Poor alignment can strain more than just your neck or shoulders. It often contributes directly to headache pain. When the muscles around your spine stay tense for too long, they can irritate nerves, restrict movement, and lead to headaches that seem to come out of nowhere. Small, repeated habits often set the stage for ongoing discomfort.

How Forward Head Posture Adds Neck Strain

Forward head posture happens when your head shifts in front of your shoulders, often from looking down at a screen or leaning toward a monitor. Even a slight shift puts extra load on the muscles at the base of the skull and along the back of the neck. These muscles stay contracted to hold the head up, leading to tension and fatigue. Over time, that constant strain can irritate nerves, limit blood flow, and trigger headaches, particularly at the base of the skull or behind the eyes.

Some people also notice neck stiffness, jaw tension, or a feeling of pressure in the head. Forward head posture doesn’t always cause pain right away, but when it becomes a daily habit, the stress on your body adds up. Physical therapy for headaches caused by postural strain can help reduce muscle tension, improve alignment, and provide relief that lasts.

When Shoulders Round Your Upper Spine Discomfort

Rounded shoulders often go hand-in-hand with a forward head position, especially during long hours at a desk or hunched over a phone. This posture shifts your upper spine into a curved position, which can tighten chest muscles and overstretch the muscles between your shoulder blades. That imbalance creates tension through the upper back and neck, increasing the chance of headache pain.

As posture breaks down, the surrounding muscles work harder just to keep your head upright. Over time, that added strain can lead to discomfort in the base of the skull, behind the eyes, or even across the forehead. Some people feel a dull ache that spreads from the neck into the head. Addressing rounded shoulders often helps reduce pressure throughout the upper spine, giving the neck and head a chance to recover.

Slouching Effects on Neck Muscles and Joints

Slouching pulls your spine out of its natural alignment and places extra stress on the joints and soft tissues in your neck. Over time, that posture can change how your muscles function, how your joints move, and how well your body handles physical stress. These changes often contribute to headache symptoms, especially when slouching becomes a daily habit.

Here’s what slouching can lead to:

Muscle fatigue in the neck and upper back
Joint compression in the cervical spine
Decreased joint mobility and stiffness
Tension buildup in the base of the skull
Irritation of nearby nerves that refer pain into the head

Even small posture adjustments throughout the day can ease this pressure. Strengthening supportive muscles and building better movement habits often make a noticeable difference in how your neck and head feel. Improving these patterns also supports long-term injury prevention and more efficient movement.

How Poor Posture Limits Oxygen Flow

Posture affects more than your muscles and joints. It also changes the way you breathe. When you slouch or round forward, your chest cavity has less room to expand. That makes it harder for your diaphragm to move freely, which limits how deeply you can breathe. Shallow breathing reduces the amount of oxygen your body takes in, especially during prolonged sitting or stressful tasks.

Reduced oxygen levels can contribute to fatigue, brain fog, and even tension headaches. Your muscles, especially those in your neck and shoulders, may work harder to help you breathe, creating extra strain. For people who already carry tension in those areas, this pattern can make head pain worse. Improving posture helps restore normal breathing patterns, energy levels, and reduces unnecessary pressure on muscles involved in both posture and respiration.

When Posture Disrupts Spinal Alignment

The spine is designed to support your body through natural curves that absorb stress and allow fluid movement. Poor posture can gradually shift those curves out of balance. When the head juts forward, the shoulders round, or the lower back flattens, the alignment of the entire spine can be affected. This puts uneven pressure on muscles, discs, and joints, which often shows up as pain or stiffness in the neck and upper back.

As spinal alignment shifts, certain muscles become overworked while others weaken. These imbalances can lead to joint irritation, nerve compression, and referred pain, often into the head. Many posture-related headaches are linked to stress on the cervical spine. Supporting proper spinal alignment through targeted movement and postural awareness can help reduce the strain that leads to recurring headaches and physical therapy visits.

Signs That Posture Is Triggering Head Pain

Headaches caused by poor posture often follow a consistent pattern, though many people don’t realize posture is the root of the problem. The pain might start gradually and worsen throughout the day, especially during long periods of sitting or screen time. It often feels like tension building in the neck and creeping upward.

Common signs that posture may be contributing to your headaches include:

A dull ache at the base of the skull
Pain that spreads from the neck to the forehead or behind the eyes
Tightness in the shoulders or upper back
Stiffness after sitting for long periods
Improvement in symptoms after movement or stretching

If these symptoms sound familiar, improving posture and addressing muscle imbalances may be a key part of finding lasting relief.

What Habits Keep Posture in Check

Posture doesn’t have to be perfect every minute. What matters more is building small, repeatable habits that aid your body throughout the day. These habits can reduce the physical stress that often leads to headaches, especially when practiced consistently.

Helpful posture-supporting habits include:

Changing positions often, especially during long sitting periods
Keeping screens at eye level to avoid looking down
Using a chair that supports your lower back
Stretching your chest and strengthening your upper back
Practicing deep breathing to reduce tension in neck and shoulder muscles
Taking short walks to reset posture and improve circulation

These small adjustments add up over time. When posture improves, tension decreases, and the frequency of posture-related headaches often goes down, too.

If posture is playing a role in your headaches, Rock Valley Physical Therapy can help. No referral is needed. Reach out to start feeling better.

Why Are Your Hamstrings So Tight?

Thu, 09 Oct 2025 21:38:07 GMT

Ever feel like your hamstrings are always tight, no matter how much you stretch them? You’re not alone. Many people assume tightness means a muscle just needs to be lengthened, but the real cause is often more complicated. Nerve tension, prolonged sitting, and even weak core and hip muscles can all put strain on the hamstrings. Stretching won’t fix the problem unless those deeper issues are addressed.

To get lasting relief, it helps to understand what’s really pulling those muscles tight in the first place and learn what actually helps them feel better in a way that lasts. Learning what contributes to this kind of discomfort can save time, prevent injury, and lead to better long-term results.

The Hidden Role of Nerves in Tightness

Tight hamstrings often have less to do with the muscle itself and more to do with the nerves running through and around it, especially the sciatic nerve. When nerves are irritated or restricted, the body instinctively protects them by tightening surrounding muscles. That tight feeling might be your body protecting sensitive nerves, not a sign that your hamstrings are truly short.

Common nerve-related causes of hamstring tightness include:

Sciatic nerve irritation from the lower back or hip
Previous injuries that affect nerve mobility
Poor posture compresses nerves over time
Restricted nerve gliding due to limited movement or scar tissue

Stretching alone won’t resolve this kind of tightness, and in some cases, it can make symptoms worse. Releasing tension in the nervous system requires gentle movement, specific positioning, and techniques that focus on restoring normal nerve mobility. Physical therapists are trained to assess and treat this directly.

How Sitting Changes Your Hamstring Length

The hamstrings are long muscles that run from your sit bones down to the back of your knees. When you sit for long periods, especially with poor posture, these muscles stay in a shortened position. Over time, your body adapts, and the brain treats that shorter length as the new normal, making the muscles feel tight when you stand or move.

This feeling of tightness often comes from how your body has adapted to repeated positions. Over time, sitting trains the muscles to stay short. If your day involves hours of sitting at a desk, driving, or lounging on the couch, your hamstrings are likely stuck in this cycle. You might notice stiffness after getting up, reduced mobility during activity, or even discomfort in your lower back or knees.

Improving hamstring mobility takes more than occasional stretching. It often requires movement re-education, posture correction, and strategies that help the muscles regain their full range without constantly being pulled short.

Why Weak Hips Can Stress Your Hamstrings

The hamstrings often take on extra work when the hips and glutes aren’t doing their job. These muscle groups are meant to share the load during walking, running, lifting, and even standing. When the hip stabilizers are weak, the hamstrings try to compensate. That added demand can lead to tension, overuse, and the constant feeling that your hamstrings are tight or overworked.

Signs of hip weakness can show up in different ways. You might feel tightness in the hamstrings during basic activities like walking or standing. Some people notice fatigue or cramping in the back of the legs during exercise. A forward-tilted pelvis can also increase tension, shifting more strain onto the hamstrings. If you feel a lack of power when climbing stairs or rising from a chair, your hips may not be pulling their weight.

Strengthening the hips and glutes helps relieve tension, restore muscle balance, and prevent overuse of the hamstrings.

Signs That Tight Hamstrings Need Attention

Not all hamstring tightness is a sign of something serious, but when it keeps coming back or affects how you move, it’s worth paying attention. Ongoing tension can point to underlying issues that go beyond simple muscle stiffness.

Watch for these signs that your hamstrings need more than just stretching:

Tightness that returns daily, even after stretching
Pain in the back of the leg during movement or at rest
Frequent strains or “pulls” when exercising or being active
Numbness or tingling, which could indicate nerve involvement
Lower back or knee discomfort that seems related
Limited flexibility that doesn’t improve over time
Tightness that’s noticeably worse on one side

If you’re noticing one or more of these, it’s a good time to dig deeper. A physical therapist can help figure out what’s really behind the tightness and create a plan that actually works.

What an Effective Hamstring Fix Looks Like

Tight hamstrings often don’t need more stretching. They need the right kind of movement, strength, and nerve mobility work. A one-size-fits-all routine won’t get to the root of the issue. The most effective plans are personalized and address what’s really causing the tension in your body.

A complete hamstring solution usually includes:

Targeted strengthening for glutes, hips, and core
Mobility exercises that improve movement without forcing a stretch
Nerve gliding techniques if neural tension is part of the problem
Postural work to improve alignment and reduce strain
Functional movement training that restores balance during daily activity
Recovery strategies like soft tissue work, dry needling, or guided breathing

Together, these elements help restore healthy movement and keep tightness from returning. More effort isn’t always the answer. The key is finding what your body truly needs and responding with purpose.

How Physical Therapy Relieves Tight Legs

When tight hamstrings keep coming back or start affecting how you move, physical therapy helps uncover the real cause. Instead of focusing on temporary fixes, a physical therapist looks at the whole picture, including your posture, movement habits, strength, flexibility, and nerve mobility. This whole-body approach is what makes physical therapy so effective for long-term relief.

At Rock Valley Physical Therapy, we don’t hand out cookie-cutter routines. Your therapist works with you one-on-one to build a plan that fits your body, your goals, and your lifestyle. That might include hands-on techniques, corrective exercises, postural retraining, or movement education. You’ll also get strategies to manage tightness at home and prevent it from coming back.

No referral is needed to get started. If your hamstrings always feel tight and nothing seems to help, let’s figure out what’s really going on and help you move better, without that constant tension holding you back.

The Most Common Types of Injuries in the Workplace

Fri, 26 Sep 2025 20:50:43 GMT

In every type of work environment, from office desks to construction sites, injuries can happen. Some are sudden and dramatic, like a fall, while others develop slowly over time, like neck pain from poor posture. No matter how they arise, workplace injuries can significantly impact a person’s health, career, and overall well-being. Fortunately, physical therapy plays a pivotal role in both preventing and treating these common injuries. At Rock Valley Physical Therapy, we specialize in helping employees recover faster, avoid future injuries, and return to work safely.

Slips, Trips, and Falls Leading to Injury

One of the most frequent causes of workplace injuries is slips, trips, and falls. Wet floors, uneven surfaces, loose cords, and poor lighting can lead to accidents that result in sprains, fractures, or even head injuries. These incidents are not limited to industrial or outdoor workspaces; they can happen in any office or healthcare setting.

Physical therapy helps with recovery by restoring strength, balance, and mobility. Therapists also educate patients on safe movement strategies and recommend workplace modifications to prevent recurrence. Balance training and strengthening exercises are particularly effective for individuals at higher risk of falls, such as those working in fast-paced environments or on slick surfaces.

Repetitive Strain Injuries and Chronic Pain

When a job requires the same motion over and over, day after day, it can lead to repetitive strain injuries (RSIs). Common examples include carpal tunnel syndrome from typing or tendonitis from using handheld tools. These conditions often cause chronic pain, numbness, and loss of function.

Physical therapy focuses on relieving pain, improving range of motion, and correcting movement patterns. Our therapists develop individualized plans that address not just symptoms but also the root causes of strain. Ergonomic assessments and task-specific training help workers perform their jobs more safely, reducing long-term wear and tear on the body.

Muscle Strains from Heavy Lifting

Improper lifting techniques or lifting beyond one’s capacity can easily lead to muscle strains, particularly in the back, shoulders, and legs. This is a common issue in warehouses, construction, and delivery-based roles.

Physical therapists guide injured workers through a progressive recovery plan, starting with pain relief and inflammation reduction, then moving on to rebuilding strength and flexibility. Education is key: patients learn proper lifting mechanics and how to use supportive equipment. These tools not only aid recovery but also help prevent reinjury on the job.

Neck and Back Pain from Poor Ergonomics

For office-based employees, poor workstation setup is a leading cause of neck and back pain. Sitting for long periods, slouching, or using improperly positioned monitors and chairs can gradually lead to muscle imbalances and spinal stress.

Physical therapy can make a significant difference by correcting posture, enhancing core strength, and promoting better alignment. Therapists often recommend ergonomic adjustments such as standing desks, lumbar support cushions, and proper screen height. With consistent therapy, employees experience reduced pain, better focus, and improved overall health.

Joint Injuries from Repetitive Movements

Jobs that involve repeated kneeling, climbing, or twisting can strain the joints, especially knees, hips, and shoulders. Over time, this repetitive motion can lead to bursitis, arthritis, or ligament issues that reduce mobility and function.

Treatment plans at Rock Valley Physical Therapy are customized to help each person manage inflammation, rebuild joint stability, and avoid further damage. Therapists teach joint protection techniques and movement strategies that allow employees to keep working while minimizing stress on vulnerable joints.

How Physical Therapy Aids Workplace Recovery

It may be a sudden injury or a chronic issue that has developed over years; physical therapy offers a proactive, holistic approach to recovery. At Rock Valley Physical Therapy, we prioritize getting patients back to work safely and with confidence. Here’s how we help:

Individualized Care: Each treatment plan is tailored to the specific injury, job demands, and goals of the patient.
Injury Prevention: We identify risk factors in the workplace and provide education and strategies to avoid reinjury.
Onsite Therapy Services: For many employers, we can bring physical therapy directly to the workplace, making care more accessible and immediate.
No Referral Needed: Employees can start therapy without waiting for a physician referral, getting help faster and starting recovery sooner.
Long-Term Wellness: We don’t just treat the injury; we empower patients with tools and techniques to stay healthy and active long-term.

Workplace injuries don’t have to derail your life. With expert guidance and compassionate care, physical therapy helps employees of all industries return to work stronger and more resilient. Rock Valley Physical Therapy is here to support your journey every step of the way.

IT Band Hip Pain: Causes & Treatment

Thu, 25 Sep 2025 17:21:53 GMT

If you’ve ever felt a sharp, nagging pain on the outside of your hip, especially after running , biking, or even just walking uphill, you might be dealing with something called IT band hip pain. It’s a common complaint amongst athletes and active individuals, but the good news is, there’s a lot you can do to relieve and prevent it.

What Is the IT Band and How Does It Affect the Hip?

The iliotibial band (IT band) is a long, thick band of connective tissue that runs along the outside of your thigh. Starting at your hip, all the way down to your shinbone (tibia). Think of it like a stretchy, supportive strap that helps stabilize your leg as you move.

The IT band works closely with the muscles of your hip and thigh to keep your knee and pelvis aligned. But when it becomes tight, irritated, or inflamed, it can rub against the bony structures near your hip and knee. This can lead to pain, stiffness, and discomfort.

When the irritation happens near the top of the band (closer to the hip), it’s commonly referred to as IT band hip pain or proximal IT band syndrome.

Common Causes of IT Band Hip Pain

IT band hip pain often develops from overuse, but a few key factors can increase your chances of experiencing this painful condition:

Repetitive activities like running, cycling, hiking, or walking long distances
Poor biomechanics, such as overpronation, leg length differences, or weak core/hip muscles
Sudden increases in activity level or intensity
Improper footwear or unsupportive surfaces
Tight hip or thigh muscles pulling on the IT band

Over time, these stresses cause the IT band to tighten and become inflamed, leading to a burning or aching sensation on the outer hip.

Signs and Symptoms to Watch For

Wondering if your pain could be IT band-related? Here are some common red flags:

A sharp or aching pain on the outer side of the hip, especially with movement
Discomfort that worsens with activity, particularly running or climbing stairs
Tenderness when pressing on the outer hip or thigh
A feeling of snapping or popping near the hip joint
Pain that may radiate down the thigh, but usually doesn’t extend past the knee

It’s important not to ignore these symptoms. Left untreated, IT band issues can worsen and start affecting your movement patterns, leading to more widespread pain and compensation injuries.

Who’s Most at Risk for IT Band Issues?

While IT band hip pain can affect anyone, some people are more prone to developing it:

Runners and cyclists, especially those training at high volumes or increasing mileage quickly
Dancers and athletes who perform repetitive leg motions
Office workers who sit for long hours with poor posture, leading to tight hip flexors and glutes
Individuals with muscle imbalances, weak hips, or poor core strength
Women, due to differences in hip anatomy that place more tension on the IT band

If you fall into one of these categories and are experiencing outer hip pain, it’s worth getting checked out early, before it becomes a bigger problem.

How Physical Therapy Can Help

At Rock Valley Physical Therapy, we go deeper than just treating your IT band hip pain. We get to the root of what’s causing it.

Our licensed physical therapists start with a comprehensive movement assessment to identify any muscle imbalances, joint restrictions, or movement patterns that are contributing to the issue. From there, we develop a personalized treatment plan that may include:

Hands-on manual therapy to reduce muscle tightness and improve tissue mobility
Targeted strengthening exercises , especially for the glutes, hips, and core
Stretching and foam rolling techniques to release tension in the IT band and surrounding muscles
Postural training and movement retraining to correct mechanics
Dry needling (if appropriate) to address deep muscle tightness and trigger points

Our goal is to not only get you out of pain but to help you move better , prevent re-injury, and return to the activities you love. And remember, you don’t need a referral to start physical therapy with us. We make it easy to get care right when you need it.

Effective At-Home Treatments to Support Recovery

While we always recommend a professional evaluation for persistent pain, there are a few things you can try at home to ease mild IT band hip discomfort:

Foam Rolling

Gently roll along the outer thigh and hip to release tension in the IT band and surrounding muscles. Be cautious, too much pressure can increase irritation, so start slowly.

Hip Stretches

Focus on stretching the glutes, hip flexors, and outer thigh muscles. Try a figure-four stretch, pigeon pose, or side-lying IT band stretch.

Strengthening Exercise

Glute bridges, clamshells, and side leg lifts can help build the hip stability needed to reduce IT band strain.

These strategies can help manage early symptoms, but if the pain sticks around for more than a week or two, it’s time to get a pro involved.

Ice Therapy

Applying ice to the outer hip can help reduce inflammation, especially after activity.

Activity Modification

Temporarily reduce high-impact activities like running or hill climbing to give the tissues time to calm down.

When to Seek Professional Help

If your IT band hip pain is:

Not improving with rest or self-care
Getting in the way of your workouts or daily activities
Causing you to limp, favor one side, or adjust your posture
Accompanied by swelling, numbness, or weakness

…then it’s time to reach out to a physical therapist.

At Rock Valley Physical Therapy, our team is trained to pinpoint the exact cause of your pain and build a recovery plan that works for you. Whether you’re an athlete, a weekend warrior, or someone who just wants to move without discomfort, we’re here to help you find lasting relief.

No referral is needed, and we have over 60 convenient locations with flexible hours to fit your schedule. Let us help you take the first step toward feeling better.

Don’t let hip pain hold you back. Schedule your evaluation today with Rock Valley Physical Therapy, and get moving again, pain-free.

How to Relieve Shoulder Blade Pain

Wed, 24 Sep 2025 19:59:57 GMT

Shoulder blade pain can show up during everyday movement like reaching, lifting, or turning your head. It may feel sharp, sore, or like something is pulling behind your shoulder. While this discomfort is common, it often points to an underlying issue such as muscle strain or poor posture.

Many people try to push through it, but that can lead to more stiffness or pain. Lasting relief starts with understanding what is causing the discomfort in the first place.

Common Causes of Shoulder Blade Pain

Shoulder blade pain can come from several sources, and it’s not always tied directly to the shoulder joint. Muscle overuse is one of the most common causes, especially in people who sit for long hours, lift heavy objects, or repeat the same motion throughout the day.

Poor posture is another key factor. Slouching or leaning forward for extended periods can put extra strain on the muscles between the shoulder blades, leading to tension and soreness. In some cases, pain may also come from the neck or spine, such as a herniated disc or irritated nerve.

Certain conditions, like shoulder bursitis , can also refer to pain in the shoulder blade, especially when the shoulder is inflamed or under stress. Even stress and shallow breathing can contribute to tightness in this area. Figuring out the true cause helps guide the right treatment and lowers the risk of ongoing discomfort.

At-Home Stretches and Self-Care Tips

If shoulder blade pain is mild and recent, a few small changes can help relieve tension and improve movement. Try the following:

Shoulder rolls to loosen the upper back and neck
Doorway chest stretch to open up tight muscles across the front of the shoulders
Seated thoracic extensions using a chair for gentle back mobility
Foam rolling or tennis ball massage between the shoulder blades against a wall
Warm compress applied to the sore area for 15 to 20 minutes
Posture check-ins throughout the day to stay upright and reduce strain
Movement breaks every 30 to 60 minutes if sitting for long periods

If pain lingers or increases, it may be time to connect with a physical therapist.

When to See a Physical Therapist

Shoulder blade pain that sticks around for more than a few days, keeps coming back, or interferes with sleep or daily movement should be looked at more closely. Pain that spreads to the neck or arm, feels sharp during certain motions, or doesn’t respond to stretching may point to a deeper issue. A physical therapist can evaluate what’s really causing the pain and create a personalized plan that fits your needs.

Getting care early can prevent the pain from becoming long-term. At Rock Valley Physical Therapy, you can start treatment without a referral and work directly with a licensed therapist focused on helping you feel better and move more freely.

How Physical Therapy Targets the Root Cause

Physical therapy goes beyond short-term relief. It focuses on identifying the source of shoulder blade pain and addressing issues like muscle imbalances, joint restrictions, or nerve irritation. Your therapist will assess your posture, mobility, strength, and movement patterns to see how everything is working together.

Treatment may include hands-on techniques, targeted exercises, postural retraining, and education to help you avoid future flare-ups. You’ll also learn how to move in ways that support healing rather than delay it. At Rock Valley Physical Therapy, you work one-on-one with the same therapist throughout your care, building trust and consistency that promote long-term recovery.

What are the Benefits of Dry Needling?

Wed, 24 Sep 2025 19:39:07 GMT

Are you recovering from an injury? You may be dealing with pain and limited overall movement. You want to encourage healing in this area, but you’re not sure which solutions will help you. The benefits of dry needling may be just what you need.

Dry needling is one of the best ways to deal with knotted muscles, sometimes called trigger points. If you’re feeling limited and unable to move beyond these situations during your recovery, consider the dry needling benefits.

#1: Pain Relief

Dry needling helps to relieve chronic pain that is brought on by muscle tension. It can also help alleviate pain from trigger points and other musculoskeletal conditions. This includes areas such as the upper back, sciatica nerve , neck, and shoulders, though it can impact any part of the body.

With dry needling, it is possible to improve pain because the trigger points or knots begin to dissipate thanks to the improved blood flow in the area. More of the acidic waste created by pain is moved away from this area while oxygen moves towards it. Compared to acupuncture , dry needling can offer faster pain relief for some people.

If you are feeling pain on a routine basis due to the healing process or even when you are moving your muscles after a workout, adding dry needling to your therapy sessions could be very helpful. It is one of the most effective ways to feel better.

#2: Improved Function

The use of this therapy may improve the range of motion, flexibility, and function for many people. That is why it can be particularly beneficial to athletes as well as people who have physical disabilities.

It is not easy to find other strategies for improving painfully tight muscles like dry needling does. If you are experiencing limited mobility when moving and muscle weakness when not moving, dry needling can support your recovery.

It is often best to combine dry needling with physical therapy as a way to build up strength and encourage proper function of the body, including improving the full range of motion.

#3: Reduced Muscle Tension

Yet another of the dry needling benefits is its ability to reduce the tension that builds up within the muscles. It does this because it works to target muscle trigger points. As a result, it is capable of helping to reduce the muscle tension you feel and works to reduce or eliminate muscle spasms that can prove to be critically painful. This can help to improve overall physical performance as a result.

One of the ways this is helpful is in this treatment’s ability to improve muscle extensibility and contractibility. That happens because of the deactivation of the trigger points. It works much like releasing the taut bands that are holding the muscle tightly in place. That helps to give you more range of motion but also helps to encourage proper function of the muscles.

#4: Improved Circulation

The key goal of this type of therapy is to stimulate improved circulation. This is one of the core benefits of dry needling. It works to increase the blood flow to the area being treated. That helps to deliver the all-important nutrients and oxygen the body needs in those areas to heal. It also helps to encourage the natural healing and regeneration process.

Blood flow is often one of the biggest concerns with muscle pain because the tightness brought on by trigger points can cause a restriction in the blood flow to the area. The restriction makes it hard for oxygen to get to the muscles, and that can amplify the pain you feel in this area. Dry needling helps to stop that restriction, encouraging blood flow to occur more readily.

#5: Faster Recovery

Dry needling can help to encourage healing and recovery from many types of soft tissue injuries. That includes strains and sprains. To do this well, it works to reduce inflammation in that area and encourages the body’s natural ability to heal.

Another way it does this is by creating very small, even tiny, injuries within the muscle. As a result of this, it stimulates the body’s need to heal that area. Your body responds to the inflammation caused by the needle, responding quickly to it. The result is that your body’s immune system goes to work to stimulate the healing process. It starts to develop collagen and protein formation in the impacted area. This helps to encourage the muscle to heal and restores its normal function.

Yet another way this helps is by working alongside physical therapy to make the most of your window of opportunity or the period of time that you have to relearn and reestablish the proper movement of your muscles and the muscle recruitment patterns.

Is Dry Needling All You Need?

While the benefits of dry needling are many, it is important to see it as a complementary, supportive tool that works alongside other therapies to help you heal. You cannot rely on dry needling alone to help “fix” your muscles or to reduce all of your pain. Rather, you can pair it with other psychotherapy methods that are appropriate for the area. In doing so, you are likely to see a significant amount of improvement and a reduction in the dysfunction you are feeling now.

Rock Valley Physical Therapy Can Help You

Are the dry needling benefits appealing to you? They should be! With this type of therapy, you have a treatment that is not painful, not limiting to your day-to-day life, and is restorative. Let our team at Rock Valley Physical Therapy help you to get the most out of it.

Our collaborative design and experienced therapists work with each client to ensure the best outcome, no matter how unique or challenging your condition seems. By utilizing our services, we can help you to get the results you need. Our patient-first, going-the-extra-mile care plan works to meet your needs. Contact us to learn more about how we can help you.

10 Fun Facts About Physical Therapy

Wed, 24 Sep 2025 15:39:05 GMT

What do you think of when you hear “physical therapy?” Do you think, fun? Fun might not be the first word that comes to mind, but did you know that physical therapy can be fun and help you achieve your health goals at the same time?

There is so much more to physical therapy than doing rubberband and clamshell exercises. Here are ten fun facts about the history and scope of physical therapy:

Quick Facts About Physical Therapy

1. Roots of the physical therapy profession began thousands of years ago.

Does it surprise you to learn that physical therapy isn’t new? The Greek philosopher, Hippocrates, began using techniques that birthed physical therapy in the year 435 B.C.

2. Women were the pioneers of physical therapy in the United States.

Physical therapy was officially recognized as a profession during World War I when female civilian employees of the U.S. Army were tasked with rehabilitating injured soldiers using primarily massage techniques. They were called reconstruction aides or re-aides and were assistants to physicians rather than today’s autonomous profession.

Can you imagine your physical therapist working in a skirt? That was the challenge for the first physical therapists in the U.S.

Marguerite Sanderson directed the first reconstruction aides at the Division of Physical Reconstruction. She led the political battle for proper uniformed attire by presenting her case to Senators and Congressman about the practicality of allowing reconstruction aides to work in uniformed bloomers rather than skirts — and lost.

In 1918, Mary McMillan became the first reconstruction aide and went on to develop the Physiotherapy Department at Walter Reed General Hospital. But the program was dismantled when the war was over.

After the war ended in 1921, she and her colleagues formed the American Women’s Physical Therapeutic Association. McMillan was nominated president and is now known as the “mother of physical therapy.”

Currently, 70% of physical therapists are women in the U.S., with more men are joining the profession.

3. Physical therapists were called “sjukgymnasts” in Sweden until 2014.

Sjukgymnasts means “someone involved in gymnastics for those who are ill.” In 1813, Per Henrik Ling, the “father of Swedish gymnastics,” founded the Royal Central Institute of Gymnastics. There, he instituted a system of exercises, manipulation, and massage for gymnasts, which is where the title “sjukgymnast” originated.

4. You can get physical therapy in many settings, even a swimming pool!

Physical therapy was only provided in hospitals until the 1950s, but now you can receive physical therapy in many settings — even a warm water pool !

Aquatic Physical Therapy utilizes the benefits of warm water properties to reduce pain, improve range of motion, and build strength, endurance, and balance.

Physical therapy is also offered in the comfort of your home through a home visit or telehealth.

5. Physical therapy is for children too.

Adults aren’t the only ones who benefit from the fun aspect of physical therapy. Many kinds of play are incorporated into physical therapy for kids who also suffer from conditions that limit their ability to enjoy their lives fully. Some of these conditions include:

Autism
Cerebral palsy
Developmental delays
Down Syndrome
Pain
Spinal cord injuries
Traumatic brain injuries

6. Physical therapy is available through telehealth.

Telehealth is when your healthcare provider uses telecommunications technologies such as secure computer networks and phones to provide you with long-distance clinical health care.

In the current COVID-19 pandemic climate, increasingly more physical therapy providers are offering services through telehealth for your safety and the safety of their staff. During your telehealth visit, you can discuss successes and challenges with your therapist. Your therapist can also evaluate your exercise form and progress and make adjustments to your treatment plan where needed.

7. October is National Physical Therapy Month.

Each October, since 1992, the American Physical Therapy Association reaches out to the world to raise awareness about the benefits of physical therapy for your health.

8. Physical therapists are highly trained.

Since 2015, anyone pursuing a career in physical therapy requires a doctoral degree in the U.S., which has more than a quarter-million physical therapists. They can even operate independent therapy practices.

Physical therapists receive extensive training in neuroscience, biomechanics, anatomy, physiology, pharmacology, and much more, so they are equipped to evaluate and treat patients.

9. Physical therapy can treat pain in limbs that have been removed.

About 80% of patients who have a limb removed experience an unpleasant sensation in the limb that has been amputated. This discomfort is known as “phantom pain,” and it can become so painful that it’s completely disabling.

Physical therapists can incorporate several treatment modalities to provide patients with relief from phantom limb pain.

10. Physical therapy can treat more than your back pain.

People often think of back injuries when they think of physical therapy. But physical therapy treats many conditions, including:

Injuries and injury prevention
Post-surgical recovery
Dizziness
Jaw Pain
Chronic headaches
Autism
Inner ear dysfunction
Concussions
Urinary incontinence
Parkinson’s
Illnesses such as diabetes
Generalized pain disorders

Keep in mind that you don’t have to be in pain to see a physical therapist. Not only does physical therapy treat existing conditions, but it also helps you improve your health by allowing you to live a life that is as mobile and pain-free as possible through prevention.

Physical therapy increases your strength and prevents future injury by utilizing conservative treatments such as exercise and massage combined with education so you can continue with — or return to — the activities that bring you joy.

Rock Valley Physical Therapy

At Rock Valley Physical Therapy , we see you holistically. As an individual, we see you and incorporate your lifestyle and goals to form a creative treatment plan designed just for you. We include education all along the way, so you are always informed and involved in your care. Contact us today for an appointment to get started on your path to your best health.

What are the 6 Stages of Concussion Recovery?

Tue, 23 Sep 2025 21:46:51 GMT

Recovering from a concussion is rarely a straight path. Healing takes time, and each stage builds on the last to help the brain and body return to full function. Since each phase has its own purpose, knowing what to expect can make the process less overwhelming, more focused, and ultimately help you make informed choices and start the right care early.

1. Immediate Response: Recognizing the Signs

The first moments after a concussion are important for setting the stage for recovery. A concussion is a mild traumatic brain injury, often caused by a blow to the head or a sudden jolt that makes the brain move inside the skull.

Signs can appear quickly or develop over several hours. Common symptoms include headaches, dizziness, blurred vision, confusion, nausea, and sensitivity to light or noise. Some people may seem dazed or have trouble recalling events that happened just before or after the injury.

If a concussion is suspected, it’s important to stop any physical activity right away and seek medical attention. Continuing to play sports, drive, or engage in strenuous tasks can increase the risk of further injury.

Early recognition helps guide the next steps in care and allows the brain the rest it needs in the first phase of recovery. Loved ones and teammates can help by watching for changes in mood, behavior, or alertness in the hours following the injury.

2. Initial Rest and Recovery

After a concussion, the body and brain need time to reset. The first few days often involve limiting both physical and mental strain. This means reducing screen time, avoiding loud environments, and holding off on workouts or sports. Even reading or concentrating on complex tasks can sometimes make symptoms worse in the early phase.

Rest does not mean staying in a dark room all day. Light, calm activity, such as short walks around the home or gentle stretching, can be helpful if symptoms allow. The key is to pay attention to how the body responds and stop any activity that triggers discomfort.

During this stage, hydration, balanced meals, and consistent sleep play a major role in healing. It’s also a good time to check in with a healthcare provider to track progress and set expectations for the recovery timeline.

Laying this foundation in the early days gives the brain the best chance to move forward into safe, gradual activity in the next stage.

3. Gradual Return to Activity

Once initial symptoms begin to improve, light activity can be reintroduced under professional guidance. This stage focuses on slowly increasing movement without causing a setback. Activities might start with short walks, light household chores, or gentle stretching. The goal is to keep the heart rate slightly elevated while avoiding anything that leads to dizziness, headaches, or confusion.

Pushing too hard can cause symptoms to return or worsen, so progression should happen in small steps. For athletes, this may mean starting with non-contact drills or stationary cycling before advancing to full practice. For students or employees, it can involve partial days or reduced workloads.

Working with a healthcare provider or physical therapist during this stage helps identify safe activity levels and adjust them as recovery continues. Progress is measured not just by what can be done, but how the brain and body feel afterward. A steady approach now helps set the stage for more demanding mental and physical challenges ahead.

4. Cognitive Rehabilitation and Mental Rest

Concussions affect more than physical abilities. Thinking, memory, and concentration can also be impacted, making everyday tasks feel harder than usual. This stage focuses on giving the brain the space it needs to recover while gradually rebuilding mental stamina.

Early on, limiting activities that require heavy focus, such as reading for long periods, problem-solving, or extended computer use, can help prevent symptoms from flaring. Over time, these tasks can be reintroduced in short intervals, increasing duration as the brain adapts.

Some people benefit from targeted cognitive exercises provided by therapists. These might include memory drills, attention training, or strategies for managing information overload. Short breaks between tasks help avoid fatigue and frustration.

Emotional health is also part of this stage. Irritability, anxiety, or mood changes are common, and open communication with healthcare providers can connect patients to helpful support. Combining mental rest with structured, gradual re-engagement allows the brain to rebuild its processing speed and endurance in a safe, sustainable way.

5. Guided Physical Therapy for Symptom Management

Physical therapy plays a key role in recovery for many people after a concussion. Symptoms such as dizziness, balance problems, neck pain, or lingering headaches can be addressed through targeted exercises and hands-on treatment.

A physical therapist trained in concussion care can evaluate how the injury has affected movement, coordination, and posture. Treatment might include gentle neck stretches, balance retraining, and eye movement exercises to reduce dizziness or blurred vision. In some cases, vestibular therapy is used to help restore balance and improve the body’s ability to process motion without triggering symptoms. For athletes or active individuals, therapy can also help rebuild strength and endurance in a controlled, safe way.

Therapists adjust each program based on how symptoms respond. This individualized approach prevents overexertion while still encouraging steady progress. Education on pacing, safe exercise choices, and home strategies is often part of the process, giving patients tools they can use outside the clinic.

Working closely with a physical therapist not only helps reduce symptoms but also shortens the concussion recovery timeline by promoting steady, monitored improvement.

6. Full Return to School, Work, or Sport

The final stage of concussion recovery focuses on resuming normal responsibilities and activities without symptoms. This includes being able to complete a full day of school or work, participate in sports practices, and handle mental tasks without headaches, dizziness, or fatigue.

Before reaching this point, a gradual build-up of both cognitive and physical demands should be completed under professional supervision. Students may progress from partial days to full schedules. Athletes may advance from non-contact drills to full competition. Each step is taken only when the previous one can be done comfortably.

Physical therapists and healthcare providers often use specific tests to confirm readiness, such as balance assessments, reaction time evaluations, and strength checks. This helps reduce the risk of reinjury and provides confidence that the brain has recovered fully.

Reaching this stage means the brain and body can handle everyday and high-level activities again. Continued healthy habits, ongoing physical activity, and awareness of any new symptoms help maintain long-term well-being after a concussion.

Recovering from a concussion takes patience, the right treatment plan, and steady support. At Rock Valley Physical Therapy, we offer personalized care for every stage, from early rest to full return. Our therapists work closely with patients to restore balance, build strength, and manage symptoms effectively. No referral is needed, making it easy to start your recovery and move forward with confidence.

Ways to Avoid Back Pain When Carrying a Backpack

Mon, 22 Sep 2025 22:18:37 GMT

Carrying a backpack is part of daily life for millions of students, commuters, travelers, and more. Yet, when carried the wrong way, it can strain muscles and put pressure on the spine. However, small changes in how a backpack is chosen, packed, and worn can make a big difference. Taking the time to adjust habits now helps prevent discomfort and protect long-term back health.

Choose the Right Backpack for Your Body

A well-fitted backpack is the first step in avoiding strain. Look for one with two wide, padded shoulder straps that can be adjusted to fit snugly. A padded back panel can make carrying more comfortable and help distribute weight evenly. Backpacks with a waist or chest strap add stability and shift some of the load away from the shoulders.

The size of the backpack matters too. A smaller frame benefits from a more compact design, while a larger frame can handle a slightly bigger pack without stress. Picking a style that matches your body shape and daily needs reduces the chance of discomfort, helps prevent upper back pain , and lowers the risk of back pain from backpacks over time.

Pack Smart: Keep It Light and Balanced

The weight of a backpack should be no more than 10 to 15 percent of your body weight. Overloading it puts extra stress on the spine and shoulders, increasing the chance of aches or injury. Place heavier items close to your back so the load stays stable and doesn’t pull you backward.

Organize smaller items in compartments to prevent everything from shifting while you walk. Distributing the weight evenly keeps one side of your body from working harder than the other. Backpacks and back pain often go hand in hand when loads are too heavy or unevenly packed. A smart packing approach can help prevent soreness and reduce the chance of back injuries linked to poor carrying habits.

Wear It Right: Tips for Proper Backpack Positioning

How a backpack sits on your body can make as much of a difference as its weight. Adjust the shoulder straps so the pack rests evenly in the middle of your back, not hanging low near your hips. Using both straps keeps the load balanced and reduces strain on one side of the body.

If your backpack has a waist or chest strap, clip it for extra stability. This helps distribute weight more evenly and keeps the pack from shifting while you move. Taking a minute to fit the straps properly can help prevent soreness and protect your back during long days of carrying it.

Strengthen Your Back and Core for Long-Term Support

A strong back and core make it easier to carry a backpack without discomfort. These muscles help stabilize the spine and support good posture, reducing strain during daily use. Simple exercises like planks, bridges, and rows can build strength over time.

Stretching also plays a role. Loosening tight shoulders, chest, and hip muscles can improve the way your body handles weight. Even a few minutes of exercise and stretching each day can make a noticeable difference.

If you already feel soreness or stiffness, physical therapy can help address the cause and prevent it from worsening. Schedule your first appointment with us at Rock Valley Physical Therapy. With no referral required to start treatment, let us help you find a more sustainable solution to back problems from backpack wearing today!

Managing Back Pain While Traveling

Thu, 18 Sep 2025 20:40:26 GMT

Travel can be exciting, but for those dealing with back pain , it often adds extra stress. Long hours in cars, planes, or poor-quality hotel beds can turn minor discomfort into a lingering issue. The good news is that there are simple ways to reduce pain and protect your back while on the go. With a few adjustments to your habits and routine, you can stay comfortable during your trip and enjoy the experience.

Prepare Your Body and Itinerary Before You Go

Planning ahead can make a big difference when traveling with back pain. A few weeks before your trip, start including more movement in your daily routine. Walking, stretching, and light strengthening exercises can help your body handle the physical demands of sitting, lifting, or walking longer distances. If you’re already dealing with soreness, working with a physical therapist before you leave can help ease pain and improve mobility.

It also helps to look at your itinerary through the lens of comfort and flexibility. Avoid booking long travel days without any downtime. Give yourself space in the schedule to stretch, take a short walk, or rest in a supportive chair. If you have a long flight or drive coming up, think ahead about where and when you’ll take breaks.

Your travel experience feels smoother when your body is prepared for it. Simple adjustments to your schedule can go a long way toward managing discomfort and protecting your back.

Choose Luggage That Protects Your Back

The type of luggage you bring can have a direct impact on how your back feels throughout your trip. Heavy or poorly balanced bags increase the strain on your spine, especially when lifting them in and out of cars or overhead compartments. A suitcase with four wheels is often easier to handle and allows for upright movement, which helps reduce stress on your lower back.

Backpacks are a better option than one-shoulder bags, especially when they’re worn correctly. Look for padded straps and adjust the fit so the weight sits evenly across your back. Avoid overpacking, and keep heavier items close to your center of gravity.

When lifting bags, bend at the knees, keep your chest upright, and avoid twisting your torso. Many travelers hurt their backs in the process of lifting or reaching in awkward positions, especially if they’re still dealing with an injury from a past fall that never fully healed. Taking a few extra seconds to lift properly can make a significant difference in how your back feels during and after your trip.

Use Proper Support While Sitting for Long Periods

Long flights, car rides, and train trips can all take a toll on your back, especially if you’re sitting without the right support. Many standard seats lack the structure your spine needs, which can lead to slouching, muscle fatigue, and increased pressure in the lower back.

Placing a small pillow or rolled-up sweatshirt behind your lower back helps maintain a more natural position. Sit upright with your hips and knees level, feet flat on the floor, and avoid crossing your legs for extended periods. A slight recline may reduce pressure, but too much can lead to stiffness.

Engaging your core muscles now and then during long sitting periods can give your spine the support it needs. Even light tension through your midsection helps reduce the load on your back. Paying attention to your posture throughout the trip can limit soreness and make long hours in transit feel more manageable.

Take Frequent B reaks to Move and Stretch

Sitting for long periods without changing position can cause muscles to tighten and pressure to build in the spine. One of the most effective ways to manage back pain while traveling is to include regular movement throughout your day. Even a few minutes of walking or stretching can help improve circulation and ease discomfort.

During road trips, plan to stop every hour or two. Step out of the car, take a short walk, or do a few gentle movements to keep your joints flexible. At airports or stations, use extra time before departure to stay on your feet instead of sitting at the gate. On flights, stand up occasionally or shift your position to avoid stiffness.

These small breaks help your muscles stay active and allow your spine to recover from extended sitting. Making movement part of your travel routine supports better comfort and reduces the risk of soreness that can build up during long trips.

Incorporate Gentle Stretches Into Your Travel Routine

Stretching during travel helps reduce stiffness, improve blood flow, and keep your back muscles more relaxed. You do not need an intense or lengthy routine. A few simple stretches, done regularly, can make a noticeable difference in how your body feels during and after your trip.

Focus on movements that gently target your lower back , hips, and hamstrings. Try standing tall and reaching toward your toes, pulling one knee toward your chest while lying down, or leaning into a wall with one leg extended behind you to stretch the hip flexors. These can be done at a rest stop, in a hotel room, or before getting into the car.

Making stretching part of your travel routine helps your body stay flexible and alert. Even a few minutes each day can reduce soreness and improve comfort. Stretching is most effective when paired with walking or other light movement, especially after sitting for long periods.

Know When to Reach Out to a Physical Therapist

Back pain that lingers during or after travel may be a sign of something more than simple fatigue. If discomfort sticks around or keeps coming back during trips, a physical therapist can help identify the cause and recommend a plan to address it.

Physical therapy supports better movement, strength, and posture. A personalized plan can help reduce stiffness, correct alignment issues, and improve how your body handles long periods of sitting or walking. Some people benefit from starting therapy before travel, while others find support helpful after returning home.

You don’t have to wait for the pain to get worse. Early treatment can make a meaningful difference. A short course of therapy can ease discomfort, improve mobility, and help you feel more prepared for your next trip. Travel should be enjoyable. When your back feels strong and supported, it becomes easier to focus on the experience instead of the discomfort.

If back pain has made travel more difficult, Rock Valley Physical Therapy is ready to help you move forward comfortably and confidently. Schedule an appointment today, no referral needed!

Physical Therapy for Headaches

Tue, 05 Aug 2025 16:14:49 GMT

Headaches can be more than just an inconvenience. They can disrupt your work, sleep, relationships, and overall well-being. While many people rely on over-the-counter medications for temporary relief, physical therapy offers a natural , long-term solution that addresses the root causes. At Rock Valley Physical Therapy, we combine expert knowledge with compassionate care to help you find real relief from chronic or recurring headaches, and you can start without a referral.

Understanding Headaches: Types and Causes

Before we talk about treatment, it’s important to understand the different types of headaches and what causes them. Headaches can stem from many sources, including muscle tension, joint dysfunction, stress, and posture problems. Here are the most common types:

Tension-Type Headaches

The most frequent kind, tension headaches, feel like a tight band around your head. They’re often caused by poor posture, stress, or tight muscles in the neck and shoulders. They can also be triggered by dehydration, fatigue, or long hours at a desk without breaks.

Cervicogenic Headaches

These start in the neck and radiate to the head. Often mistaken for migraines, cervicogenic headaches are triggered by neck movement, poor posture, or prior injury (like whiplash). These headaches can often be traced to restricted cervical joints or tight neck muscles.

TMJ-Related Headaches

If you clench your jaw, grind your teeth, or have a misaligned bite, you might experience headaches related to your temporomandibular joint (TMJ). These usually present as pain in the temples, face, or around the ears. Jaw pain and clicking sounds during movement can also accompany these headaches.

Migraine Headaches

Migraines are neurological in nature and can include symptoms like nausea, light sensitivity, and visual disturbances. While not all migraines are treatable with PT alone, physical therapy can help reduce frequency and manage contributing factors like stress and posture.

The Role of Physical Therapy in Headache Management

Physical therapy is an effective way to treat many of the underlying causes of chronic headaches. Our goal is to identify the musculoskeletal and mechanical contributors to your pain and create a plan to reduce symptoms and prevent recurrence.

At Rock Valley PT, your treatment starts with a detailed assessment that looks at :

Head and neck posture when standing or sitting

Muscle tightness and joint restrictions

Jaw movement and alignment

Ergonomic habits at work and at home

Breathing patterns and stress levels

By understanding how your body moves and functions, we can tailor a treatment plan that addresses the actual cause of your headaches, not just the symptoms.

We also empower you with education. You’ll learn how to make adjustments at work, home, or during daily routines that could reduce headache frequency. We believe that knowledge is just as important as hands-on care.

Common Physical Therapy Techniques for Headache Relief

Stress is a major contributor to headaches, especially tension-type and TMJ-related headaches. At Rock Valley PT, we help you develop healthy coping strategies to reduce tension in your body and mind.

Manual Therapy

Gentle joint mobilizations and soft tissue work release tension in the neck, shoulders, and upper back. These techniques restore normal movement patterns and relieve the pressure that can trigger headaches. Techniques may include trigger point release, myofascial release, and joint manipulation.

Stretching and Strengthening Exercises

Targeted exercises address muscle imbalances by releasing tight areas and building strength where needed. This helps support better head and neck mechanics, which reduces the likelihood of tension headaches and improves daily comfort. Strengthening deep neck flexors and shoulder stabilizers often plays a key role in recovery.

Postural Training

Many headaches are posture-related. We teach you how to improve alignment throughout your day, whether you’re sitting at a desk, standing at work, or scrolling on your phone. Postural correction can reduce strain on the muscles and joints connected to your head. You’ll also learn quick posture resets you can do throughout the day to stay pain-free.

Relaxation Techniques

We guide patients through breathing exercises, muscle relaxation strategies, and stress management tools. These techniques help calm the nervous system, decrease overall tension, and build resilience against headache triggers. Incorporating these into your daily routine can significantly reduce stress-related flare-ups.

Benefits of Physical Therapy for Headache Sufferers

Physical therapy offers lasting relief for many headache sufferers without relying on medication. Here’s how PT can make a difference:

Fewer and less severe headaches
Improved neck and shoulder function
Better posture and movement awareness
Reduced reliance on medications
Lower stress levels
More energy and better sleep
A sense of control over your health

Most importantly, our patients feel empowered. They know what trigge rs their headaches, how to manage their symptoms, and how to prevent pain from coming back.

When to Consult a Physical Therapist

If headaches are interfering with your daily life, it might be time to consider physical therapy. You should reach out if:

You experience headaches more than once a week
Pain is triggered by neck movement, posture, or jaw clenching
Medications aren’t working or you’d prefer a drug-free approach
You’ve had a neck injury or TMJ issues in the past
Stress or screen time seems to make your headaches worse

You don’t need a referral to get started with Rock Valley PT. We’ll assess your symptoms, create a plan tailored to your life, and help you take control of your health, starting today.

Let Rock Valley PT Help You Find Relief

At Rock Valley Physical Therapy, we believe everyone deserves to live without the constant burden of headaches. Our compassionate therapists are experts at identifying and treating the physical factors that contribute to your pain.

With 60+ convenient locations and flexible scheduling , it’s easy to get started.

Headaches don’t have to be your new normal. Let Rock Valley PT help you feel like yourself again with no referral needed.

Knee Sprain vs Tear: What’s the Difference?

Fri, 18 Jul 2025 15:41:25 GMT

Knee injuries are incredibly common, whether you’re an athlete, weekend warrior , or just took an awkward step off a curb. Two of the most frequent diagnoses are knee sprains and knee tears. They might sound similar and even feel similar at first, but they’re not the same thing. Understanding the difference can help you take the right steps toward recovery, and that often starts with physical therapy. At Rock Valley Physical Therapy, we make it easy to get expert care without needing a referral, so you can begin healing right away.

Understanding Knee Sprains and Tears

Knee sprains happen when the ligaments that support the knee are stretched or slightly torn. Ligaments are tough bands of tissue that connect bone to bone, helping keep your knee stable. A sprain is typically caused by a sudden twist or impact.

Knee tears, on the other hand, refer to actual tearing of the knee’s internal structures—like the meniscus (cartilage that cushions the joint) or a complete rupture of a ligament, such as the ACL (anterior cruciate ligament). Tears often occur from a strong force or sharp movement and may require a longer recovery timeline.

Key Differences Between a Sprain and a Tear

Here are some key distinctions between a sprain and a tear:

Severity:

A sprain often heals with rest and therapy. A tear, especially a complete one, is more severe and may need surgery .

Injury Structure:

Sprains are often isolated and only affect ligaments. Tears can impact multiple tissues, like ligaments, tendons, or cartilage.

Healing Time:

Sprains can often heal within a few weeks and may require light therapy. Tears may take months, especially if surgery is involved.

Mobility Impact:

Sprains cause milder mobility loss. Tears usually result in a more significant loss of stability or function in the knee.

It’s not always easy to self-diagnose. What feels like a bad sprain could actually be a partial tear. That’s why professional evaluation is essential, and that’s where Rock Valley PT comes in. Our experienced clinicians know what to look for and how to guide your recovery.

Common Symptoms: What Your Body Is Telling You

Here are typical signs to look out for, whether you’re dealing with a sprain or a tear:

Pain

Both conditions cause pain, but a tear might cause a sharper, more intense pain right away.

Swelling

Swelling usually occurs with both, but with a tear, it may develop rapidly.

Instability

If your knee feels like it’s going to give out, a ligament tear could be the cause.

If symptoms linger beyond a few days or worsen, it’s time to get it checked out. Your body is trying to tell you something. At Rock Valley PT, early intervention can make all the difference, and you can come straight to us without waiting on a referral.

Popping Sound

A popping sensation or sound at the time of injury often suggests a tear.

Range of Motion

Reduced mobility is common. With a tear, it might be harder to bend or straighten the knee fully.

When to Seek Help for a Knee Injury

Sometimes people try to “walk it off,” but ignoring a knee injury can delay healing and even cause further damage. Seek help if you experience:

Persistent or severe pain
Difficulty walking or bearing weight
Swelling that doesn’t subside
A feeling of instability or “giving way”
Inability to fully extend or bend the knee

At Rock Valley Physical Therapy, our expert clinici ans can assess your knee and guide you through the next steps without needing a referral to get started. We make expert care convenient and accessible.

How Physical Therapy Supports Recovery

Whether it’s a sprain or tear, physical therapy plays a central role in recovery. Here’s how we help:

Personalized Treatment Plans: Every knee is different. We create customized programs based on your condition, goals, and lifestyle.
Pain Management: Targeted exercises and hands-on techniques help reduce inflammation and discomfort.
Improved Mobility: Stretching and mobility work restore flexibility and joint movement.
Strengthening: Focused exercises rebuild the muscles around the knee to support healing and prevent future injury.
Balance and Proprioception Training: These help you regain confidence in your knee’s stability.

Many of our patients find that starting PT early helps them recover faster and may even help them avoid surgery . Don’t wait for the pain to become unbearable—let us help you feel better, sooner.

Preventing Future Knee Injuries

Injury prevention is a big part of what we do at Rock Valley. Once you’re healed, we’ll help you stay that way:

Education: Understanding your body mechanics reduces your risk of re-injury.
Corrective Exercises: Strengthening hips, core, and legs improves overall knee stability.
Postural Training: Especially if poor posture contributed to the injury.
Activity-Specific Drills: Whether you’re returning to sports, work, or daily life, we tailor exercises to match your activities.

We also offer movement screenings, sports performance services, and workplace ergonomics support to help keep you moving confidently.

Listen to Your Knee, Trust the Experts

Knee injuries don’t have to sideline your life. Whether you’re dealing with a sprain, a tear, or just not sure what’s going on in your knee, our team at Rock Valley Physical Therapy is here to help.

You don’t need a doctor’s referral, and with 60+ convenient locations, flexible scheduling, and expert, therapist-led care, we make it easy to get started.

Our approach is personal. We take time to understand your goals, whether it’s getting back on the field, back to work, or back to playing with your kids without pain.

So, listen to your body. Trust the experts. And take the first step toward healing with Rock Valley Physical Therapy.

How Dry Needling Relieves Plantar Fasciitis Pain

Thu, 10 Jul 2025 16:35:14 GMT

Persistent heel pain can make even the shortest walk feel like a chore. For those living with plantar fasciitis, that sharp, stabbing sensation in the bottom of the foot is a constant reminder that something isn’t quite right. While rest, stretching, and orthotics are common go-tos, many people don’t realize there’s a fast-acting, hands-on solution that targets the root of the pain: dry needling.

This specialized technique isn’t acupuncture. It’s a physical therapy technique designed to treat painful spots or muscle tightness, often called trigger points or muscle knots. For plantar fasciitis, it can mean the difference between limping through the day and finally moving with ease. At Rock Valley Physical Therapy, our expert clinicians use dry needling to help patients walk, run, and stand pain-free again, without relying on medication or surgery.

Plantar Fasciitis Causes and Symptoms

Plantar fasciitis is one of the most common causes of heel pain, especially among runners, people who spend long hours on their feet, and those with tight calf muscles or flat feet. The pain comes from irritation and inflammation of the plantar fascia, a thick band of connective tissue that supports the arch of your foot and absorbs shock when you walk. Overuse, poor footwear, or biomechanical imbalances can strain this tissue over time, leading to small tears and chronic discomfort.

What starts as a dull ache can quickly turn into sharp, stabbing pain, especially first thing in the morning or after long periods of rest. The pain often eases once you start moving, but tends to return after prolonged standing or activity.

Common symptoms of plantar fasciitis include:

Stiffness in the foot, especially after rest

Mild swelling or warmth in the heel area

Tenderness along the bottom arch or heel

Sharp heel pain when taking the first steps in the morning

Pain that increases after long periods of standing or walking

What Is Dry Needling and How Does It Work?

Dry needling is a modern, science-backed method used to release muscle tension, improve circulation, and reset the way your body responds to pain. While it uses the same type of thin, sterile needles as acupuncture, dry needling is grounded in Western medicine and focuses on releasing those tight, knotted areas in muscle that can refer pain to other parts of the body.

The technique dates back to the 1940s, when physicians began exploring how inserting fine needles into specific muscle areas could reduce pain and restore movement. Over the decades, research and practice have refined the method, making it a safe and effective tool used widely in physical therapy today. Despite the name, dry needling doesn’t inject anything; the “dry” simply means there’s no medication involved.

For plantar fasciitis, dry needling can help by relaxing tight muscles in the foot and lower leg, improving blood flow, and decreasing inflammation. Most patients describe the sensation as a mild ache or twitch rather than pain. It’s a surprisingly gentle process that often delivers quick relief and long-lasting results.

Key Benefits of Dry Needling for Foot Pain Relief

Dry needling offers a targeted approach to treating plantar fasciitis, focusing not just on symptom relief but on addressing the underlying muscular issues that contribute to heel pain. Unlike general massage or stretching, dry needling reaches deep into the muscle tissue to release tension and promote healing where it matters most.

One major benefit is how quickly many patients experience relief. By reducing muscle tightness in the calf and foot, dry needling helps ease the pull on the plantar fascia, which often reduces pain and improves mobility within just a few sessions. It also encourages better blood flow to the affected area, which speeds up tissue repair and reduces inflammation, two critical factors in resolving chronic plantar fasciitis.

Additionally, dry needling can help retrain the nervous system to respond more appropriately to pain. That means fewer flare-ups and more confidence in your steps. When paired with physical therapy exercises and movement retraining, it becomes part of a powerful plan to not just manage symptoms, but restore function and prevent future issues.

What to Expect During a Dry Needling Session

If you’ve never experienced dry needling, it’s normal to feel a little unsure at first, but the process is straightforward, gentle, and typically much easier than people expect. At Rock Valley Physical Therapy, our trained clinicians walk you through every step to make sure you’re comfortable and informed from start to finish.

A typical session begins with an assessment of your foot, ankle, and lower leg to identify the specific muscles contributing to your plantar fasciitis pain. Once the trigger points are located, your therapist gently inserts a fine, sterile needle into the tight muscle to reduce tightness and pain.

During this time, you might feel a small twitch or deep ache–that’s the muscle responding and releasing tension. Most patients describe it as odd but not painful.

The needling itself only lasts a few minutes, and any post-treatment soreness is usually mild and short-lived, similar to what you might feel after a workout. Afterward, your therapist may guide you through gentle stretches or strengthening exercises to enhance the effects and support long-term healing.

Is Dry Needling the Right Treatment for You?

If you’ve tried other methods to relieve plantar fasciitis pain, like orthotics, rest, or ice, and still find yourself wincing with every step, it might be time to take a different approach. Dry needling is especially effective for those whose foot pain stems from muscle tightness or biomechanical imbalances. If your calves are always tight, your arch feels strained, or you’ve been told you have flat feet, dry needling could offer the precise relief you’ve been searching for.

What sets this treatment apart is how directly it addresses the cause of the pain, not just the symptoms. It works best as part of a personalized plan that includes movement training, stretching, and strengthening, all of which are core parts of care at Rock Valley Physical Therapy.

If heel pain is holding you back, let’s change that. Schedule an appointment at Rock Valley Physical Therapy today. Relief is closer than you think.

Common Pickleball Injuries: Ways to Prevent Them

Tue, 20 May 2025 21:06:47 GMT

Pickleball has exploded in popularity across the U.S., and with good reason. It’s fun, social, and offers a great workout without needing elite athletic skills. But like any fast-paced sport, it comes with its fair share of physical demands. At Rock Valley Physical Therapy, we’ve seen a noticeable rise in patients experiencing injuries from the game. The good news is that most of these injuries are preventable and treatable.

Whether you’re a seasoned player or just picked up a paddle, understanding common pickleball injuries and how to prevent them is key to enjoying the game safely.

Why Pickleball Is So Popular—and Risky

Pickleball combines elements of tennis, badminton, and ping pong, making it accessible for all ages and skill levels. It’s easy to learn and played on a smaller court, which appeals to older adults and beginners looking for a lower-impact activity.

Here’s the catch. The game still involves quick direction changes, repeated arm motions, and short bursts of speed. This mix of accessibility and intensity makes it risky, especially for people who may not have trained their bodies for sudden athletic movements.

Many injuries we see happen because players jump into the sport without proper warmups, conditioning, or understanding the physical stress it can place on joints, muscles, and tendons.

Most Common Pickleball Injuries We See

At Rock Valley PT, our team treats a variety of pickleball-related injuries. A few, however, stand out as the most common:

Pickleball Elbow (similar to tennis elbow): Overuse of forearm muscles from repetitive swinging can lead to pain and inflammation in the outer elbow.
Shoulder Strains and Rotator Cuff Injuries: Serving and overhead shots can aggravate shoulder tendons and muscles, especially if form is off or mobility is limited.
Ankle Sprains: Sudden pivots or missteps often lead to rolled ankles, particularly on unfamiliar or slick courts.
Knee Injuries: Quick lateral movements increase the risk for ligament strains or meniscus irritation.
Calf or Achilles Strains: Sprinting for a shot can overstress the lower leg, sometimes resulting in painful strains or even tears.
Lower Back Pain: Repeated bending, twisting, and poor core support can contribute to back discomfort or injury.

Understanding these common pickleball injuries is the first step in reducing your risk.

What Causes These Injuries?

While every case is different, certain patterns tend to emerge among pickleball injuries:

Lack of Warm-Up: Starting to play with cold muscles and joints often leads to strains and sprains.
Poor Mechanics: Improper form or footwork increases stress on joints and tendons.
Overuse: Playing multiple days a week without rest can cause wear and tear over time, especially in older adults.
Deconditioning: People often underestimate how physically demanding pickleball can be. Without foundational strength, mobility, and balance, the body becomes more vulnerable.
Inappropriate Footwear: Running or walking shoes don’t provide the lateral support needed for court sports.
Age-Related Changes: As we age, muscle elasticity, bone density, and joint lubrication naturally decline. This makes injuries more likely if precautions aren’t taken.

Prevention Tips to Keep You on the Court

Pickleball is meant to be enjoyable, not painful. Here’s how to stay injury-free while making the most of your time on the court:

1.Warm Up and Cool Down

Start with 5 to 10 minutes of dynamic stretching, gentle jogging, or mobility work before each game. After playing, cool down with static stretches to promote recovery.

2. Focus on Footwork

Practice safe, controlled lateral movements to avoid twisting or rolling an ankle. Avoid crossing your feet when changing directions.

3. Use Proper Technique

Learning correct swing mechanics and body positioning reduces stress on joints, especially the shoulder and elbow.

4. Cross-Train and Strengthen

Build leg, core, and shoulder strength to better support quick movements. This also helps reduce impact on vulnerable areas. Balance training is important too.

5. Choose the Right Shoes

Wear court shoes that provide good grip and lateral support to protect your ankles and knees.

6. Know When to Rest

Give your body time to recover, especially after long or intense games. Pay attention to small aches before they become major injuries.

7.Stay Hydrated and Eat Well

Proper nutrition and hydration help your body perform and recover more efficiently.

How Physical Therapy Can Help Prevent (and Treat) Injuries

Physical therapy is more than a way to recover from an injury. It’s also a proactive strategy to stay pain-free and active. At Rock Valley PT, we take a full-body approach to movement. Our therapists can:

Evaluate your mechanics, mobility, and muscle imbalances
Develop customized strength and stretching routines
Offer sport-specific movement retraining to improve efficiency and reduce joint stress
Treat existing injuries with hands-on therapy, dry needling, or modalities like blood flow restriction (BFR)
Guide you through a safe return-to-play plan

If you’re dealing with discomfort or want to prevent injuries before they happen, working with a physical therapist can improve your performance and peace of mind.

Don’t Ignore the Warning Signs

Many injuries start with a whisper before they turn into a shout. It’s easy to brush off mild elbow pain or stiffness in the shoulder as “just soreness,” but your body is often sending an important signal.

Watch for:

Pain that lasts longer than a few days
Swelling, bruising, or visible changes in the joint
Limited range of motion or muscle weakness
Pain that worsens with activity

Addressing these signs early makes treatment easier and recovery faster. Waiting too long can turn a small issue into a serious problem.

Schedule an Appointment Today!

Pickleball should be fun and keep you moving. If you’re noticing discomfort, injuries, or stiffness, now is the time to act. No referral is needed. With more than 60 locations , flexible hours, and expert therapists, getting care is easy.

Get back to doing what you love. Book your appointment today and enjoy the game without pain holding you back.

Recovery Methods for Athletes: The Key to Long-Term Performance

Mon, 19 May 2025 19:23:47 GMT

You might be chasing a personal best, pushing through your next season, or returning from an injury. One truth remains the same across every sport and skill level: recovery is not a luxury, it’s essential.

Many athletes are hardwired to focus on the grind. The reps. The speed. The gains. But performance doesn’t just come from how hard you train, it comes from how well you recover. At Rock Valley Physical Therapy, we’re here to help you understand recovery on a deeper level and how to do it better.

Why Recovery Matters Just as Much as Training

Training puts stress on the body. Recovery is what allows the body to adapt to that stress.

Without adequate recovery, muscles don’t rebuild, energy systems stay depleted, and your risk of injury increases . Poor recovery can quietly chip away at your performance, causing slower reaction times, mood swings, chronic fatigue, and reduced strength. Over time, even minor aches can become serious setbacks.

Recovery isn’t just about bouncing back, it’s about building forward.

Common Recovery Challenges Athletes Face

Even elite athletes struggle with recovery, and it’s not for lack of effort. Here are some common roadblocks we see:

Overtraining culture: Pushing through pain is often glorified, which delays healing.
Time constraints: Busy schedules leave little room for rest and intentional recovery practices.
Lack of guidance: Many athletes don’t know which recovery methods actually work.
Ignoring early warning signs: Soreness gets dismissed as “normal” until it becomes an injury.

The good news is that recovery can be trained just like strength or speed. With the right plan, you can recover smarter and faster.

Active vs. Passive Recovery: Knowing the Difference

Not all recovery is the same.

Active recovery involves low-intensity movement that keeps blood flowing and helps reduce muscle stiffness. Think light cycling, dynamic stretching, or a slow walk the day after a tough workout.

Passive recovery includes complete rest and interventions like sleep, massage, or icing.

Both approaches are valuable. Choosing the right one at the right time is key. At Rock Valley PT, we help athletes create recovery schedules that balance movement and rest.

Top Recovery Techniques Backed by Physical Therapists

Not every trend is worth your time, but the following methods have real science and real results behind them:

Manual therapy: Hands-on techniques that reduce tension and improve mobility.
Dry needling: A targeted approach that releases tight trigger points in deep muscle tissue.
Blood flow restriction training (BFR): Strength building with less strain on joints.
Aquatic therapy: Water-based movement that reduces impact on the body.

Stretching and mobility routines : Personalized plans that address muscular imbalances and joint health .

Our therapists never take a one-size-fits-all approach. Every technique is customized for your body, goals, and performance needs.

Nutrition, Hydration, and Sleep

If you’re training hard, you need to recover even harder. That process starts from the inside out.

Nutrition fuels repair. Protein helps rebuild muscle, carbs replenish energy stores, and anti-inflammatory foods like omega-3s support healing.
Hydration ensures that muscle contractions, circulation, and recovery processes function at their best.
Sleep is your recovery superpower. Most healing, hormonal balance, and muscle repair happen while you rest.

Athletes who skip these basics often plateau. The issue usually isn’t how hard they’re working, but how little they’re recovering.

How Physical Therapy Supports Recovery and Performance

Physical therapy is more than a tool for injury recovery. It’s a strategy for injury prevention, improved movement, and better performance.

At Rock Valley, we take a proactive approach. We help athletes:

Identify movement inefficiencies and muscular imbalances
Correct faulty mechanics that lead to overuse or strain
Design recovery strategies that fit into daily training
Build resilience through strength, flexibility, and control

High school athletes, weekend warriors, and competitive pros all benefit from our hands-on, personalized care. And with no referral needed, you can start care exactly when you need it.

Schedule an Appointment Today!

Your performance depends on your recovery. At Rock Valley Physical Therapy , we help athletes restore function, prevent injury, and achieve long-term results with expert care and practical solutions.

Ready to train smarter, not just harder?

Schedule an appointment with a Rock Valley PT specialist today. Let’s build a recovery routine that works as hard as you do.

Ways Physical Therapy Can Help Treat Headaches

Fri, 16 May 2025 21:37:52 GMT

How Muscle Tension Triggers Headaches

Headaches don’t always start in your head; sometimes, they begin in your neck, shoulders, or upper back. When muscles in these areas become tight or strained, they can irritate nearby nerves or restrict blood flow, leading to tension headaches.

This kind of pain often feels like a dull, persistent ache that wraps around your forehead or the back of your skull. Common culprits include long hours at a desk, stress-induced clenching, or poor sleep posture. Over time, these habits cause muscular imbalances that keep your body in a state of tension.

Physical therapy offers a long-term solution by identifying the root cause of your muscle tightness and correcting it with targeted treatments. By loosening stiff muscles, improving alignment, and teaching better movement patterns, PT can reduce both the frequency and intensity of your headaches. It’s a smarter, drug-free approach to lasting headache relief.

Fixing Posture to Reduce Headaches

Posture plays a bigger role in headache pain than many people realize. When you sit or stand with your head jutting forward, shoulders rounded, or spine slouched, it creates excess strain on the muscles and joints in your neck and upper back. Over time, this creates a constant state of tension that can spark headache pain.

Modern lifestyles, especially those that involve lots of screen time or desk work, often reinforce these poor postural habits. That’s where physical therapy comes in. A physical therapist can assess your alignment and movement habits, then develop a plan to retrain your posture. This often includes strengthening weak postural muscles, improving core stability, and incorporating ergonomic changes at work or home.

By strengthening postural muscles and restoring balance, PT not only reduces current pain but helps prevent future headaches from developing. Better posture means less tension, improved circulation, and a healthier foundation for your daily activities.

Manual Therapy for Headache Relief

When headaches are rooted in muscle tightness or joint dysfunction, hands-on care can make a big difference. Manual therapy is a specialized technique used by physical therapists to gently mobilize joints, release muscle tension, and improve soft tissue function. For people with tension-type or cervicogenic headaches (those that originate in the neck), these techniques can bring fast, meaningful relief. A therapist might also use methods like myofascial release, trigger point therapy, or gentle joint mobilizations to address the stiff, overworked areas contributing to your pain.

But the real power of manual therapy goes beyond quick relief. By helping your neck, upper back, and surrounding muscles move more freely and with less strain, your therapist is working to reduce the sensitivity that often leads to recurring headaches. Combined with posture work and guided exercises, manual therapy becomes part of a bigger, more sustainable plan.

Exercises to Prevent Headaches

Movement can be one of your best defenses against chronic headaches, especially when it’s the right kind. Targeted exercises help strengthen weak muscles, improve flexibility, and restore balance in areas that often contribute to head and neck tension. Your physical therapist may tailor a program to your specific needs, but here are a few commonly recommended exercises to get started:

1. Chin Tucks

Helps strengthen deep neck muscles and correct forward head posture.

How to do it:

Sit or stand tall.
Gently draw your head straight back, as if making a double chin.
Hold for 5 seconds, then relax.
Repeat 10 times, 2–3 times per day.

2. Scapular Squeezes

Improves shoulder blade stability and posture.

How to do it:

Sit or stand with arms relaxed.
Squeeze your shoulder blades together gently (avoid shrugging).
Hold for 5–10 seconds.
Repeat 10 times, 2–3 times per day.

3. Upper Trap Stretch

Eases tension in the neck and shoulders.

How to do it:

Sit upright.
Tilt your head to one side, bringing your ear toward your shoulder.
Gently use your hand to increase the stretch.
Hold for 20–30 seconds per side.
Repeat 2–3 times per side.

These exercises are a great starting point, but for long-term results, consistency and proper technique are key. A physical therapist can ensure you’re doing them correctly and help tailor a program that works for your body.

4. Levator Scapulae Stretch

Targets a muscle often involved in neck stiffness and headaches

How to do it:

Sit or stand tall.
Turn your head about 45 degrees to the right, then look down toward your armpit.
Use your right hand to gently guide the stretch.
Hold for 20–30 seconds per side.
Repeat 2–3 times.

5. Wall Angels

Encourages proper posture and opens tight chest muscles.

How to do it:

Stand with your back against a wall, arms raised to shoulder height, elbows bent.
Slowly move your arms up and down, like making a snow angel.
Keep your back and arms in contact with the wall.
Perform 10 reps, once or twice a day.

Relaxation Techniques to Ease Pain

Headaches are often fueled by stress and tension. That’s why relaxation techniques are an important part of physical therapy for headache relief. Calming the nervous system can help reduce muscle tightness, lower your stress response, and ease the pressure that builds in your head, neck, and shoulders.

Here are a few therapist-approved techniques you can try:

2. Progressive Muscle Relaxation

Starting at your feet, tense each muscle group for 5 seconds, then release.
Work your way up through your legs, core, shoulders, and face.
This technique helps identify and release hidden tension throughout the body.

1. Diaphragmatic Breathing

Lie on your back with one hand on your chest and one on your belly.
Inhale deeply through your nose, letting your belly rise while your chest stays still.
Exhale slowly through your mouth.
Repeat for 5–10 minutes, focusing on steady, relaxed breathing.

3. Guided Visualization

Close your eyes and picture a calming scene, like a quiet forest or a beach at sunset.
Focus on the details: the sounds, the temperature, the scents.
Use an app or audio recording if you need help getting started.

4. Mindful Movement

Slow, intentional movements, like gentle yoga, stretching, or walking, can help relieve physical tension while calming your mind.
Focus on how your body feels with each motion, rather than rushing through.

Physical therapists often incorporate these strategies into treatment plans, especially for patients whose headaches are linked to chronic stress or muscle guarding.

When to See a Physical Therapist

If headaches are starting to interfere with your daily life, like difficulty concentrating at work, skipping social plans, or constantly reaching for pain relievers, it might be time to take a different approach. Physical therapy offers a proven, drug-free solution that addresses the root causes of your pain, not just the symptoms. You don’t have to wait for a referral to get started, and you don’t need to “tough it out” any longer.

A physical therapist can assess your posture, muscle imbalances, and movement habits to create a personalized plan that helps reduce both the frequency and intensity of your headaches. Through hands-on care, targeted exercises, and relaxation strategies, PT empowers you to take control of your health and feel better for the long haul. At Rock Valley Physical Therapy , we specialize in helping people like you break free from chronic headaches.

Ready to take the first step? Schedule an appointment with your local Rock Valley PT clinic. Let’s work together to put your headaches behind you.

Tips for Preventing Knee Injuries in Soccer

Mon, 14 Apr 2025 15:00:01 GMT

Whether you’re sprinting down the field, making a quick cut to beat a defender, or taking a powerful shot on goal, your knees are working overtime during a soccer game. Soccer is a fast-paced and rewarding sport, but it’s also one of the most demanding on the lower body, especially the knees. Soccer knee injuries are common, but with the right knowledge and habits, many of them can be prevented. Knowing what to watch for and how to protect your knees is key to staying active and injury-free.

Common Knee Injuries in Soccer

The quick stops, pivots, and collisions that come with soccer put a lot of strain on the knees. While some discomfort after a tough game or training session is normal, certain injuries are more serious and can sideline players for weeks or even months. Understanding the most common soccer knee injuries can help players, coaches, and parents recognize the warning signs early.

ACL Tears: The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) helps stabilize the knee during sudden changes in direction. Non-contact ACL injuries often happen when a player lands from a jump or quickly changes direction. An ACL tear is a serious injury that usually requires surgery and months of rehabilitation.

Meniscus Tears: The meniscus is the cartilage that cushions and stabilizes the knee joint. Twisting motions, especially when the foot is planted, can cause a tear. Players may feel a popping sensation, followed by pain, swelling, or catching in the knee.

Patellar Tendinitis: Also known as “jumper’s knee,” this condition causes pain in the tendon connecting the kneecap to the shinbone. Repeated jumping, sprinting, and abrupt stops can strain this tendon, leading to chronic discomfort.

MCL Sprains: The medial collateral ligament (MCL) runs along the inside of the knee and can be injured during a direct blow to the outside of the leg. MCL sprains can range from mild stretching to partial or complete tears.

IT Band Syndrome: The iliotibial (IT) band is a thick band of tissue that runs along the outside of the thigh. Overuse can cause it to rub against the knee, leading to pain and inflammation, especially in long-distance or endurance players.

These are just a few examples of the knee issues soccer players face. Early attention to pain, instability, or swelling can help prevent a minor problem from turning into a long-term injury.

Effective Prevention Strategies

While not every injury can be avoided, many soccer knee injuries are preventable with the right approach to training, conditioning, and movement mechanics. Building strength, improving flexibility, and focusing on proper technique are all essential for protecting the knees throughout the season.

Strength Training: Strong muscles support and stabilize the knee joint. Exercises that target the quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, and core are especially important. Incorporating single-leg exercises like lunges or step-ups can help build balance and control during dynamic movements on the field.

Dynamic Warm-Ups: A proper warm-up does more than loosen the muscles. It prepares the body for high-speed play. Dynamic movements such as high knees, leg swings, butt kicks, and lateral shuffles activate key muscle groups and improve range of motion.

Neuromuscular Training: This type of training focuses on improving balance, coordination, and body awareness. Drills that emphasize landing mechanics, cutting technique, and single-leg control have been shown to reduce the risk of ACL injuries in soccer players.

Footwear and Field Awareness: Wearing the right cleats for the playing surface improves traction and reduces the likelihood of slips or awkward landings. Players should also be mindful of field conditions, such as wet grass, uneven ground, or artificial turf, and adjust their movements as needed.

Cross-Training and Mobility Work: Mixing in low-impact activities like swimming or cycling gives the joints a break while still building endurance. Stretching and mobility exercises, especially for the hips and calves, help the knees move properly and prevent tightness that can increase injury risk.

Injury prevention is an ongoing process. Staying consistent with these habits supports better performance and helps reduce the chances of developing common soccer knee injuries.

The Role of Rest and Recovery

Rest and recovery are just as important as training when it comes to staying injury-free. Soccer demands a lot from the body, especially during back-to-back practices, tournaments, or long seasons. Without proper recovery time, the risk of overuse injuries and muscle fatigue increases significantly.

Sleep and Nutrition: Quality sleep is when the body does most of its repair work. Getting enough rest each night supports muscle recovery and helps maintain steady energy levels. Nutrition also plays a key role. A balanced diet that includes enough protein, healthy fats, and fluids supports tissue repair and helps manage inflammation.

Active Recovery: Recovery does not always mean complete rest. Light movement such as walking, swimming, or cycling at an easy pace can improve circulation and support faster muscle recovery. Gentle stretching or yoga can also reduce stiffness and improve flexibility.

Managing Soreness vs. Injury: Some soreness is normal after intense play, but it should fade within a day or two. Pain that lingers, worsens with activity or causes swelling may be a sign of injury. Paying attention to these signals helps prevent minor issues from becoming more serious.

Recovery Tools: Foam rollers, massage, compression gear, and cold therapy can all help reduce muscle soreness and improve recovery. These tools are especially helpful during busy game schedules or after high-intensity training sessions.

Recovery is a critical part of any training routine. When it’s prioritized consistently, players can stay strong, perform at their best, and lower their risk of common soccer knee injuries.

When to Seek Medical Attention

Some soreness is part of the game, but pain that lingers, worsens, or limits movement should not be ignored. Signs that it’s time to get checked out include swelling, instability, popping or locking, or difficulty bending or straightening the knee. These symptoms can point to more serious injuries like ligament tears or meniscus damage.

Acting early can shorten recovery time and prevent long-term problems. If you’re dealing with knee pain or want to reduce your risk of injury, Rock Valley Physical Therapy is here to help. Our team specializes in treating soccer knee injuries and building personalized plans to keep athletes strong, healthy, and in the game.No referral needed. Find a clinic near you and schedule an appointment today.

The Role Between Physical Therapy and Mental Health

Thu, 13 Mar 2025 20:14:41 GMT

Physical therapy is often thought of as being related specifically to the functions of the body, including muscles and skeletal bones. Yet, physical therapy can also help with mental health, improving the function of your body and your overall mental well-being through each session. Consider how physical therapy and mental health relate and what it may mean to your quality of life to invest in care.

How Physical Therapy Impacts Mental Well-Being

The connection between physical therapy and mental health is not always obvious, but it is impactful. Physical health issues directly impact your mental health. Aches and pains can turn any day into a stressful one. Physical trauma can trigger post-traumatic stress disorder as well. Many people who suffer from structural and functional challenges in their bodies and experience chronic pain also suffer from structural changes in the brain. That makes controlling emotions hard.

By incorporating healthy physical therapy strategies, it’s possible to break down some of that pain and discomfort and work through the mental health challenges they are often linked to, providing you with resounding improvement in your quality of life. If you are facing injury recovery, disease improvement, or mental health therapy, physical therapy can support your long-term improvement.

The Connection Between Chronic Pain and Mental Health

Individuals living with chronic pain consistently face risks to mental health. Chronic pain impacts every facet of your life, including:

Ability to sleep
Increased stress levels
Increased risk of depression

Additionally, people who are living with chronic pain are often faced with a higher risk of developing health problems related to managing that pain, such as the onset of substance use disorders or anxiety. One report indicates that 35 to 45% of people with chronic pain are more likely to experience depression.

Physical therapy may help to reduce that pain, therefore contributing to improved mental health. As a result, it can help improve overall well-being.

Stress Reduction Through Physical Activity

Another way in which physical therapy and mental health link is with stress management. Stress is a naturally occurring process that involves the release of a hormone to heighten senses and prepare the body to take quick action to navigate some level of perceived risk. That hormone is only meant to be in the body for a short time, providing a boost of ability to respond, such as a quickened heart rate and improved focus. Today, stress hormones linger much longer, impacting the quality of health and mental well-being.

However, physical movement can burn the stress hormone from the bloodstream, helping to regulate its presence again. Consider how you feel after a good workout after a long day at work. You feel energized and more at ease. Going for a walk is another example. Physical activity helps to burn through the intense stress you feel.

Physical activity from physical therapy contributes in the same way. It helps to improve mood, reduce aches and pains, and increase your energy. For many people, managing stress like this can also reduce anxiety and depression symptoms while improving focus. You feel better, and that directly contributes to your mental health.

It’s important to note that physical therapy can provide short-term improvement of mental health complications like this. It cannot cure depression or resolve all stress. Yet, it can be a catalyst to seeing significant improvement in your quality of life.

Boosting Confidence and Mood with Physical Therapy

Another way physical therapy can enhance your well-being and mental health is by improving your confidence. If you’re struggling with limited mobility or worried you may drop something because of your weak arm muscles, physical therapy can offer a confidence boost. You will work closely with your physical therapist to devise a strategy that is specifically beneficial to your specific needs.

Once your therapist creates a plan and begins working those muscles and ligaments, your strength, function, and form improve. As that happens, it can give you more confidence to engage in activities that you may have put off due to fear before. As you move through your therapy sessions, you may notice that not only is your confidence improving, but so is your mood and overall desire to keep progressing.

For those with chronic mobility concerns or recovery after a long injury or illness, physical therapy is hard work. It takes time and consistency to improve and get results. Yet, with each appointment, you may notice your health and well-being improving, and with that comes your confidence and mood.

Physical Therapy’s Role in Managing Anxiety and Depression

As noted, physical therapy is a core driver of stress reduction, which also facilitates improved dopamine (the feel-good hormone) release in the body. From a scientific perspective, physical therapy helps to align hormones and encourage proper function of the brain and body. But how does that transfer into improved anxiety and depression symptoms?

Physical therapy and mental health are a natural fit. When you move easily and have confidence, you simply are in a better mood. Yet, it is important to remember that both anxiety and depression are mental health disorders that may take additional treatment and support. Just going to the gym is not going to balance hormones that often cause depression or help you navigate trauma that’s brought on your anxiety. However, with physical therapy, you can begin to see improvements that are nothing short of remarkable.

Why a Holistic Approach to Health Matters

The key to physical therapy and mental health is to utilize a provider that understands all of your needs. For those with mental health complications, including anxiety, high stress levels, and post-traumatic stress disorder, working with a physical therapist can be beneficial if your physical health is contributing to those feelings.

In these situations, it’s critical to find help that you can feel confident in. At Rock Valley Physical Therapy, you’ll gain the confidence you need to engage in ongoing physical therapy to improve all components of your health in a holistic manner. Contact us today for a consultation.

Correcting Your Posture with Physical Therapy

Wed, 12 Mar 2025 17:55:48 GMT

Improving your posture is more than just sitting up straight. By taking the time to improve the alignment of your spinal column, you may feel better, sleep better, and enjoy life a bit more fully. Physical therapy for posture can help you to do just that and much more.

How Physical Therapy Can Improve Your Posture

Do you suffer from a constantly stiff back? Perhaps you ache when you stand up after a long period of sitting. You may have a neck that hurts when moving. In these situations, physical therapy for posture can help improve the range of motion, reduce pain, and improve overall mobility.

Numerous types of physical therapy exist, and each of them can offer a different type and level of improvement. Your physical therapist can create a custom routine that addresses your specific needs and corrects the difficulties you’re having.

Common Posture Problems and Their Impact on Health

Posture involves one or more abnormal alignments of the spinal column. Some of the most common types of poor posture that can contribute to health impact include:

Slouching
Forward head posture, in which the head is in front of the shoulders and not aligned
Rounded shoulders, causing a hunching forward and upper back curve
Swayback posture is an exaggerated inward curve of the lower back

These types of poor posture can create numerous health implications. This includes digestive problems, limited flexibility, trouble breathing, and headaches. That’s on top of back pain and limited mobility. You may also suffer from a higher risk of being injured. With added stress and strain on the muscles and joints throughout your body, you could be at risk for various limitations on quality of life. That can even impact your emotional health.

The Role of Physical Therapy for Posture Correction

Physical therapy can offer a significant improvement in posture, correcting many of these health risks. The goal of physical therapy is to properly align the movements of the spine along with the joints, muscles, and bones to ensure they are moving using the right method. It can help you avoid conditions like spinal stenosis or correct the beginnings of various types of posture complications.

Physical therapy does this by using stretching and exercises to improve your posture slowly but with consistency. In many ways, physical therapy can help correct your posture so you can do more with your life and experience far less pain and discomfort. It does this holistically by improving muscle and joint alignment and function.

Posture Exercises and Stretches Recommended by Physical Therapists

Many of the exercises you can do to help improve posture are easier than you may realize. A good starting point is stretching. Stretching your back by arching helps to improve flexibility and may reduce some of the complications you have. If you have pain in your upper back after sleeping , start with stretching. You can also arch over a foam roller to see improvement.

Another exercise that may help is a hip flexor stretch. The hip flexors can be tight when you spend a lot of time sitting. To do this, start in a high kneeling position, with one leg lying flat on the ground and another leg forward with your foot flat on the ground. Clench your buttock muscles and bring your hips forward to strengthen those lower back muscles.

You can also do the cat-cow, which mimics the type of back stretching a cat typically does. It’s an excellent way to loosen the muscles and get your joints moving properly. To do this, position yourself so your hands and knees are on the floor in front of you. Let your stomach sink towards the ground while you arch your back upward to the roof. Hold this for a few seconds. Do the opposite by pulling your back down and holding it for a few seconds.

Door frame stretching is another very effective method for improving back pain and discomfort from poor posture. It’s beneficial to those who spend a lot of time hunched. To do this, stand in the middle of an open doorframe. Raise your arms up and out to the side as if you are making the letter “Y” shape. Press your arms against the frame and lean forward to feel the stretch.

How Physical Therapy for Posture Can Alleviate Pain

If you have muscle aches and pains, you may know a few simple tricks to reduce that discomfort, such as using heat therapy or ice therapy. Yet, if you’re feeling pain on a consistent basis, more than a few days a week, it is time to seek out additional help.

Physical therapy will help with consistency. The more you engage with your physical therapist, the better you’re building muscles and joint mobility. Strengthening your muscles also helps reduce inflammation and may help you significantly improve your mobility.

Physical therapy is a natural way of building muscle while also reducing tension and stress. Simply improving function can significantly improve pain levels.

When to Seek Physical Therapy for Posture Issues

While stretching and sitting properly certainly can help you with your overall comfort and posture, there are many reasons to turn to a professional for help. A physical therapist can help in several ways, including providing manual therapy to adjust the alignment of the spinal column and reducing misalignments that could be causing or worsening posture concerns.

If you have noted posture issues or you have chronic back pain and limited mobility, it is well worth it to turn to a professional for help. Doing so can help reduce your pain while also improving your overall quality of life.

When you are struggling with pain and discomfort, posture could be the problem. Contact Rock Valley Physical Therapy for an assessment and start on the path to improving your overall quality of life. Set up an appointment at any of our offices to start the process of recovery.

Treating Tendonitis with Physical Therapy

Tue, 11 Mar 2025 22:12:01 GMT

As you move your body, such as reaching up with your arm or bending your knee, a series of muscles, tendons, ligaments, joints, and bones must all work together to create the desired movement. In a healthy body, this happens without pain and is fluid. If an injury occurs to any component of this system, it can lead to pain, limited mobility, and, over time, chronic damage. One such condition is tendonitis.

Physical therapy for tendonitis may help you to regain your movement and fluidity while reducing pain. But is physical therapy needed for tendonitis, or will it just go away?

What Is Tendonitis? Understanding the Condition

Tendonitis is a condition impacting the tendons, which are tissues within the musculoskeletal system that connect the muscles to the bones. When tendons become inflamed and painful, tendonitis can be the underlying cause. Tendinitis refers to a wide range of inflammations to the tends, but there are various specific forms:

Pitcher’s shoulder
Tennis elbow
Jumper’s knee
Swimmer’s shoulder

These are all conditions that are a form of tendonitis or inflammation in those specific areas. It can be brought on by misuse, overuse, or straining. In some situations, it develops due to an injury but may also occur over time as a result of repetitive use and strain of the tendon.

How Physical Therapy Supports Tendonitis Recovery

Tendonitis physical therapy could provide you with a number of benefits, including:

Improved pain levels: Utilizing physical therapy to reduce inflammation is one of the core benefits of this holistic approach. Ice and heat can help manage some pain, but physical therapy can apply various therapeutic modalities to help reduce discomfort.
Range of motion improvements: Using physical therapy, it’s possible to reduce some of that pain while also improving the range of motion, allowing you to get back to your normal activities.
Building strength: Stronger muscles and tendons help minimize the risk of further injury and strain, especially with strengthening and stretching exercises.
Prevention of recurrence: Once tendonitis improves, physical therapy works as a type of preventative strategy to reduce further instances of inflammation.
Get back to what you love: By reducing the pain and discomfort of tendonitis, it’s possible to get back to doing what you enjoy, such as running or playing tennis, without pain.

Key Treatment Techniques Used in Physical Therapy

Numerous strategies may be available to reduce pain and improve mobility in those who have tendonitis. Some examples include:

Manual therapy: Manual therapy is one of the most readily used methods to correct alignment and reduce inflammation of tendons and muscles around joints.
Stretching: Your physical therapist will aid in stretching to build range of motion and improve joint mobilization overall.
Strengthening exercises: This type of exercise works to build the muscles surrounding the tendons. In doing so, they are better able to function properly, reducing the pain and pressure on the tendons.
Ultrasound: Ultrasound technology works to stimulate the body’s immune system in a safe manner, encouraging the reduction of inflammation and improving tendonitis as a result.
Dry needling: Some patients may benefit from dry needling as a way to reduce tightness in the muscles surrounding the tendon, which can reduce inflammation and improve pain levels.

The Benefits of a Structured Rehabilitation Plan

There are numerous ways that physical therapy can help tendonitis, but for the best results, a personalized treatment plan must be created. A structured rehabilitation plan created by your physical therapist considers your current needs and goals while considering any limitations you have right now.

This type of personalized approach enhances healing and prevents long-term damage while also ensuring that you gain very specific help to address your needs. For example, your physical therapist can develop a strategy to relieve tendonitis that could be causing you knee pain while running by correcting your form and function or adjusting the joint. This type of customized care can make a big difference in the results you’ll have along the way.

Preventing Tendonitis: Tips for Long-Term Joint Health

In addition to providing you with help in the healing process from existing pain and discomfort, your physical therapist will also develop a strategy to prevent the condition from occurring again. That includes ensuring basic needs are met, such as nutrition, avoiding aggravating the condition, and minimizing the amount of weight or force placed on the tendon over time.

Strategies that your physical therapist may recommend for prevention of tendonitis include:

Ensure a warm-up happens first. Depending on the intensity of your planned workout, use a warm-up as a first step. This includes simple stretching and flexing as a way to loosen muscles and relax tendons before you start working hard.
Train before you start a new sport. For example, you may be able to reduce the risk of an ACL injury if you work to build that muscle group at a gradual pace, giving those areas of the body the ability to heal well.
Use the correct methods. Your physical therapist also uses the proper movements, structures, and formats to move your joints and muscle groups. By teaching your body the right way to move, it’s less likely you’ll suffer further injuries.

When to Seek Professional Help for Tendonitis

If you’re an active person, tendonitis can slow you to a halt fast. Allowing your body time to heal is important, but that’s not always enough to recover and then prevent further instances of inflammation. For this reason, if you have tendonitis or have had it more than one time, seek out the help of a physical therapist who can help you build strength and reduce pain risk.

Contact Rock Valley Physical Therapy for Tendonitis Treatment

If you’re struggling with pain you think could be tendonitis, now is the time to seek care. Find your local Rock Valley Physical Therapy clinic available to you now, book an appointment with our team for physical therapy for tendonitis, and start on the path to rebuilding.

Signs Your Child May Need Physical Therapy

Mon, 17 Feb 2025 20:09:36 GMT

Physical therapy is a way to support natural healing and recovery. It may be necessary for anyone, including children, after an accident or long illness. Kids physical therapy could support their ability to grow and heal fully. But does my child need physical therapy? Will they just “grow out of it” naturally? Here’s what you should know about pediatric therapy .

Understanding Pediatric Physical Therapy

Physical therapy supports the body’s proper growth and development, healing and recovery, and function. It could improve flexibility and strength, give your child more confidence in their day-to-day activities, and prevent further injury or disease progression.

Children often need physical therapy to support healing from injuries, overcome illness limitations, or work through developmental delays. If you are unsure if your child needs or could benefit from therapy, contact our clinic now to find out how we can help.

Does My Child Need Physical Therapy?

Your child may benefit from physical therapy in a variety of situations, especially in the following situations.

Motor Issues

Some children need physical therapy to overcome various motor issues. The most common conditions that could cause motor issues in a child include:

Developmental coordination disorder, or dyspraxia
Cerebral palsy
Rheumatoid arthritis
Down syndrome
Autism spectrum disorder
Acquired brain injuries such as from accidents
Spina Bifida
Muscular dystrophy

To know if your child has these concerns, consider their overall mobility and development. Often, a doctor may recommend this type of treatment. Other times, you can reach out directly to our physical therapists for an evaluation.

Chronic Pain

A child suffering from chronic pain may benefit from physical therapy. Your child may state they suffer pain, or they may not. Physical therapy could significantly improve the cause of pain from conditions such as movement-related issues, muscle pain, and joint damage.

Poor Posture and Balance

In some children, posture becomes a concern, especially if there are underlying muscle or bone-structure concerns. Poor posture may worsen over time and can lead to debilitating pain and limitations on movement later. This could lead to difficulty with standing, walking, or sitting for long periods of time. Physical therapy may offer support by improving the muscles and functions of these structures. It can also help improve the proper movement of each muscle, ligament, and tendon. That could improve coordination and make it easier to have good posture.

Muscle Weakness

Some children do not develop property strength in muscles as they get older. Toddlers often face underdevelopment, which could lead to delays in motor development. In these cases, your physical therapist will examine the child and develop a treatment plan to address muscle imbalance or limitations and strengthen them safely.

Injury Recovery

It’s not uncommon for a child to suffer a fall or perhaps even break a bone. When that happens, the overcompensation can cause long-term injury. By getting your child help now after injuries, their body receives the support it needs to heal properly.

Developmental Issues

Delays in motor development could impact your child’s ability to do various physical activities. If a child’s musculoskeletal system does not develop properly, for example, this can lead to delays in crawling or walking, which could worsen over time.

Genetic Diseases and Birth Defects

A range of conditions may lead to the onset of delays in development, including autism spectrum disorder, birth defects, or genetic conditions. In all cases, a physical therapist will work with your child to create a plan that’s fun and engaging but also works to strengthen their body’s movements and functions. Conditions like torticollis or wry neck may see significant improvement as well as a reduction in it worsening if physical therapy is put into place early on.

The Benefits of Kids Physical Therapy

With the use of pediatric physical therapy exercises and movements, it is possible to see a significant improvement in the function of a child’s musculoskeletal system. Consider some of the benefits that may apply to your child:

Building strength: Strength building could significantly improve many of the developmental delays listed here. Through fun games and interactive therapy, your children can have fun while building muscle strength.
Improved movement: It is important for a child to be able to move and to do so in the proper function. That minimizes the risk of ongoing injury or worsening conditions. Movement dysfunction now could impact a child’s future ability to move and function as desired.
Reduced pain: Pain is a very real factor for children with mobility issues. Physical therapy helps improve communication from the brain to the injured areas, supporting a reduction in inflammation and speeding healing.
Coordination and balance improvements: From walking and crawling to being able to hit a baseball with a bat, children who engage in physical therapy tend to see improved balance and coordination. That impacts everything they do throughout their lifetime.
Improved quality of life: For some children, physical therapy can support more natural movement and ensure they can do more of the things they want to do.

Physical therapy for kids supports healthy growth and function. It can help your child recover from an injury, rebuild strength after a long hospital stay, or develop specific skills to help them with sports or improved movement. Most importantly, physical therapy is always custom-designed to meet your child’s needs. That means the benefits they see are specific to their areas of need.

Call Rock Valley PT Today – We Are Here to Help You

To learn more about how kids’ physical therapy could help support your child’s health and well-being, contact Rock Valley Physical Therapy today. Allow our team to provide you with a customized treatment plan that addresses your child’s specific needs. Request an appointment now to learn more about the strategies we offer and the care methods we use to change and support children who need physical therapy.To learn more about how kids physical therapy could help support your child’s health and well-being, contact Rock Valley Physical Therapy today. Allow our team to provide you with a customized treatment plan that addresses your child’s specific needs. Request an appointment now to learn more about the strategies we offer and the care methods we use to change and support children who need physical therapy. Give your child the tools and resources they need to thrive.

Can Physical Therapy Help a Pinched Nerve?

Fri, 14 Feb 2025 21:34:04 GMT

A pinched nerve can be debilitating, causing shooting pain that stops you in your tracks. You may be using pain medication to reduce the discomfort, but as soon as it wears off, that pain is back. Can physical therapy help a pinched nerve? It may, and in doing so, you may find long-term relief from your discomfort.

What is a Pinched Nerve?

A pinched nerve refers to a nerve that’s inflamed or otherwise damaged. Typically, this occurs along the spinal column, where a series of bones stacked on top of each other, called vertebrae, protect the spinal cord that runs through them. The spinal cord is made up of small nerves that run from each area of your body up and into the brain. This controls the functions of your body. A pinched nerve occurs when one of those nerve roots is pinched or touched due to damage to the vertebrae, specifically to the intervertebral foramen, which are small openings on the vertebrae.

Since nerves send messages to the brain, this compression or pinching sends a pain signal to your brain, informing it of something not being right. As long as that compression or inflammation continues, the pain signal is alarming and debilitating.

How to Recognize a Pinched Nerve

The symptoms of a pinched nerve tend to be hard to miss. They tend to include:

A sharp shooting pain that radiates from your back or spine
A burning sensation
Numbness or a sense of tingling, especially a pins and needles sensation
Weakness that develops in your legs or arms, depending on where the pinching is occurring
Pain that seems to worsen when you are lying down or sitting for a long period of time

Can Physical Therapy Relieve Pinched Nerve Pain?

It is common to turn to physical therapy for nerve damage and for good reasons. Though there are some conditions that may not improve with physical therapy, that is less common. By turning to a licensed physical therapist, you can see significant improvement in the pain you feel.

Physical therapy for nerve pain has to be specific, meaning it has to target the area where the damage is present. Conservative treatments, like physical therapy, allow for a holistic approach to treating the underlying problem. They aid in reducing the initial compression causing the pain and may encourage healing of the area.

When you visit a physical therapist, their first step will be to determine where the pain stems from, which can be done through an initial evaluation and physical. A treatment plan is then created for you, and the specific goal is to reduce the symptoms you have. Your therapist is an expert at movement and will not only provide strategies for reducing the pain and healing the area but also create strategies to reduce the risk of the pain returning. For example, by teaching you proper posture or how to carry a bag properly, it may be possible to prevent the pinched nerve from returning.

When to Seek Physical Therapy for Nerve Damage

If you have any of the symptoms of a pinched nerve or other sensations that feel like nerve damage, seek out an appointment with a physical therapist. You can visit your local healthcare provider, who will provide you with some guidance.

For those who have recurrent pain or a pinched nerve that returns infrequently, seeking a physical therapist can be well worth it. They will help you address the pain you feel, reduce symptoms, build muscles and proper body movements to prevent further damage, and help restore natural health to the treatment area.

What to Expect at Your Appointment

After an initial evaluation and discussion over the pain and discomfort you feel, your physical therapist will create a treatment plan designed to meet your needs. For many people with a pinched nerve, this may include:

Improving range of motion. If you have limited mobility because of damage to a nerve, range-of-motion exercises can help strengthen the muscles and support improved function. This is often done through manual therapy.
Build stronger muscles. Strengthening exercises done in a controlled environment by a therapist can strengthen the muscles surrounding the spinal column and surrounding areas, reducing the risk of additional damage to nerves.
Increase flexibility. Many people with pinched nerve pain do not move that area as much as they used to because of the pain. With physical therapy, your provider will specifically look to improve your flexibility. In doing so, it may be possible to reduce at least some of the inflammation and damage to the nerve. Resume natural function. If you are not able to walk or you are holding your arm in a weird position due to your pain, your physical therapist will create a treatment plan that specifically strengthens those areas with the goal of improving their function and normal movement. It can also be used alongside other treatments, such as dry needling, to improve function, reduce pain, and stimulate natural healing.
Offer support after treatment. Some people have more significant spinal cord injuries that can require additional treatment. If you still struggle after treatment, your physical therapist can help improve the healing process through controlled movements. If you have surgery, for example, for a back injury, you may benefit from physical therapy afterward.

When you visit a physical therapist, expect gentle support and guided treatment. There is no pain involved, and you should feel comfortable throughout the process.

Find a Rock Valley Physical Therapist Near You

When a pinched nerve, shooting pain, or other muscle weakness starts holding you back from doing the things you want and need to do, it’s time to find your local Rock Valley Physical Therapy clinic near you. Allow our team to work closely with you to create a treatment plan that reduces pain and improves function. Schedule an appointment with our physical therapists now to learn more about what we can offer you.

Can Physical Therapy Help with Back Pain?

Thu, 13 Feb 2025 21:59:27 GMT

It is not uncommon to have aches and pains, especially after significant physical strain or a long day on your feet. Even the wrong shoes can make you feel “off.” Yet, for many people, back pain is more significant, ongoing, or debilitating, requiring more advanced treatment.

Physical therapy, or PT, could be a solution. PT for back pain enables you to see a significant improvement in pain levels, often through symptom reduction. Consider what PT for back discomfort and aches can mean for you.

Understanding Back Pain: Causes and Common Symptoms

Back pain happens for many reasons. The pain can feel different depending on the underlying cause. Some examples include:

Burning pain
Shooting pain
Stabbing pain
Aches and areas of tenderness
Discomfort or limited ability to walk

Understanding why you feel those symptoms can be critical to finding relief. Some of the most common causes of back pain include:

Muscle or ligament strain, often due to picking up something that’s heavy or turning quickly in an awkward movement
Bulging or ruptured disks are brought on when these cushions between the bones of the spine compress and press on a nerve. This may be due to degenerative conditions or injuries.
Osteoporosis, which happens over time as the vertebrae develop, breaks because the bones are brittle or porous.
Arthritis, a common cause of lower back pain, happens when there is a narrowing of the space surrounding the spinal cord or the joints wear down.

Other conditions can also cause back pain. With proper examinations, your doctor can determine the underlying cause. Then, it’s possible to find a treatment. For many people, PT for back pain can be highly effective as a treatment.

How Physical Therapy Helps Back Pain

Applications of physical therapy can offer a wide range of benefits. This may include:

Reduction of pain symptoms: By reducing compression on nerves and improving muscle and joint alignment, it’s possible for physical therapy to alleviate the underlying cause of the pain.
Improved function: Physical therapy works to improve the way the muscles, ligaments, and joints work in this area of the body. Improved function results from better strength and stability in this area.
Increased flexibility and range of motion: Helping your body to move properly gives you more freedom to do the things you want without pain.

A physical therapist will assess the back pain, the underlying cause, and opportunities for improvement. They can then focus on treating the specific restrictions you have and the cause of your limited movement and function. This helps the area heal and supports less risk for further damage in the future.

Techniques Used in Physical Therapy

After a full assessment, your physical therapist will then determine the best techniques for treatment. If you have lower back pain , this may include the use of stretching the muscles of the back. For those with shooting pain down into their hips, the use of physical therapy for sciatica could be helpful.

Potential techniques include:

Strengthening exercises. For back pain brought on by poor posture or improper movements, strengthening exercises can offer help. PT for back pain in this case could focus specifically on building the muscles in the targeted area. It helps build strength to the spine and the muscles supporting it.
Improved movement patterns. PT can help to retrain your muscle movements to improve function. By ensuring your muscles and bones are working properly, it is possible to prevent future back pain development.
Manual therapy. This type of treatment allows physical therapists to apply specific pressure and manipulation of tissues, muscles, and joints to enable improved function. It can help to encourage healing in the area and reduce inflammation as a result.

Physical therapy can help encourage healing and proper function of the spine and muscles after an injury. It can also help improve function as you get older and develop degenerative conditions. As a flexible treatment tool, it’s easy to see the vast number of ways PT for back pain can be helpful.

Benefits Compared to Other Treatments

Physical therapy can offer significant help without as many complications or risks. There are several reasons to select this type of treatment as a first step in finding relief.

It’s less invasive. Though other types of treatment may be necessary for serious accidents and injuries, for those who have mild to moderate pain, the use of physical therapy can be far less invasive than other methods.
It creates a prevention plan. Not only does physical therapy help to improve symptoms, but it also works to strengthen the muscles in the treatment area. This may help prevent further complications over time.
It may help you avoid or postpone surgery. For many patients, physical therapy may be able to do enough to help you avoid more aggressive treatment or loss of mobility. This could help build strength to reduce the risk of falls, too.

Preventing Long-Term Back Pain

If you wake up each morning with aches and pains after sleeping, that could be an early warning sign that you need to take action to protect your back, spinal column, and cord, as well as the muscles in this area. To prevent long-term back pain and complications to your health and well-being, it’s always wise to act as soon as you notice discomfort and pain.

Preventing long-term back pain may also be done with these strategies:

Improve your core muscle strength.
Align your posture to a better fit.
Lift with care.
Sleep on a supportive mattress.
Remain active.

Contact Rock Valley Physical Therapy Today!

If you are struggling with back pain, whether it is upper or lower back pain, recognize that you have the opportunity to improve the way you feel. To achieve this goal, seek out treatment for your back pain now. PT for back pain relief starts with making a call to Rock Valley Physical Therapy. Contact us now to get in to see our physical therapists for the relief you need.

A Guide to Physical Therapy for Stroke Patients

Wed, 12 Feb 2025 20:59:08 GMT

A blockage in a blood vessel within the brain can change the course of your life for years to come. That blood vessel’s blockage or bursting means oxygen-rich blood cannot reach various areas of the brain, leading to an impact on the function of those areas. When that area controls movement or communication between the brain and your body’s functions, it takes time and hard work to rebuild.

The key to knowing about stroke patients and physical therapy is that the brain can often overcome serious injuries, allowing it to heal and restore some or even all of its function – if physical therapy can rebuild those connections. Here’s why.

Strengthening Muscles After a Stroke

One of the most important reasons to invest in physical therapy after a stroke is because it helps your muscle function and strength improve. With muscle-strengthening exercises, it’s possible to help those muscles to work more effectively. Those movements also help to stimulate the brain-to-muscle connection, which is so critical.

This process is so much more than just building muscle mass or knowing if you should heat or cold on a muscle ache . It is about creating new communications between your brain and muscles while also working to build muscles that work more efficiently. Every step is a bit different. Your physical therapist will work with you to support your recovery.

Regaining Mobility and Coordination

Depending on the location and severity of the stroke, you may experience significant limitations to mobility. With physical therapy, you’re re-teaching your brain how to properly control movements. You also help it by learning how to create more precise movements, those that you may have had prior to the stroke.

Over time, the repeated efforts of physical therapy allow improved communication between the brain and the nerve endings that control muscle function. This allows you to have more coordinated movements. Precision tasks, such as wrapping your fingers around a pencil or walking up steps with confidence, improve with each physical therapy appointment.You will likely spend time with a harness to support you as you learn to walk again. This often leads to spending time with assisted devices and ultimately building coordination with repetition, such as using a treadmill. You may be afraid of physical therapy initially, but your abilities will improve with each appointment, and in most situations, it will give you more confidence.

Improved Balance and Stability

When you learn how fascinating physical therapy can be, you’ll see that those exercises – even when they seem so simple – are creating incredible improvements in the way you hold yourself, move your body, and navigate tasks. That can only happen, though, if your brain can maintain proper balance and stability.

Many people suffer from reduced limb and trunk motor control after a stroke. Your sensations may be different. Additionally, impaired balance leads to a fear of falling, which actually increases the risk of a fall. Your physical therapist will incorporate strategies to help improve balance, such as:

Strengthening trunk muscles
Dynamic sitting balance
Sitting and standing repetition with support

Promoting Brain Recovery Through Neuroplasticity

There are many impressive components to physical therapy, but what your brain does while you are working on healing and recovery physically is nothing short of amazing. The brain will work to rewire itself over time. That means the more you walk, talk, and use the area impacted, the more your brain learns and adjusts to those needs. This is called neuroplasticity.

Neuroplasticity is often a core component of your physical therapy after a stroke. Your muscles are not damaged, and your joints work. What doesn’t work the way it should are the connection between your brain and those areas. Neuroplasticity provides a way to improve this, allowing your brain to relearn how to function and use those muscles.

Strokes damage the connections within the brain that connect the body and brain. Every rehabilitation session helps by encouraging the brain to make new connections. It’s not about rebuilding the old but creating new, healthy connections in healthy parts of the brain. This allows your brain to better control its functions.

It’s very common for you to feel like you’re going backward when you first work with a physical therapist to build those motor skills and improve overall function. Yet, that’s not really what’s happening. The new connections forming are not nearly as strong as the old ones you had. Therefore, it’s going to feel like you’re brand new at raising your arm or taking a step. That’s expected, and your physical therapist will use manual therapy and other strategies to help you.

Creating Customized Rehabilitation Plans

How can your brain learn and overcome these challenges? The use of a custom rehabilitation plan is what makes it possible. You will work with a physical therapist who will:

Provide an assessment to determine where you are now. This process pinpoints the current condition and concerns present. It’s the baseline.
Your therapist will then be able to use that information to create a plan of action, including various specific movements and therapy types designed to target your areas of need.
Through each session, your therapist monitors how you are improving and adjusts your plan of care to meet new challenges or enhance outcomes so that you’re always getting the very best level of care possible.

This type of hands-on support from your therapist allows for a treatment plan to be developed that specifically focuses on your needs. Every session, you’re working on the key areas most important to your recovery, and you’re making the best use of that time.

Rock Valley Physical Therapy Is Here to Help!

If you or your loved one suffered a stroke, every moment counts, not just in getting help but also in building strength and recovery. The sooner you can begin working with a therapist, the more opportunity there is to heal. You can get started now by finding your Rock Valley Physical Therapy clinic . Then, request an appointment with our team and get your care started.

5 Stretches for Lower Back Pain

Wed, 05 Feb 2025 17:39:38 GMT

Everyone experiences lower back pain from time to time. Maybe you moved too quickly or lifted something heavy with improper form. Back pain shouldn’t be ignored, as it’s a key reason many people seek out physical therapy . A physical therapist can not only help relieve your discomfort but also identify ways to prevent it from returning. Incorporating 5 stretches for lower back pain into your routine can also improve flexibility and reduce tension, helping you stay pain-free.

Why am I Having Lower Back Pain?

One of the first steps is to understand why you have lower back pain. It’s not a normal part of aging, though it is more likely to happen as you get older. In some situations, you may have muscle tightness due to limited strength in those muscle groups. Other times, you may have a bulged or herniated disc that can be inflamed, causing pain that seems to shoot from one area to the next. Some people suffer from lower back pain because of sciatic nerve damage or due to poor posture.

If you’re unsure what’s causing your pain, set up an appointment with your doctor or a physical therapist to gain more insight into what’s happening. If you have recently suffered a back injury after a fall , car accident, or sports injury, you definitely don’t want to progress with any therapy until your physical therapist tells you to do so.

5 Stretches to Relieve Lower Back Pain

The following are some of the best ways to stretch your lower back to reduce the chronic pain you have. With a few of these each day, you’re more likely to reduce the difficulty of movement, decrease pain, and feel more capable of going through your day without aches and pains.

1. Child’s Pose

The child’s pose is one of the most common yoga poses for stretching your lats and gluteus maximus. It can also reduce the discomfort you feel in your spinal extensors, which are some of the most common areas of lower back pain. It also helps to reduce inflammation and loosen muscles up the entire spine. As it does, it reduces the tension in your lower back muscles, too.

To do the child pose, kneel on a mat. Then, sit backward so you are sitting on your heels. Once you do that, place your arms on either side of your legs. Then, rest your head on the floor in front of you, bending your body forward. You’ll feel the stretch right away.

Modifications

If you’re in need of some extra support with this exercise, you can position a towel rolled up like a tube just under your thighs. That will give you a bit more comfort as you bend forward.

2. Knee-to-Chest Stretch

The knee-to-chest stretch is an excellent way of opening up your hips and stretching your back muscles. To do this, lay on your back with both of your knees bent upward. Keep your feet pointing upward. Then, draw one knee up toward your chest. As you do this, place your hands on the back of your thigh or at the shinbone for support. Hold for about 30 seconds, release, and then do the same thing with the other leg.

Modifications

If you find this exercise difficult, you can position something under your head for a better alignment. You can also place a towel wrapped around the leg.

3. Pelvic Tilt

One way to reduce pain in your lower back is to build up muscle strength in your core. This exercise also adds strength to your hamstrings, which can be helpful for those who spend a lot of time on their feet each day.

To do this exercise, lay on your back and bend your knees upward. Keep your feet flat on the ground in front of you. Then, place your arms at your sides with your palms down. Once you relax, engage your ab muscles and work to flatten your back against the floor. Hold the position for a few seconds and then release it, breathing out slowly. Repeat the process several times.

Modifications

If you find this exercise hard to do, try placing a small pillow or a rolled-up towel behind your lower back.

4. Cat-Cow

The cat-cow exercise helps to improve shoulder and neck pain, which can contribute to lower back pain. To do this, kneel on the ground and place your palms flat on the ground in front of you. Then, press your hands and feet down, inhale, and look up. This pushes your stomach out. Hold the position, exhale, and then bring your head down so that your back is now arching under your pelvis.

Modifications

Place your hands slightly forward beyond the shoulders if you are having trouble with this position. You can also place some cushioning under your knees.

5. Cobra Stretch

In this exercise, you’ll lay on your stomach with the top of your feet flat on the ground. Position your hands under your shoulders and push just the top part of your body upward, much like the position of a cobra. Keep your feet planted on the ground as you push your head upward to look above you. Hold and then lower yourself.

Modifications

To modify this position, place a rolled-up towel under your hips. This will give you a bit more leverage.

When to Seek a Professional

If you are struggling with lower back pain that limits you, or you have chronic pain that does not seem to improve, it is critical to seek out help. If the pain leaves you without the ability to move, make sure you get to your doctor as a first step.

At Rock Valley Physical Therapy, we recommend that you come in to see a physical therapist if you are developing lower back pain repeatedly or when you need to reduce the dull ache that you have after a long day. The key is to get in to get relief.

Reach out to us now to learn more about how physical therapy can help with your lower back pain . What you will find is that we can offer customized treatments to address any of your specific needs.

When to Start Post-Surgery Physical Therapy

Thu, 12 Dec 2024 19:00:55 GMT

Every surgery is different, and you should always follow the guidance of your doctor about when to get active and at what pace to start moving. However, most people having surgery will find that physical therapy is a core component of the recovery process. Knowing when to get started, how to know what to do, and trusting the process (with the help of a professional) can help you achieve your long-term recovery goals in a safe manner. Post-surgery physical therapy is a necessary part of the healing process, but you may have questions about what to expect.

How Soon After Surgery Should You Start Physical Therapy?

Your health at the time of the surgery, any complications you may have, and the type of surgery you have all play a role in when you can start therapy. Waiting too long could mean too much time goes by, and scar tissue forms. Doing too much too soon can lead to injuries that slow down your recovery even further.

However, chances are good you’ll need to start moving sooner than you think, often within hours or days after the procedure. That’s critical to helping your body move oxygen- and nutrient-rich blood to those areas to heal. You’ll start working with a physical therapist early on to build your strength and overall well-being. View this as a way to get back to a better quality of life.

The Post-Surgery PT Timeline

Always rely on your doctor’s recommendations for when and how to start physical therapy after surgery. Here’s a likely physical therapy schedule for otherwise healthy people.

First Week

Within the first 1 to 3 days, you’ll likely leave the hospital and start with some movement. Oftentimes, your doctor may not allow you to leave until you can safely support yourself. Starting exercises and strength training right away in the hospital is often the first step.

From there, you can expect your surgeon to schedule physical therapy with professionals within the first week. You’ll meet with your physical therapist and create a game plan, often starting with some basic measurement of your current abilities.

For some, those initial physical therapy appointments may focus on helping you get in and out of bed. Then, you’ll start working on standing before you start walking. The goal is not to wear you out, but to build your muscle strength steadily.

First Month

You’ll likely have some type of physical therapy to complete every day, though you may not meet with your physical therapist that often. Routine and consistent exercise, strength training, and movement help to build strength and support long-term recovery.

During the first four weeks, you can expect to participate in daily activities to gradually increase your strength and endurance. You’ll likely be taught strategies to move and flex the area where you had surgery in a way that’s safe and gradually builds to normal movement and range of motion.

First Three Months

Depending on your surgery and health, most people reach a steady level of recovery during the first three months. Your body will heal tissues, you’ll build muscles, and you’ll be able to increase your range of motion with consistent use.

Note that you’ll want to move at a pace that is right for you. If you just had knee replacement therapy, you are not likely to be doing a marathon in three months but you could move from a few steps at a time to being able to go back to work or walking around the neighborhood.

Your physical therapist will create specific steps for you to take to gradually increase your abilities in a safe manner. You’ll also learn strategies to help you do the tasks you need to throughout the day such as taking care of yourself. Most people are moving pretty well by the end of this period, but don’t be discouraged if you’re not quite where you want to be. It takes a great deal of time for your body to heal from surgery.

Six Months to a Year

By week 12 and onward, you’ll find that your body is moving at a gradually safer rate. Your pain should be little to none at this point, and you’ll likely be working with a physical therapist to strengthen your muscles, improve your range of motion, and achieve overall better function.

Your physical therapist will likely provide you with numerous strat egies to follow during this time. You may be working towards much bigger goals, including restoring proper function to the treatment area.

Benefits of Post Surgery Physical Therapy

When you work with a physical therapist , you’ll have the tools and resources you need to support the healing process. Some of the benefits of post-surgical physical therapy include:

Improved stability makes falling less likely
Improved balance and overall confidence
Lower pain levels
Faster healing times
Fewer complications from surgery
Improved mental health

Tips for Successful Rehabilitation

When it comes to having success, there are several things to remember:

It is likely that physical therapy will be uncomfortable at the start. That doesn’t mean you’ll be in pain, though.
Physical therapy and movement, in general, could help reduce the discomfort you feel. Even if you don’t feel like it, do your best to stick with your treatment plan.
Invest in your mental health, too. Healing is hard work, and you’ll want to reward yourself for your successes.

Find Expert Physical Therapists at Rock Valley PT

You do not have to navigate physical therapy on your own. Instead, let our team help you. At Rock Valley Physical Therapy, you’ll have a team of licensed professionals helping you to build strength and recover more effectively than you may have thought possible. Contact our team today to learn more about post surgery physical therapy and the treatment options available to you.

Snow Shoveling Safety Tips

Wed, 04 Dec 2024 22:27:14 GMT

Winter is coming, and along with it comes many necessary tasks that create significant physical strain on our bodies. There is no doubt that you’ll need to get out there to shovel the snow and rake the leaves even before that. Doing so safely may help you reduce some of the physical risks you face during this time of the year. Be sure you know what to expect when it comes to safety tips for winter season tasks.

Stretch Before Raking or Shoveling

Before you head outdoors to engage in any type of physical activity, including raking the leaves or shoveling snow, you need to be sure you are physically ready to do so. That doesn’t just mean getting the motivation up to do the work but also ensuring your body is warmed up and ready to go. Do some light stretching of your back, arms, and legs. That’s going to give you the ability to minimize some of the risk of injury.

If you commonly struggle with lower back pain , be sure to focus on low back stretches. You also want to be sure you’re bending at the knees, so you’re not lifting with your back but instead using your legs to do the work. All it takes is a few minutes of stretching to get your muscles ready for the workout they are about to take on. It’s not much different than the stretching you would do before working out at the gym.

Dress for the Weather

The right clothing should support the work you are doing and not limit you. There are a few concerns that can happen here. Because you may put on numerous layers of clothing to combat the low temperatures outside, be sure you can still bend and twist with ease. If you cannot do that easily, you’re more likely to strain when trying to pick up a heavy pile of snow.

The second concern comes in the form of sweating. That’s also why you need to dress in clothing that’s going to help wick away the moisture from your body. That helps you stay comfortable and cool without putting yourself at risk of overheating. If you’re not comfortable, make a few adjustments to what you’re wearing. Don’t forget boots, gloves, and hats for those cold days.

Choose the Right Equipment

Sometimes the most common injuries people face are a result of trying to do too much or doing the work in the wrong way. Here are some tips for using your equipment in the right manner:

Don’t try to manage the leaf pile on your own with raking if it’s causing significant exhaustion. Instead, invest in a leaf blower to help speed up the process.
Use a shovel that’s the right size for your body. Then, push instead of picking up the snow. Be sure to look for an ergonomic shovel.
A snowblower may be a necessary tool when the snow gets to be 8 or more inches. You may, on the other hand, need to call in a pro to plow the driveway when it’s too high. Don’t strain yourself and cause injury.
Use rock salt to help with ice instead of trying to chip it away with a shovel. It’s far easier and can help to minimize the risk of the driveway as well. De-icer products, sand, and cat litter can help, too.
Don’t forget the boots. Not only do they keep your feet dry and comfortable during this workout, but they also provide some slip resistance for you.

Take Breaks and Stay Hydrated

Remember, this type of work is a workout, and your body is going to need some careful attention. Take breaks every 15 minutes to allow your body to catch up, or do so more often if you need to.. If you’re tired and rushing, chances are higher that you’ll hurt yourself. Set a goal for yourself to do a certain section of the yard or driveway and then take a 10-minute break. Don’t underestimate the importance of hydration. Your body is working hard and sweating. It needs more hydration during these periods than you may realize. Every time you take a break, be sure to drink some water. If you tend to feel headaches or exhaustion after raking or shoveling snow, it could be that your body is dehydrated.

If You’re in Pain, be Sure to Reach out to a Physical Therapist

Both raking leaves and shoveling snow are physically intense activities that can, without a doubt, cause a number of injuries. If you feel aches and pains develop, do not wait to see a physical therapist .

If you are bleeding or have an obvious injury, urgent care or emergency room may be necessary.

Rock Valley PT Is Available to Help You

Our team works together to ensure you have access to the very best level of care possible if you’ve suffered an injury. Our goal is always to provide a patient-first compassionate care. After a long day working outdoors, if you’re hurting and achy, reach out to us so we can help you get back to doing the things you love.. A physician referral is not required to get started. Contact us today for an appointment.

Preventing and Treating Common Injuries in Tennis

Wed, 13 Nov 2024 22:22:32 GMT

Tennis isn’t just a mentally challenging game. It’s a game that requires a significant amount of joint movement of the shoulder and elbow. This repetitive process can quickly lead to aches and pains, especially if you’re an explosive player. Knees and hips can also be strained due to the fast movements and quick switches of position that take place throughout the game.As enjoyable as a match can be, it’s important to pay close attention to the injury warning signs your body’s giving you. The good news is physical therapy can help you overcome many of these challenges.

How to Prevent a Tennis Injury

Prevention is always easier than trying to fix an injury, but it’s not always simple to do. Consider these tips for preventing tennis injuries:

Build proper skill and movement. With proper form, you reduce the risk of developing painful injuries in the first place.
Exercise the right muscles. Building an overall toned body with strong muscles, especially for problem areas, reduces the risk of injury.
Always stretch. It’s essential for even a short workout or set. Engage in light tennis movements, such as side-to-side movements, and serves to get muscles limber.

It can help to work with a physical therapist for a prevention-focused plan as well. You don’t have to wait until there is a problem to seek out help.

Five of the Most Common Tennis Injuries

The following are some of the most common tennis injuries suffered. If you’re feeling pain and discomfort in these areas, seek out help.

1. Tennis Elbow

Tennis elbow is pain located on the outer portion of the elbow, though pain in the inner elbow is also possible. This stems from chronic inflammation of the tendons in that area. Resting is necessary, especially if you are overusing the area. These tendons can cause pain that runs into the forearm and your hand. Pain here will worsen over time if you don’t rest it and improve the strength of the surrounding muscle groups.

2. Ankle Sprains

The jumping and fast movements of tennis can easily lead to ankle injuries, with sprains being the most common. Wearing padded socks and proper shoes for the game can reduce some of this risk. If you feel pain that’s limiting your movement, that could indicate a torn ligament requiring more advanced care from a physical therapist.

3. Wrist Injuries

The movement of the wrist during the game of tennis can make or break a player’s success. The tendons in this area are highly prone to inflammation. This comes from swinging the racket excessively. Pain typically develops on the side of the wrist but can also develop in the palm. Wrist tendonitis is potentially preventable with improved technique and using the right racket for you (one that is too heavy can cause pain). Just getting your grip right can help to reduce some of this discomfort.

4. Rotator Cuff Tendonitis

The rotator cuff is one of the most complicated areas of the shoulder, and injuries here are very common. The tendons and muscles that make up the “cuff” that holds your shoulder in place and gives it movement can become damaged in the game of tennis. Some develop over time due to overuse. Others can be brought on by a forceful pull. Stretching and building strength in these areas is an important way to reduce injury risk. If you do have pain, rest can offer some help, though working with a physical therapist can be critical.

5. Jumper’s Knee

If you’re a good tennis player, you’re “off the ground” often. Every jump creates tension and pressure on the knee joint, and that can lead to incredible discomfort overall. The tiny tears in the tendons that hold the kneecap in place are particularly worrisome. Prevention includes avoiding overexertion, wearing proper shoes, and warming up.

Treatment Options for Tennis Injuries

Specialized treatment for the specific type of injury you have is beneficial. You have a few specific steps you can take at home. How do you treat tennis elbow or knee pain? Follow these tips.

Rest

Inflammation reduces naturally over time if the area is given enough time to rest and recover. This means avoiding playing the game or moving that area as much as possible. If the pain does not improve, you may have torn a tendon rather than just caused injury to it. If your tendon is torn, that may require more advanced care.

Ice and Compression

Most tennis injuries improve when you reduce the inflammation, which can be done with the application of cold temperatures, such as with an ice pack and compression around the area. Give your body time to heal. If this is a new injury, use the ice and compression process for a few hours after the initial injury. Then, give it some rest. If you cannot walk or use the area, you need more advanced care.

Physical Therapy

When you have a sports injury, physical therapy can help in numerous ways:

It teaches your body to use the muscle in the proper manner, reducing the risk of further injury.
Physical therapy builds muscle strength in related areas to help support proper movement and reduce injury risk.
Working to teach your muscles to work properly again and build up their function and strength through physical therapy can help you heal faster. For example, as you’re healing, your physical therapist can work on the area to build strength and flexibility.

Seeking out the help of a physical therapist as a prevention strategy can also help. Whether you’re in an offseason or just revving up your skills, consider booking an appointment for PT now.

Call Rock Valley PT to Treat Your Tennis Injuries

Rock Valley PT can provide you with exceptional support in both treatment of an injury and prevention strategies. Just as hard as you play the game, you need a team that can help keep your body working at its best. Contact us now to request an appointment .

Cycler’s Guide: How to Reduce Knee Pain

Tue, 29 Oct 2024 21:21:59 GMT

What Causes Knee Pain While Cycling?

Cycling knee pain can develop for various reasons, and understanding the root cause is the first step toward effective treatment and prevention. Here are some of the most common types of cycling knee pain:

1. Anterior Knee Pain:

Often experienced at the front of the knee and around the kneecap, this pain is frequently due to increasing your mileage too quickly without adequate training. It’s especially common when cyclists ramp up their activity after a period of rest, such as in the spring after a winter break.

2. Posterior Knee Pain:

Pain behind the knee is often a result of overextending the knee due to an improper seat position. If your seat is too high, it can cause excessive strain on the back of the knee.

3. Medial and Lateral Knee Pain:

Pain on the sides of the knee is usually related to improper bike setup, particularly the positioning of the pedal cleats. Incorrect alignment can lead to unnecessary strain on the knee ligaments and tendons.

4. Iliotibial Band Syndrome (ITBS):

This painful condition arises from inflammation in the iliotibial band, a fibrous tissue that runs from your hip to your shin. ITBS is often caused by improper bike fit, including saddle height and foot positioning.

Treatments for Cycling Knee Pain

Addressing cycling knee pain early can prevent more severe injuries and help you get back to enjoying your rides. Here are some effective treatment strategies:

1. Rest and Recovery:

The most common form of cycling knee pain, anterior knee pain, often requires rest. Taking a break from cycling allows your body to heal and reduces inflammation.

2. Adjust Your Bike Setup:

Proper bike fit is essential to prevent and alleviate knee pain. Ensure your saddle is at the correct height and position to avoid overextending your knee. Additionally, check the alignment of your pedal cleats to ensure your feet are properly positioned.

3. Strengthen Key Muscles:

Working with a physical therapist can help you strengthen the vastus medialis oblique (VMO) muscle, which plays a critical role in stabilizing the kneecap. Strengthening this muscle can reduce the risk of knee pain and improve your overall cycling performance.

4. Stretching and Massage:

Incorporating regular stretching and massage into your routine can help alleviate tightness and improve flexibility, reducing the likelihood of knee pain.

How to Prevent Cycling Knee Pain

Prevention is key when it comes to cycling knee pain. Here are some strategies to keep in mind:

1. Choose the Right Bike Fit:

Investing in a bike that fits your body properly is essential. Ensure your saddle is at the correct height and position, and consider professional bike fitting services if needed.

2. Wear the Right Gear:

Proper cycling gear, including well-fitted shoes and cleats, can significantly reduce strain on your knees. Look for moisture-wicking clothing to keep you comfortable and dry during long rides.

3. Gradually Increase Your Mileage:

Avoid ramping up your cycling mileage too quickly. Gradual increases in distance and intensity allow your body to adapt and reduce the risk of knee pain.

4. Work with a Physical Therapist:

A physical therapist can help you develop a personalized plan to strengthen your muscles, improve your bike fit, and prevent knee pain. Regular check-ins with a therapist can ensure you’re staying on track with your cycling goals.

When to Seek Medical Attention

If you experience persistent knee pain that limits your ability to cycle or perform daily activities, it’s important to seek medical attention. A physical therapist can help diagnose the underlying cause of your knee pain and create a tailored treatment plan.

At Rock Valley Physical Therapy, we’re here to help you overcome cycling knee pain and get back to doing what you love. Whether you’re dealing with acute pain or want to improve your cycling performance, our team is ready to support you every step of the way.

Cycling discomfort? Book a session with Rock Valley PT and get back on track!

Find a local clinic near you to start your journey toward pain-free cycling.

Physical Therapy Techniques for Neck Pain

Mon, 07 Oct 2024 22:02:46 GMT

Many people experience pain in the neck from time to time. Yet, it’s critical not to ignore those aches and pains, as they can worsen over time, leading to chronic pain and discomfort meshed with difficulty engaging in activities you enjoy doing. For many people, there are physical therapy techniques for neck pain that can be the best treatment option for the stiffness or pain you have.

Causes for Neck Pain

There are numerous causes for neck pain, each ranging from acute needs to minor damage. Some of the most common causes of neck pain, most of which can be treated through physical therapy, include:

Muscle tension and strain: This is often brought on by sleeping in an awkward position, poor posture, or repetitive motion injuries
Injury: Car accidents, sports-related injuries, assault, and falls are common causes of neck pain
Misalignment: If the joints and vertebrae in the spinal column are not aligned properly, this can lead to a constant level of pain. It can also cause headaches in some people.
Degenerative disc conditions: This includes conditions such as bulging and herniated discs in the spinal column, which can cause intense, burning pain.
Diseases: Conditions like some forms of cancer and meningitis can cause neck pain. Some people develop rheumatoid arthritis as well.

Common Neck Injuries

One of the most common times to seek out physical therapy techniques for neck pain is after an injury. Some of the most common neck injuries include:

Neck fracture (this requires treatment from a professional for proper alignment)
Pinched nerves
Neck sprains of the ligaments and tendons
Whiplash, such as after a car accident
Arthritis development in the neck, called spondylosis
Stiff muscles and tendons, which can often mean that pain develops when movement occurs

The neck is made up of several core components, all of which can be damaged in an injury or accident. This includes the vertebrae, or small bones that make up the spinal column, the intervertebral discs, which sit between each of the vertebrae to act as a type of cushion, and both joints and muscles.

If you’re seeking relief from neck pain, exploring physical therapy techniques for neck pain could be the answer you’ve been searching for. Physical therapists employ a range of specialized methods to address discomfort and improve mobility in the neck. From targeted exercises to hands-on therapies, these techniques aim to alleviate pain and restore function. Incorporating physical therapy into your treatment plan may provide significant benefits in managing and overcoming neck pain.

So What Are Some Physical Therapy Techniques for Neck Pain?

Manual Therapy

Hands-on techniques like massage and joint mobilization can help release tension and improve range of motion in the neck.

Therapeutic Exercises

Strengthening and stretching exercises designed specifically for the neck muscles can help alleviate pain and prevent future issues.

Posture Correction

Poor posture is often a contributing factor to neck pain. Physical therapists can teach you proper ergonomics and posture to relieve strain on your neck.

Modalities

Therapeutic modalities such as heat, cold, ultrasound, or electrical stimulation may be used to reduce pain and inflammation in the neck.

Education and Ergonomics

Learning about ergonomics and how to avoid activities that exacerbate neck pain is crucial for long-term relief.

Benefits That Come With Physical Therapy Techniques for Neck Pain

You should not be afraid to seek out physical therapy techniques for neck pain . It can be one of the most holistic, noninvasive, and effective treatment options available to you to reduce your pain and discomfort. Physical therapy can help you to address a new neck pain or one that continues to come back. There are several key ways it can help even when other treatment options may not have been effective for you to this point.

Improve Mobility

One of the best reasons to seek out physical therapy is because it can help to improve your mobility. Neck pain is debilitating and can make it hard for you to do the things you want to do. Your body is naturally conditioned not to move or engage in activities that are painful, yet not moving those muscles only makes it worse over time. By seeking out physical therapy, it is possible to strengthen the muscles and improve their overall functionality. Over time, this can help to improve:

Range of motion of both your head and neck, allowing you to twist and turn with ease
Strengthen the postural flexibility of the need, giving you more protection against additional injuries
And teach you how to reduce neck pain in the future by addressing any underlying causes of the pain you feel

Avoid Surgery

After a surgical procedure, your body is healing and resting. The lack of movement in your neck and shoulder muscles can make your pain worse. Over time, they become stiff and hard to move. Physical therapy is not designed to push you through that pain but rather to build up stronger muscles to develop a better ability to move without discomfort. After surgery, your doctor may recommend that you find a physical therapy clinic to provide you with this type of hands-on support and recovery planning.

Return to Activities

If you have suffered an injury that has kept you sidelined from things you want and need to do, a physical therapist can help you get back into action. They do this by addressing the limitations you have and creating a treatment plan that addresses those discomforts. This may include improving not just your ability to twist and turn but also helping to ensure proper alignment when you do. Over time, this works not only to help you to get back to the activities you want to be a part of, but it also ensures that you can do so with confidence and without the risk of additional injury.

When Should You See a Doctor?

There are some times when your first step is to see a doctor or surgeon. If you have a broken bone, such as after a sports injury or car accident, that needs to be set first, and healing needs to begin. If you have pain that does not improve and a history of cancer or the risk of other complicated health conditions, it is worth calling your doctor to discuss what could be happening. There are some conditions that physical therapy cannot heal, and treatment from your doctor is the first line of support.

Suppose you are unsure if the type of injury you have requires physical therapy. Set up a consultation with our team to find out. We are happy to answer your questions and offer guidance and advice to you on what you could be facing.

Let the Team at Rock Valley PT Help You

With our ability to provide clients with personalized attention and individualized treatment plans, we can help you learn physical therapy techniques for neck pain and get rid of those pains for good. We work with our clients very carefully to ensure they are getting the right type of therapy for their needs. Contact us now to set up a time to discuss your needs with our team at Rock Valley PT .

Hiking and Knee Pain: Tips to Being Pain-Free

Mon, 23 Sep 2024 21:04:23 GMT

There’s nothing quite like the experience of hiking—the refreshing air, the sound of wildlife rustling in the woods, and the sight of a flowing creek can transform your outlook on life. However, all that can change when your knee starts to hurt. For many who experience knee pain while hiking, it can stop you in your tracks and may even keep you from doing what you love. Fortunately, help is available to minimize that pain.

Why Knee Pain Occurs While Hiking

It’s not uncommon to suffer knee pain while hiking. Some refer to it as hiker’s knee. Though several potential factors can contribute to this pain, it’s usually due to the knee’s weight-bearing hinge joint, which isn’t naturally designed to handle the climbing and pressure changes that hiking involves.

For example, walking up a hill can put up to three times your body weight in pressure on your knees. Even if you regularly work to improve joint health , that level of pressure—especially with frequent hiking—can lead to pain and discomfort.

Other causes of hiker’s knee include:

Ramping up your hiking too quickly: Doing too much too soon—whether it’s increasing your speed, distance, or duration—can strain and damage the knee.
Muscle weakness: If you experience pain at the front of your knee or behind your kneecap, weak muscles may be contributing to the issue.
Knee bursitis or tendonitis: These conditions can develop due to the onset of knee arthritis, adding to the discomf ort.

Common Types of Knee Pain While Hiking

Hiking knee pain can occur in various areas of the joint and surrounding tendons and tissues. Consider the exact location of the pain you feel based on the following.

Pain under the kneecap: Persistent pain under the kneecap is often due to improper body positioning while walking and, potentially, the breakdown of the cartilage in your knee. Feeling knee pain while walking downhill is common here.
Pain above the kneecap: In some cases, you may have pain that feels like it is both above the kneecap and just below it. It’s often more sudden and sharp. This is often due to tendon inflammation, generally due to longer hiking routes.
Full knee pain: If your knee hurts everywhere, or you would describe that pain as severe, that’s likely due to an injury in the joint. If you’re just starting out hiking but have an old sports injury, it could be due to that as well.

Best Treatments for Hiker’s Knee and Other Knee Pain

If you have knee pain, the worst thing you can do for it is to ignore it. While prevention is always the best option for knee pain, there are a few steps you can take to see improvement in the function of your knee and a reduction in your pain.

Ice Therapy for Your Knees

Another helpful strategy is to use ice. Once you start to feel the ache in your knees, apply a cool compress to the area for 20 minutes. Take it off for 20 minutes, and then repeat the process. These steps help to reduce inflammation and may provide you with less pain in the long term.

Elevation

After a long hike, it’s a good idea to give your knees the rest they need. To reduce inflammation and encourage the flow of blood through this area, elevate your knee to a position just above your heart for 20 minutes or more. This helps to move fluid buildup throughout the area to get the joint working properly again.

Physical Therapy

One of the best ways to treat knee pain is with physical therapy. It’s an opportunity for your therapist to pay close attention to how the joint is operating and then create a treatment for correcting any concerns present. It’s a good idea to seek out physical therapy if you have persistent pain, knee pain that is limiting your desire to hike, or repeated instances of pain development.

How to Prevent Knee Pain While Hiking

Preventing hiking knee pain isn’t necessarily difficult, and it may be highly preferred over being limited on your walks. Consider these strategies to prevent knee pain while hiking.

Wear the right shoes. Not only do you need proper footwear solutions, but you also need to lace them up properly. That’s going to provide your knee with the stability you need with every step.
Warm-up and cool down. Hiking is a physical sport that requires good flexibility. With some simple warm-up stretching like you would do before a workout session, you can reduce some of the risk of injury.
Trekking poles can help. Trekking poles are not just for hard-to-climb terrain. They are an essential tool to improve balance and stability, and they ensure that, with every footstep, you have a bit more stress on that joint.

When to Seek Medical Attention for Knee Pain

Seeking out help for knee pain is beneficial as soon as it starts to develop. You can use preventative therapies like dry needling as a way to reduce inflammation from the onset, for example. That’s one way to reduce initial pain and spur healing.

If you have intense pain that came on suddenly and you cannot walk or put pressure on your knee, seek out a visit to urgent care. That type of pain may require support for torn ligaments or muscles.

Most people who develop routine hikers knee pain should work with a physical therapist early on. The sooner you seek out help, the less likely you are to struggle with the intensity of injuries. Physical therapists can often help you to reduce the risk of worsening and speed up the healing process.

Enjoy the Trails Again: Book Your Physical Therapy Evaluation Now!

Whether you know you have hiker’s knee or you’ve developed a new ache that you’ve never had before, seeking out help from a physical therapist is the best decision. Not only can the team at Rock Valley Physical Therapy reduce your pain, we may be able to help you improve your experience on the trails. Contact us now to schedule an appointment .

How You Can Achieve Pain Free Gardening Bliss

Fri, 26 Jul 2024 21:05:51 GMT

Experience Pain Free Gardening This Summer

Gardening is a beloved pastime for many, offering both physical and mental benefits. However, for those dealing with joint pain or physical discomfort, it can become a challenging activity. Achieving pain-free gardening bliss this summer is possible with the right strategies. By incorporating proper techniques , using the correct tools, and following expert advice, you can minimize pain and maximize enjoyment in your garden. Whether you’re planting new flowers, weeding, or harvesting vegetables, taking proactive steps to protect your body will ensure you can continue to enjoy your gardening hobby without the associated aches and pains.

1. Warm Up Before Gardening

Before diving into your gardening tasks, it’s essential to warm up your body to prevent injuries and reduce strain on your muscles and joints. Take a few minutes to walk around your garden to get your blood flowing and loosen up your muscles. Simple movements like arm circles, gentle twists, and leg swings can also help prepare your body for the physical activity ahead.

Warming up before you do any gardening does the following for your body:

Brings more oxygen to your muscles
Gives your core body temperature a boost
Reduces your risk of injuries

2. Exercise Your Arms, Back, & Knees

Working in a garden takes more of a toll on certain parts of your body. But you can make sure the muscles in those areas are ready to work out with targeted exercises.

Focus on stretching muscle groups in your back, arms, and knees, such as:

Lower back
Upper back and shoulders
Gluteal muscles, quadriceps, and hamstrings for your knee joints
Upper arms
Wrists and hands

3. Invest in Proper Gardening Equipment

Knowing how to garden pain free involves using the right equipment. This can help prevent you from straining — or tearing — muscles and other soft tissue. Need to move heavy amounts of soil around? Let a wheelbarrow handle all that weight for you!

Other kinds of equipment to consider using for gardening include:

Gardening kneelers for better knee support
Weeders and other tools to loosen and pull weeds — instead of using your hands and arms
Ergonomic shovels with long handles to reduce back strain

The right equipment can help you get a good gardening workout — without lingering aches and pains!

4. Ensure Ease of Access to Your Gardens

Is it easy for you to enter, move around, and exit your gardens? Can you easily reach plants and flowers? Having to navigate hard-to-reach areas can make gardening more challenging. Your muscles could end up getting too much of a workout, resulting in strain or wear and tear.

A few ideas for making sure your gardens are accessible include:

Using raised beds for less bending and kneeling
Setting up railing planters
Using hanging baskets and tabletop planters
Making pathways through larger gardens
Using drip irrigation or keeping your garden hose handy for easy watering

5. Be Sure to Hydrate

Your plants aren’t the only ones who need water. You also need to stay hydrated! Gardening can be tough on your muscles. When your body’s dehydrated, that can lead to even more muscle soreness.

Keep a bottle of water with you, so you can take sips from time to time. Working on a hot, sunny day? It’s even more important to make sure you get enough hydration! Drinking water helps make up for the moisture your body loses while you sweat.

6. Use Proper Lifting Techniques

Pain-free gardening involves knowing the right way to lift, so you know what to do — and what not to do. Lifting the wrong way can quickly lead to torn muscles or other injuries. And that kind of damage can put you at a higher risk of having chronic pain.

Remember to use your wheelbarrow and other equipment to reduce having to lift as much as possible. But sometimes, you can’t avoid it. You may need to lift a big bag of soil. Or you might need to move a big potted plant to another spot.

No matter what you’re lifting while gardening, use all of the following tips to make sure you’re doing it right.

Lift With Your Legs, Not Your Back

Don’t rely on your back muscles to do heavy lifting — or any lifting! Instead, let your leg muscles do all the work.

Keep your feet flat on the ground about shoulder-width apart
Keep your back perfectly straight as you bend your knees and reach for the object you’re lifting

Lift Slowly

Don’t rush to pick up a heavy object. Doing that can damage your muscles, ligaments, or tendons. When you’re holding the object with both hands, take your time standing up straight again.

Lifting heavy items slowly helps reduce strain on your knees — lowering your risk of injuries. What if an object is so heavy that you can’t lift it slowly? That means you should ask someone to help you or use equipment to make lifting easier.

Carry As Close to Your Body as Possible

Lifting up a heavy object means you’ve won the first battle, but now you need to carry it safely to its new location. Holding the item away from you puts more strain on your muscles, especially in your arms and back.

Keep the object close to you while you carry it instead. This helps prevent added tension that can lead to muscle injuries.

Avoid Twisting Your Waist While Carrying Heavy Objects

Just as you keep your back straight while lifting, you should do the same while carrying heavy gardening supplies. Holding your spine straight helps distribute weight more evenly — protecting you from injuries. Twisting or turning your back when carrying a heavy object can result in torn or damaged muscles.

Already Experiencing Pain? Let Us Get Your Gardening Season Back on Track

Have you been putting off working in your garden due to ongoing pain? We can help! Rock Valley Physical Therapy offers several services, including physical therapy, occupational and hand therapy — and more! Contact us to request an appointment at our nearest office for patient-first care with a personalized approach.

Common Swimming Injuries: Prevention and Treatment

Fri, 26 Jul 2024 20:10:36 GMT

Swimming is an excellent low-impact exercise that benefits the whole body, but like any physical activity, it comes with the risk of injury. Whether you swim competitively or just love swimming at a leisurely pace, it’s essential to be aware of common swimming injuries and how to prevent them. In this guide, we’ll explore effective strategies for preventing common swimming injuries and offer practical treatment tips to help you recover quickly and get back in the water. By following these recommendations, you can enjoy the numerous benefits of swimming while minimizing the risk of injury.

Swim Safe: Prevent & Treat Common Swimming Injuries

Here are some important tips to help you avoid swimming injuries this summer:

Warm Up: Before vigorous swimming, warm up and stretch for 5 to 10 minutes to raise your body temperature gradually. This can help avoid strained or cramping muscles.
Use proper form: Learn how to avoid rotating your arms at the shoulder, how to keep your hips near the water surface, and how to swivel your neck during freestyle strokes.
Don’t swim tired: If you’re tired, overheated, cold, injured, or otherwise not feeling well, wait until you’re in good condition for swimming.
Be informed of weather: Beware of signs of dangerous weather and/or water conditions, like storms, rip currents, tidal change, etc. Don’t swim in rough water.
Know what’s in the water: Before swimming in open water, confirm in advance that the water is clear, free of jellyfish schools, sharks, algae issues, or other threats, etc.
Swim with others: Always swim with another person. Swimming alone, especially in a new area, increases your risk of injury due to unfamiliar conditions.
Protect yourself: Use sunscreen, wear protective clothing and gear, as appropriate, and only dive and swim within marked boundaries at beaches and pools.

Swimmer’s Shoulder

Swimmer’s shoulder is among the most common swimming injuries to the shoulder . It is often due to the freestyle stroke. The repetitive strenuous arm movements required to perform most types of swimming strokes can lead to muscle strains of the rotator cuffs, and other muscles of the arms and shoulders. This can even result in severe damage to the affected muscles, and their supporting tendons, and other connective tissues. Most people who swim very frequently do experience shoulder pain to some degree that impacts the ability to swim during healing. Shoulder injuries from swimming include these, among others:

Rotator cuff tear
Bursitis
Tendonitis
Impingement syndrome

How to Prevent Swimmer’s Shoulder

An essential preventive method you must use to help protect yourself against shoulder injuries from swimming is being careful to use proper form in your freestyle stroke. In particular, focus on how your hand enters the water on each stroke until using the correct technique begins to come more automatically for you. Your whole hand should touch the water all at once, instead of having your thumb fully submerged before the rest of the hand.

Swimmer’s Shoulder Treatments

Talk with your doctor during your recovery process, before returning to swimming. Shoulder injuries from swimming can be treated with a combination of non-surgical options to help healing and manage pain. These methods may include:

Rest the shoulder: Avoid stressing the shoulder muscles and wait until you are fully recovered before swimming again.
Elevate the shoulder: Keep the injured shoulder raised on a pillow or other surface as much as possible during healing.
Apply ice packs: Use ice on the shoulder for around a half-hour every few hours. Use a thin cloth to avoid direct skin contact.
Light exercises: Stretching routines and light strength-building exercises can be prescribed to help increase range of motion and muscle resilience.
Anti-inflammatory medication: Your doctor can prescribe an anti-inflammatory to manage inflammation in the shoulder during the healing process.
Pain medication: Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatories (NSAIDs) can be obtained over the counter to help shrink swelling and provide pain relief. Prescription steroids may be used in cases of severe pain.

Swimmer’s Knee

The breaststroke is a relaxed way to swim and many people enjoy it recreationally. However, in competitive breaststroke races, this type of motion is especially difficult. When pointing the feet outward during intensive breaststroke competitions or practices, it is typical for swimmers to unintentionally strain ligaments around the knee. Swimmer’s knee is one of the most common swimming injuries . It can cause inflammation of the knee and pain, among other symptoms due to damaged ligaments.

How to Prevent Swimmer’s Knee

Use a variety of types of swimming strokes instead of exclusively doing the breaststroke for exercise. For a more well-balanced routine that strengthens all muscle groups, practice other strokes. The more well-rounded regimen will help improve your overall fitness condition, and help preserve the health of your knees. Balanced muscle strength helps improve resistance against any muscle injuries. Further, work on correcting the angle of your leg as it moves away from the hip (hip abduction angle) to avoid excessive knee stress that can lead to injury.

Swimmer’s Knee Treatments

A combination of therapeutic treatments for knee injuries due to swimming can include:

Strength exercises: Prescribed knee strengthening exercises can help speed recovery.
Coordination exercises: These can improve form, minimizing the risk of future injury.
Physical therapy: Soft tissue mobilization (STM), or other therapeutic techniques can help increase the range of motion and relieve pain.
Improve form: Practicing the mechanics of your breaststroke as they affect the knees can help improve your form and minimize wear on the knees.
Use ice packs: Apply ice two times or more daily to help control swelling.
Binding: Wrapping the knee can help relieve pain.
Pain medication: Over-the-counter pain relievers, like aspirin or another NSAID, can significantly reduce pain.

Neck Injury Treatments

Always use a variety of stroke types when swimming, to obtain the important benefits of a healthy swimming exercise regimen. Ask your doctor to provide a therapeutic swimmer’s exercise routine to help you recover from swimmer’s neck injuries.

Apply ice packs: For the first 3 days, you can use cold applications to help reduce swelling.

Apply heat: After the first few days, you can start using a heating pad and massage the sore part of your neck. Sleep on a firm mattress and use a pillow that provides good neck support.

Physical therapy: Professional treatment may include various neck exercises, traction, ultrasound, and other strategies, as well as anti-inflammatory medications, or possibly steroid injections.

Neck Injuries

Because of the muscle strain from the unusual way of repetitively twisting the torso during the freestyle stroke and various types of swim strokes, neck injuries from swimming are common. Keeping the head at and above the water level while performing the breaststroke is another frequent cause of neck strain during swimming.

How to Prevent Neck Injuries While Swimming

To avoid neck pain from swimming, first, practice keeping your head and torso aligned. That means rotating your whole body, vs, twisting your neck on each stroke. This technique avoids wear on the neck from awkward repetitive motion and helps prevent very common injuries to the neck from swimming.

How to Prevent Back Injuries

Doing upper and lower back, neck, chest, abdominal, shoulder, and leg strengthening and endurance exercises can help prevent the risk of injuries to the back from swimming. Other ways to help you avoid back injuries from swimming include these among other measures:

Do warm up exercises: Do a few minutes of warm up and flexibility stretching exercises to help improve muscle performance in executing the strokes for competitive swimming styles and help avoid injury.
Use proper form: Keep the head and body aligned with the water surface and hold in the abdominal muscles to keep the spine straight and other muscles in natural positions.
Use various stroke styles: Mix the stroke styles you use in your swimming workout to strengthen all the muscle groups of the body more evenly and improve overall fitness and resistance to athletic injuries.
Manage perpetual motion: Regulate the repetitive motion of the lower back, hips, and legs during swimming to help control the impacts of that force on spinal discs and other structural components of the back.
Taking frequent breaks: While swimming, take multiple breaks for a few minutes during each hour to rest the muscles and help prevent perpetual motion injuries.
Exercise all muscle groups: Use prescribed neck, shoulder, back, chest, abdominal, and leg exercises for strengthening and improving flexibility of all muscles to help resistance against injuries.

Back Injury Treatments

Swimming in moderation is a healthy form of exercise for the entire body, including the back. However, excessive motion in competition-level swimming can lead to back injuries. There are various methods for treating back injuries from swimming, such as:

Apply hot and cold packs: Alternate heat and cold to the lower back to help increase blood flow for pain relief and faster recovery.
Rest the back: Take downtime to rest the back muscles during the recovery process.
Attend physical therapy: Depending on the nature and severity of your back injury, alternate rest periods with prescribed gentle physical activity to balance the recovery program and help prevent potential adverse effects of prolonged inactivity.
Massage therapy: Get a therapeutic massage to help relax tension in the shoulder, back, and hip muscles, to aid in recovery from back injuries due to swimming.

Back Injuries

Swimming involves much more repetitive hyperextension of the back than other athletic activities. Consequently, competitive swimmers may develop lower back pain. It can be due to the development of lumbar disc disease (spondylosis) from excessive stress on the vertebrae.

This kind of back injury from swimming is not uncommon among people who perform the breaststroke or butterfly competitively. Swimmers may strain and even excessively arch the back to keep the head up as the hips and legs are deep below the water surface, leading to injury.

Swimmer’s Ear Treatments

For more severe ear infections from swimming, healthcare providers typically clean out the affected ear, and apply prescribed drops as treatment to eliminate infection and relieve pain. Your treatment provider may suggest that you wait to go swimming during recovery.

Swimmer’s Ear

How to Prevent Swimmer’s Ear

Swimming in natural bodies of water, of course, typically carries a higher risk of ear infection than immersion in water treated to accommodate swimmers. Lakes, streams, rivers, and the ocean are all higher-risk swimming areas in this regard. So, clean your ears well with an antibacterial agent recommended by a qualified healthcare professional after swimming.

Are Certain People More Prone to Swimming Injuries?

Common swimming injuries can happen to anyone who spends a lot of time in the water. So often, injuries occur because people underestimate the potential of a low-impact activity like swimming to cause injuries.

The repetitive motion involved in swimming, and using incorrect form in executing various types of swimming strokes are responsible for many common swimming injuries. Individuals’ general physical condition may also contribute to their risk of injuries from swimming.

Your physician can provide you with an accurate diagnosis and explain the cause of pain after swimming, what kinds of movement you should avoid during recovery, and even the best dietary choices to facilitate a smooth recovery.

How Long Do Swimming Injuries Typically Last?

How long pain persists from swimming injuries depends on the specific combination of factors involved:

Don’t Let Pain Sink You: Schedule Your Swim Injury Session Now!

If you have pain from a swimming injury, you should have a proper diagnosis and begin prescribed treatment to start your recovery promptly. Leaving swimming injuries untreated can lead to worsening effects, make a full recovery harder, and cause it to take longer.

If you are experiencing symptoms of a swimming injury, you can contact us right here online to schedule an appointment for an examination and treatment recommendation.

This blog article is intended as general information only. It is not meant to serve as a substitute for a professional assessment or treatment prescription.

Understanding the Different Types of Shoulder Pain

Fri, 26 Jul 2024 19:29:04 GMT

A tight feeling, limited movement, or a sore, throbbing pain every time you lift your arm is not okay. It is also not uncommon after a shoulder injury. Shoulder injuries are some of the most complex of all injuries to the joints in your body. Any number of the tendons, ligaments, and other soft tissues in this area can be damaged, causing limited movement and functionality. If you have shoulder pain, we encourage you to find your Rock Valley Physical Therapy clinic for guidance and help.

Common Types of Shoulder Pain

Having a sharp pain in shoulder tissues or even a burning pain in shoulder joints can mean there is some type of complex injury or inflammation present. Keep in mind that while there are different types of shoulder pain, many people suffer more than one injury at a time. You could need care for numerous conditions.

Aching shoulder pain

An aching, seemingly never-going-away type of shoulder pain may be due to one or more conditions. This type of shoulder pain tends to be dull pain and weakness, but discomfort is enough to limit what you do. It tends to get worse with movement. Some common causes include:

Frozen shoulder: A sharp, shooting pain may occur as well, but this condition tends to get worse over 2 to 9 months. The most important sign to notice is a gradual loss of range of motion.
Rotator cuff tears: One of the most common causes of muscle weakness and aching is a tear in the rotator cuff. The most common warning sign of these injuries is being unable to lift your arm overhead without significant pain.
Tendonitis or tendinopathy in the rotator cuff: A slightly different injury, this condition causes pain that’s felt along the top edge of your shoulder and sometimes the upper arm. The more you engage in the same activities, the worse this condition feels.

Sharp shoulder pain

A sharp, intense pain that comes on suddenly can be quite debilitating. This type of pain could be due to conditions such as:

Shoulder impingement syndrome: A pinching-like pain, specifically on the outside of your shoulder when you raise your arm, could be due to this condition and warrants medical care.
AC joint arthritis: Some people experience sharp pain at the top, front portion of the shoulder, near the shoulder blade. Raising your arm overhead or reaching across your body is a common, difficult task.

Shooting Shoulder Pain

Others feel a pain that’s more radiating in nature. That means the pain may seem to travel down your arm or into your back. This could be brought on by conditions such as:

Pinched nerves: A nerve along any portion of that pathway could suffer inflammation, causing a feeling of pain and weakness.
Brachial plexus injuries: This type of shoulder pain occurs when there is damage to the nerves in the neck, shoulder, arm, and hand, which often leads to numbness and weakness.
Brachial plexus neuritis: A similar condition, this is brought on by inflammation that creates a tingling feeling or numbness that can range from your neck and chest to your shoulder.

Burning Sensation in Shoulder

There are some situations where it may feel like the pain is burning or intense. This can occur due to conditions like:

Shoulder bursitis: This is a condition brought on by an inflamed, swollen bursa, causing a burning sensation. Bursitis treatment may help to reduce the pain.
Infection: It is possible that an infection could cause this type of burning sensation, especially if you have other symptoms of illness, such as a fever.
Rheumatoid arthritis: Joint pain and inflammation can often feel like a burning sensation and may be due to RA.

When You Should See a Doctor

Waking up with a stiff shoulder may not seem like enough of a reason to contact a doctor. However, if you have pain that continues day after day or seems to be getting worse, it is time to contact your doctor for care.

Your doctor will provide a full examination of the area, which may include x-rays. This helps to determine where the underlying cause of the pain is and looks at the alignment of the joint, the soft tissues, and the function of the shoulder joint complex overall.

If you have any of the following symptoms, do not wait to set up an appointment for physical therapy:

Pain that lasts more than a couple of days.
Pain is increasing.
Any pain that limits your range of motion significantly.
Pain accompanied by a fever or other illnesses
Pain that is debilitating and causes you to take pain medications often.

Treating and Managing Shoulder Pain

Treatment of shoulder pain must be consistent with the type of pain and discomfort you feel, and that will range widely from one person to the next. However, physical therapy is a very flexible and versatile treatment option that can offer the support you need.When you meet with your physical therapist, they will determine where the pain is, what is causing it, and what the best treatment is for the underlying cause. Then, very specific strategies for improving your pain can be applied. Physical therapy does not just treat the pain but offers a strategy for improving the cause.

Preventing Shoulder Pain

It may be possible to prevent some causes of shoulder pain. Healthy, active joints benefit from:

Strengthen exercises for the surrounding muscle groups.
Stretching and warming up before big tasks.
Limitation on repetitive motions.

Let the Team at Rock Valley Physical Therapy Help You

If you are suffering from any type of shoulder pain , set up a consultation with our team at Rock Valley Physical Therapy. Allow us to conduct a thorough examination and design an effective treatment plan to address your needs. Contact us now to set up an appointment to learn how we can help you get back to mobility. Our physical therapists are ready to provide you with the comprehensive help you need.

Physical Therapy for Seniors

Wed, 24 Jul 2024 21:14:33 GMT

It’s not uncommon for older adults to feel some aches and pains. If those discomforts make it hard for you to do the things you enjoy, though, that’s a problem. For many, physical therapy can be a significant step in the right direction, providing seniors with enhanced mobility, less risk of injury when falling, and more confidence.

Should Seniors See a Physical Therapist?

Physical therapy can be incredibly beneficial for seniors. As we age, our bodies naturally undergo changes that can affect balance, strength, and flexibility. A physical therapist can create a personalized plan to address these issues, helping seniors maintain independence and improve their overall quality of life. Regular sessions can prevent falls, manage chronic pain, and enhance mobility, allowing seniors to stay active and engaged in their favorite activities. Plus, physical therapists provide education on safe movement and exercises that can be done at home, ensuring ongoing benefits between visits.

5 Benefits of Physical Therapy for Seniors

As a tool for overall health and wellness , physical therapy offers a lot of key benefits for individuals and very few risks. Consider these very important benefits:

Reduces your risk of falls. Falls are a major concern for seniors, often leading to serious injuries. Physical therapy helps improve balance and coordination, significantly reducing the risk of falls. Through targeted exercises, seniors can strengthen muscles and enhance stability.
Reducing injury risk. Physical therapy focuses on improving overall stability and strength. By addressing areas of weakness and unsteadiness, seniors can reduce their risk of injuries related to everyday activities.
Reducing pain. Chronic pain from conditions like arthritis or past injuries can be debilitating. Physical therapists use various techniques, including manual therapy and specific exercises, to alleviate pain and improve function.
Reducing the need for pain medications. Over-reliance on pain medications can have unwanted side effects. Physical therapy offers a natural alternative, helping seniors manage pain through movement and therapy rather than pharmaceuticals.
Reducing health complications that lead to nursing homes. Maintaining mobility and independence is crucial for aging adults. Physical therapy can help you to maintain a healthy lifestyle at home in many situations. The more active you are, the less risk there is of needing more support at home.

4 Common Types of Physical Therapy for Seniors

By working with a therapist, you’ll learn the specific types of therapy best suited for your needs. It’s always a good idea to have care that’s best for your current needs so you don’t worsen pain or cause injury. The four common types of physical therapy seniors use include:

Geriatric physical therapy: This type of therapy focuses on the unique needs of older adults. It addresses age-related conditions such as arthritis, osteoporosis, and balance disorders. It also aids in improving mobility while reducing pain.
Cardiopulmonary physical therapy: Designed for seniors with heart and lung conditions, cardiopulmonary physical therapy aims to improve cardiovascular health and respiratory function. Therapists use techniques like endurance training and breathing exercises to improve the function of the heart and lungs.
Orthopedic physical therapy: Orthopedic physical therapy treats musculoskeletal issues, including joint replacements, fractures, and general wear and tear. It helps seniors recover from surgeries, injuries, and manage chronic conditions through strengthening exercises, stretching, and manual therapy.
Neurological physical therapy: This type of therapy is for seniors dealing with neurological conditions such as stroke, Parkinson’s disease , and multiple sclerosis. Neurological physical therapy focuses on improving coordination, balance, and motor skills, aiming to enhance overall function and quality of life.

At-Home Physical Therapy for Seniors

It’s always best to work with a physical therapist to receive specific, targeted support for learning how to move, stretch, and exercise to achieve your goals. However, you can use physical therapy stretches at home to continue to see improvements. Consider these strategies:

Lower body strengthening: This includes sit-and-stand exercises with proper back support, as well as squats while holding onto a countertop. Leg lifts in a seated position may be helpful.
Lower body stretches: Focus here on stretching the muscles in the lower back as well as the hamstrings. Twisting your body without moving your legs can also help to improve hip function.
Endurance training: The best route here is walking, but aquatic therapy can also help with improving cardiovascular function and lung health. You may even want to start biking again.
Balance exercises: Incorporating walking heel-to-toe, learning weight-shifting exercises, and even marching in place can help with improving balance.

Exercise Tips for Seniors

There are numerous simple things you can do to help improve your fitness level at any age. At the heart of that is exercising on a consistent basis. Consider these tips to help you to get started:

Start slow and work your way up. Go for a 10-minute walk, then increase it to a 15-minute walk.
Turn to local senior recreation programs for help with motivation. Sometimes, meeting a friend can help to make seemingly hard work a bit more enjoyable.
You don’t need to buy a lot of equipment. Instead, focus on simple exercises you can do at home.

FAQs

What Exercises Should Seniors Avoid?

Always speak to your doctor about any risks to your specific needs and health. You should not do anything that strains your body significantly beyond your current health level.

How Many Times a Week Should You Attend Physical Therapy?

The frequency of physical therapy sessions varies based on individual needs and the specific condition being treated. Your physical therapist will assess your condition and create a personalized plan that outlines the optimal frequency of sessions. It’s important to follow this plan closely and communicate any concerns or changes in your condition to ensure the best outcomes from your therapy.

Should You Do Physical Therapy While in Pain?

Always work with your physical therapist to determine when and what you should do when there’s pain. Often, it’s important to learn strategies to avoid further injury while also helping to reduce inflammation. There’s a fine line, but your physical therapy team can help.

Learn How Rock Valley Can Help Today!

Now is the perfect time to get active. Request an appointment today with Rock Valley Physical Therapy and start experiencing improved health and wellness.

7 Tips to Improve Joint Health

Wed, 17 Jul 2024 21:31:26 GMT

Joint pain is not uncommon, but it can be crippling. You may hold yourself back from doing the things you love to do because you know it’s going to hurt. Joint pain can range from mild aches and pains to severe discomfort that makes it impossible to walk even short distances. Physical therapy can often help. To learn how to improve joint health, start by understanding why you have pain and then follow these tips.

Common Reasons Your Joints May Hurt

Joint pain can stem from various causes, each requiring different approaches to management. One of the most common reasons is arthritis, including osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis, which cause inflammation and wear down the cartilage cushioning your joints. Injuries, such as sprains, strains, and fractures, can also lead to joint pain, often persisting even after the initial injury has healed. Overuse from repetitive movements or strenuous activities can cause joint stress and pain, especially in physically demanding jobs or sports. Infections and autoimmune diseases like lupus can also result in joint discomfort. Additionally, age-related degeneration naturally contributes to joint pain as cartilage deteriorates and joints become less flexible. Understanding the root cause of your pain is essential for effective treatment and management.

It is important to understand the underlying cause of your joint pain, and for that, you may need to meet with your doctor. However, for many people, physical therapy is the best treatment. The goal of physical therapy is to help reduce inflammation, improve the motion and function of the joint, and build stronger muscles to support your joints.

Improve Joint Health with These 7 Tips

Improving joint function often requires more than one step. For some people, medication is necessary while for others with serious deterioration, surgical procedures may be unavoidable. For most people, though, the following tips and strategies can make a significant improvement in your joint pain and quality of life without invasive care.

#1: Ensure You Stay Active

The longer you sit still, the more stiffness you are likely to feel in your joints. Movement helps to lubricate the joints, and that limits the pain you feel. For example, if you watch a movie, spend at least 15 minutes walking around before and after. Take breaks from sitting still as often as possible to keep your joints moving.

#2: Stretch and Strengthen Your Muscles

Keeping safety in mind, incorporate muscle strengthening into your day. Stretching the muscle will help to improve movement and range of motion. In addition to this, light weight training should be considered to build muscle mass. Those muscles help to support the function of your joints. Work on building muscles associated with the spine, hips, knees, or other joints that may be limiting. It’s a good idea to work with a physical therapist to do this (that way, you learn to move your joints properly).

#3: Remember That Safety Comes First

Safety is the biggest factor in any exercise or activity you do. When you’re going to do any type of activity that could strain your joints, be protected. For example, if you’re heading out to play a few rounds of golf or tennis, slip on braces to protect those joints. If you are playing contact sports, wear padding to protect those areas most at risk.

#4: Work on Your Posture

You may not see the specific connection between posture and joint health, but it plays a significant role. Improving your posture does several things. First, it helps to ensure your hips and knees are aligned properly. It also ensures there’s no added pressure on your spine, which can lead to joint pain as well.

Most people can do simple things to improve their posture, such as sitting up straight and walking with your shoulders back. Working with a physical therapist will also help you to improve your posture, reducing the pain and discomfort you feel in your knees and legs.

Consider these tips for improving joint posture:

Sit and stand so that your back is straight, which helps move your joints into the proper alignment.
If you use a backpack, make sure it has a waist belt to evenly distribute weight.
When lifting something, squat to pick it up to reduce the pressure on your back.
Wear shoes that encourage good posture (this is not the time for heels!)
Make sure you’re carrying items with your back straight but don’t strain significantly.

#5: Lose a Few Pounds

Excess weight places significant pressure on your joints, increasing the risk of pain and damage. By losing a few pounds, you can reduce this stress and improve joint function. Aerobic exercises, such as aquatic therapy , are particularly effective as they provide a low-impact way to burn calories and strengthen muscles without putting additional strain on your joints. Finding a weight loss strategy that works for you can lead to noticeable improvements in joint health and overall mobility.

#6: Stop Smoking & Help More Than Just Your Joints

You may not realize just how much smoking can impact your joint health (not to mention overall health). Smoking reduces bone mass, and can also lead to osteoporosis, which puts your joints even more at risk of failing.

#7: Improve Your Eating Habits

Improving what you eat can also make a difference in your joint health. First, cut out foods that actually inflame your joints. This includes sugars, alcohol, and fried foods. These actually cause damage to joints throughout your body.

Next, improve the quality of nutrients you take in. You can do that by eating foods that are packed with nutrition such as seafood, beans, fruits, and nuts. Be sure you’re getting ample calcium and Vitamin D in your diet, too. These nutrients are critical to building and maintaining healthy bones.

Without proper nutrients, including those high in the following, you’re at a much higher risk for health complications:

Vitamin D (found in fortified cereals and dairy products)
Omega 3 fatty acids (found in some fish, like salmon and tuna)
Vitamin C (get it from oranges)

Say Goodbye to Joint Pain with Rock Valley Physical Therapy

All of these tips will help, but the best strategy for improving your joint health is to get help from a physical therapist. Why should you see a physical therapist ? With the help of therapy, your body can develop stronger muscles and ligaments, helping to support better movement of each of the joints throughout it. Most importantly, it helps to reduce pain associated with day-to-day activities you may not be engaging in because of the pain.

Ready to get started? Find your clinic with us and then request an appointment .

Joint Mobilization: How It Works, Grades, and Benefits

Fri, 14 Jun 2024 17:28:08 GMT

Each of the joints in your body must operate in the proper way to minimize the risk of injury and to ensure proper achievement of the movement goal – such as raising your arm or turning your leg to step in another direction. When the joint does not move properly, dysfunction can lead to complications, including the development of inflammation and pain. Your physical therapist’s job is to ensure each of those joints is moving properly. To do that, they may use joint mobilization strategies.

What is Joint Mobilization?

Joint mobilization is a specific technique to normalize the function of the joints. It is done to restore the proper movement of each component that makes up the joint. There are numerous methods that a physical therapist can apply to achieve these results. This is done based on the degree of damage present and the right treatment for your needs.

Ultimately, your therapist’s goal is to use their knowledge to apply the proper movement to reduce pain and improve joint function. Once they understand the severity of the condition, which is communicated through joint mobilization grades, they can apply proper treatment to reduce pain.

What are the Different Types of Joint Mobilization?

Joint dysfunction can occur in numerous ways. That’s why several strategies exist that can significantly improve joint function and movement. There are typically three types of joint mobilization therapy used:

Oscillatory Joint Mobilizations: In this method, the physical therapist applies gentle pressure to the joint using a low velocity and variable amplitude. The therapist will not apply too much intensity but only as much as the patient is comfortable with at that time. This can change over the treatment period.
Sustained Joint Mobilizations: In this therapy, the movement – which could be pulling or tugging, is maintained in a constant state for a few moments. By pulling and holding it, it is possible to reduce the amount of compression within the joint. In the process, this allows time for the surrounding soft tissues to stretch. It is often repeated several times, giving the joint time to become better aligned and inflammation to drop.
Thrust Joint Mobilizations: In this more aggressive strategy (though there is no pain involved), the physical therapist will apply excessive motion at a high rate of speed but with low amplitude. This is done with very tight movement to create a very specific alignment improvement.

The benefit of these movements is often pain reduction but it can also improve range of motion. Most often, it works to improve the overall function of the targeted area.

Terms to Know:

Manual Therapy: The term manual therapy refers to the application of a hands-on technique by your physical therapist. It is also referred to as manipulative therapy and is used to treat musculoskeletal pain and disability. Most often, it involves manipulation of the muscles or joints to reduce pain and improve motion.
Range of Motion: In the context of physical therapy, range of motion is the extent to which a joint can be moved. It is the full movement the joint can perform. In some situations, a limited range of motion may occur due to injury, inflammation, or scar tissue development.
Accessory Movement: This term refers to joint movements that cannot be performed by an individual. This could include roll, spin, or slide. These movements accompany the physiological movements of a joint.

Grades of Joint Mobilization

One of the core components of this process is joint mobilization grades. The grates will differentiate between the various levels of treatment.

Grade 1: At this level, the speed is slow, and the amplitude is also small. Typically, the joint’s arc of motion is a series of back-and-forth movements to achieve the objective.
Grade 2: The next step up this creates a slow motion that has a large amplitude.
Grade 3: Here, the velocity is slow, but there is a large amplitude of the back-and-forth motion. This typically is utilized at the middle to the end of joints arc of motion.
Grade 4: In this grade, the movement is slow and the amplitude is small. It is used at the end of joints arcs of motion specifically.
Grade 5: In this grade, there are high-speed movements with small amplitude thrusts. It is applied to the ends of joint available motion.

If you have inner knee pain or you have the need for improvement of the joints in the hand , your therapist will apply the proper grade based on the intensity of the pain you have as well as the overall treatment level you can handle comfortably.

What Can Joint Mobilization Help You With?

Physical therapists can apply joint mobilization to a wide range of areas of the body. The process involves stabilizing one area of the joint while applying force to the area adjoining it. The force used, as described in the joint mobilization grades, determines the direction of the tightness and how forceful and sudden the movement is.

This type of treatment can help with stiffness and pain in just about any area of the body where a joint exists. However, there are several areas in which it is commonly applied:

Shoulder Pain: If you have upper back pain when waking up or impingement of the shoulder, this treatment may be utilized.
Back Pain: Those with acute or chronic back pain, such as after an injury, may benefit.
Neck Pain: If you have neck pain and stiffness, this type of therapy may be highly helpful.
Plantar Fasciitis: Inflammation of the lower portion of the foot, called plantar fasciitis , can be improved using this strategy.
Wrist Pain: Many people have wrist pain that can limit movement or create instability, and this strategy may offer some relief.

Are You Ready to Feel Better?

If you are struggling with pain, set up an appointment with Rock Valley Physical Therapy to discuss the use of joint mobilization. What you may find is that this is one of the best ways to get back to moving again without pain or limitation.

Physical Therapy for Ehlers Danlos Syndrome

Wed, 12 Jun 2024 17:55:20 GMT

For those struggling with Ehlers Danlos Syndrome (EDS), pain can be a common part of your day. This condition doesn’t have a cure, and while there are numerous sub-types of it, many of those who have EDS go through their days with intense pain and discomfort. Yet, Ehlers Danlos physical therapy can be highly effective and beneficial to improving overall well-being.

What is Ehlers Danlos Syndrome (EDS)?

Ehlers Danlos Syndrome affects the connective tissues in the body, which affects collagen. This inherited condition limits the production of collagen, which is a protein your body needs to build connective tissues. When abnormal collagen is present, the ligaments, tendons, and other soft in the body are impacted. This includes hypermobility of joints or instability.

Numerous types of EDS exist, with hypermobile EDS being one of the more common forms. Most forms result in skin extensibility and joint hypermobility. That means joint dislocation is very common, leading to intense pain in the joints themselves as well as in surrounding muscles. Many with EDS also suffer from muscle fatigue.

Causes & Symptoms of Ehlers Danlos Syndrome

As a hereditary condition, those with family members who have had EDS are most likely to suffer from it themselves.

The most common symptoms of EDS include:

Musculoskeletal symptoms: Chronic pain , muscle fatigue, and headaches, as well as osteoarthritis and osteoporosis.
Neurological symptoms: Debilitating migraines, pain, and fatigue
Cardiopulmonary: Some experience abnormal chest pain and blood pressure fluctuations, and some may develop postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome
Hematological: Easily bruised
Gastrointestinal: Functional bowel disorders and chronic abdominal pain
Oral: Dental crowding
Integumentary: Skin that is hyperextensibility and loose, very soft, and sometimes painful, increasing the risk of cuts and wound development

Symptoms may range from mild to severe, but they often include chronic pain and, in many cases, mental health complications, including depression and anxiety. Treatment could help you see improvement.

How is EDS Treated?

There is no cure for EDS. There are strategies that can help to reduce pain and improve overall mobility and stability. Physical therapy for Ehlers Danlos syndrome has been shown to be extensively helpful in reducing pain and quality of life.

How Can Physical Therapy Help with Ehlers Danlos Syndrome

Ehlers Danlos physical therapy can be very effective as a way to reduce pain when done within specific limitations. The goal of physical therapy is to support healthy collagen production, build muscle strength and endurance, and reduce inflammation that causes pain.

There are a number of ways physical therapy for Ehlers Danlos Syndrome can help. One of the most important factors is that when you choose physical therapy , you get a custom level of treatment designed to address your specific needs. Some of the ways physical therapy can help include:

Utilization of gentle pressure through manual therapy to reduce pain, improve stability in the joints, and better joint alignment
Exercise can help to reduce muscle spasms, strains, and sprain risks while also helping to reduce joint inflammation, causing pain
Hands-on guidance on how to perform daily tasks with less risk of pain and injury
Provide strategies for man aging joint instability at home in areas specific to your concerns

How Physical Therapy Techniques for EDS

Individualized strategies for Ehlers Danlos physical therapy are critical. After a comprehensive consultation to discuss your symptoms and overall pain, your physical therapist will recommend specific strategies to address your needs. This generally includes three areas:

Exercises for EDS: Exercises (done with very specific methods) can help to improve muscle strength. This directly contributes to improve stabilization of hypermobile joints, making it less likely to cause pain. Exercise works to reduce pain that develops directly due to that instability.
Stretching: Many people feel the need to stretch with this condition, but doing so improperly only worsens the discomfort. Your physical therapist will show you how to properly and gently stretch your muscles when they hurt or are tight, reducing inflammation. Often, overstretching can cause additional pain, so minimizing that risk is essential.
Manual therapies: Manual therapies beneficial to EDS may include hands-on techniques like joint manipulation, trigger point therapy, and nerve mobilization. The use of myofascial release and soft tissue mobilization can help some people as well. Positional release therapy may also be a recommended treatment strategy.

Exercises That Help with Ehlers Danlos Syndrome

Physical therapy for EDS centers on exercise. Some of the strategies you will learn with a physical therapist include:

Strength training: Utilizing resistance training strategies, you’ll build both muscle strength and endurance. This includes the use of light weights and resistance bands. Your physical therapist will help you choose what’s best for the specific type of EDS you have with any modifications you need.
Aerobic exercise: Many with EDS benefit from cardio exercise, too. It helps to build muscle strengthen and may help reduce fatigue. Walking, swimming, and biking tend to be good options.
Balance training: Your physical therapist may also recommend the use of balance training, a process that helps build the core strength of your body and positions your joints properly to improve posture and balance. Over time, this can help to reduce the tightness and pain you feel. However, limited intensity and duration are critical to avoid complications common with EDS.

The exercises incorporated with EDS physical therapy must center around slow progression. That is, your body needs one-on-one guidance from a physical therapist to gradually increase what you are doing, the extensiveness of the exercises, the amount of weight, and the overall activity level and type appropriate for your condition.

Let Rock Valley Assist You Today!

Ehlers Danlos physical therapy is critical for the improvement of your well-being. At Rock Valley Physical Therapy, we offer the strategies you need to improve your quality of life. Learn more about what we do to help reduce pain and improve stability.

You can request an appointment with our physical therapists near you now. Physical therapy for Ehlers Danlos Syndrome, completed by our highly experienced team, can make a big difference. Let us help today.

How Can Physical Therapy Help With My Golf Game?

Fri, 07 Jun 2024 22:18:29 GMT

Physical therapy is more than just a way to speed up the healing process after an injury. It could help you improve your golf swing or help reduce some of those aches you have after walking the course. With the help of a physical therapist, you may even improve your golf score. That’s an excellent way to take a few swings off and beat your friends. Physical therapy tailored for golfers is preventative and game-enhancing!

There’s quite a bit that physical therapy can do for your golf game. From improved endurance and less pain to proper movement of your joints, you may see remarkable improvement by visiting a therapist.

Improve Your Golf Game With Physical Therapy

Physical therapy for golfers can tackle many of the aches and pains or limitations you have. It starts with an integrated physical therapy evaluation in which your therapist will develop a clear understanding of any limitations or dysfunctions you may have. Golf physical therapy can aid in numerous ways:

Improve joint mobility.
Improve overall flexibility in the shoulders and hips, reducing pain in the musculature and improving movement.
Building better core strength.
Enhancing balance to ensure better follow-through on every swing.

Physical Therapy Helps Avoid Injury

With the support of a physical therapist, you may also see improved function with less risk of injury. The most common reasons that golf injuries occur include:

Stress placed on the spine
Overuse and over-practice of repetitive motions
Traumatic force due to a poorly executed swing
Improper swing mechanics
Not properly stretching before play leading to muscle damage

By working on improving core strength, proper movement of the joints, and proper muscle function, it’s possible to not just heal but to actually prevent further injuries from occurring. As a golfer, you may know that injuries mean more than just time off the green. They could limit your recovery and return to the course if not done well. Prevention is far easier. Golf and physical therapy go hand-in-hand.

Strategies/Techniques/Stretches

It’s always best to work with a physical therapist to create a custom treatment plan designed to address your areas of concern. However, there are a number of specific types of stretches and exercises you can do that will improve your mobility and prevent injury. Incorporate these into your routine:

Planks: As hard as they are to do, planks help to build core strength, improve flexibility of joints, and ensure better arm and leg function. They can impact every muscle in your core, helping to improve function during every aspect of the golf game.
Resistance band exercises: Building and maintaining the rotator cuff is critical. Rotator cuff injuries are very common with golfers because of the movement and demand of these muscles and ligaments. With resistance band exercises, you’re building strength in these muscles while minimizing inflammation and reducing injury risk.
Lateral lunges: The lateral lunge movement, which is side-to-side, helps to increase hip flexibility. It improves range of motion. It does not require equipment and no more than a few minutes of your day. Yet, it will help minimize numerous injury risks on the course.

Start Off on Par, Request a Consultation Today!

The best strategy is to get in for a custom consultation today. Work to build a routine that fits your needs and reduces your limitations. Contact Rock Valley Physical Therapy now.

Most Common Areas of Pain for Golfers

You may know what type of care you need because that’s where it hurts the day after 18 holes on the course. Other times, you may be unsure why you’re hurting so badly. Work with your physical therapist to address the most common injuries for golfers.

Back Pain

Your aching lower back pain is likely one that other members on your golf team have as well. Back pain in general is very common because of the bent-over stance and the repetitive swing motion. These stress the spine and strain the muscles in the lower back. Joint related injuries and disc damage can cause pain and mobility concerns. In some situations, you may have a stress fracture that creates debilitating pain as well.

Knee Pain

The movement of the pelvis and hips can lead to damage to the knees. That rotational movement isn’t natural for the knees, and can lead to ligament springs and strains of the muscle.

Elbow Tendonitis

Painful irritation and inflammation in the elbow are very common for golfers. It comes from both the repetitiveness and the significant range of motion established with your swing.

Rotator Cuff Issues

The numerous muscles and soft tissues that make up the rotator cuff can suffer injury from strain, intense force, and traumatic injury (including from overuse). This can lead to debilitating pain in the shoulder, arm, and into your hand.

Wrist Pain

The flexibility of your wrists can be limited after repetitive use injury sets in from the game of golf. The high velocity of moving that club back and forth can cause that damage, leading to intense pain and limited movement.

How Golf Injuries Are Treated

Your physical therapist will recommend treatment based on the type and severity of injury you have. This may include stretches for back pain , improved strengthening exercises for your hips and legs, and movements to lessen joint inflammation. Treatment may include rest, specific exercise methods, and massage therapy, along with other steps.

Your physical therapist may incorporate numerous individualized therapies to improve function and reduce pain. They may even help you see pain relief, like knee pain reduction without surgery .

When to See a Physical Therapist

See a therapist today. There is no reason to wait to get the help you need. Whether you are starting to feel discomfort or the soreness of an intense round of golf doesn’t wear off as soon as it used to, getting in to see a therapist now can prevent injury. If you already have injuries, your therapist can help you heal.

Let Us Iron Out the Kinks so You Can Get Back on the Links

Contact Rock Valley Physical Therapy now to learn how we can help you. As a team dedicated to providing you with comprehensive care you can rely on, we are happy to help you. Request an appointment now for a customized golf-enhancing physical therapy appointment.

Physical Therapist’s Guide To Preventing Running Injuries

Tue, 04 Jun 2024 20:32:31 GMT

What can you do to prevent running injuries? If you love to run or find it to be a critical component of your workout, an injury can sideline you for quite some time. If you don’t take the time to heal and recover, that could lead to more injuries that may prevent you from running. The better option is to invest in some running injury prevention.

Common Running Injuries

Running injuries come in a variety of forms. Some of the most common include:

Blister development, often due to improper shoes
Shin pain, which often causes pain from inflammation to the tendons and muscles in the shin area
Skin injuries could include falls and scrapes, but also sunburn from poor protection
Soft tissue injuries, which often include pulled muscles or ligament sprains
Runner’s knee, a condition that develops with dull pain centered around the front of the knee
IT band syndrome, which often feels like a burning, aching sensation on the outside of the knee and up to the hip
Plantar fasciitis, pain at the bottom of the heel, often felt after activity but not during your running
Stress fractures, which often feel like a pain or aching that gets worse over time

Don’t overlook any of these injuries, and be sure to take steps to prevent all of them from occurring. You don’t want to put off an ache or pain that ends up leading to a major injury, such as an ACL tear . Often, getting in to see a physical therapist or doctor sooner can help you to avoid complications like this.

How to Prevent Running Injuries from Occurring

Running injury prevention starts with knowledge. The more you do now to protect your skin, bones, ligaments, and muscles, the better.

Don’t try to run a marathon as a first step

Prepare your body one step at a time. As you begin to run, work to slowly progress the length and intensity of your run. This allows your body to adjust to what’s occurring. If you’re not used to a lot of physical activity, start slowly with just a few minutes per day until you reach your goals.

Exercise and stretch first

There are numerous exercises for runners that are designed to stretch muscles before a run and a few more to do after a run. These prevent injuries by helping your body prepare for what’s to come. Spend a few minutes before every run working on stretching.

Prepare your body for what’s to come. For example, know that there’s a difference if you need to run in the cold and running in th e warmer months. Be sure your body is hydrated, too, both before and after your run.

Give your muscles what they need to recover after a run

There are many types of injuries that benefit from physical therapy after they occur. You can do a lot after a run to help soothe your muscles, too. That includes using ice and heat, over-the-counter pain medications, and massage therapy. Even if you’re not in pain, using a foam roller or massage gun can offer some prevention of further injury and downtime.

What to Do if You Get Injured

There are times when you will feel pain that doesn’t improve, whether it’s acute or a dull ache. Don’t ignore it. In any situation where you have extensive pain that limits your ability to walk or move properly, turn to the local emergency room or your family doctor for your initial help. This will prevent long-term injuries.

Don’t be afraid, though, to get help from a specialist when you need more extensive injury treatment. For example, an ACL injury can dramatically impact your quality of life, and the sooner you get started on the healing process with a professional, the better. If you’re hurt, get help from a professional who can support your recovery.

When Should You See a Physical Therapist?

So, when do you go in to see a physical therapist then? There are a few times when you can use a physical therapist – and you should never feel like you cannot call them to inquire about your treatment options or support.

Before an injury

Whether you are prone to injury or want to get the most out of every run you take, turn to a physical therapist before you start running routinely. These professionals will help you to create a prevention plan that incorporates stretching and muscle protective movements to minimize risk. They can help you to correct your gait and posture to minimize injury later. A physical therapist will provide you with individualized support in knowing how you can improve your body to minimize the risk of injury.

After an injury

You do not have to wait for your doctor to see a physical therapist. If you have a significant amount of pain, going to an ER as a first step makes sense. For most types of injuries, though, a physical therapist can be helpful. They can offer guidance and develop a plan to help you to recover in the best way possible. Often, their insight can help you to stay on the running path longer.

After a surgery

If you have to have surgery, such as an ACL repair, you may need to turn to a physical therapist later as you recover. They can help you to have extensive success in recovery, improving mobility, ensuring proper function, and giving you the confidence you need to get back out onto the track.

Turn to a Local Professional for Immediate Help.

What can you do to prevent running injuries from limiting you? Set up a time to speak to a physical therapist who can get you back on the right track. Find your clinic with Rock Valley Therapy today . With 61 locations, we are confident we can help you to get the care you need soon. Let’s work together to ensure you get the results you need.

Postpartum Physical Therapy: A Complete Guide

Mon, 13 May 2024 19:12:30 GMT

Women who have experienced the process of childbirth understand that carrying a child is a nine-month marathon, full of ups-and-downs, joys and sorrows, and significant physical changes. Physical therapy can play a powerful role in postpartum physical recovery.

Physical therapists are trained to restore and strengthen muscular functioning postpartum, and some are specially trained to address pelvic floor issues . If you are experiencing pelvic floor dysfunction, or want to speed up muscular strengthening after childbirth, postpartum physical therapy is often an ideal option.

Here’s what you should know.

What is the Goal of Postpartum Physical Therapy?

The goal of postpartum physical therapy is to address spinal and pelvic floor dysfunction along with muscle weakness resulting from nine months of development, followed by a birthing experience. Postpartum physical therapy is designed to accentuate the body’s natural postpartum healing processes and potentially address unique muscular issues.

Many women, juggling dozens of responsibilities, simple do not have the proper time to completely rest and recover from childbirth before returning to everyday life – postpartum physical therapy services offer the care needed to function with increased strength in a shorter period of time.

Common Signs of Pelvic Floor Muscular Dysfunction

Although not “normal,” postpartum pelvic floor issues are relatively common, especially among women who have given birth multiple times. How do you know if your pelvic floor muscles are functioning improperly? The following symptoms could point to dysfunction:

Stress incontinence (leaking urine when you sneeze or perform sudden movement)
Pelvic, abdominal, or lower back pain
Abnormal urinary patterns (significantly increased/ decreased frequency)
Bowel issues
Pain during intercourse

If you have lingering symptoms similar to those listed above, consult a trusted pelvic floor physical therapist for information on recovery.

What Treatment Options Are Included in Postpartum PT?

Your first postpartum physical therapy appointment may include a get-to-know-you consultation period where your specialist will learn about you, your symptoms, your goals, and your level of physical activity before childbirth. Then, your physical therapist will develop an exercise plan based on your specific needs.

Some common treatment options include:

Muscle energy techniques
Diastasis recti correction (separation of abdominal muscles)
Postural strengthening
Pelvic floor muscle coordination and strength training
Body mechanics education
Core strengthening exercises

Your physical therapist may also recommend self-management strategies to complete at home. Even basic adjustments to regular home activities can expediate healing.

Self-Management Strategies

While some women hope to dive right back into normal physical activity and get back into pre-pregnancy shape, a slow return to normal physical exertion is best.

1. Get Help

The first step to recovery at home is recruiting help! Postpartum moms should not return to all regular activities around the house as soon as she and baby get home. In fact, women should not lift anything heavier than baby during the recovery period. Find an ally to help with household chores, such as cleaning, and focus on resting. If activity is required, only engage in mild endeavors.

2. Perform Therapist-Recommended Core Exercises

During pregnancy, a woman’s abdominal muscles undergo significant strain, even separating in extreme cases (called diastasis recti). However, typical core-strengthening exercises, such as sit-ups, should be avoided immediately after childbirth. Intense core strengthening has the potential to further damage strained abdominal muscles.

On the other hand, your physical therapist may prescribe mild core exercises to perform at home. Beginning with gentle strengthening often leads to the ability to perform higher-intensity abdominal exercise, once approved by your doctor or physical therapist.

4. Remember to Breathe

During the developmental stages of childbirth, uterus growth pushes the diaphragm upward. Ultimately, this growth reduces the diaphragm’s working capacity. Your physical therapist will likely prescribe exercises to strengthen the diaphragm for return to full capacity.

3. Gently Incorporate Fitness Into Your Daily Routine

As postpartum moms settle into a new routine, incorporating gentle fitness into the everyday schedule is beneficial. Remember, it is always best to start small and go at your own pace.

For example, start with taking short walks around the neighborhood with a spouse or friend once or twice a week. As your body continues to recover, distance and pace may increase. However, starting small and dedicating most free time to resting is best.

Rock Valley Physical Therapy: Pelvic Health Specialists

At Rock Valley PT , our pelvic health physical therapists are passionate about serving struggling individuals who often feel misunderstood in the complexity of their problems – including new moms.

We invite you to learn more about our pelvic health physical therapy service or request an appointment today ! Our team looks forward to helping you return to total recovery.

Exercises To Avoid If You Have Spinal Stenosis

Thu, 09 May 2024 20:49:57 GMT

Those with weakness and pain in their arms, legs, and even in their upper chest may be unsure what’s causing it until their doctor tells them that they have a condition called cervical spinal stenosis.

The condition is challenging for many reasons, including the difficulty that comes from maintaining your physical fitness and trying to minimize further pain or back injuries . The best route to take is to choose exercises that offer the cardio and muscle-building you need that will not harm your condition any further.

What is Spinal Stenosis?

Spinal stenosis isn’t likely something you’ve had all of your life. It’s an interesting, hard-to-predict condition that sidelines many people who, afraid to worsen their pain or cause serious harm, simply stop being as physically active as they used to be. That doesn’t have to be that way.

First, understand your condition. Spinal stenosis occurs when the spaces located within the space begin to narrow. As that necessary gap shrinks, there’s more opportunity for the nerves in that area to become pinched or inflamed. Both lumbar stenosis, which impacts the lower back, and cervical stenosis, which typically impacts the neck, can be debilitating.

The condition develops over time, often due to age and the wearing down of the spinal column. Those with osteoarthritis are more likely to have symptoms as well. As you get older, then, how can you maintain your health without creating a weekend on the couch?

What is Spinal Stenosis?

Running: The impact of each step as you run can jar your spine, creating inflammation in those nerves. This repetitive action is often just too much for the area and can lead to worsening compression.

Jumping: By the same token, jumping isn’t ideal. You may find that giving up your basketball game isn’t ideal but necessary. Each time you jump, you’re compressing the spinal column, creating strain on the muscles here and also causing back or neck pain due to nerve damage.

Extensive walks: Walking isn’t bad, but long walks will create more strain, especially on your lower back. This will likely worsen over time, especially if you’re walking consistently. You may notice, for example, that a day at a theme park is tough, but a short walk around your local park is just fine.

Contact sports: Whether you love a good game of rugby, basketball, or football, that intense contact can jar your spine, worsening the pain you have. Any type of activity that causes significant twisting may do this.

Back extensions: Another big problem occurs with back extensions, which is any instances in which you’re arching your back or constantly reaching for heights. This type of extension creates inflammation within those limited gaps.

Some yoga poses: Any type of extreme flexion or extension of your spine isn’t recommended with this condition. If you’re doing backbends, that’s going to create more pain.

Ways to Prevent Spinal Stenosis from Getting Worse

There are ways to prevent spinal stenosis from worsening over time. The first, and perhaps the most important step, is to learn what your body will adjust to and what it will not. As you engage in exercises, take note of when you feel pain. If a certain bend or flex in yoga causes pain, avoid it.

Your ultimate goal is not to push yourself to the brink of pain, but to learn your limits. Since spinal stenosis can impact each one of the gaps between the vertebrae, it can create pain and weakness in different locations for each person. By learning what hurts you, you can avoid those particular problems.

If you need to take some time off from a sport to allow your condition to improve, don’t just jump back in. Instead, ease into the physical work again. That may include, for example, doing some light aerobics first and then a few sports-related drills and slowly progressing toward your gameplay.

Other steps that can help with preventing the worsening of spinal stenosis include:

Maintaining good posture when standing, sitting, lifting, or walking.
Maintain a healthy weight. Excessive weight, especially belly weight, can cause significant pressure on this condition
Work closely with both a physical therapist and your doctor to monitor the condition over time. Don’t overlook the importance of ongoing care.

Common Treatments for Spinal Stenosis

Meeting with your doctor is step one. You need to know what is causing the pain and determine where this is in your spinal column. Then, your doctor may recommend one or more treatment options to address the concern.

For diagnosis, you may need X-rays, an MRI, or a CT scan to get a better idea of your spine’s structure. From that, your doctor will recommend treatment. Some examples of treatment that may help include:

Physical therapy can work to both build strength and muscle in this area and help to improve stability. It can also help to improve balance and reduce painful symptoms over time.
Medication like NSAIDs to help minimize inflammation and pain medications for the most severe conditions
Heat and ice therapy may help after an intense workout where you’ve gone too far
Steroid shots can help to reduce nerve root damage and provide you with improved overall function in serious conditions
Alternative care options like dry needling and acupuncture
Surgery for the most severe conditions that lead to chronic pain

Get in Contact with Rock Valley PT Today!

Physical therapy is one of the most important and effective strategies for relieving pain and preventing the worsening of spinal stenosis. Those with this condition may even see improved quality of life with treatment.

Let us help you. Rock Valley Physical Therapy can tailor a treatment method that gives you relief instead of worsening your pain. Contact us now for an appointment.

Physical Therapy Treatments & Exercises for Torticollis

Thu, 25 Apr 2024 20:18:13 GMT

When you are told your young or newborn child may have torticollis, it can seem worrisome and overwhelming. Physical Therapists are the perfect providers to help improve tight muscles in the neck, provide strategies to improve positioning, and prevent further complications such as plagiocephaly (flat spot on the head).

What is Torticollis?

Torticollis is a condition causing an asymmetrical head or neck position often caused by tight muscles in the neck or postural habits. Torticollis affects as many as 16% of all newborns.

Signs and Symptoms

The most common sign of torticollis occurs when placing the child on their back, such as in a crib or bassinet. In doing so, the child’s neck bends, with one ear moving closer to the shoulder while the baby’s face turns upward in the other direction. Another sign would be a preference towards only turning head one direction, instead of equally both directions.

It can develop prior to birth due to its position in the womb, but it can also develop after the child is born. In some children, being in a constant position, such as in a car seat or a swing, can lead to the development of this condition if their head is often bent in that direction.

Other common signs include:

Limited range of motion with the neck and head.
Recessed eye and smaller cheek on the side of the face with the tight muscles
Asymmetry in ear position
Feeding problems, including latching issues, preference towards feeding in one position (bottle fed) or on one breast (breast feeding)

How Can Physical Therapy Help Torticollis?

One of the most common and effective treatments for torticollis is physical therapy . This condition responds well to physical therapy, especially when it begins early on. Often, torticollis can resolve fully with effective physical therapy.

Physical therapists have extensive experience with human body movement. They can pinpoint what is occurring, determine the cause, and then create a treatment strategy to address the unique needs of the patient.

Physical Therapy Treatment & Exercises for Torticollis

Working closely with a pediatric physical therapist for an individualized treatment plan is essential. Your child should receive a formal discussion and treatment plan that fits their specific symptoms and limitations. Your child’s physical therapist will teach you various stretches and exercises designed to improve your child’s movement and neck strength. Below are some activities and adjustments to try prior to your first physical therapy visit:

Gentle Neck Range of Motion
When your baby is content or resting, try and gently rotate their head away from the side they typically prefer
When your baby is playing while lying on their back or sitting, place favorite toys and items that make sound away from their preferred position
Positioning Adjustments
When possible, try and have your baby feed (bottle or breast) in a neutral head position and not fully rotated to one side or the other
Tummy Time
Prop their chest and elbows on top of a small pillow or rolled up towel in order to encourage neck muscle strengthening and avoid excess pressure on the back or side of their head

When to Seek Help from a Physical Therapist

We encourage you to seek out help for torticollis as soon as you suspect any type of problem. It is never too early to ask a pediatric physical therapist to provide an assessment and therapy can be beneficial as early as 2-4 weeks old. If your child is experiencing any of the signs and symptoms above, you do not need a referral to get started, so contact us to schedule today!

Let Our Team at Rock Valley Physical Therapy Help You

If you suspect torticollis or want to rule it out, reach out to our team at Rock Valley Physical Therapy. With our advanced strategies and hands-on support, we will help your child and give you the tools you need to enable them to recover fully from this condition. Find a clinic that’s close to you now. Book an appointment for torticollis physical therapy and learn more about how we can help you.

Physical Therapy for Vertigo: Will it Help?

Mon, 22 Apr 2024 19:33:27 GMT

It’s unnerving when the world seems to be spinning around you even though you are sitting very still. The sensation, called vertigo, cannot only make you feel disoriented, it can also make it hard to focus. Understanding what vertigo is and how physical therapy can help could give you relief if this sensation occurs on a consistent basis.

What Is Vertigo?

Vertigo is the feeling that you are moving even though your body is staying still. Imagine spinning in a circle for a few minutes and then stopping and feeling as though the room is still moving around you. In those who suffer from vertigo, that same spinning feeling is happening but instead of riding a roller coaster they are performing normal daily movements like laying down in bed or standing up from a chair. It can impact people of any age but is more likely to occur as a person ages.

Many peop le who experience vertigo also notice balance problems, resulting in stumbling or a drifting one direction as they walk. Some people may also feel lightheaded. Vertigo can be caused by many things and to treat it effectively the root cause must be addressed. For some, physical therapy can be an excellent choice.

What Causes Vertigo?

Vertigo is the feeling that you are moving even though your body is staying still. Imagine spinning in a circle for a few minutes and then stopping and feeling as though the room is still moving around you. In those who suffer from vertigo, that same spinning feeling is happening but instead of riding a roller coaster, they are performing normal daily movements like laying down in bed or standing up from a chair. It can impact people of any age but is more likely to occur as a person ages.

Many people who experience vertigo also notice balance problems, resulting in stumbling or a drifting one direction as they walk. Some people may also feel lightheaded. Vertigo can be caused by many things and to treat it effectively the root cause must be addressed. For some, physical therapy can be an excellent choice.

If you are experie ncing other serious symptoms including difficulty speaking or swallowing, weakness, facial droop, or confusion, immediately seek medical assistance. If your vertigo is continuous and lasts several hours or is accompanied by extreme nausea and vomiting your doctor may be able to provide medication assistance to dampen symptoms. However, if your vertigo only lasts for short periods of time and happens with changing body positions such as laying down or sitting up from bed, bending over, or tilting your head back, physical therapy should be your first stop! Your physical therapist will do a detailed examination to rule out serious causes. If your condition is stable your physical therapist can immediately guide you through treatment that can help in as little as one visit.

Can Physical Therapy Help Vertigo?

It may be surprising that physical therapy can actually improve a condition like vertigo but physical therapy can integrate many treatment techniques to resolve the underlying cause, help your system adapt to changing conditions, and get you back to doing your normal activities safely.

Canalith Repositioning Maneuvers

A common cause of vertigo is BPPV, or benign paroxysmal positional vertigo. This condition occurs when a small “crystal” breaks loose from one part of the vestibular system and floats into another. If your therapist determines this to be the root cause of your symptoms they will guide you through a series of head and body positions to allow the crystal to drift back to where it belongs. This can work in as little as one treatment.

Vestibular Rehabilitation

Vestibular rehabilitation therapy helps the brain to re-learn the proper way to adapt to movement stimuli if there is a loss of nerve function or a sensory sensitivity at fault. There are typically three components to this process.

#1: Gaze Stabilization

Your vestibular system and your eyes have a close connection in order to keep your vision steady as your head moves. If this communication is disrupted, your physical therapist can utilize gaze stabilization to retrain this reflex. To do this, they will have you fix your eyes on a specific point and create head movement at a speed that challenges this connection and allows your sensory systems to adapt.

#2: Habituation

The second component of treating vertigo with physical therapy involves habituation, which is the progressive exposure to aggravating movements or actions that cause your symptoms. When your body is exposed to these activities at an intensity it can tolerate, your brain can learn how to manage those specific movements without triggering the abnormal feeling of dizziness. This process typically requires consistency and time.

#3: Balance Training

The third component is balance training, which helps to strengthen the balance systems that were not affected by your underlying cause of symptoms. Physical therapists can create balance exercises that challenge and improve your ability to maintain stability. These exercises may involve standing on unstable surfaces, performing specific movements, or utilizing specialized equipment. If muscle weakness or poor posture are contributing to your balance problems, a physical therapist can address problem areas by providing exercises, stretches, and ergonomic advice to improve posture and reduce associated symptoms.

There is no reason to put off physical therapy since it can be one of the best and least invasive methods of treating your condition. If your doctor has recommended the use of physical therapy , it is always a good idea to follow through and it is easier to do than you may realize.

How Rock Valley Physical Therapy Treats Vertigo

At Rock Valley Physical Therapy we can help you regain confidence in your movements. With the correct use of a range of physical therapy methods and strategies, you may see significant improvement in the symptoms of vertigo. Our goal is to get you back to doing the things you love without feeling limited by symptoms. Contact our team today to learn how we can help you.

Why You Have Upper Back Pain After Sleeping

Thu, 11 Apr 2024 15:39:44 GMT

Waking up to back pain after a long night of sleep is frustrating. Upper back pain after sleeping isn’t that uncommon, though it does signal a need to make some changes about the way you sleep, but also getting your back muscles in shape. In some cases, there could be underlying causes that are creating those aching moments that also need to be addressed. Here’s where to get started.

What Causes Upper Back Pain After Sleeping?

Several factors contribute to upper back pain while sleeping or after waking up. It could be your sleeping posture. Other times, it may be due to stress and tension in your muscles, especially if you feel tense often. You may have upper back pain if you’re overweight and sleeping in a way that strains the muscles of the back. For others, a bad mattress really is a big factor.

While most upper back pain resolves on its own over time with a bit of support, there are some underlying causes you should seek out help for, especially if you’ve had an accident, suffer from compression fractures, or have arthritis.

Sleeping Positions and Their Affect on Back Pain

Unfortunately, upper back pain while sleeping is often enough to wake you up in the middle of the night to adjust how you are laying. However, most people will also find that making a few adjustments to how they sleep – which is called improving your sleep posture – can help you wake up feeling restored and rested.

Good Sleep Positions for Back Pain

The best way to sleep is in a way that provides support for your spinal cord. The spinal column has a natural curve to it. By supporting that curve, you provide rest for those muscles.

Try sleeping with a pillow between your knees while you are sleeping on your side or your back
If you are a stomach sleeper, place a pillow just under your pelvis to support that curve
Place a rounded pillow under your neck as a back sleeper to help support the curve, and use a flatter pillow under your head
Try to keep your legs stretched out while sleeping rather than bent

Bad Sleep Positions for Back Pain

Some sleep positions can make it challenging for your spine to remain in a healthy position. Any type of position that flattens the natural curve of your spine or neck is likely to cause pain in the morning. It can often cause discomfort throughout the day as your muscles move through the day’s activities and become more fatigued.

Avoid large pillows that elevate your head.
The least beneficial position is sleeping on your stomach (unless, as noted, you have ample support when doing so)

How to Manage Upper Back Pain

It’s not easy to change the way you sleep, and it could take some time to incorporate those adjustments. In the meantime, work to support your back muscles and spine health in other ways.

Exercises

Exercise is an important part of building a strong core system that can help to reduce the risk of injury. Those who have spinal misalignment or muscle spasms will need to perform exercises on a routine basis – at least one time a day – to build up strength in those areas. Aim for low-impact workouts to reduce any risk of further injury.

If you have back pain after waking up in the morning, get in a short period of exercise right when waking up. This could include a yoga routine or going for a swim. You can also go for a short but brisk walk to help reduce pain and tension. Exercises like these can help to stimulate better movement of the joints, improve back muscle strength, and help to reduce stress-causing hormones.

Stretches

Don’t overlook the importance and value of stretching your back muscles, especially when it comes to doing so first thing in the morning. However, stretching before can also be beneficial. As you head to bed, purposefully stretch your neck, upper back muscles, shoulders, and other areas. When you wake up in the morning, do the same. This helps to relax the muscles.

Keep stretches simple before bed and after. Before bed, you want to ensure your muscles are releasing stress and tension, but in the morning, the goal is to improve function and prepare the body for the day ahead. Stretching is good for your overall health and wellness before and after any workout.

How to Prevent Upper Back Pain After Sleeping

Going to bed and waking up rested without pain is the ultimate goal. There are several simple strategies to consider now to get the relief you need:

Incorporate stress management techniques into your day. Meditation, deep breathing, yoga, and stretching are a good place to start.
Consider holistic therapies like dry needling to treat pain early on, helping to avoid more serious injury later.
Work to improve muscle strength and posture by working with a physical therapist. Getting exercise every day can help minimize the risk of injury.
Maintain a healthy weight. Work to minimize belly weight, especially since this can stress your muscles and joints.
Replace your old, non-supportive mattress with one that offers support throughout the night.

Seeing a Medical Professional

Upper back pain that does not subside quickly or worsens could be an injury rather than poor posture. In these situations, it’s critical to seek out the attention of a medical provider. If you are in pain that limits your ability to function normally or the pain is intense enough to warrant over-the-counter medications, seek medical care.

Physical therapy can help to correct poor function of the joints and muscles throughout this area, alleviating the underlying cause of your pain. By seeking out a physical therapist, if you consistently have pain each morning, you can target the underlying cause of the dysfunction. This could improve the alignment of the joints and spine. It may include improving posture throughout your day, which can also help to reduce the risk of injury and help you sleep better at night.

Know When to Get Help

At Rock Valley Physical Therapy, we offer a wide range of resources to help you reduce your pain, improve your mobility, and create improved overall health. Contact us now or find your clinic to get started.

Tips For What Not To Do With Plantar Fasciitis

Tue, 12 Mar 2024 19:29:15 GMT

Plantar fasciitis can be debilitating, affecting your quality of life and hindering your ability to engage in activities you love. Managing plantar fasciitis through careful and informed choices, without causing discomfort and limiting daily activities, requires a strategic approach to ensure a path to recovery rather than inadvertently making matters worse. In this blog, we’ll delve into valuable insights and tips, steering you away from common pitfalls and shedding light on what not to do when faced with plantar fasciitis.

What Is Plantar Fasciitis?

Plantar fasciitis is a common condition characterized by the inflammation of the plantar fascia, a thick band of tissue that runs along the bottom of your foot, connecting your heel bone to your toes. This ligament supports the arch of your foot and absorbs the impact of your body weight during activities like walking, running, or standing.

Many people struggle with pain that feels like a stabbing jolt of pain, especially first thing in the morning when you are just stepping foot out of bed or standing up after sitting for long periods of time. As you continue to move throughout the day, the pain may subside but can return or get worse with continued activity.

Causes of Plantar Fasciitis

This condition can develop quickly or over time. Some of the most common causes of plantar fasciitis include:

Age: Those between the ages of 40 and 60 are more likely to develop plantar fasciitis due to the aging of these tissues.
Types of activities: If you engage in any type of activity that puts strain on these tissues, the risk of injury is higher. This includes those who do aerobics, run, or do ballet.
Work: If you spend long periods of time standing, especially in improper footwear, you are likely putting too much pressure on these tissues. This can cause significant pain. Teachers, factory workers, and restaurant workers are examples.
Obesity: Those who are overweight are more likely to have plantar fasciitis because of the amount of pressure placed on the feet.
Functions of the foot: For some, the mechanics of the foot – the way your foot moves and functions – can cause this. Those who have a high arch or flat feet are likely to suffer from this condition. Those with hyperpronation may also be at a higher risk.

What Makes Plantar Fasciitis Worse?

Understanding the factors that can exacerbate plantar fasciitis is crucial for effective management and recovery. Here are key considerations that may contribute to worsening the condition:

Don’t Delay Treatment

Putting off treatment, including physical therapy , dry needling , or other treatment options, can increase the severity of plantar fasciitis symptoms. The sooner you seek care, the sooner the pain can improve.

Wearing the Wrong Shoes

Poor-quality shoes without arch support are often a culprit for worsening plantar fasciitis. This band of tissues needs support in the arch in particular. It’s important to highlight that wearing improperly sized shoes or shoes that force you to walk predominantly on the front part of your foot—whether they are flat shoes or high heels—can exacerbate this pain.

High Impact Exercises

High-impact exercises, such as running on hard surfaces, can worsen plantar fasciitis by subjecting the inflamed tissues to excessive stress and strain. The repeated impact and pressure on the heel during activities like running may intensify inflammation and contribute to prolonged discomfort.

You may not want to give up on your high-impact exercises, such as those involving running or jumping. To combat this, give your body time to heal and recover, allowing your body to adapt to the stress and reduce inflammation.

Skipping Stretches

Skipping stretches before and after exercise can worsen plantar fasciitis. Because our muscles tense up during exercise, stretching helps maintain the elasticity of the plantar fascia, preventing it from becoming overly tight and prone to inflammation. Neglecting stretches can lead to increased stiffness, heightened discomfort, and a slower recovery process for individuals dealing with plantar fasciitis.

How to Treat Plantar Fasciitis

Treating plantar fasciitis requires both targeted interventions and lifestyle adjustments. There are some fantastic ways to reduce pain and improve the overall function of the foot. You may benefit from Astym treatment , a method that helps to use the body’s natural healing mechanisms to stimulate healing.

Stretching

Stretching the plantar fascia before and after a workout or during long-standing periods may help you to see significant improvement. Some useful stretches include:

Towel stretching: Place a towel around the base of your foot, holding one side in each hand while sitting on the floor. Pull back on the towel, stretching the muscle at the bottom of your foot as you do.
Stair stretch: For this exercise, stand at the base of the steps and place your foot on the stair above, creating a 90-degree angle. Bend forward to stretch the muscle at the base of your foot.
Wall stretches: Sit with your foot flat against a wall. Flex the muscle, hold it, and then release it.

Exercises

Simple exercises can help increase your mobility and reduce stiffness. For an easy start try:

Toe curls: Toe curls, in which you curl your toes and hold them for a period of time, can help to strengthen the muscles in this area. Try using your toes to pick things up, too, like marbles on the floor.
Tennis ball roll: Whether sitting or standing with support, roll a tennis ball under your foot, specifically along the arch. When you tighten the muscle and then release it, you’ll feel pressure improving.

Beyond at-home, do-it-yourself remedies, consider exploring physical therapy. For some individuals, incorporating practices such as dry needling and acupuncture in conjunction with physical therapy can be extremely beneficial.

How Long Does It Take for Plantar Fasciitis to Heal?

It takes time and consistency to see significant improvement in this pain because you need to work to reduce inflammation while also improving the muscles. While many see their conditions improve within 3-6 months, it can take upwards of a year to feel complete relief. The speed of recovery ultimately depends on the type of exercises you receive and the quality of care you give to your feet.

Get in Touch with a Therapist

The most effective approach to enhance your physical therapy and alleviate pain is to leverage the expertise and guidance of a highly trained, dedicated therapist. At Rock Valley Physical Therapy, we are committed to providing you with personalized, one-on-one support tailored to your specific needs. Our experienced therapists will work closely with you to develop a comprehensive plan that focuses on reducing pain and improving your overall foot health. With our dedicated team by your side, you can confidently move forward on your journey to increased mobility and a more pain-free lifestyle.

Find your local clinic with us now. Book an appointment so you can start to feel less pain with each step and get back to your day-to-day life. Contact us now for an appointment.

4 Tips Transitioning Back to Outdoor Running

Mon, 26 Feb 2024 21:47:24 GMT

1. Don’t just hit the ground running: Exercise caution when taking your run outdoors

As the temperatures start going up, runners who have been cooped up in the gym all winter will finally have the chance to start running outside again. However, it’s not as simple as taking your treadmill workout and mapping it out on the sidewalk. It’s important that runners at all levels consider the differences between indoor and outdoor running workouts in order to avoid injury.

2. Remember indoor and outdoor running are not the same

There are plenty of differences between running on a treadmill and running on pavement. The act itself is a different motion. On a treadmill, the belt pulls your feet backward whereas natural running requires you to push off the ground in order to propel yourself forward, making it a more difficult workout. That also means that you aren’t using the exact same set of muscles, so be sure to warm up well before and cool down and stretch after workouts and be mindful of the stress you’re putting on your body.

Besides the difference in form, there are a variety of other factors that distinguish treadmill running with natural running. One of these involves pace. Unlike on a treadmill, you can’t automatically set a pace when you run on pavement—you have to manually work at maintaining that pace. You also lose the uniformity of the surface underfoot. Wind, elevation, ground reaction and surface texture all change during a run outdoors.

3. How to make a healthy transition

All of these differences require adaptation from your body. Luckily, your body is good at adjusting to this change, but it does take time. If you have been stuck inside all winter, it’s not recommended that you try to start at the same level you’re used to. We know you’re itching to be out in the fresh air, but transition by running some of your workouts outside and some inside. This is the best way to prevent injury—you can’t run anywhere with a tear or exacerbated injury.

When you do run outside, be smart. Remember that surfaces won’t always be even, temperatures may fluctuate and the elements can take a toll on your body. Be sure to be well-hydrated and wear sunscreen. Proper, safe running is more than just throwing on your shoes and hitting the pavement.

4. What to do when your workout hurts

If you experience pain when running, don’t push through it. More is not always better. For example, healthy running will not wear out your knees—that happens when runners push too hard. If you run with music, turn it off in order to focus on and listen to your body when you experience discomfort. Be sure to give yourself enough rest between exercises so your body can recover, and try a cross-training or strengthening program, like swimming and biking, to prevent over-working the same muscle set.

If the pain persists, be sure to see your physical therapist here at Rock Valley Physical Therapy. You may need a program adjustment! Nice weather is on the way, and we’re happy to help you enjoy it to the fullest!

Common Causes of Hip Pain After Running & Solutions

Mon, 26 Feb 2024 16:54:09 GMT

A good, long run can re-energize you, help you to burn some calories, and even clear your mind. If, after that run, you have hip pain, that can make you feel defeated and less capable of keeping to a consistent running schedule. Don’t ignore it. Instead, learn what causes hip pain after running and what you can do to alleviate it, giving you back the ability to take to the road with confidence.

Can Running Cause Hip Pain?

Yes, running can cause hip pain for a number of reasons. Since the hip is a large joint, it’s designed to be very resilient to damage and typically provides stability for the entire body. It also can help ensure you’re running efficiently without overusing muscle groups that can lead to injury. So if it’s so strong and durable like this, why do you have pain?

Muscle Strain

A common cause of hip pain after running is muscle and tendon inflammation and damage. Stretching the muscle or tendon too far can cause this pain. It’s quite a common sport-related injury and typically will improve over time with rest. You may have some swelling in the area, and the muscle may feel weak and stiff. If it happens just once or twice, this is likely the cause of your hip pain.

Iliotibial Band Syndrome

More commonly known as IT band syndrome, this condition occurs when there’s damage to the iliotibial tract. This is a long piece of tissue that connects the knee to the hip. If you have pain that seems to be on the outside portion of the hip, this is often due to inflammation of this area.

Piriformis Syndrome

A burning or shooting pain that extends from the back of the hip and into the legs could be piriformis syndrome, which occurs when a muscle in the glute tightens up or otherwise contracts against the nerves in the area. Often, this is due to overtraining or a lack of training before a long run.

Hip Osteoarthritis

It’s possible to develop arthritis in the hip, like what occurs in most other joints of the body. Cartilage, which is positioned between the bone and the socket, helps to create a cushion that keeps the bones from rubbing together. However, over time that cartilage will break down, and it may not develop as it should. Some people may have pain, but that’s typically only likely to happen after the condition worsens.

Hip Flexor Muscles

The hip flexor muscles start at the top of the thigh and move up to the pelvis. It’s not uncommon to experience some tightness in this area after a run, especially in the front portion of the hip. However, this pain tends to happen while running and gets better once you stop.

Tendon Bursitis

The hip has two cushions that sit between the bones and soft tissue, called bursae. When you engage in repetitive motions, like running, the bursa can potentially become inflamed. Many people feel pain from this condition on the outside of the hip, or they may feel it closer to the groin.

Ways to Prevent Hip Pain

It’s always beneficial to take steps to prevent hip pain instead of having to deal with it after an injury. There are several ways that you can reduce the risk of inflammation, injury, and nerve pain here:

Be sure to stretch fully before you head out for a run. Stretching helps to loosen the muscles, allowing them to work more efficiently and reducing the risk of injury. Warm up before you run and then stretch after you stop.
Incorporate rest days into your running regimen. Even if you feel fine with no pain, be sure you are getting at least two and sometimes three days of rest each week. During these days, you can still do some stretching and light, low-impact exercises instead.
Strengthen your hip abductors, which are a group of muscles that include the gluteus medius, gluteus minimus, and the tensor fasciae latae. By strength training in this area, you can significantly improve the way the muscles work to rotate and move the leg. Over time, this can help to reduce the pain you feel.

If you have hip pain, make sure to treat it early before it becomes a chronic issue.

How to Treat Hip Pain After Running

Treatments for running-related hip pain often involve rest, ice, and over-the-counter anti-inflammatory medications to reduce swelling and discomfort. Physical therapy is also effective at treating sports-related injuries, focusing on strengthening hip muscles and improving flexibility.

In more severe cases corticosteroid injections or surgery may be necessary, but these are usually reserved for more chronic or structural issues. Consult a healthcare professional to determine the best course of action for specific injuries.

When Should You See a Physical Therapist?

If you are a runner, visit a physical therapist both as a treatment for hip pain and as a way to prevent it from occurring. Many types of injuries require the use of physical therapy to heal and improve, and running-related injuries are one of them. By working with a physical therapist, it may be possible to pinpoint concerns that could be limiting the functionality of your muscle groups, joint movement, and nerves and then correct them. For example, a physical therapist can help to improve your running form to help alleviate mistakes that could be causing your pain. You can also visit a therapist for manual therapy , a process that can help to stretch and improve the muscles in the hip and surrounding it to stimulate healing and recovery.

There are many reasons to visit a physical therapist sooner rather than later .

Use physical therapy as a way to reduce the risk of injury.
Turn to a physical therapist to gain improved muscle efficiency, helping you to make better use of your energy and improve your stamina.
Work to improve the functionality of your muscles, helping to encourage faster and more reliable healing.

Rock Valley Physical Therapy Is Here to Help!

At Rock Valley Physical Therapy, our team of highly trained professionals can help you to get your muscles working at their best. You don’t have to give up on running, but you shouldn’t just run through the pain, either. Instead, don’t be afraid to reach out to a physical therapist to find out what can be done to improve your health. We’re here to get you started. No physician referral is required.

10 Pediatric Physical Therapy Exercises & Activities

Fri, 23 Feb 2024 16:12:15 GMT

Pediatric physical therapy exercises can be critical to improving mobility, reducing pain, and speeding the healing process after injury or surgery. Yet, physical therapy is boring, right? For many children, that’s the way it may seem. The key to success with pediatric physical therapy is to find ways to engage in healthy and helpful strategies that are also fun.

Not only is it important for pediatric physical therapists to engage in these types of activities, but parents can do so as well. Often, the best recovery for young patients happens over time, with consistency. Any level of practice you can do at home helps.

These are some of the best activities to encourage physical therapy in children while also working to keep them interested and even laughing during the process.

Animal Walk

What You Need: Tape

What this Works On: Balance, core muscles, limb and ab strengthening

How to Play:

This game is one that will work their brain as much as their physical abilities. Take a bit of masking tape and tape it to the floor on one side of the room. Then, about 10 to 20 feet away, place another piece of tape.

The child’s goal is to walk from one piece of tape to the other. The catch is they have to walk like the type of animal you call out. Make it fun by choosing a range of animals to pretend to be.

Stickers On Your Foot

What You Need: Balance ball, stickers

What this Works On: Core muscles and balance

How to Play:

In this activity, the child will put stickers on the bottom of their feet. They then sit on the ball, facing a wall, and must take the stickers off their feet just one piece at a time. After removing the sticker, they have to place it on a piece of paper that you’ve positioned on the wall. The hard part is balancing!

Tightrope Walk

What You Need: Tape

What this Works On: Balance, core, and leg muscles

How to Play:

Use the piece of tape to create a line from one side of the room to the other. The child pretends this is a tightrope and muscle balance on it to move across the room.

Simon Says

What You Need: Just another person

What this Works On: Any area of the body

How to Play:

This is a tried-and-true game in which the child mimics the actions of the other party. They can only do so when the leader says, “Simon says.” Try using a variety of activities to engage various muscles.

Stuffed Animal Elevator Rides

What You Need: Stuffed animals and an empty tote

What this Works On: Core strengthening

How to Play:

The goal for this activity is to move the stuffed animals in a pile on the floor into a plastic tote next to them. However, it’s done using only their feet. The child must maneuver one stuffed animal at a time on top of their foot, raise their foot, and then drop it into the container.

Floor Ice Skating

What You Need: Two paper plates

What this Works On: Core muscles, leg strength, and balance

How to Play:

This one is as easy as can be. With care to minimize falls, place two paper plates on the floor and have the child stand on the plates, one foot on each one. Then, have them slide from one area of the room to the next. This method works best where there’s no carpeting.

Adapted Yoga

What You Need: Nothing, though you can use blocks, chairs, and walls to help you.

What this Works On: The whole body

How to Play:

Adapted yoga is something that most people can do because it means performing various yoga poses in a manner that’s easier for them to do. You can develop your own strategies here, but use things like blocks, chairs, or even the wall for support.

Wheelbarrow Race

What You Need: Another person

What this Works On: Core and upper arm strength, shoulder strengthening

How to Play:

To play this game, someone else needs to stand behind your child while they lay on their belly (aim for a soft area of the floor for this one). The other person picks up the person’s legs, holding them at a slight angle off the ground.

The child then has to move throughout the household, using their arms to walk. Though challenging, see who can move through the home fastest.

Hungry Hippos

What You Need: Two peanut balls and 10 throwing bean bags

What this Works On: This therapy helps to build upper limb strength, weight-bearing in the upper limb, motor planning, and core strength.

How to Play:

Hungry Hippos is certainly a fun board game that any child gets into, but this version is a more real-life way of playing. In it, the goal is to “eat” the most bean bags.

To play the game, the child lays on their stomach over the top of a peanut ball that’s properly sized for them. Their hands should be able to reach the ground while they lay over the top of the ball. To get the physical fitness benefit, the shoulder needs to be over the elbow and wrist. It takes a bit of balance using their hips, but the goal is to position yourself on the ball and then use your hands to “walk” the ball in various directions. The goal is to pick up as many bean bags as possible.

Scooter Board / Board Races

What You Need: Two scooter boards

What this Works On: This exercise helps to work on upper limb strength along with lower ab strength. It can help strengthen the lower limbs as well as the back extensor muscles.

How to Play:

To play this game, you will engage in a race between two people, each with one scooter board. The trick to this game is that the players can only use their arms to move, and then, in a second round, they can only use their legs.

To play this game, the child lays on their stomach with their toes pointed downward. To move the scooter, the child has to use both of their arms at the same time. It’s a bit harder to do, but you can also tell the child they can only use one arm at a time. The front portion of the hips must remain flat on the scooter board with the head looking upwards. See who can make it around the track first.

At Rock Valley Physical Therapy, we know the importance of providing the most enjoyable pediatric physical therapy exercises for children. When you take the time to find your clinic and then request an appointment , you’ll be engaging in a way to support your child’s recovery that they won’t mind participating in.

Does Shoulder Bursitis Go Away On Its Own?

Mon, 12 Feb 2024 17:33:45 GMT

Shoulder bursitis is a debilitating condition that often causes pain, difficulty moving the impacted area, and sometimes redness and swelling. It’s a condition not to put off getting help for, especially if you’ve felt it worsening. Treatment for bursitis can be highly effective when applied soon enough.

What is Shoulder Bursitis?

Bursitis itself is a term used to describe any inflammation in the bursa, which is the thin, sac-like space between skin and bones, ligaments and the bones, or tendons and bones. This can happen in various areas of the body, including the hips, elbows, and shoulders. When the bursa becomes inflamed, the sacs, which are supposed to work to help allow for proper gliding and movement of the joint or tissue, become painful. It can range from mild to severe and may become septic if not cared for properly.

If you suspect you may have shoulder bursitis, seek out physical therapy sooner rather than later . Earlier treatment may help minimize the worsening of this condition.

One of the steps your physical therapist or doctor will take is to understand the underlying cause of the condition. The most common cause is overuse of the area, which can cause inflammation to develop. Other conditions can cause this pain, too, including the development of arthritis or an infection. These tend to require more advanced care, especially if they are progressing.

Common Symptoms of Bursitis

The most common symptoms of shoulder bursitis include:

Pain, especially at night
Stiffness and swelling in the shoulder
A sharp pain when moving the arms overhead
Difficulty with moving the shoulder overall
Shoulder pain that is otherwise not explained

Some people experience a dull pain in the morning that improves when they start using their shoulder. Others feel pain when they lie on their shoulders. Still, others have mild pain and redness of the skin in the impacted area. Treatment for shoulder bursitis can be highly effective if you don’t put off getting the help you need.

Does Shoulder Bursitis Go Away On Its Own?

It may be possible for shoulder bursitis to improve on its own over time. However, physical therapy can help speed up this process while also minimizing the risk of it worsening. It’s a good idea to have this condition checked out by a doctor, especially if it is limiting your overall mobility and quality of life.

Because this condition is typically caused by overuse of the shoulder, reducing that use can help give the shoulder tissues time to heal. For example, shoulder bursitis is often diagnosed in athletes who are throwing, swimming, or otherwise engaging their shoulder in the same repetitive motion over and over again. Giving your shoulder a break from those activities may improve it.

However, many people will need additional support and treatment. You should not be afraid to get physical therapy, as it may help to improve your overall healing process and minimize any lasting complications.

How is Bursitis Treated?

A variety of treatment options are possible, depending on the condition and the severity. Most of the time, the most conservative approach will be taken to help provide pain relief and allow the body to heal. For example, activity modification is typically the first step to give the area time to heal. In some situations, the use of anti-inflammatory medications, like over-the-counter pain medications, can also offer some initial help.

This treatment works for mild cases, but as conditions worsen over time, it becomes more important to choose a more extensive treatment. This is where the use of physical therapy for injuries is so critical. Physical therapy is a customized, highly specialized treatment plan that addresses the function of the shoulder and muscles in the area, ensuring they are working properly and encouraging an improved range of motion. With manual therapy like this, your pain can improve over time.

For those with infected bursitis, which is bursitis brought on by an infection in the shoulder tissues and bursa sacs, it is essential to have a doctor provide care. This may include aspirating the bursa to reduce its size and using antibiotics to kill off the bacteria present. Typically, there is also a need to rest the area to allow it to heal.

More advanced care may be an option. For example, there are instances in which surgery is necessary, though this is a rare incident. If a person develops a chronic condition that does not improve with traditional therapy, surgery may be recommended. The area will then need to heal, and, in some cases, physical therapy and rehabilitation may be necessary.

When to See a Physical Therapist

If you have mild limitations to the use of your shoulder and pain that comes and goes, you may be able to modify your activities and allow the inflammation to improve. If you have any signs of an infection, including redness, swelling, or a fever, visit your doctor immediately for the first line of treatment.

It is often best to seek out physical therapy for shoulder bursitis if the condition does not improve on its own with rest, icing, and anti-inflammatory medications. Your physical therapist will create a treatment plan to address the specific areas of concern you have, such as improving posture, ensuring the joints and muscles are functioning as they should, and improving overall inflammation in the area with manual therapy.

Don’t put off seeing a physical therapist. With early intervention, you may be able to avoid more complicated health matters and may see a significant reduction in your pain sooner.

Get Treatment for Shoulder Bursitis

At Rock Valley Physical Therapy, our highly specialized physical therapists can help you rehab and rebuild your shoulder to reduce pain, improve muscle function, and provide you with pain relief. If you believe you have this condition, do not put off getting treatment for shoulder bursitis with our highly qualified physical therapists. Contact us today.

Rotator Cuff Physical Therapy Treatment and Prevention

Thu, 08 Feb 2024 20:26:59 GMT

Many of the movements of your shoulder relate to the rotator cuff. This is a grouping of tendons and muscles that help to support the movement of the joint, allowing your shoulder to move when you need to reach, pull, or stretch. This muscle group also holds the upper arm bone in place since the joint socket in this area is rather shallow. If you develop pain in this area, it could be due to damage to the rotator cuff.

Rotator Cuff Injuries

Injury to the rotator cuff can range from mild to severe and can impact any of the four muscles that make up this grouping.

What is a rotator cuff injury?

Injuries to the rotator cuff may include:

A partial or complete tear
An acute tear
Tendonitis
Tendinosis
Impingement

Causes and risk factors

Most people do not suffer injuries or damage to the rotator cuff simply because of the strength of the muscles. However, injuries can happen to anyone often due to strain. Some of the most common causes and risk factors include:

Being over the age of 60, due to the breakdown and weakening of the muscle tissues
Repeated motions that lead to the overuse of the muscles and the shoulder in general
Trauma to the shoulder or musc les, such as straining too hard or falling while your arm is outstretched

Those who engage in sports do hard la bor work with their arms, or those prone to accidents are at a higher likelihood of suffering damage to this area of the body.

Symptoms and signs

The following are some of the most common signs and symptoms of rotator cuff injury:

Swelling or the development of new pain at the front of the shoulder, often moving down the arm
Pain when raising or lowering the arm
A clicking or popping sound from the joint when moving the arm
Feeling as if the arm is heavy and hard to move
Weakness in the arm
Pain that wakes you up at night
Trouble reaching behind

Rotator Cuff Therapy and Exercise

Many people can see significant improvement in the function of their rotator cuff and shoulder joint with a conditioning program, a process of building strength and flexibility within these muscles. Though a doctor should be consulted in any situation related to injury to the rotator cuff, these exercises can provide significant improvement for many people.

Getting Started

After warming up with light stretching, consider these exercises to provide some improvement. You can use these if you have chronic pain but should seek medical care for acute pain.

Pendulum swing

This exercise will work the supraspinatus, deltoids, infraspinatus, and subscapularis muscles that make up the rotator cuff. To do this:

Lean forward and place one hand on a stable surface to support you. Allow the other arm to hang at your side.
Move the hanging arm forward and backward slowly but with purpose.
Move the hanging arm from side to side.
Repeat the process with the other arm.

Cross arm stretches

This exercise works to stretch out the muscle along your back, called the posterior deltoid.

Stand squared and relax your shoulders.
Pull one arm across your chest so it lays from shoulder to shoulder. Use your other arm to hold it in place.
Stretch as far as you can and hold this position for 30 seconds.
Repeat with your other arm.

The Rotator Cuff Tear: Diagnosis and Treatment

A rotator cuff tear is a type of acute injury, typically meaning that the muscle has an actual tear in it and is not just overstretched or damaged. Symptoms of a tear include:

Recurrent pain that worsens with some activities
Muscle weakness
Pain that limits sleep on the injured side
Trouble moving the arm

Diagnosis is done with the help of a doctor and may include the use of X-rays, ultrasound, or an MRI. Your doctor may also manipulate your arm in various ways to determine what has occurred.

For many people with a tear, physical therapy is an option. It is typically one of the first treatments used because it can be tailored to address the specific areas of concern related to the rotator cuff. Physical therapy after an injury like this can also be beneficial because it improves flexibility while building up the strength of the muscle group without causing pain and discomfort.

Recovery and Prevention

Recovery from rotator cuff tears or surgery to repair it can be done through additional physical therapy strategies . Typically, it can take several weeks for this to occur. Rehabilitation typically is done in phases, guided by your physical therapist to slowly work to strengthen the muscles.

Gentle range of motion exercises are the starting point
In moderate exercises, the goal will be to exercise the shoulder blade to build stability
Once continued healing occurs, the next step is to add weight to the treatment to help strengthen the muscles
Returning to activity, especially activities like sports, is often the physical phase in the recovery process, requiring a gradual process itself

It is critical during this process to work closely with your physical therapist. You should not try to recover from tears without the guidance of a professional.

When to Seek a Professional

If you have pain in your rotator cuff or any of the signs and symptoms here, rest the area and give it time to heal. If the pain is limiting your ability to do the activities that you need to, is waking you up at night, or is otherwise limiting your quality of life, it is helpful to seek out a physical therapist. Any type of acute pain that does not improve should be treated by a professional.

At Rock Valley Physical Therapy, our team of highly skilled therapists can work closely with you to create a treatment plan that addresses your needs. Find a clinic near you now. Then, set up a visit to find out what we can do to help you see improvement.

Physical Therapy for Headaches: Does it Work?

Thu, 08 Feb 2024 20:19:10 GMT

For many people, headaches are debilitating, taking over their day and often controlling their quality of life. Yet, taking pain medications for them isn’t ideal, and it doesn’t always work either. A headache is any instance in which you have pain in any part of the head, but there are various types of headaches caused by numerous factors. Physical therapy for headaches can be a very effective tool for reducing pain and overcoming limitations in a natural, non-medication manner.

Will Physical Ther apy Help?

It is likely that a physical therapist can help provide relief from headaches. Physical therapists are trained to screen for conditions that would require further medical care; if there are no red flags your physical therapist will evaluate you and determine the best plan of care for your headaches.

Most people will find physical therapy for headaches is very effective. Working closely with a physical therapist to choose the most appropriate type of treatment is a critical step in getting long-term relief.

What can physical therapy do for you? Here are some potential benefits you may see:

Reduce the intensity of the headache pain to a more manageable level or alleviate it fully
Reduce the frequency of the onset of headaches
Improve the length of headaches, reducing the amount of time you spend not engaging in life because of a headache
Eliminate or reduce the amount of medications you need to use
Improve your overall mobility and function
Reduce pain and stiffness in your neck and shoulders often associated with headaches
Improve your overall quality of life

The outcome you get is dependent on multiple factors, including the overall cause of the pain you have. Most often, physical therapy for headaches can be highly effective in alleviating headaches fully.

What Types of Headaches Can Be Treated?

Though having a headache is a common statement, there are actually a number of different types of headaches out there. Each one needs a different type of treatment to be alleviated. A physical therapist can help determine if you need to turn to your doctor for more aggressive treatment. Here’s a look at some of the most common types of headaches.

Migraines

It’s not uncommon for a person to suffer a migraine, though these are some of the most impactful and limiting headaches people have. They often come with other symptoms, such as being sensitive to light or suffering from painful neck throbbing. Some people cannot tolerate sounds when they have a migraine, and relief only comes from being in a quiet, dark room. Migraines like this can last for a few hours to days in the most intense situations and can be debilitating during that time.

Migraines could be brought on by stress, reactions to some types of foods, hormone imbalances, or numerous other limitations. Some people also struggle with neck pain that could contribute to the onset of migraines. It’s always important to learn the underlying cause, if possible, and to receive treatment for that though physical therapy can often be very helpful.

Tension headaches

Most people have experienced tension headaches from time to time. These occur around the head – often feeling as if a tight band has been wrapped around your head. Some people have a dull sensation, while others feel as though they are aching. Most of the time, a tension headache doesn’t create any throbbing symptoms, but a person may feel tension and pain in their upper shoulders and neck from them.

Tension headaches vary widely in terms of their underlying cause. Sometimes they can be brought on by stress, especially if that stress is ongoing. Other times, poor posture can contribute. Some people may have tension headaches frequently if they have muscle weakness in their neck, shoulders, or the surrounding area.

Though tension headaches may be common, physical therapy can help to make them less frequent and may reduce their intensity. Though it may be hard to eliminate all causes of headaches, and sometimes that cause is not known, it is likely that you can develop a treatment plan through physical therapy to improve your quality of life.

Cervicogenic headaches

A third common type of headache is called a cervicogenic headache. This type of headache occurs as a result of problems with the upper cervical spine. This area of your body works to control many of the small movements that occur in your neck. The area has dozens of muscles that have to work together to provide you with control over your headache and neck. Headaches may develop here for multiple reasons, such as muscle tightness or joint stiffness.

Cervicogenic headaches typically have a non-throbbing feel to them which can range from dull pain to much more significant pain. They can include blurry vision in one eye, pain in the arms, shoulders, or shoulder blades, and less overall flexibility of the neck. The pain often may seem to spread to the back of the head and the temples.

How Can Physical Therapy Reduce Headache Pain?

Working with a physical therapist can provide a few key benefits to those who have headache pain. First, it can work to ensure proper mobility and function of the vertebrae, often working to improve posture as well. Physical therapy can also provide relief from the uncomfortable tension in the shoulders, neck area, back, and other areas associated with the tension buildup. With the use of exercise, you can build up strength in this area and reduce the discomfort present.

Rock Valley PT Can Help You

You don’t have to just live with headache pain. You can get treatment in a holistic and natural way. Physical therapy for headaches may help you to get some of your life back, especially if you’ve been impacted by frequent headaches without an underlying cause.

With our team of highly experienced professionals, each of which is committed to providing exceptional care and attention to your needs, Rock Valley PT is confident we can help you. Don’t be afraid to turn to physical therapy as a solution for the pain you’re feeling. Contact us now for an appointment.

PT Guide to Inner Knee Pain From Running

Tue, 06 Feb 2024 15:38:35 GMT

Running is an excellent type of cardio workout for many people, but it can be damaging to the body over time, especially to the knees. The knees absorb a lot of the force each step, and while running, there’s more pressure than just walking. If you’re feeling any type of knee pain as a runner, it’s important to consider what’s causing it and what can be done. Inner knee pain from running is a sign your knee needs help.

Understanding Inner Knee Pain in Runners

Do you have knee pain from running? The high impact of running commonly causes inner knee pain, which could be a condition known as a runner’s knee. If you have pain that seems to focus on the area at the front and inner knee, you shouldn’t ignore it.

What is a runner’s knee?

Runner’s knee, also known as patellofemoral pain (PFP), typically involves pain just under the kneecap, at the front of the knee, and around the inner knee. It’s one of the most common causes of knee pain in runners, and once it develops, it can hurt while walking, squatting, or getting up. You may hear a rubbing, grinding, or even a click in the knee when moving around.

Common causes of inner knee pain

Other conditions can cause inner knee pain, including damage to the ligaments or cartilage, as well as the development of osteoarthritis. Overusing the knee joint can lead to inflammation. Sports injuries can also cause a hyper-extension of the joint. More complicated causes of inner knee pain include a torn meniscus and bursitis.

Recognizing symptoms

Any of the following symptoms should prompt you to get care for your knee pain:

Pain that is in the knee joint at any point around the leg
Swelling and stiffness
Sharp pain that is located right below the kneecap
Trouble with running or walking
Difficulty standing up

Diagnosis and Treatment

Any type of knee pain should be a reason to see your doctor (if the pain is intense or limits mobility) or to come in to see your physical therapist . Diagnosis of runner’s knee or other conditions typically requires a formal examination and range of motion test of the area. It is also important to consider X-rays or CT scans to rule out more invasive and complicated care needs. However, your physical therapist can often measure the strength of your hips and legs along with monitoring your gait to see what could be occurring.

Treatment options

Treatment options range widely but typically include:

Ice and heat therapy as a first step
Improving the type of footwear you have to support the proper placement of the knee with each fall of your step
Exercise to build up and strengthen your muscles

Medical and physical therapy care

While home remedies can be helpful, there are times when you may benefit from more support. If you have any knee pain, don’t wait to contact a professional. Our team is here to help you get the specific type of care best suited for you. Often, these types of injuries benefit from the hands-on support of your physical therapist.

Physical therapy in our clinic can help you strengthen the muscles and ligaments in this area while also helping to ensure each of the knee’s movements is properly aligned. This helps to improve the function of the knee.

For most advanced care, including for osteoarthritis, you may need the use of cortisone shots or fluid-based shots designed to add more lubrication to the area. However, for runners, this is not typically the first line of treatment.

Prevention and Recovery

As a runner, the thought of not being able to run isn’t ideal. If you have an injury right now, schedule an appointment with a physical therapist to go over what’s occurring and to get care. Then, be ready and willing to give your knee a break. Rest is an essential healing strategy. There are also steps you can take to prevent injury and recover after a run more effectively once you get back out there.

Tips for before running

Make sure you stretch properly before you start running. Stretching helps to loosen the muscles to allow them to work more effectively and without strain. You also want to ensure you have supportive running shoes. Ask our team to help you select them.

Post-run care

After a run, slow down for a few seconds rather than just stopping. You also want to stretch those muscles again to help keep them limber. It’s important to stay hydrated as well.

Other Knee Conditions

There are other causes of inner knee pain that you shouldn’t ignore. If you have any of the following, seek out care. You will find that what we do as your physical therapist can help to improve most of these conditions. Other causes of inner knee pain include:

Osteoarthritis
Rheumatoid arthritis
MCL injuries
Media meniscus injuries
Pes anserine bursitis

Each of these conditions can lead to inner knee pain. However, you may not really know what type of pain you have or the cause of it. As a general rule, if you have trouble bending the knee, pain while running, swelling, or stiffness, get in to seek out care.

Running Safely with Knee Pain

If you have inner knee pain as a runner, it’s not ideal to run while you have any limitations or pain. Give your body time to heal and recover. To speed up that process, get in for physical therapy so you can work on improving those muscles more fully.

Let Rock Valley Physical Therapy Help You

When you come in to see our team at Rock Valley Physical Therapy , we will provide you with a full evaluation and offer insight into what’s happening with your knee. Then, we’ll work with you to create a plan so you can get back out there. Request an appointment with us now to learn how.

TMJ Physical Therapy: What is it and Will it Help?

Fri, 26 Jan 2024 21:30:17 GMT

For those who suffer from pain and difficulty moving their jaw, a condition called temporomandibular joint dysfunction (TMD) may be a concern. The temporomandibular joint (TMJ) works like a hinge and helps to connect the jawbone to the skull bone. In some situations, damage to that joint, muscles, or other soft tissues in the area can cause pain and discomfort. Though a number of treatments exist, TMD physical therapy could be a great option.

What Is TMD (Temporomandibular Joint Disorder)?

TMD is not uncommon and can make talking, eating, and enjoying life more difficult. This type of disorder may be caused by a variety of issues, and although most people only experience this discomfort over a short period of time before it heals on its own, others will continue to experience it on an ongoing basis.

Common symptoms of TMD include:

Pain in the jaw or ear
Pain in the TMJ joint itself
Aching muscles in the face or neck
Facial pain or headache
Trouble chewing or biting
Clicking noises when opening and closing the jaw
Locking jaw

If you notice these types of symptoms, it is best not to ignore the problem. Though surgical options are available, most people do not need extensive procedures to fix TMD. For many, physical therapy can be a viable option.

Can Physical Therapy Help with TMD?

TMD treatment needs to fit the underlying cause of the condition. For many people, the underlying problem associated with this condition is the way the jaw bone and hinge operate. Since physical therapists are movement specialists who improve the way joints move, it is likely that TMJ therapy will be beneficial.

The goal of this type of physical therapy may be to improve alignment, muscular tone, and range of motion of the jaw hinge, allowing it to move more naturally and therefore reduce pain and discomfort. Don’t be afraid to get physical therapy . It may make a significant improvement in your ability to chew and talk while also offering pain relief from any chronic discomfort you are facing.

What Causes TMD?

One of the steps doctors and therapists will take to provide treatment for TMD is to pinpoint the underlying cause. Some of the most common causes of TMD include:

Poor posture: Posture is a very common cause of TMD. A forward head position puts stress on the ligaments of the TMJ while also straining the muscles in the region. This makes it difficult for the muscles to work as intended and can result in joint misalignment or improper joint movement.
Chronic jaw clenching: A person may experience a clenching of the jaw in stressful situations during the day or while they sleep. Clenching compresses the joint and makes it difficult for the muscle to relax to its normal tone and perform its normal activities – even after the active clenching stops.
Tooth alignment problems: Improper alignment of the teeth impacts the position of the TMJ itself and may over-stress some of the surrounding tissues in similar ways as discussed above.
Fracture: There are some situations where the underlying cause of the TMJ disorder is due to a fracture. This may occur with trauma to the head or face. After a fracture heals, a person may be left with joint stiffness or muscular dysfunction that needs further attention in order to return to normal use.
Lockjaw: Lockjaw, also known as trismus, occurs when the muscles located in the jaw spasm and limit the jaw’s ability to function properly. Muscles may have difficulty relaxing again and prolonged loss of motion can result in joint stiffness.

Some of these injuries may require physical therapy . Others may require coordination with dental specialists to fully recover.

What Are the Treatments?

There are many ways physical therapists may be able to help with this treatment. Examples include:

Improving posture: One of the ways physical therapists can help those with TMD is to improve the position of the head and neck, which can help to relieve abnormal stress to the TMJ.
Improving jaw function: Physical therapists are movement specialists and the TMJ is another joint we can positively affect. Hands-on methods , also known as manual therapy, can improve joint stiffness and relax dysfunctional muscles. There are a variety of gentle, active movements that can re-teach jaw musculature to work as intended. By improving the overall amount and symmetry of movement of the joint, the TMJ can return to normal use and pain can dissipate.
Pain treatment: Chronic pain can be complex. Your therapist can help explain your condition, resolve musculoskeletal dysfunction, and desensitize the region if nerve sensitivity remains. Other treatments such as ultrasound, electrical stimulation, or dry needling may be implemented as well to facilitate the healing process.

If your doctor has recommended physical therapy for TMJ , that should be your first step in treatment. For many people, that’s the only treatment necessary. There are some situations where more advanced treatment is necessary. For example, dental procedures, splints, or surgery may require additional consultation with dentists or oral surgeons. Your therapist would be happy to coordinate treatments as appropriate.

How Rock Valley Physical Therapy Can Help You

TMJ physical therapy is one of the resources we can provide to you at Rock Valley Physical Therapy. We are committed to providing our patients with exceptional support and guidance in reducing their pain and improving their mobility. To learn more about how our physical therapists can help you, contact Rock Valley Physical Therapy today .

Can Physical Therapy Help Prevent Falls?

Mon, 11 Dec 2023 22:20:33 GMT

Falling is one of the biggest concerns for many people, especially those who have an illness or injury that makes them susceptible to complications. It is not possible to prevent all falls, but providing your body with some helpful skills and structural integrity can help to minimize the negative impacts you have. In fact, the use of physical therapy can actually reduce the number of falls you suffer.

Factors That Increase Fall Risk

Some people are at a higher risk of falling. Older adults, for example, are more likely to trip and fall, putting them at a much higher risk for injuries. Some of the most common factors that increase fall risks include:

Balance and walking problems, including those that are brought on by changes in vision or altered sensation with the feet, such as neuropathy.
Hazards in the home, such as tripping on carpeting or clutter.
Use of medications, especially more than one, that can cause an increased risk of dizziness.
Low blood pressure risks, such as those who have orthostatic hypotension when they stand.
Difficulty with mobility and core strength due to muscle breakdown or limitations on mobility.

Fall Prevention – Physical Therapy Solutions

When a patient comes in for help , we can create a tailored therapy plan to address the specific concerns they have. Physical therapy is often one of the best tools to help you to avoid falling. It can help you with:

Education: By providing you with strategies to minimize falls, such as improving the way you move, it may be possible to reduce the risk of falls. Education about strategies to improve stability can also help.
Fear management: Physical therapy can help many people build confidence, which in itself can reduce the risk of falling.
Reduce costs: Physical therapy c an help to reduce the cost of having to manage injuries and illnesses.

Exercises That Can Help Reduce Risk

Our patients are always given individualized attention to ensure they get the level and type of care they need. For some, the following exercises can be helpful in fall prevention physical therapy.

Stand and Sit Exercise

Improving a person’s ability to stand and sit and working on doing so to build core strength can significantly reduce the risk of falling. A sit to stand exercise teaches the body how to do this safely, and it also works to build up those muscles.

Balance Training

A balancing training exercise requires a person to stand at a counter with feet together and then move in various ways to learn to balance, such as picking up one foot, holding it, and then setting it down.

Strength Training

In addition to this, some people benefit from physical therapy that works to provide strength training, such as the use of light weights. For those with complicated health conditions, like Parkinson’s Disease, this type of treatment can help build strength overall.

Let Our Team Offer the Help You Need

At Rock Valley Physical Therapy , we can offer individualized treatment steps to give you the confidence you need to embrace life while working to reduce your risk of falling. Learn more about what we do and how it can help you when you contact our team.

Common Back Injuries After a Fall

Tue, 17 Oct 2023 15:39:29 GMT

A simple fall can lead to complications, such as chronic pain, mobility concerns, or more severe injury. That’s because there are numerous mechanisms in the back, including bones, ligaments, tendons, muscles, and the spinal cord itself, that must work together to provide the strong core of the body. A fall can cause damage to many of these structures. If you have a back injury from a fall, it’s critical to know what to do.

What to Do After a Fall On Your Back

If you fall on your back or fall and strain your back in any way, it’s critical to assess your pain and mobility at that moment. Don’t try to move if you’re experiencing any pain. If you’ve hit your head or feel any resistance when trying to move, request emergency medical care before moving.

Even if you’re able to get up and start moving, you may have injuries present that need to be addressed. Seek out an exam from a doctor to ensure there are no immediate injuries requiring care.

Symptoms to Look For After Fall

There are several symptoms to look for after a fall on the back that should not be ignored, as they can signal that you need additional treatment and support. Typically, if you feel pain that lingers for more than a few hours, you should seek out help. There are other symptoms to pay close attention to as well:

New tenderness or soreness
Pain that gets worse if you lift or bend
Increased pain when moving from a sitting to a standing position
Pain that radiates from one area into your arms or legs
Pain that comes and goes, especially over longer periods of time
Changes in your sexual function
Any instance in which you feel burning or pulsing in your back

Also note that if you have any bladder or bowel changes, numbness or weakness, or instability, that warrants a trip to the emergency room. You should also visit the ER if you have changes to your vision.

Common Lower Back Injuries From Fall

If you have lower back pain after a fall, you may experience a number of symptoms that can come and go. Typically, injuries to this area are often the result of:

A ruptured or herniated disc in your spinal column
Muscle or tendon strains, where the muscle has been pulled and stretches
Ligament sprains
Vertebral fractures
Pinched or otherwise damaged nerves
Trauma to the spinal cord
Soft tissue damage, including tears

Common Upper Back Injuries From Fall

It’s possible to have upper back injuries as well from a fall. These, like lower back injuries, require careful attention and often a trip to the doctor. Some types of upper back pain causes include:

Strains and sprains to the muscles, tendons, or ligaments
Herniated upper discs
Fractures of the bones in this area
Soft tissue damage
Whiplash

Also note that a fall can also cause injury to the neck and shoulders, which can create pain that radiates from these areas lower into the upper back. This, too, should be treated properly with medical care.

You Should See A Doctor If

There are many reasons to see a doctor if you have lower back pain or pain that comes and goes. Upper back pain should be treated with just as much care and attention if it is intense or limiting your movement.

The following are some instances that require seeing a doctor for your back pain. It is always better to see a doctor or physical therapist sooner rather than later when you have any lasting or lingering back pain.

These situations warrant a trip to the emergency room or your primary care doctor:

Headaches that do not improve
Tingling or numbness in any area of the body
Paralysis
Fever
Trouble or pain when urinating
Weight loss that is otherwise unexplained
Weakness
Loss of feeling
Difficulty breathing

Most of the time, the pain you have from a fall on your back should improve within a few days. If it lasts more than that, it may be beneficial to turn to your doctor for X-rays and treatment for any fractures or lasting damage.

Both upper and lower back pain can be treated with physical therapy if the problem relates to muscles, tendons, or ligaments. A physical therapist, even without a doctor’s recommendation, can help your body to function properly and build up muscle mass to overcome the damage from the fall. This may include exercises to help improve stretched and strained ligaments and tendons, too. If your pain doesn’t require immediate medical attention, reach out to a physical therapist for the treatment you need to recover.

At-Home Treatment For Minor Back Injuries

When you fall on your back, your priority should be to get medical care since there may be damage you cannot see or feel right away, especially if you fall from high. If you don’t seem to have any specific injuries, there are a few things you can do at home to encourage your body to heal properly.

Take a break from significant physical activity to allow your body to heal.
For muscle-related pain, the use of topical treatments can help to reduce pain while the area is healing.
Speak to your doctor about the use of over-the-counter pain medications for short-term relief.
Alternate hot and cold therapy to the impacted area, encouraging the muscle to heal.
Get exercise with the guidance of your physical therapist or trainer. Moving and stretching your back properly can encourage healing.

When pain lingers, see the doctor. If your pain is causing you to be immobile, you also need medical care.

Contact Our Team at Rock Valley Physical Therapy for Help

Any type of lingering back pain shouldn’t be ignored. Let the team at Rock Valley Physical Therapy offer help to you. Contact us now to set up a consultation to discuss your symptoms and to create a treatment plan. Our team knows what you’re up against, and we’re happy to create a treatment plan to get you back on track.

Physical Therapy After a Car Accident: Why It Matters

Tue, 10 Oct 2023 21:29:14 GMT

A car accident can leave you shaken, sore, and unsure of what to do next. Even low-speed collisions can place sudden force on your neck, back, and joints. Some injuries are obvious right away. Others take hours or even days to show up.

Starting physical therapy after a car accident can play a major role in how well and how quickly you recover. Pain, stiffness, headaches, and limited movement are common after a crash. Without proper treatment, those symptoms can linger and turn into long-term problems.

Car accident PT focuses on restoring movement, reducing pain, and helping your body heal the right way. Instead of masking symptoms, physical therapy addresses the underlying muscle strain, joint irritation, and movement restrictions that often follow an accident.

If you have recently been in a crash, early evaluation can make a meaningful difference in your recovery.

Why You Shouldn’t Wait to Start Physical Therapy

After a car accident, adrenaline can mask pain. It is common to feel “okay” at first, only to wake up the next day with stiffness, headaches, or sharp discomfort in the neck or back. Waiting too long to address those symptoms can allow inflammation and movement restrictions to worsen.

Early physical therapy after a car accident helps identify injuries that may not be obvious right away. A physical therapist evaluates joint mobility, muscle strength, posture, and nerve symptoms to catch problems before they progress.

Prompt treatment also helps reduce swelling, restore range of motion, and prevent the body from developing unhealthy compensation patterns. When one area is painful, other muscles often step in to protect it. Over time, that can create new pain in the shoulders, hips, or lower back.

Starting car accident PT sooner rather than later gives your body the best chance to heal properly. It can shorten recovery time, improve comfort, and reduce the risk of long term limitations that interfere with work, sleep, and daily activity.

Common Car Accident Injuries PT Can Treat

Car accidents place sudden force on the body. That force can strain muscles, irritate joints, and impact the nervous system. Physical therapy addresses many of the injuries that follow a collision, including:

Whiplash

Rapid back-and-forth movement of the neck can strain ligaments and muscles. Symptoms may include neck pain , stiffness, headaches, and pain that radiates into the shoulders or arms.

Back Pain and Disc Irritation

The spine absorbs significant force during a crash. Patients may experience lower back pain , mid-back stiffness, or radiating symptoms into the legs.

Shoulder Injuries

Seatbelt restraint and bracing during impact can strain the shoulder joint. Pain, weakness, and difficulty lifting the arm are common complaints.

Headaches and Concussion-Related Symptoms

Even without a direct blow to the head, rapid movement can trigger headaches, dizziness, and difficulty concentrating.

Knee and Leg Injuries

Drivers and passengers may hit the dashboard or brace their legs during impact. Swelling, instability, and pain with walking can follow.

How PT Promotes Faster, Safer Injury Recovery

After a car accident, pain can limit movement. Limited movement leads to stiffness, weakness, and poor mechanics that slow recovery. Physical therapy addresses these barriers directly.

Hands-on treatment helps reduce muscle tension and improve joint mobility. Targeted exercises rebuild strength and restore range of motion at a pace that matches your injury. Each step is progressed carefully to protect healing tissues.

Physical therapy after a car accident also retrains posture and movement patterns so your body does not compensate in ways that create new pain. Car accident PT focuses on steady, controlled progress that supports long-term recovery, not quick fixes.

Preventing Chronic Pain With Early Intervention

One of the biggest risks after a car accident is lingering pain that never fully resolves. When injuries are not properly addressed, the body adapts. Muscles tighten to guard painful areas, joints become stiff, and inflammation can stick around longer than expected.

Early physical therapy helps break that cycle. Restoring normal movement and rebuilding strength reduces stress on surrounding tissues and improves how your body handles daily activity.

Therapists also identify subtle compensation patterns that may develop after an injury. Correcting those movement changes early can lower the risk of ongoing neck, back, or shoulder pain months after the accident.

What to Expect From Your Post-Accident PT Plan

Your plan of care begins with a detailed evaluation. A physical therapist will assess your pain levels, range of motion, strength, posture, and any nerve related symptoms. You will also discuss how the accident has affected your work, sleep, and daily routine.

From there, a personalized treatment plan is created. This may include hands-on manual therapy, targeted exercises, stretching, posture correction, and gradual strength training. As you improve, your program progresses to match your goals and activity level.

Care is focused on long-term recovery. The goal is to help you move confidently again, not just reduce symptoms for the short term.

No Referral Needed to Start PT After an Accident

After a car accident, the last thing you need is another obstacle delaying your recovery. In most cases, you can begin physical therapy without a physician referral. That means you can schedule an evaluation and start addressing pain and stiffness right away.

Early care can make a meaningful difference in how you feel in the weeks ahead. Prompt treatment helps restore movement, reduce discomfort, and keep minor issues from developing into long-term problems.

Rock Valley Physical Therapy provides personalized, hands-on care focused on lasting recovery. Our therapist-led team works closely with you to create a plan tailored to your injury and your goals.

If you have been in a car accident, do not wait for symptoms to worsen. Contact Rock Valley Physical Therapy today to schedule your evaluation and take the first step toward recovery.

Knee Treatment Without Surgery: Your Path to Pain‑Free Movement

Wed, 04 Oct 2023 20:16:07 GMT

Consistent knee pain is debilitating, often resulting in pulling out of activities you enjoy and worrying about what type of invasive procedure may be necessary to help you recover. Aching knees are more common as a person gets older, but at any point, it may be possible to see significant improvement. While surgical knee replacement is always an option, it’s not the only thing you can do. Knee repair without surgery is often an option and is best as a first step.

Don’t be afraid to explore physical therapy and other treatments like the following as the first steps in your journey to reduce knee pain.

How to Avoid Knee Surgery or Replacement

The question many people have is how they are going to stop the pain they feel. Knee pain is often due to inflammation within the area. In some cases, the cartilage within the knee wears down, decreasing space within the joint and affecting movement. When that happens, many people believe the first step to fixing this joint is to have the knee replaced.

Instead, consider these alternatives that may offer significant improvement without the need for knee surgery.

Physical Therapy

You may think that physical therapy isn’t the right step – after all, it hurts to move the joint, so why would you want to do more of it? That’s a common miscaption related to physical therapy, though. Generally, this type of therapy helps to improve the way your knee functions, strengthens muscles and reduces inflammation.

Unlike more complex recoveries, like ACL tears , physical therapy for knee pain can start to provide improvement right away. You may see your condition improve consistently over a period of time, allowing you to get around more without debilitating pain.

Exercise

Exercise is an excellent way to build strength and tone muscles, but it can also help to encourage proper movement of the limb. However, it’s critical to do so in the proper way, minimizing the risk of further injury to that joint. When you work with a physical therapist following your injury, you’ll be able to create a customized treatment plan that addresses the specific exercise methods best suited for you.

Exercise is also a great way to help to reduce inflammation because it stimulates blood flow to the area and encourages the natural healing process. Once you start moving it again properly in a controlled environment, the pain lessens.

Weight Management

A secondary benefit to exercise comes with weight management. The more weight your joints have to carry and manage, the harder the workload is. By working to reduce that with proper strategies, you may see a significant improvement in the pain you have. In many cases, being less active can actually worsen your condition due to the higher risk of gaining weight. It’s hard to think about exercise, though, to lose weight when your knees hurt.

That’s what helps to make physical therapy after an injury or chronic condition like this so important. It creates a solid strategy for getting you moving again without pain, and that can ultimately help to improve the way you feel, give you the boost of energy you need, and help improve your overall health.

Medication and Injections

Some people benefit from medication and injections for knee pain. This often can be a starting point for dealing with initial pain while you work to build up your fitness level and strengthen your muscle performance. There are a few different types of treatments your doctor may recommend:

Corticosteroid injections: These injections are designed to reduce the inflammation occurring in the knee, which is often one of the major causes of discomfort and pain. That inflammation often causes swelling that makes it harder to move. These injections typically work for several months.
Hyaluronic acid injections: A similar process using a type of joint lubrication, this method helps to make it easier for your joint to move without the bone-on-bone feel, reducing pain.
PRP and stem cell injections: Your body’s stem cells, which are powerful concentrations of platelets that help to encourage the restructuring of the joint cells, can also help.

Alternative Therapies

A few alternative and noninvasive options exist for improving knee pain without surgery. Take a look at these options:

Acupuncture: These procedures involve virtually no discomfort, but they can stimulate the immune system to support healing in a targeted area, such as the joint or the tissues surrounding it.
Dry Needling: Increases pressure pain threshold and range of motion, decreases muscle tone, and decreases pain.
Glucosamine: This type of dietary supplement has been shown to provide people with improved mobility in all joints of the body. It can be specifically helpful to those struggling with arthritic pain. It helps to promote cartilage growth and repair, offering improvement to pain.
Bracing: In mild cases, you may benefit from bracing, which is the process of applying a brace to the external structure of the knee to support its proper function and to offer more support to you as you walk. Braces may be foam, leather, metal, plastic, or fabric.

Keep in mind that all of these treatment options can work together with each other, which means that you may benefit from more than one at a time. The goal of improving joint mobility and reducing pain is to help your knee work properly, which can ultimately help you get your life back. However, it’s best to have a customized treatment plan created for one, one that addresses the underlying cause of your pain as well as the strategies you may have already used to see improvement.

Rock Valley Physical Therapy Is Here to Help!

As you consider these options for knee repair without surgery, know that your first step should be a consultation with our team at Rock Valley Physical Therapy. Allow our team to help you determine the best rehabilitation strategy for your current situation and create a plan that strengthens your need while reducing your pain. Contact us now for a consultation.

Vestibular Therapy for Concussions: Regaining Stability and Well-being

Fri, 22 Sep 2023 21:07:38 GMT

Vestibular Rehabilitation and Concussions

Vestibular rehabilitation and concussions are often linked. This is one of the more effective methods for improving the function of the brain after a serious impact to it. Whether you are in a car accident or facing an injury from a sport, ensuring your brain, including the vestibular system, is working properly is essential. But what is this system, and how does this therapy work?

What is the Vestibular System?

The vestibular system is a tiny organ in the ear that sends signals to our brain involving our balance and orientation. It helps us understand where our head is positioned in relation to the horizon to help us maintain our posture as well as how we are moving. Specifically, this system helps your brain to understand motion and position, and orientation. It is how you know how far to reach to pick something up or how far to toss a ball.

This system is also known as the inner ear. There are two components to it. The semi-circular canals are one of these, and they work to detect the rotation of the head. That includes moments when you may be saying “yes” or “no” by nodding or shaking your head. The other component is the otolith organ. This component is a gravity-focused component. It detects linear acceleration of the head. That includes instances in which the head is moving, such as going up an escalator or moving in a car.

Within the brain are very specific visual-vestibular reflexes that help the brain to interpret how your head is moving in relation to the eyes and body. For example, when you turn your head side to side, these reflexes tell your eyes how they should move as well as how your head is moving in relation to your body.

What is Vestibular Dysfunction?

After a concussion, the brain may suffer damage to the area where the information from the vestibular system is interpreted. This often means that a person may feel dizzy or unsteady. Sometimes this can be a passing feeling that comes and goes without a lot of warning. Other times, it is constant. When that is the case, your concussion therapy should include some type of support for the vestibular system.

Vestibular dysfunction is the term used to describe a disturbance in the body’s balance system. It occurs when the inner ear or brain suffers an injury leading to the signals from the inner ear to become slowed, less frequent, or difficult to process.

The most common causes of vestibular dysfunction include:

Viral inner ear infections
Head injuries/Concussion
Aging
Genetic and environmental questions

What Impact Does a Concussion Have on Its Function?

A concussion occurs when there is an injury to the brain. When they happen, they can impact the various working components of the brain in numerous ways. This may include affecting memory, balance, speech, and reflexes. In a person who suffers damage to the area where the vestibular system is interpreted, a concussion could cause dizziness, trouble with balancing, and disorientation.

This occurs as damage to the neurons, or cells within the system, suffer damage caused by things like a hit to the head. Head trauma can damage the vestibular organs and impact the function of the brain as a result. Vestibular therapy may help to improve this.

Symptoms of Vestibular Dysfunction Following a Concussion

The symptoms of this type of injury are numerous but typically include:

Nausea
Dizziness
Vertigo (it feels as though the room is spinning)
Visual impairments
Disequilibrium
Sensitivity to motion
Changes to balance
Some people experience headaches which may be related to dizziness
Motion sickness
Nystagmus, a type of rapid, uncontrollable eye movement

Symptoms can range from mild to severe, depending on the severity of the concussion and where it is impacting your brain. If you notice any of these symptoms, especially if they linger for some time, it is best to seek out care from a physical therapist or another doctor right away.

Will Vestibular Therapy Help Me Return to Physical Activity and Sports?

Vestibular therapy after concussions is a valuable tool that may help you to get back to your daily activities sooner, including back to the sports you are playing. This treatment, called vestibular rehabilitation, works to improve the way the inner ear, brain, nerves, muscles, and eyes function. By retraining these components how to work properly, it is possible to see a marked improvement in the symptoms you feel.

First, an evaluation is completed to determine the current limitations, including those related to balance, eye movements, and positional changes. Then, a customized treatment plan is created to help improve the function of the brain. This is a type of physical therapy that can help a person over time to see a marked improvement.

What to Expect in Physical Therapy

Vestibular therapy is different for each person, but most of the time, this therapy takes 4 to 8 weeks to complete with routine physical therapy appointments. Frequency may vary dependent on symptoms, but typically starts at twice a week. During the experience, you will engage in a variety of exercises that are designed to address the symptoms you are having. This may include exercises to decrease tightness in muscles or improve communication between the eyes and the brain.

If you engage in specific sports activities and you are struggling with symptoms like these after a concussion, your physical therapist and treatment team can work together to create a treatment plan to address the specific areas of concern you are having.

Let Our Team Help You

Rock Valley Physical Therapy can help you to manage your symptoms after a concussion. We offer vestibular therapy for concussions and will work with you to get you back to your life and activities in no time. Contact us now for an appointment .

Ankle Sprain Recovery: Timeline, Symptoms, and Treatment Tips

Mon, 11 Sep 2023 14:48:27 GMT

You suddenly feel pain in your ankle after a long workout, run, or intense burst of energy. You may still be able to walk, one wince at a time, but you’re now wondering about your plans. What is the ankle sprain recovery time? Will this take you down for a few days or longer? A number of factors impact how long it will take for your ankle to heal and for you to get back to being as active as you were.

A sprained ankle is a relatively common injury t o the ligaments that help your ankle remain stable during movement. The ligaments here are pulled tightly to allow them to work properly, but overexerting them can lead to injury. This can lead to stretching, or, in some cases, it may cause a tear in the ligament itself. Falling or tripping and twisting your ankle can cause this.

Sprained Ankle Symptoms

Any type of pain in your ankle, foot, or calf shouldn’t be ignored. Without proper attention and continued use, you could injure that muscle more so, increasing the pain and discomfort and extending the recovery time. The most common symptoms associated with a sprained ankle include:

Trouble walking or feeling the need to walk gingerly
Areas on or near the ankle that are sensitive to touch
Pain when stepping or putting weight on the ankle
Swelling of the ankle, foot, and calf
Bruising and discoloration of the skin in this area

The most common causes of a sprained ankle include:

Tripping due to an uneven surface
A fall in which your body twists as you tumble
Losing balance
Landing poorly after jumping
Kicking, running, or engaging in sports like basketball or tennis in which you are twisting and turning often

In situations where you’ve suffered an injury during one of these types of events and your symptoms are like those listed here, it’s likely that you need to seek medical care for your sprained ankle.

Ankle Sprain Grades

How long does a sprained ankle take to heal? One of the factors in determining this is the grade, or severity, of the injury. The more significant the stretched ligament or, in cases where tears exist, the more significant that damage is, the longer it will take to heal. Consider the following three grades of a sprained ankle.

Grade 1

This is the most minimal level of damage to the ligament. You may have some pain and discomfort, especially with any pressure on the area. The area may swell for a short time and may be tender to the touch. Most of the time, you can still walk, and you don’t feel as though the joint is going to give out on you when you do.

In this situation, you are likely to need 1 to 3 weeks to heal fully. You may not need any advanced treatment in this case. In an otherwise healthy person, this type of injury will heal over a short period of time with rest and stretching it. If you’ve had more than one Grade 1 ankle sprain in a short time, physical therapy may be r ecommended to strengthen the area.

Grade 2

A Grade 2 sprain has more pain, but it’s not excruciating. There’s tenderness with the slighest of touch, and you may have some bruising of the area. You feel shaking when stepping on your foot with this type of injury, though you can likely still move around fairly well. There’s some range of motion and function changes associated with this condition.

Listen to your body here. If you have pain when walking, don’t put pressure on it. At this level, you may also benefit from treatment from a doctor or a physical therapist . The recovery time from a Grade 2 sprain is generally about 3 to 6 weeks. This is often necessary because a partial tear has occurred in the ligament.

Grade 3

The worst level of injury is a Grade 3 ankle sprain. In this situation, there’s a full tear of the ligament or a rupture of it, which in all situations means that you’ll need more time to heal and more care during the process. Most people will have severe pain that doesn’t improve much by not walking on it. You may also have bruising, swelling, and significant instability. Often, this leads to a loss of function, and twisting or moving the ankle isn’t possible.

At a Grade 3 injury, you will likely be unable to walk or bear weight. The recovery time for this level of injury may be several months.

What Is the Recovery Time?

To determine the ankle sprain recovery time in your situation, work with your doctor to gain more insight into the condition and treatment plan. Most often, the better you take care of your injury by staying off of it and getting therapy, the sooner you’ll heal. Yet, things like your body’s ability to heal and the amount of damage to other muscles can also play a role in how long it takes.

How to Treat a Sprained Ankle

As a type of injury that may require physical therapy , it is a good idea to start with an appointment with your physical therapist or doctor to discuss the best treatment for your needs if you have a Grade 3 injury. This may require surgery. For Grades 1 and 2, consider the following.

Rest your ankle. Avoid walking on it or putting weight on it. If there’s pain, simply don’t step down.
Use ice on the ankle right after it occurs. This will help to reduce the swelling you have. It may also be continued during your recovery period several times per day.
Compression may also help to immobilize and support the injury as it heals.

In Grade 2 or higher, treatment may involve medications to reduce inflammation and physical therapy to help improve muscle strength. Some people may need arthroscopy or reconstruction surgery to repair a highly damaged area.

Getting Help Sooner Can Help

At Rock Valley Physical Therapy, we work with you to treat your injury with proper therapy based on your needs. We encourage you to start therapy sooner rather than later with our team. Contact us today for exceptional support.

Preventing Overuse Injuries in Young Adults

Wed, 06 Sep 2023 21:34:32 GMT

Overuse injuries often occur when the muscles, ligaments, tendons, or other components of the body are used too much, for too long, or in an improper manner. This could be done to any bone or muscle in your body. There are many situations where physical therapy can help you overcome the pain and discomfort felt by these injuries.

What Is an Overuse Injury?

An overuse injury occurs when a person engages in some type of repetitive motion or activity in which the muscle, joint, bone, tendon, or ligament is used over and over again. This typically occurs without allowing that area to heal after a workout. For many reasons, this can lead to pain and discomfort – and it often comes down to simply not giving the body time to recuperate after an intense workout.

Shin splints are a common example, but they can also occur when an elbow, shoulder, or leg muscle ends up not having enough time to heal. Though not as serious as an ACL injury or broken bone, not caring for this injury can lead to numerous health complications over time.

Signs of an Overuse Injury in Young Adults

The first step in addressing overuse injuries in young adults is to recognize who is most at risk for them. Generally, children and teens are at the highest risk for developing these conditions because:

Their bones and muscles are still growing and, therefore, less resilient to the onset of stress
They engage in sports or other physical activities that can strain a muscle or pull a ligament
They may not recognize the difference between soreness after a good workout and muscle pain that relates to a true injury

The following are some of the most common signs that an overuse injury may be occurring. Keep in mind that not all of these require physical therapy , but if the pain is intense or increasing, you should not wait to get in for care.

Joint pain during an activity that they have done for some time
Recurring stiffness or difficulty with moving the area after working out
Swelling in the impacted area
Limited range of motion in the impacted area
Paint during the activity that intensifies
Joint degradation as seen through the early onset of chronic tendonitis or arthritis

The condition can worsen over time. This may occur, for example, when a person is facing injuries but is not getting the care they need or resting in the area. For some, getting manual therapy or simply taking a few days off can offer support and allow for the natural healing process. However, without this, mild pain can become more severe and may be debilitating over the long term.

Most Common Overuse Injuries in Young Adults

The following are some of the most common examples of overuse injuries in young people:

Jumper’s knee in those who play a sport like basketball
Shoulder and elbow injuries related to baseball, including those who are pitchers
Elbow injuries related to tennis
Back, elbow, or ankle injuries related to strain from gymnastics
Plantar fasciitis from running

Most sports involve repeated actions in some way that can ultimately lead to the onset of overuse injuries. If your child is engaging in any type of activity like this, it is quite important to take action to get the relief needed – including seeing a physical therapist to find out what your options are.

Preventing Overuse Injuries

Overuse injuries are often those that can be prevented. Preventing them is ideal as it may help to protect the muscles and bones from long-term, harder-to-improve injuries and even help to avoid rehabilitation after an injury occurs. Here are some strategies for preventing such injuries:

Take Time Away From the Activity

For those who are in a single sport, it is recommended that they have at least a three month break from it during the course of the year to allow for full repairing and healing to happen. This allows overused muscles and joints to heal over time and naturally. That does not mean that a person cannot exercise or stay active, but they should step away from vigorous activity, especially in the impacted areas or high risk areas for several months.

Consider a Different Type of Exercise

Another way to reduce the risk of injury is to switch things up. Instead of focusing just on basketball for the entire year, consider moving to swimming in the offseason. By doing this, you are working different muscle groups, and while you are still staying active and engaged, you are less at risk for overuse injuries to occur.

Get Physical Therapy Routinely

There are several types of physical therapy available. Not all forms are related to simply healing from an injury. Some forms of physical therapy can actually work very well as a type of preventative care mechanism. This can help to minimize the onset of injury because it helps to work out muscle, tendon, and ligament concerns before an injury occurs.

Listen to Your Body

When pain develops, that is the body’s communication with the brain, that it needs a break. Take that break. Take time off for a few days to allow your body to heal. If you do not notice that improvement, that often means it is time to seek medical care and support.

Rock Valley Physical Therapy Is Here to Help!

If you believe you could be at risk of or suffering from an overuse injury, let us help you. Learn more about what we do at Rock Valley Physical Therapy. Set up a consultation and exam with our team to find out what we can offer in the form of relief. For many people, our therapy options resolve their pain and improve their overall quality of life. Contact us now for an appointment.

6 Tips to Prevent Shin Splints

Thu, 10 Aug 2023 21:24:20 GMT

Medial tibial stress syndrome, more commonly known as shin splints, causes pain in the front portion of the lower leg near the shin bone. If you have shin splints, that doesn’t mean anything is wrong with the actual bone. However, it typically means there’s too much stress on the bone or the muscles in this area.

Shin splints are quite common but shouldn’t be ignored. They tend to occur when a person has done a lot of intense activity, such as jumping, running, or participating in running-related drills for sports. You can turn to physical therapy for help with recurring shin splints, but there are also a few things you can do to prevent this condition from happening in the first place. Here are some tips to help you learn how to prevent shin splints.

Wear Proper Footwear

What you wear on your feet can play a significant role in your overall performance because of the way it supports the muscles in your leg. If you’re wearing an old or unsupportive pair of shoes to run in, with every footfall, there’s nothing to support the arch of the foot and the muscles. That increases the risk of damage to the muscles and tendons simply because there’s more stress on them.

You should choose shoes based on comfort and the style of physical activity you do, but there are a few more things to consider that are more important. First, purchase supportive footwear that offers ample arch support. Anything that’s flat within the shoe isn’t supportive enough for intense workouts.

It is possible to use shock-absorbing insoles if you don’t want to buy a new pair of shoes. If you plan to do this, be sure to purchase those designed specifically for your feet. Invest in a quality product that will minimize stress on your muscles. Also note that you need to replace shoes often, about every 300 or so miles of running. That’s about every six months for routine runners.

Stretch

Preparing your muscles for a workout before it gets intense can help to reduce the frequency of shin splints. Prior to any significant workout, strengthen the muscles throughout the leg, allowing them to loosen. Going from zero to full force, on the other hand, is more likely to stress these muscles, causing significant pain.

Focus on warm-up activities that target the calves and hamstrings to help get the blood moving to these areas. Spend at least 10 minutes prior to any intense running, jumping, or other exercise warming up these muscles for the best overall results.

Choose a Soft Surface

Does it matter if you hit the pavement to do your intense workouts? Yes, it can. While ultimately, most sports programs and running goals will take place on a harder surface, starting out soft is the way to go.

Running on an uneven surface or one that’s hard, like the sidewalk, will increase the risk of shin splints, especially in those prone to them and those just starting an intense training program. With every step on these surfaces, not only are you straining the muscles in your legs but also in your back. Ultimately, that makes symptoms of aches and pains more common and sometimes more intense.

Instead, consider running on turf or grass. If you can’t do that, try an indoor track with a mat on it or even carpeting. You certainly may not be able to do this every time, but if you’re prone to shin splints, this could be one of the best ways to reduce intensity and give your muscles and joints some recovery time.

Strength and Flexibility

Work to build up your overall strength and flexibility. While running may be about burning calories or increasing speed, don’t overlook the value of building core muscles as well. Strength training of all of the muscles in your legs and core can help to give them more of the ability to handle intense workouts, reducing the risk of shin splints from occurring.

Toe and heel raises are an excellent starting point for improving flexibility. Focus heavily on strength training without a lot of initial weight and then build up from there.

Rest and Recovery

After a workout, your body’s muscles need to work to heal. That means that they need to repair the small tears that develop with rebuilding cells. This is done by getting rest. If you get shin splints often, it may be because you’re not giving your body enough time to recover in between intense workouts, and that will drastically increase the risk for additional injury.

In the ideal situation, a person will get two to three days of rest each week of intense workouts. This provides enough time for your body to focus just on the recovery process.

Also, note that it’s best to increase the intensity of your workouts gradually. If you are just starting out the season, for example, and haven’t been very active in the last few weeks, start slow. This allows your body time to recover in between those initial first workouts. Then, increase the frequency of workouts over time, lessening the amount of time your body has to heal.

Seek Professional Help

There is also benefit from a physical therapist for help after an injury. If you’ve had shin splints in the past, you’re more likely to have them again if you haven’t trained, built stamina, and built muscle strength.

Pay attention to your body. If you’re struggling with pain in this area, stop, use some heat or ice therapy , and then seek out the help of a physical therapist. Our team will work with you to address the underlying problem, which could be your form, lack of muscle development, or an injury that needs time to heal. Don’t keep pushing without addressing the underlying cause of your pain. A physical therapist can help with that.

Invest in Support from Our Team

If you’re one of the many people who struggle with shin splints, don’t be afraid to get help from physical therapy . Our team can create a customized treatment program designed to provide you with the best possible recovery and prevention. Contact Rock Valley Physical Therapy now to schedule treatment.

4 Reasons to Start Physical Therapy Sooner Than Later

Tue, 08 Aug 2023 22:09:26 GMT

Getting the care you need to recover from an injury or hospital stay should be a priority. That care may involve physical therapy, a process in which you’ll work with highly trained professionals to help your body learn to function properly, whether that’s for mobility needs or reducing pain. There are many reasons to start physical therapy, and often, the sooner you do, the better.

Reasons to Start Physical Therapy After an Injury

It is not uncommon for people to be afraid to go to physical therapy . Yet, because there are so many reasons to start physical therapy, you don’t want to put it off too long.

If your body is in the early stages of healing after a surgical procedure, your physical therapist will evaluate you and advise the best time to begin sessions.

Why now? Why not wait? Here are a few of the most important reasons you don’t want to wait to get into your physical therapist.

Improvements Are Noticeably Faster

The longer your body is down and out from an injury, the more work there is for it to do to heal. That’s why many doctors will encourage physical therapy right away, as it enables you to keep your muscles working and functioning at their best.

Often, physical therapy can speed up the healing process because they help your body to function optimally. More so, physical therapy helps encourage the body to work through those hard initial steps, working through scar tissue and building muscle strength. This in itself helps to encourage healing and often leads to bigger improvements sooner.

Less Physical Therapy Appointments

Often, the sooner you get started with physical therapy, the sooner you’ll be done with the process. If you wait too long, the process of rehabbing may be more difficult. For example, if you had a knee replacement procedure and you do not get into therapy soon enough, that could mean your body will develop scar tissue around the joint. Or, you may sanctimoniously develop walking patterns and methods that are not proper, which then need to be re-learned.

By contrast, if you are getting physical therapy properly from the start, that is less likely to occur. Your body develops the proper methods for walking or moving sooner. It gets stronger from the start with less development of scar tissue. That ultimately means less work for your body to do during the recovery process.

Money Can Be Saved

If you put off physical therapy for some time, thinking that it may save you money, think again. Let’s say you did not go to your physical therapy appointments after that knee replacement. You thought you could do a good enough job on your own. Now that it’s been a few weeks, you’re developing pain and discomfort. On top of that, your doctor says there’s scar tissue that’s going to be tough to get through as you rehab.

You may need to engage in more physical therapy now than if you would have started care early on. Though it may seem like an expense you can avoid, the resources and tools that your therapist can offer to you are well worth the investment.

Pain Relief

Many people find physical therapy tough at first, but as soon as you work through those first difficult moments, movement becomes easier, and the pain lessens. More so, there’s likely to be less pain developing because you’re moving properly. This helps to encourage nerves to function properly. Some people who have chronic pain – and have had it for a long time – find that the only way to get pain relief is during physical therapy appointments. That’s how valuable they can be.

If you are struggling with mobility concerns or pain, physical therapy can help you. Take the first step towards recovery by working closely with a therapist to learn what treatment options may exist for you.

Prevention of Future Injuries

What many people don’t know about physical therapy is that it can be one of the best resources for your healthcare journey. It allows for the proper development of strong muscles and core. It may also help you to ensure your muscles are working properly with each step you take. This allows for the reduction of the risk of further injury.

Working with a physical therapist may enable you to see improvement in the healing process, strengthening your body’s function and minimizing the risk that you’ll suffer complications or further injuries.

Finding the Right Level of Care Is Important

These are just a few of the many reasons to start physical therapy. The most important reason is that it will help to improve your quality of life after a significant surgery, injury, or hospital stay. At Rock Valley Physical Therapy, we know it’s a big decision, but our patient first mentality helps to ensure you get the very best level of care possible.

We make sure you have access to expertise that can help you get back to doing the things you love. You can trust our team to help you achieve the best possible outcomes. Contact us today to learn more. No physician referral is required.

Physical Therapy After Hip Replacement

Fri, 26 May 2023 20:10:51 GMT

Hip replacement surgery is one of the most common types of joint replacement surgery in the U.S., with thousands of people undergoing the procedure every year. It can be very restorative, reducing pain and providing you with significant improvement in mobility. However, just getting the new hip joint isn’t enough. You also need to re-learn how to use the joint and walk properly. That is where physical therapy after hip replacement becomes so important.

The Benefits of Physical Therapy After Hip Replacement

Many types of injuries benefit from physical therapy , and a hip replacement is easily one of the most important. Most people who have this surgery are encouraged to stand up and start walking on the hip within a few days of receiving the procedure. That can be scary, but once you leave the hospital and get clearance from your doctor, there are some outstanding reasons why you’ll benefit from physical therapy at this point. Some including:

Reducing your pain
Improving and maintaining proper circulation in the area
Eliminating joint stiffness that may make it hard to get moving right away each day
Reducing inflammation around the joint and surrounding tissues
Gaining confidence in your balance and movement
Getting back to your natural gait again
Improving muscle strength in the surrounding area
Improving joint strength which could help to make the procedure more successful

Your outcome could be different from another person’s experience. However, to properly heal and gain mobility, you have to move and use the hip joint. If you do not do so frequently enough in the right manner, that can lead to complications, including difficulty with scar tissue development, inflammation development, and more pain. Physical therapy can help you with this.

What to Expect During Your Post-Op Physical Therapy

After your hip replacement surgery , you may be in the hospital for a few days. During this time, the hospital staff will begin to work with you, including helping you to start physical therapy. You’ll likely only get the beginning level of support at this point, and you’ll likely receive much more therapy after discharge.

Setting Some Goals

The first step in outpatient therapy will be to set some goals for yourself. You’ll work with a physical therapist to understand where you are right now.

How long can you stand now?
How confident do you feel when taking steps?
How many steps can you take before you have to sit?
Do you have the proper form when taking steps?
How is your core muscle strength? Do you feel strong?

Setting goals allows you to measure the success you’ll have going forward. Your physical therapist will encourage you to work towards improving those goals in a manner that is both safe and comfortable for you.

Creating a Physical Therapy Rehab Plan

The next step in the process is to create a plan for getting that improvement you hope to see. This is always customized to fit the very specific needs you have, including where you were before your procedure and where you are going in the future. Some key elements of this will include:

Using gym equipment to improve your cardiovascular health. This will help build up your muscles which in turn helps to give them more ability to support you. You’ll also use gym equipment as a way to improve your range of motion.
Manual therapy is typically necessary. Manual therapy can provide a significant number of benefits after hip replacement because it helps you to properly move and stretch that joint, pushing through scar tissue without causing pain.
Gait training is a method of improving the way you walk. The key here is to get back to walking normally, but even those without a hip don’t always walk in the best form possible to protect the spine. Gait training allows you to regain proper movement, which can reduce pain and inflammation and also support the long-term health of your new joint.
Strength and balance training is another core component of the process because they work to give the muscles in the rest of your body the functionality they need to perform at their best. By working to improve your balance, you are less likely to fall, and you’ll be more confident in the other exercises you do.
Massage therapy can also be a valuable form of therapy for most people because it aids in improving circulation. It helps to get oxygen-rich blood to all of your muscles, helping them to heal, become stronger, and function properly. It can also help to ease the soreness you may feel after hip replacement surgery.

What Are Your Goals After Surgery?

Work with your physical therapist to create some goals for yourself after your procedure. For example, initially, your team will work with you to stand and walk. Then, the goal will be to go from sitting to standing with confidence without support. You’ll also need to work on the following:

Being able to go up and down stairs
Getting in and out of bed with confidence
Squatting without feeling like you are going to fall over
Taking care of your day-to-day needs, like getting dressed and preparing meals
Build up your ability to walk longer distances and exercise
Aid you in being able to work outside, run, and go swimming

It can be empowering to realize just how much your mobility could improve with the help of physical therapy after hip replacement surgery. All of the pain and discomfort you felt prior to the procedure may improve significantly if you engage in physical therapy well enough to reach your goals.

Let Our Team Guide You Towards Success

At Rock Valley Physical Therapy, we’re in it for the long haul. Our highly experienced, compassionate, and skilled physical therapists will work closely with you to support you as you heal. Most importantly, you’ll always have someone by your side to help you work through the hard moments and continue to push you appropriately to reach your next goal. We are here to help you succeed. Contact Rock Valley Physical Therapy today to learn how we can help you.

Pelvic Floor Therapy: What to Expect

Mon, 22 May 2023 19:50:04 GMT

Pelvic discomfort and dysfunction may often seem unexplainable and is often extremely discouraging! Many men and women experience inexplicable reproductive and/or bowel/bladder dysfunction. In many cases, the symptoms that stem from pelvic floor muscle dysfunction can be addressed with pelvic floor therapy, performed by a specialist.

Below, we seek to answer the most pressing questions surrounding pelvic floor therapy, including what the pelvic floor is and what techniques are often involved in pelvic floor therapy.

What is the Pelvic Floor?

Understanding pelvic floor therapy begins with comprehending the specific, physical area that can be the cause of severe physical discomfort and, at times, significant impairment to daily functioning.

The pelvic floor is a group of muscles that attaches to the pelvis, tailbone, and sacrum. These muscles do the incredibly important work of supporting the abdominal contents, including the reproductive organs, urinary tract, and bowel, to help control bladder and bowel functions. Therefore, the pelvic floor supports the bladder, uterus (or prostate), rectum, and also wraps the urethra, vagina (females), and rectum.

As one may imagine, when these muscles function improperly, sometimes being too weak or even sometimes being too tight, symptoms often occur and can result in discomfort, weakness, and dysfunction – which may then interfere with daily activities.

Gaining more public awareness over the last several years, pelvic floor physical therapy is an effective, conservative, and lasting intervention for people living with these issues.

What is Pelvic Floor Therapy?

Pelvic floor therapy is designed to treat the impaired function, discomfort and pain stemming from pelvic floor muscle dysfunction. Depending on each patient’s specific symptoms, differing treatment techniques will be prescribed.

What Issues Can Be Helped with Pelvic Floor Therapy?

Pelvic floor dysfunction can trigger a wide range of symptoms, including but not limited to:

Urinary issues:
Urinary frequency
Urinary leakage
Urinary urgency
Painful urination
Difficulty stopping, starting, or completing urination
Urinary incontinence

Bowel issues:
Fecal incontinence
Painful experiences during a bowel movement
Bowel leakage
Bowel urgency
Bowel frequency
Constipation
Difficulty stopping, starting, or completing a bowel movement

Unexplainable pain:
Rectal pain
Pelvic pain
Genital pain
Painful intercourse

Osteoporosis
Prolapse/rectocele/cystocele
Prenatal pain or weakness
Blocked milk ducts during lactation
Coccydynia
Pubic symphysis pain
Interstitial cystitis (IC)

If you have experienced any of the aforementioned issues, pelvic floor therapy may be the best choice for your treatment.

Who Can Implement Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy?

As with any form of treatment, it is best to work with a specialist. At Rock Valley, physical therapists working in pelvic floor therapy have and continue to receive ongoing specialist training and participate in consistent peer to peer review to bring you the latest and most comprehensive care approach available. Each of these providers are equipped to provide the techniques and care required to help you find success and meet your specific needs.

What Can You Expect from Pelvic Floor Therapy?

Depending on your specific symptoms, the techniques used will differ. We explore a description below to offer a glimpse into what you can expect from therapy.

First Appointment

Your first appointment will involve an interview allowing you and your provider to discuss your past history, current concerns and problem areas, and create dialogue that will lay the foundation for your care. During an initial visit, your therapist will also perform an assessment of your pelvic dysfunction. The assessment may include functional activities of issue such as standing, walking, and sitting, allowing the therapist to evaluate external and internal muscles. You and your provider may also decide an internal pelvic floor muscle exam is warranted to gather valuable information to focus your care. From this initial evaluation, you and your therapist will determine the best course of action.

If your therapist decides that outer problems, such as posture or joint issues, are negatively affecting your pelvic floor, differing treatment from the list below may be prescribed.

Physical Therapy Techniques

Many pelvic floor therapy techniques are hands-on, both external and internal. The internal exam provides useful information; however, it is not always necessary. Your specialist will make recommendations, listen to your needs, and you will make a plan together.

External techniques may include nerve release, joint mobilization, skin rolling, deep tissue massage, trigger point therapy, or dry needling. Strengthening exercises, coordination of muscle usage, or stretching exercises can focus in on your specific areas to work on. You will be educated in the “why” of the exercises and likely be given prescribed for specifically for you to complete at home.

Rock Valley Physical Therapy

At Rock Valley Physical Therapy, our team of specialists is determined to return patients to normal daily functioning, making it possible for them to complete the activities they love. Our Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy specialists have enhanced their education to specialize in the pelvic floor and its many, many intricacies. We help individuals who often feel misunderstood among complexity of the problems they are encountering. To inquire about our pelvic floor therapy, please do not hesitate to reach out via our online contact form today !

5 Types of Physical Therapy & Their Benefits

Wed, 19 Apr 2023 22:24:01 GMT

Physical therapy is a highly customizable tool designed to provide mobility improvement, strength building, and overall pain reduction. It can be used as a preventative tool to minimize the risk or need for more invasive treatment. Other times, physical therapy can be an option after treatment or surgery to provide a way for individuals to gain strength and function. There are many reasons to invest in physical therapy . Understanding the various types of physical therapy is a good place to get started if you’ve been told you may need it.

1. Vestibular Therapy

Vestibular therapy treats people who have inner ear dysfunction, which can lead to dizziness, trouble balancing, and difficulty understanding and navigating space. This type of therapy can help to significantly improve the quality of life in those who are suffering from these types of conditions.

Vestibular therapy works through a combination of positional maneuvers as well as developing new exercise and movement habits. We also incorporate eye coordination exercises, which can help to reduce the dizziness many people feel. We use balance training tasks, which may seem as simple as turning a head or opening and closing the eyes, but can have a significant impact on improving inner ear dysfunction.

This type of therapy may help people who have:

Generalized dizziness
Concussions or head injuries
Headaches and migraines not otherwise explained
Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo
Vestibular hypofunction
Meniere’s disease
Balance disorders such as strokes or Parkinson’s

If you have trouble rolling over in bed, feel dizzy when turning your head quickly, or have a loss of function when you look up, you may benefit from this treatment.

2. Geriatric Physical Therapy

Geriatric physical therapy is focused on providing improvements and support to people as they get older. Everyone sees changes in their function, mobility, aches, pains, and limitations as the body ages and tissues break down. These changes increase the risk of falling, which can lead to critical damage.

In geriatric physical therapy, the goal is to typically focus on specific areas of need, but often with mobility and movement improvement. Many people develop musculoskeletal conditions as they get older, which can alter the form of their movements, including walking, bending, stretching, and standing up or sitting down. Conditions like arthritis, osteoporosis, cancers, and others can create limitations to all of these activities.

In this area of physical therapy, the goal is to improve movement and adjust methods of mobility to reduce both pain and fall risks. It typically involves correcting movements and incorporating smaller, less-intense exercises to help improve pain levels.

3. Pediatric Physical Therapy

While it’s common for adults to need physical therapy from time to time, those under the age of 18 may as well. Many times, people are afraid of what physical therapy is or what it means, but for many children, it can prove to be not just essential but life-changing. This type of physical therapy enables specialists to provide care to infants, toddlers, younger children, and teens to improve a wide range of conditions.

Some pediatric physical therapy treatments help support the improvement of genetic conditions, while others foster a way of learning how to cope with limitations. The same applies to congenital disabilities and limb disabilities. Physical therapy may also prove to be essential when a sports injury or other serious injury occurs, especially as it relates to the head.

In this type of physical therapy, the goal is typically to heal and improve function as appropriate for the situation. Doing this early on may help a child gain as much mobility and functionality as they can. Often designed to be as enjoyable and “fun” as possible, this type of physical therapy is always done with safety in mind. Children learn, receive customized treatment, and are encouraged to push themselves to reach their goals.

4. Orthopedic Physical Therapy

Orthopedic physical therapy is a common form of physical therapy often needed after an injury. If you suffered an injury, rehabilitation for it might include working to improve the range of motion, strengthening the muscles, and building up overall endurance. In this type of physical therapy, treatment is always customized to fit the specific needs of the paint.

Often, injuries create long-term damage to the strength of impacted muscles. Even once the injury heals, the muscle has scar tissue and a different level of functionality. With this type of therapy, it may be possible to improve the function of the muscle or work to strengthen the body so that it can operate at the best possible level.

Treatment is not overly demanding, but it can be designed to meet the individual needs of the patient very closely.

5. Pelvic Floor Therapy

Pelvic health physical therapy is another core area of physical therapy that can benefit many people. The pelvic therapy solutions available can help men, women, elderly people, and transgender individuals. Through a holistic approach, it is possible to improve the functionality of the pelvic area as a whole.

There are many conditions that may be improved with the help of this type of therapy. That includes pain in the genital, rectal, or groin area, osteoporosis, pre-natal pain and weakness, bowel leakage or urgency, and urinary leakage or urgency. If you are struggling post-partum to get back to an active lifestyle, you experience constipation, or incomplete emptying of your bowel or bladder, this type of therapy can help.

It works to retrain and build muscles within the pelvis that are typically responsible for these types of limitations. For many people, it can be a significant improvement in their ability to live life to the fullest.

Rock Valley Physical Therapy Can Help You

These are just some of the types of physical therapy available from the highly experienced professionals at Rock Valley Physical Therapy. With our comprehensive experience and dedication to providing highly customized solutions to meet our client’s needs, we are confident we can help you to get the type and level of care you need.

Does Physical Therapy Help Arthritis?

Tue, 18 Apr 2023 21:50:54 GMT

Feeling aches and pains is a normal part of aging, but don’t let it get you down. If you’re experiencing arthritis symptoms, physical therapy can be a helpful solution to improve your health and mobility without relying solely on medication or joint replacement. Physical therapy can assist in regaining your health and mobility while helping to reduce pain, helping you live a better quality of life.

What Is Arthritis?

Arthritis is a term used to describe a range of around 100 conditions that impact people of all ages and backgrounds. It is a common reason people suffer from disabilities in the country. Each type is a bit different, but most create symptoms such as:

Swelling in joints
Stiffness
Limitations on movement due to pain
Reduced range of motion
Painful walking
Difficulty climbing stairs
Limitations on daily activities

Over time, the damage in the joints can worsen, creating an even more challenging level of pain. One of the most common forms, osteoarthritis, can impact any joint, including the knees, hips, hands, shoulders , and spine. This is a disease of the whole joint, not just the cartilage, that creates padding between joints when they move. As the joint weakens, the tissues that hold it in place and functioning begins to deteriorate. Inflammation then grows and becomes so unbearable a person stops using that joint the way they did.

Other types of arthritis include infectious arthritis, gout, and autoimmune inflammatory arthritis. Each has a different cause, but many involve inflammation that can be improved upon with physical therapy.

When Should You See a Physical Therapist?

Your first step whenever you have pain is to seek out the help of your doctor or physical therapist. They can provide some insight into what could be occurring and help determine if you have arthritis. From there, they can determine which type you have, which can ultimately provide insight into treatment options.

A physical therapist may be able to help you with the following:

Managing symptoms
Improving range of motion
Increasing mobility
Improving your ability to get around
Reducing your pain

You don’t have to wait for your doctor to prescribe physical therapy . You can reach out for help whenever you decide to do so. As you do, you’ll be able to see the vast amount of improvement this treatment may be able to bring to you. But can physical therapy actually help arthritis? You may know the importance of physical therapy after an injury. In that case, the treatment works to improve muscle strength, to ensure you are properly using your joints, and improve overall inflammation. It does the same thing when applied to arthritis – creating a way to improve your life that’s less invasive than most surgical procedures.

Physical Therapy Treatment for Arthritis

It’s always best to work closely with your physical therapist to create a very specific treatment plan. The goal is not to worsen your pain or to increase injury risk to your body. Rather, your physical therapist will begin by working to create specific goals for you based on the impacted area and your overall condition.

Some of the most common types of physical therapy that can help with arthritis include:

Aerobic exercise machines: These work to help strengthen muscles and help support your heart health. They may help you to lose some weight, which reduces the pressure on your joints.
Weight machines: You may learn how to do some lightweight exercises to help you build up your muscle strength and function. This should be done carefully to avoid complicated injury risks.
Equipment: Your physical therapist may recommend other options, like the use of resistance bands to improve range of motion and exercise balls to boost core stability.
Aquatic Therapy: Aquatic therapy can help relieve arthritis pain and improve joint flexibility by reducing the impact of gravity on the body. The water’s buoyancy also allows for gentle resistance and support during exercise, making it easier to move and build strength.

What to Expect at Your Physical Therapy Appointment

The initial step in treatment is always to gather information. Your physical therapist will learn more about your health and any injuries you may have had . Then, they will work with you to create some goals. Typically, the focus will be on things like reducing pain, improving movement, and overall improving your quality of life.

Your physical therapist will create a plan to address those needs. Here are some common goals:

Improving range of motion: To do this, your PT will work to continue to use joints that are limited, bending them and moving them further than they feel like they can go. Over time, this can help increase the overall range of motion.
Improving balance: Often, one of the most common risks for injury from arthritis comes from a fall, but your muscles and joints can become weaker as a result of this condition. Your physical therapist will work to help reduce this by improving balance, such as creating better movement, increasing the walking distance you have, and improving your overall confidence.
Increasing strength in joints: Both muscles and the impacted joints can be strengthened through the use of light weight-bearing exercises when proper control and care are placed. You will learn how to do this on your own, including how to improve the stability of your joints and reduce friction in your joints when moving.

You can expect your physical therapist to help you with movements and therapy but also to teach you how to perform them at home. That way, you can continue to see improvements in your health and well-being over time. You may also learn of complimentary support like using heat or cold therapy or water aerobics.

Reach Out to Rock Valley Physical Therapy

At Rock Valley Physical Therapy, we are committed to providing our patients with exceptional, customized care. When you reach out to us, our goal will always be to create a treatment plan that minimizes your discomfort and improves your quality of life. Contact us now for an appointment.

Can Physical Therapy Help Sciatica?

Tue, 14 Mar 2023 21:26:05 GMT

Sciatica brings with it debilitating pain, often that impacts your day-to-day life. Often, it comes out of nowhere, causing an instant shooting pain down your leg or creating tension in your hip or buttocks. It doesn’t have to stop you from life. There are various strategies that can help, including physical therapy. How can physical therapy help sciatica? Read on to learn more.

What Is Sciatica?

Your sciatic nerve begins at your lower back and runs into your hips before branching out to continue moving through each of your legs. This nerve can suffer inflammation due to pressure, trauma, or poor posture over time. This creates a shooting, intense pain. You may feel like the pain is suddenly intense and unexpected.

What Causes Sciatica?

Sciatica occurs for various reasons but is the direct result of the sciatic nerve suffering some type of compression or pinching at one location or, in more complex cases, several areas. This may happen for various reasons, including:

Herniated or bulging discs
Bone spurs that develop on the lumbar portion of the spine
Stress on the spine related to obesity, especially heavy mid-section weight
Tumor development
Damage to the sciatic nerve from diabetes
Stress on the nerve brought on by twisting, carrying, standing for long periods, or other specific stress on the spine
A sedentary lifestyle

What Are Symptoms of Sciatica?

The most common symptoms of sciatica include pain that typically is only just one side of the body along the path of the sciatic nerve. This could include pain at the:

Low back
Buttock
Calf
Back of the thigh

The pain can range from mild to sharp and may seem to be a burning sensation or a jolt-like feeling.

Can Physical Therapy Help Treat Sciatica?

Yes! Physical therapy can provide an excellent way to improve sciatica symptoms , reducing pain and helping to restore day-to-day function. Sciatica is not always improved by resting. Rather, in most cases you need to stretch and then strengthen the muscles, joints, and the nerve itself in the area. Additional treatment can also help.

Exercises Done in Therapy

Working one-on-one with a physical therapist will allow them to provide you with specific exercises that may benefit your sciatic pain. The following are some commonly recommended exercises and stretches for lower back pain you may use.

Assisted Range of Motion Exercises

In this particular exercise, you will work with a therapist to move your hips and legs. The benefit here is that the therapist helps to ensure your joint is moving properly, helping to reduce pain in those impacted muscles.

Your therapist will recommend specific strategies based on your needs. This can provide significant relief by re-training your joints to work properly.

Spinal Flexion and Extension Exercises

Perhaps the most common type of exercise beneficial for sciatica is this one, as it helps reduce pain by helping your spine move properly. This method involves both forward and backward bending.

Strengthening Exercises

Both isometric and isotonic exercises can be beneficial in helping improve sciatic pain. These exercises include using your body’s weight and some resistance to support strengthening muscles.

Isometric exercises include planking or creating a bridge hold that forces the muscles in your glutes to contract. Isotonic exercises include the use of lightweight training and resistance bands. With careful, not extraneous, exercise, it’s possible to significantly improve overall function and reduce pain.

Aquatic Therapy

Getting in the water is an effective type of therapy for sciatic pain. It reduces pain, improves mobility, and avoids strain on the joints. Aquatic therapy enables the strengthening of the joint, reduces muscle tension, and improves inflammation.

Manual Therapy Treatment

Developing manual therapy treatment options can also support sciatic pain relief. Manual therapy is best completed by a third party, including your physical therapist.

Dry Needling

One of the best treatments for sciatic pain is the use of dry needling . Though dry needling is different from acupuncture , both methods aim to support the improvement of inflammation and support muscle and tissue recovery and healing.

Deep Tissue Massages

Having a deep tissue massage can help to encourage healing in the area. This aids in reducing inflammation and allows for muscle pain to improve. It can help to encourage better movement. When done professionally, a deep tissue massage specifically targeting the muscles surrounding the sciatic nerve can offer significant pain reduction.

Nerve Mobilization

Nerve mobilization, sometimes called nerve glides, is a type of method for placing the impacted nerve in a flexed position and then reducing tension. Doing this helps stimulate the nerve to operate properly.

Lifestyle Modifications You Can Make

Another valuable way of improving your sciatic pain is making changes to your day-to-day life that often cause this pain to develop. Some strategies that are highly effective include:

Avoiding bed rest: Resting the sciatic nerve is not usually beneficial when in pain. Instead, stretch the area and work with a therapist to develop pain reduction methods.
Improving posture: Poor posture is a common cause of sciatic pain and pressure. By improving posture, your spine, hips, and legs align properly, reducing nerve damage.
Practice PT exercises at home: All of the physical therapy skills you learn with your therapist can be applied at home as well. Make sure to follow them exactly as taught, and you will continue to see improvements.

Looking for a Physical Therapist?

For those suffering from sciatic pain, there’s help available. At Rock Valley Physical Therapy, we take pride in working closely with our clients to create treatment solutions that work for their specific needs.

Let our physical therapists help you determine the best strategy for improving sciatic pain so you don’t have to feel that debilitating limitation again. Find a local office and book an appointment with us.

Aquatic Therapy Benefits Explained

Wed, 01 Mar 2023 21:20:43 GMT

Does the thought of exercising in water sound like a good way to get fit and improve your physical mobility? For some, it is. Aquatic therapy benefits are numerous, and while programs differ to meet the unique needs of the individual, they often provide significant improvement without added stress on the body.

What Is Aquatic Therapy?

Aquatic therapy is a type of exercise and physical therapy process that is performed in the water. It can be done for relaxation but also can help with rehabilitation, exercise, fitness, and other reasons. In aquatic therapy, many areas of the body can be worked on, including the arms, legs and back,, as well as overall improvement of the body’s tone and muscles.

You’ll work closely with a physical therapist or physical therapist assistant who will help you to develop the best treatment or workout for your needs. Your therapist will also determine if this type of therapy is best for you. It may benefit some people pre-operatively to improve range of motion and strength, and may encourage weight loss prior to procedures. People recovering from surgery may be able to incorporate aquatic therapy over time after the wound has healed.

Benefits of Aquatic Therapy

Don’t put off seeing a physical therapist for your recovery. When you do, and aquatic therapy is a good choice for you , you could see numerous benefits over time. The benefits of aquatic therapy could differ for you based on what your needs are and the type of therapy best suited for your needs. Here are some of the advantages this can bring to you.

Pain Reduction

Movement on solid surfaces, like running on a track, creates shockwaves with every impact of your foot. That does not happen in the same way with aquatic therapy. That’s one of the best quality therapy benefits.

The buoyancy of water itself helps to reduce the stress on weight-bearing joints and muscles. After a workout in the pool, you may not have as many aches and pains, for example, in your knees or back, from the workout. Often, this type of therapy also can reduce the overall pain you have and muscle spasms. Do not be surprised by delayed onset muscle soreness due to fatigue from exercise.

Aquatic therapy safely paired with a home program and continuing to move rather than sit all day, can provide you with faster results because you are not straining those muscles and joints. Some soreness after exercise should always be expected. Also, there’s research to indicate that this type of therapy can help to reduce pain because the constant stimulus from the water helps to shut down the pain signals.

Also, hydrostatic pressure may help to reduce inflammation and pain brought on by edema and swelling. That can help to reduce pain for many people facing these conditions.

Enhanced Range of Motion

Exercise in the water may not seem like it is an intense workout, but it can provide you with some of the best ability to improve your range of motion. That’s because the water itself acts as a resistance, working against your muscles, joints, and tendons as you move. The water itself, then, helps to build strength.The buoyancy can also assist with range and flexibility. Using various types of equipment, like noodles or dumbbells can help with strengthening and range of motion. Over time, this also leads to improved flexibility.

As your body gets stronger and more flexible thanks to these types of exercise, your range of motion can improve. That could mean bending and twisting become easier. It may also mean that you can develop a better ability to walk confidently and transition to a land based exercise environment because you need to be able to function on land.

Supportive Cardiovascular Fitness

Your heart health is critical to your overall wellbeing. It plays a role in your ability to heal and in physical therapy sessions themselves. Many people see benefits to their cardiovascular health by investing in aquatic therapy. Aquatic therapy exercises are performed at a higher intensity than what you could do on land. For example, you may be able to swim longer than you would be able to run. The resistance from the water, because of viscosity, also helps to require more effort, making your heart work harder to achieve your goals. This is also beneficial to physical therapy because we’re reducing the stress load on those muscles and joints.

Over time and with consistency, many people see improvements in their cardiovascular fitness using this therapy method that directly supports their physical therapy outcomes. You’ll need to be approved for it, especially if you have any type of heart-related health condition. Yet, many people report that a workout in the water is easier and more enjoyable than doing the same thing on a treadmill.

Improved Balance and Coordination

There are many benefits of physical therapy . One of them for some people is improved balance and coordination, and aquatic therapy can help you hit that goal. The water’s resistance and instability can help improve balance and coordination. A combination of both working on land and in water can help to create this type of significant improvement.

Your body and brain must work together to see this improvement, which means you’ll be working to build better brain-muscle connections. Many people with neurological conditions and those recovering from an injury can see this benefit.

Another of the aquatic therapy benefits associated with balance and coordination comes from building your confidence. The buoyancy of water and the uniform pressure it offers helps to give you more time to react to movements. That means you are less likely to feel like you are falling. Because you feel less likely to get hurt, you’re more confident in your movements, which ultimately helps to build your strength to create balance and coordination in day-to-day tasks.

Decreased Risk of Injury

In the water, you are less likely to get hurt. For many people, the thought of seeking out physical therapy as they recover from an injury or heal from an illness is scary because they are worried about pushing too hard or suffering an injury that sets them back further.

The good news is that water minimizes that risk. It provides a safe and controlled environment. There is less risk that you will be hurt while exercising here than if you were running a lap in a gym or lifting weights. Even if you’re worried about getting started with exercise and physical therapy, in the water, you’ll be safer.

Delayed onset muscle soreness, a condition sometimes called muscle fever, often feels like sore and aching pain, which often occurs when a person is engaging in activity that is new or less common for them. It’s brought on by inflammation and muscle damage. With physical therapy in the water, it’s less likely to be significant. That means you’ll even feel good after a session.

How to Get These Benefits of Aquatic Therapy

Rock Valley Physical Therapy is dedicated to working closely with our clients to create a safe and effective environment for recovery from injury or illness. Aquatic therapy is one of the many services we offer to do that. We go the extra mile. We’ll be there in the water to help you develop a successful physical therapy plan to address each one of your needs. Contact us today to learn more about treatment options for you.

Physical Therapy for Balance Issues

Mon, 06 Feb 2023 20:27:45 GMT

Are you struggling with balance? Do you worry about falling? As movement experts, a physical therapist could be exactly what you need. Physical therapy for balance can help you gain the strength and confidence you need to live life better.

Why You May Need to Train Your Balance

Many people, especially older adults, develop balance problems over time. It is a common reason for reaching out to a doctor. Balance is not a simple “given,” it’s something your body has to consistently practice. Fortunately, balance is a skill that can improve with training at any age.

You may benefit from physical therapy for balance therapy if:

You are unable to move confidently from one area to the next, both indoors and outdoors
You have fallen in the past
You feel dizzy, lightheaded, or as though the room is moving around you when you stand
You had a stroke, injury , or illness which left you with weakness or sensory changes
You are recovering from a musculoskeletal injury or concussion and plan for a full return to athletic activities

What Causes Balance Problems?

Balance problems often develop when one or more of the following systems is not functioning properly:

Visual – distorted vision such as blurring, double vision, and visual field loss Musculoskeletal – a decline in muscle strength and flexibility
Vestibular – inner ear dysfunction
Circulatory – lightheadedness when going from sitting to standing
Proprioceptive – decreased awareness of body position

The brain gathers information from each of these systems to manage balance. If one or more of these signals is functioning abnormally or missing, your body has more difficulty with sensing movement and responding before it is too late.

Can Balance Problems Be Prevented?

There are many actions you can take to prevent balance problems, starting with addressing potential underlying causes. For example, if you are experiencing dizziness when standing up and have a history of heart issues, consulting your physician to ensure your condition is properly managed may improve symptoms. A healthy diet and proper hydration can improve some causes of dizziness and slow the progression of diabetes-related vision problems and neuropathy. Some helpful dietary changes include reducing caffeine and alcohol consumption.

Treating vision problems is critical to improving overall stability. Regular visits to your optometrist can ensure your prescription is updated and conditions such as cataracts are properly managed.

Routine exercise helps balance by keeping your bones strong, joints flexible and muscles strong. Physical activity such as running for exercise, taking regular walks, or participating in exercise classes can also help manage other conditions such as diabetes, osteoarthritis, and even memory loss.

Early treatment makes many of these balance interventions more effective so do not delay on seeking appropriate care.

Can Physical Therapy Help My Balance?

For many people, physical therapy for balance is an ideal treatment option at any stage of disorder development. You should visit a physical therapist if you have been diagnosed with a balance disorder or you believe that you may be struggling with one. You may also consult with a physical therapist as a preventative tool, especially if you are at a greater risk for these disorders.

Physical therapy can help with many types of balance disorders, including those that stem from:

Vestibular disorders
Lower extremity weakness
Peripheral neuropathy

Your physical therapist will partner with your primary care doctor to address any underlying medical conditions contributing to your balance issues and ensure maximum treatment effect. For those without an underlying medical disorder or those who need additional supportive care, physical therapy can help you to improve your safety and stability.

Physical therapy can help reduce and prevent falls in a number of ways including:

Increasing your strength and flexibility
Improving the quality of your walk
Resolving dizziness
Training and practicing your body’s response to normal movement in a safe environment
Providing education on modifications to your home or activities to reduce your fall risk

Physical Therapy Treatments That Can Help

Seeing a physical therapist for balance disorders could help improve your quality of life and give you the confidence to do more of the things you enjoy. Here are a few ways physical therapy treatment could help you.

Improving Vestibular Disorder

People with a vestibular disorder may experience many symptoms including vertigo, lightheadedness, unsteady walk, or tinnitus. Physical therapy can be very effective in the treatment of imbalance due to vestibular disorders. Treatments could include:

Canalith repositioning maneuvers – for those with a certain form of vertigo, your therapist may guide you through a series of movements to restore the position of inner ear structures and resolve your symptoms.
Habituation and compensation – for those who experience dizziness while they are walking, driving, or moving their head , treatment may focus on repeating specific movements that recreate symptoms in order to decrease your body’s sensitivity to movement.
Balance training – practicing difficult circumstances in a safe environment allows your body to learn how to appropriately react and helps you perform everyday tasks with less risk.

Improving Lower Extremity Strength

If you are struggling with leg weakness, you may be able to see significant benefits from physical therapy. Treatment may include:

Exercising the muscles of the lower body to build up strength, especially those that help to correct your balance when you start to wobble.
Restoring motion to joints. Injury and avoidance of normal activities can result in joint stiffness. Your hips, knees, and ankles must move in order to allow your muscles to push and pull you back to a safe position.
Improving posture and correcting form to make movements safer and more efficient.

Improving Peripheral Neuropathy

Those who have muscle weakness, pain, numbness, or tingling in their feet from neuropathy may benefit from physical therapy through interventions including:

Targeted exercises to reverse muscular wasting
Balance activities that emphasize use of unaffected balance systems and maximize response to information that is still available from your feet
Education on proper footwear and skin care

Finding the Help You Need

Rock Valley Physical Therapy provides exceptional support in a patient-first environment. We encourage you to reach out to us today to learn more about incorporating physical therapy for balance disorder improvement in your life. As the largest therapist-led organization in the U.S., we’re ready to help you gain the confidence you desire.

Dry Needling vs Acupuncture

Thu, 19 Jan 2023 17:00:16 GMT

At first glance, dry needling and acupuncture appear synonymous with one another. If one looked at a picture describing each practice, differentiating between the two may seem impossible! However, beyond the tools utilized in each service, the similarities end.

Acupuncture and dry needling are performed by different specialists with distinct training. Furthermore, both stem from separate medicinal origins. In the content below, we explore dry needling, acupuncture, and the differences between both practices.

What is Dry Needling?

Dry needling is a form of therapy designed to relieve muscle pain, tension, and cramping while improving both flexibility and restoration of function. Dry needle therapy is designed to manage neuromusculoskeletal pain and movement impairments.

What is dry needle therapy?

Dry needling therapy is seldom performed as a standalone treatment and should always be implemented by skilled therapists in a professional setting. Most often, dry needling is incorporated into a physical therapy treatment plan that also incorporates traditional interventions.

Specialists who perform dry needling are certified to carry out this therapeutic method. Dry needle therapy involves penetrating trigger points with several thin, monofilament needles. Nothing is injected into the patient during the needling process. Therefore, the needle is completely dry, matching its name “dry” needling.

What is a trigger point?

A trigger point is “a palpable nodule in the taut bands of the skeletal muscles’ fascia.” Essentially, trigger points are hyperirritable spots of knotted or hard muscle.

When the needle enters trigger points, the injection desensitizes these super-sensitive structures to induce a healing response that aids restoration.

How is dry needling performed?

Dry needle therapy is often performed by penetrating skin with a filament needle and leaving the point in the muscle for 10-30 minutes. The in-and-out technique and non-trigger points technique are two additional variations.

During the in-and-out-technique, also called sparrow pecking or pistoning, the specialist inserts the needle into the intended trigger points then removes it immediately.

The non-trigger points technique is self-explanatory! The specialist inserts the needles into muscle surrounding a trigger point, avoiding the precise area itself. Non-trigger point needling may be utilized to broadly treat the central nervous system instead of the main area of pain.

What is the history of dry needling?

Dry needling stems from Western medicine. First introduced in the 1940s by Dr. Janet Travell, she researched the response of muscular trigger points when penetrated with needling techniques. Although Dr. Travell began research with “wet needling” – the injection of a substance through the needle – she found similar results with a dry needle. With the help of Dr. David G. Simon, the dry needling pioneers identified multiple trigger points located within the human body.

The second generation of dry needling was introduced in the 1970s. The concept of Intramuscular Stimulation (IMS), developed by Dr. C. Gunn, specifically targets myofascial pain syndrome. IMS is based on the understanding that myofascial pain stems from nervous system dysfunction or disease. In Dr. Gunn’s time, the idea that a nerve root caused such pathology was revolutionary. While IMS is often considered the next step in dry needle therapy development, Dr. Gunn did not refer to Travell’s trigger-point approach, developed thirty years prior.

While Dr. Gunn developed IMS, a professor of anatomy discovered homeostatic points and their clinical applications, a continuation of Dr. Travell’s previous research. Dr. H.C. Dung’s homeostatic developments – build upon decades of research – led to the current exploration of dry needling, being written today.

What are the benefits of dry needling?

Dry needling may provide pleasant relief from muscular pain and tension, stiffness, or lack of motion. Often, dry needle therapy is recommended for sports injuries, fibromyalgia pain, or muscular distress.

Are there risks associated with dry needle therapy?

Although it is good to be aware of the mild dry needling side effects, severe risks are extremely rare. Typically, however, bruising, soreness, or bleeding are common around the specific injection site.

A professional therapist performing dry needling will utilize new, sterile needles after every procedure. Therefore, contracting a bloodborne illness, infection, or disease should not be a concern.

What is Acupuncture?

Acupuncture is a form of treatment, performed by licensed specialists who completed years of extensive training and nationalized testing. Certain insurance agencies may cover acupuncture as a medical treatment.

Acupuncture is designed to be a holistic treatment, for hundreds of conditions, including allergies, nausea, low back pain, menstrual cramps, labor-related pain, migraines, and even addiction and depression. When effective, acupuncture often provides short-term relief from symptoms by producing endorphins.

The belief behind acupuncture is that nerve stimulation opens the patient’s energy flow, often called chi. According to an article by Mayo Clinic :

Traditional Chinese medicine explains acupuncture as a technique for balancing the flow of energy or life force — known as chi or qi (chee) — believed to flow through pathways (meridians) in your body. By inserting needles into specific points along these meridians, acupuncture practitioners believe that your energy flow will re-balance… In contrast, many Western practitioners view the acupuncture points as places to stimulate nerves, muscles, and connective tissue. Some believe that this stimulation boosts your body’s natural painkillers.

What are the Primary Differences Between Dry Needling & Acupuncture?

In both practices, a needle is inserted into specific points to reduce pain. However, this is where the similarities end.

As explored, dry needling and acupuncture stem from differing medicinal origins.
Another primary difference lies in the purpose of the procedure. Acupuncture is designed to alleviate pain or treat health conditions by altering the flow of chi, while dry needling utilized evidence-based techniques to treat specific conditions.
A final distinction rests in penetration points. Dry needling penetrates the skin at specific trigger points to release tension and induce a healing response. Acupuncture targets points along meridian lines, representing bodily organs, with the goal of restoring balance and proper energy flow to the patient’s body.

Rock Valley Physical Therapy: Dry Needling Services

At Rock Valley Physical Therapy , we are dedicated to restoring normal function to the body and making lives better. Many of our physical therapists are certified in dry needling practices , implemented as part of a comprehensive approach to aide in the modulation of pain, renewal of motion, and restoration of function. To inquire further about our services, please do not hesitate to request an appointment! Our Front Office team will be in contact with you to schedule your first appointment shortly

Why Would a Child Need Occupational Therapy?

Thu, 29 Dec 2022 16:22:08 GMT

There are many situations where a child may benefit from occupational therapy, a way to improve their ability to tackle day-to-day tasks. Would a child need occupational therapy even if they don’t have any known limitations or disabilities? The answer is yes! An occupational therapist could be a valuable resource for children who are struggling with or not meeting developmental goals or are struggling with other needs. Here’s what you should know about using occupational therapy and when to do so.

Having Trouble Completing Milestones

One of the most common reasons a child would need occupational therapy has to do with not meeting developmental goals. A developmental delay is any situation in which a child is not developing a core skill at a typical age or during a specific time period. While some children may need more time, noticing these delays and getting help for them right away is a valuable move. It may help them to work through challenges to improve future abilities.

There are many developmental delays that may benefit from occupational therapy. This may include:

Not playing at the normal age
Struggling with sitting
Limitations with crawling
Inability to walk properly
Failing to learn at the expected pace or level

If you believe your child may be struggling with developmental delays, a thorough assessment could help to determine if additional therapy and support are beneficial. These situations are very much individualistic, but many children can benefit from occupational therapy like this early on.

Gross Motor Skills

Activities of daily living (ADLs) are all the little things people do throughout the day to take care of themselves. For children, this typically includes playing, leisure activities, and school-related activities, as well as tasks that help them care for themselves and their bodies, like proper hygiene and feeding themselves.

It’s often difficult to know when a child is falling behind in these areas. When should a child feed themselves instead of a parent doing so, for example? As a child becomes more mobile and can use their hands for grasping and holding objects, they begin to develop the foundation of ADLs. Over time, those skills should improve until they are caring for themselves and engaging in their environment on their own.

If a child isn’t able to feed themselves or may be struggling to engage in play in a meaningful way, occupational therapy may be available to offer some help. Problems in these areas are often directly related to the child’s sensory system or fine motor skills.

Occupational therapy can help to improve these skills even at a young age. This could include:

Learning to dress
Going to sleep (putting oneself asleep)
Brushing teeth
Cleaning up toys
Potty training

With occupational therapy, it’s possible for children to overcome deficits in these foundation skills, which can directly contribute to their overall wellbeing and development in other areas.

Fine Motor Skills

Not only can the bigger muscle groups in the body struggle, but so can those that are associated with the small, intricate muscles that the body relies on to complete numerous tasks. These are movements that relate to the wrists, fingers, tongue, and toes. Often, a parent may notice that their child always drops things, no matter how small the item is. In many situations, the problems relate to holding, picking up, or otherwise manipulating smaller objects because these take a more refined function of fine motor skills and muscles.

There are numerous examples of what fine motor skill limitations may be, such as:

Writing – they may struggle to hold a pencil or color with crayons
Using toys, especially those that require the use of fingers to make the toy function
Using zippers or tying their shoelaces
Using a fork or struggling with using a spoon
Limited ability to write or poor writing skills

Many children struggle with these types of tasks initially as they start to learn them. However, if the child is not developing these skills at the appropriate age level, occupational therapy may be able to help strengthen those skills.

Sensory

Would a child need occupational therapy in situations where their senses are involved? Though some people may not recognize the connection here, occupational therapy can be very helpful to children who are struggling with sensory processing needs.

Children who struggle to use their senses to accomplish tasks may find themselves facing other limitations. If a child is unable to process feelings with their hands, they may struggle with other tasks such as holding a pencil. Sensory processing issues can be difficult to pinpoint without professional assessments, yet they may be helped with occupational therapy.

Some examples of these types of limitations include:

Reacting in an overly sensitive manner to touch or movement
Not responding to things like a cut or a bruise
Emotionally reactive to situations
A lack of ability to self-calm and soothe
Frequently distracted by visual and auditory stimuli
Often bumping into people or moving
Clumsiness, tripping, loss of balance

Occupational therapy may be beneficial to help children learn to cope with disabilities if they exist and help a child develop the best level of skill possible.

Utilizing Occupational Therapy

When you learn a bit about the developmental or other delays your child may be struggling with, you may wonder what to do about those situations. You can speak to your child’s primary doctor about what you are observing. However, you should not feel you have to wait. You can reach out to an occupational therapist for an assessment. In many of these situations, it is critical to get help as soon as possible so that those skills or abilities can be improved in the most significant way.

Let Rock Valley Physical Therapy Help You

As the largest therapist-led organization in the country, Rock Valley Physical Therapy is ready to help your child to see significant improvement. We have a patient-first goal, which means we listen to your concerns and can help to answer any of the questions you have. We make expertise accessible . Contact us today to learn how we can help you !

What are the Benefits of Physical Therapy?

Wed, 19 Oct 2022 21:23:56 GMT

Investing in your physical and mental health is always worthwhile, but knowing how to do that can be a challenge. Physical therapy can help. It offers support while healing from illness or an injury. It may be used as a way to improve mobility or achieve the best physical form possible. Without a doubt, the right physical therapists can help people see a marked improvement in their wellbeing.

Key Benefits of Physical Therapy

Making the decision to get help through physical therapy is something that can be done with or without a doctor’s recommendation. Sometimes the best decision is to reach out to a therapist to learn more about care options and how therapy could help. Most often, physical therapy is non-invasive and holistic, the ideal tool to use alongside healing and recovery from all sorts of limitations. Consider some of the benefits.

Pain Management

One of the core benefits of physical therapy is that it can help to reduce pain, even chronic pain. The techniques used can help to improve mobility while also helping to reduce the range of motion and other limitations that tend to cause pain.

Oftentimes, therapies such as taping and soft tissue mobilization aid in improving pain reduction as well. Even those who have had pain for a long time that’s no longer well managed with medications may find relief in physical therapy.

Improve Mobility

Whether from injury, disease, or developmental delays , many people who have limited overall mobility can see improvement through physical therapy. It can help improve not just the pain involved but also improve the function of muscles, ligaments, tendons, and joints, allowing them to work more proficiently. That leads to improvement by stretching and strengthening core muscles.

Specialized treatment options may be used to help people to see these improvements, such as aiding in improving a person’s ability to stand, walk, or move. A customized treatment plan from physical therapists aims to create the best possible level of performance and ability for a person that’s safe.

Manage Health Issues

The benefits of physical therapy can go further as well. For example, it may help those who have vascular conditions that leave them with limited sensation in the feet and legs could see improvement. It may also be helpful in improving blood flow to those areas. Physical therapy may help people to exercise, which can help to reduce their blood sugar and improve symptoms of diabetes.

Physical therapy may also be a great option for improving breathing and cardiovascular function. Breathing exercises may help with improving lung and heart function, reducing complications from related illness.

Physical therapy benefits include women-specific health needs. For example, it may help women before, during, and after pregnancy to maintain mobility and reduce the risks of complications. It may be helpful in supporting concerns with bowel incontinence, fibromyalgia symptoms, pelvic pain, breast cancer support, and incontinence.

Avoid Surgery

Many people can benefit from physical therapy as a way to avoid more drastic procedures, including surgical procedures. This may include helping to reduce pain so much that there’s no need to move forward with surgery. Other times, physical therapy can support the healing process, allowing for a person to see enough healing in muscle or joint function that they do not need more invasive procedures.

If surgery cannot be avoided , physical therapy still is often helpful. It can help to buy some time, pushing off surgery for a bit. If used leading up to a procedure, it may also help a person to be stronger and more fit going into a procedure. That way, they may recover better after it.

Improvement After a Stroke

Physical therapy is often the first step in helping people who suffered a stroke to regain some or all of their function. It helps to re-teach the brain how to use muscles and joints properly, allowing for gradual improvement in function. That may include everything from improving the function of small motor skills or working on big accomplishments such as learning to walk again.

It may also reduce the risk of falls and other injury risks by providing a person with the ability to transfer from one position to the next with more ease.Therapy may also help with improving a person’s ability to manage things like bathing and dressing on their own by teaching new ways to complete these activities.

Preventing and Healing Sports Injuries

Physical Therapy is beneficial in helping to improve function and range of motion, allowing a person stepping out onto the court, field, or track to perform at their very best. Sometimes this may also mean preventing injuries that could be career-ending.

Physical therapy can also help after an injury occurs. Often, physical therapy is necessary to help improve muscle healing and rebuilding. It may be necessary after a tendon tear or a rebuilding of a shoulder, knee, or other joints. That may help a person to get back some of their physical mobility while also enabling them to get back out there to play.

Preventing Falls

Physical therapy can be used by those who are older and who may be weaker from disease or illness to gain more stability. Improving core strength and teaching the best ways to move and manage day-to-day tasks is critical in these situations. It may help to prevent falls that could have significant repercussions.

Let Rock Valley Physical Therapy Help You

With a patient first mentality, our team at Rock Valley Physical Therapy wants to explore all of the benefits of physical therapy with you. We go the extra mile, working closely with you to achieve the best results. Let us craft a personalized plan to help you improve your care. We’ll work with your doctor to help you get the best possible outcome. Contact us today . You don’t need a referral to get started.

The ACL Surgery Recovery Timeline with PT

Mon, 15 Aug 2022 17:59:59 GMT

The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is a commonly injured ligament that often needs reconstructive surgery to help individuals recover. It may be possible to limit ACL injuries through training, but when they occur, proper treatment is essential. Every individual ACL injury, surgery, and rehabilitation is unique and dependent upon the specific circumstance. Utilizing proper rehabilitation and encompassing post-operative care, we can assist patients in getting back on the field as soon as possible. Here’s what to expect, in general, noting that each person’s needs are different for an ACL recovery timeline.

Pre-Surgery Rehab

0 weeks

Prior to your surgery, it may be beneficial for you to come in for pre-rehabilitation physical therapy, sometimes called prehab. During this process, we’ll work to help ensure your body is ready for the procedure. Often it involves spending some time working on getting swelling to subside, normalizing range of motion and your walking pattern, and strengthening the muscles around the knee. This does not fix the tear in the ACL, but it does minimize strength loss and sets the stage for a successful recovery after surgery.

Begin ACL Physical Therapy

Weeks 1 to 3

Physical Therapy after surgery focuses on: protecting the graft and allowing it to heal, eliminating swelling, regaining range of motion, and initiating exercises to improve muscular activation and strength around the knee joint.

Swelling control after surgery is very important. Your well-trained physical therapist will be able to provide instruction on ways to eliminate or minimize swelling. Some of these include: how to properly utilize ice, apply compression, and use elevation to assist.

Stiffness or tightness in the knee after surgery is normal, but your physical therapist will work with you to regain mobility as soon as possible. Normalizing range of motion in the knee minimizes the possibility of scar formation and allows for the mobility necessary to progress back to normal activity.

It’s quite important to regain proper control over the leg muscles, specifically the quadriceps, which may be inhibited after surgery by pain and swelling. The ability to contract the quadriceps well ensures that once you start walking you will have a normal pattern and proper balance .

These first few weeks, which could extend to four or more depending on your improvement, are all about baby steps. We want to eliminate some of the most common causes of problems after surgery, such as stiffness or a loss of range of motion of the joint in the knee. We also want to focus on keeping those muscles strong.

Strengthening Phase

Weeks 4 to 10

This is the stage when you will start to see a significant amount of improvement. Although the repair is still healing, it is important to progress activity gradually and under the supervision of your physical therapist. Your physical therapist will ensure you are walking normally with proper alignment. Normalizing your walking pattern early in the recovery process is important. You may need to use an assistive device, such as crutches, or a brace to help you walk without compensations.

During this time, you’ll continue to have manual therapy as well as an exercise-based treatment program. The ACL graft tissue is continuing to heal and goes through a remodeling process, where it becomes more similar to ligamentous tissue that can handle more of the force that is required of the ACL.

Initially, you may need an assistive device or a brace to help you with walking, but during this time period you should transition to walking without assistance. Inflammation should be low, so you should start to see your mobility improve substantially at this level.

Transition to higher level activity

Weeks 12 to 16

Between the walking and running process, you will need to give your body a lot of time to improve. Some people might be ready to work on drills toward returning to run. Every individual’s progress is different, and your therapist will provide more insight into where you should be during this process.

Most often, swelling in your knee should have subsided. You should have full range of motion with the knee, including the ability to fully straighten and bend it. If stiffness is present, your therapist will work through manual therapy to help overcome these limitations.

Your physical therapy during this stage is going to be to build up your core strength and strength of all the muscles of the lower body, especially the quadriceps. Some endurance training may get underway in a controlled environment, such as on a stationary bike. Healing is still occurring, so you are not likely to be hitting the trail just yet. Criteria for running under the supervision of a physical therapist include: absence of swelling, full ROM, and quadriceps strength that is 70% of normal.

Full Recovery

Weeks 16 – nine months

In the weeks following, you should see a gradual sense of getting back to normal or better. It can take an ACL injury a significant amount of time to heal, but at this point, you should be noticing less overall frustration and more performance. It’s a good idea to start getting active, as long as your therapist approves it. A PT will guide you through gradual progression of return to sport activities, though some drills may become more challenging for you until your body re-learns how to do them.

Based upon research, the average time frame to return to full sports activity is usually nine months, so be patient with your body.

It will take some time for you to get back to 100 percent performance. Yet, if you continue working with your physical therapist, you will notice this process is working very well to get you back out there and playing at your best again. It takes time, but the work you put in now in physical therapy will pay off. Don’t push the ACL recovery timeline too much to get to that point.

Rock Valley Physical Therapy

Rock Valley Physical Therapy is dedicated to getting you back to doing the things you love. We go the extra mile to ensure that patients receive the very best level of recovery possible. If you need physical therapy for any sports injury, including ACL rehab, contact us directly to learn more about what we do .

10 Golf Stretches to Improve Your Swing & Flexibility

Thu, 04 Aug 2022 21:00:43 GMT

We’ve all heard that a proper warm up is important before exercise, and that skipping it can lead to injury. As physical therapists, one of the more common places we see people skipping warm ups or doing them improperly is at the golf course. For many golfers, the warm up is carrying the golf bag from the trunk of the car to the cart. For others hitting a bucket of balls at the driving range or taking some practice swings is a warm up.

The golf swing is a complex, full body motion that puts a lot of force through the bones, muscles, and ligaments. Jumping straight into swinging a club without properly preparing those bones, muscles, and ligaments puts golfers at risk for injury. A good rule of thumb to help you remember what a proper golf warm up looks like is that you can’t swing to warm up, you have to warm up to swing.

A proper warm up happens right before you start go lfing, so that means you’ll be doing it at the course. If swinging a club isn’t a good warm up, what does one look like? It’s a series of dynamic activities that raises your heart rate to 60% of your maximum. The easy way to figure this number out is to subtract your age from 220 to get your maximum, then multiply that by 60% to get your target heart rate for your warm up. So for a 55 year old, the maximum heart rate would be 165 (220-55) and 60% of that is 99 (165 x 0.6).

Simple Stretches for Improving Your Golf Game

Each exercise should be done for about 1 minute on both sides of your body to keep symmetry and be completed at a pace to get to your target heart rate.

Neck Circles

Drop your chin down to your chest, then rotate your head in a circle, bringing your ear to your right shoulder, continue rotating lifting your chin up to the sky, then bringing the ear to your left shoulder, and finishing back to the original position you started in. Repeat for 30 seconds and then switch directions.

Neck Rotation

Turn your head to the left and hold for 2 seconds, then to the right and hold for 2 seconds. Creating the motion of shaking your head “no”. Continue for 60 seconds.

Torso Rotation with Club

Stand in a 5-iron posture with your feet shoulder-width apart, and a slight bend in your knees and waist. Hold the club in front of your shoulders with crossed arms, and keeping your hips steady, rotate your shoulders from side to side. The end of the club should point forward at the biggest point of the stretch.

Side Bends with Club

Stand with your feet shoulder width apart. Hold the club on your shoulders behind your neck. Keeping your back straight , bend to your left and hold for two seconds, then to the right and hold for two seconds. Make sure you’re not bending forward or backward as you bend from side to side.

Shoulder Circles

Do small shoulder circles for 30 seconds, lifting your shoulders to your ears then back down, first clockwise and then counter clockwise.

Toy Soldiers

Walk forward, kicking one leg and then the other out in front of you while keeping your back and knees straight. As you kick, reach your arm on the same side, aiming to touch your toes to your fingers. Keep your toes flexed toward your body as you kick.

High Knee Walk

Walk around where you are, and with each step, grab your leg just below the knee with both hands and pull it as close to your chest as possible, feeling a stretch in the glute. Hold the stretch for a second and then release and take the next step.

Reverse Lunge Calf Stretch

Stand with feet shoulder-width apart and step back with one leg. Keep your back knee straight with your heel on the ground as you bend your front knee and drop into a slight lunge. Hold for a moment and then switch legs, alternating legs for 60 seconds. Hold onto a wall or chair if you need to.

You might wonder where the static stretching is in this warm up. Research has shown that static stretching (holding a stretch for a long period of time) done before activity can actually hurt your performance. However, static stretching is an important part of the cool down after activity.

Squats with Club

Hold the club overhead with both hands, keeping your arms straight. Slowly lower into a squat, ensuring your back stays straight and your heels remain on the ground. This stretch opens up your hips, strengthens your core, and enhances your upper body rotation, all of which contribute to a smoother, more powerful golf swing.

Shoulder Floss with Club

Grip the club with both hands, holding it wider than shoulder-width apart. Slowly raise the club over your head and then lower it behind you as far as comfortable, keeping your arms straight.

So before you head out to play your 18 holes, remember to stretch and continuously re-hydrate with some water while you are out on the green!

If you are experiencing pain, do not ignore these warning signs as it can lead to chronic detrimental effects and a more serious injury if unchecked.

Seek out a licensed Physical Therapist at Rock Valley Physical Therapy before the injury develops and identify possible causes contributing to the pain. A Physical Therapist will develop a plan to get you back to their optimal playing performance. At Rock Valley Physical Therapy, we offer an injury screen to assess the injury and explain treatment options. Knowledge of common risk factors, impairments, and effective strategies/interventions can prevent or minimize the impact of these injuries.

What to Expect at Your First Functional Capacity Evaluation Therapy Appointment

Mon, 04 Jul 2022 19:57:00 GMT

Workplace injuries are, unfortunately, common. No matter the severity, when these injuries occur, it leaves a person struggling to work. Employers have an obligation to ensure workers get the care they need, but there is also the need to fully understand what types of limitations are in the employee if and when they return to work. This is where a functional capacity evaluation comes into play.

What Is a Functional Capacity Evaluation?

In 2020, there were a total of 2.78 million injuries and illness cases reported by companies, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics . In addition, 4,764 fatalities occurred that year on the job. Many times, a person with an injury needs time off to ensure they are able to heal fully. Working injured is simply not safe and puts the company at risk for further liabilities while complicating the patient’s recovery. That is where a functional capacity evaluation comes into play.

This evaluation may be ordered by an attorney, workers’ compensation insurance provider, or employers. The evaluation includes a number of tests that are used to evaluate a person’s work-related physical abilities. The tests are performed by a third party who is certified to conduct these types of examinations.

Every situation is a bit different. In most cases, these tests are designed to provide impartial information about a person’s injury or illness. Some of the tests may include:

Flexibility
Range of motion
Lifting ability
Stamina
Ability to carry objects
Physical strength
Other job-specific ability testing

These tests may be very specific, or they could be an overall evaluation. The goal is to have a solid understanding of a person’s limitations based on the evidence from these tests. It is critical to be thorough to ensure a person does not return to work too soon.

What Are Functional Capacity Evaluations Used For?

The use of a functional capacity evaluation is to give an employer or other party more insight into a person’s current condition based on their injury and disability to find out what they can do and what they cannot. In some situations, it is easy to see a person is unable to work. For example, if they have a broken bone that is in a cast, that is an obvious injury. However, once the cast comes off and the healing seems complete, it is necessary to understand what limitations may still apply.

The goal of an evaluation like this is to have a professional, third-party individual evaluate a person’s ability in a type of standardized manner. This helps to ensure a person receives the best level of benefits from insurance coverage.

It is not generally possible to label a person as incapacitated or injured. There are different levels of severity involved. Instead of labeling everyone in the same way, then, the better option is to have a better way of understanding an individual’s functional capacity and abilities.

The ultimate goal of this evaluation is to determine how well a person’s current abilities align with the demands of their job. This is then used to determine if a person can work or, in some cases, if they can work with restrictions or limitations.

Importance of Functional Capacity

The importance of functional capacity differs depending on the scope of the situation. As they are often used as a part of a workers’ compensation claim, they are important for a number of reasons.

Can a person return to work? The ultimate first question answered by these evaluations is whether or not an employee can return to work. It helps to determine what place they are in the healing process. The information provided by the tests within this evaluation can help answer that question.
Can a person return to work at a reduced capacity? This evaluation is not meant to rush a person back to work. Rather, it looks at whether it is safe for a person to return. Sometimes they can return, but they may not be able to do as much just yet. Pushing too hard, lifting too much, or otherwise can cause muscle damage. The goal is to help an employee to get back to work in a safe manner.
Prevention of workplace injuries. The functional capacity evaluation also helps reduce the risk that a returning employee is likely to be hurt at work if they return. If the employee returns, are they at a higher risk of being injured again or more likely to fall? If so, it may not be desirable for them to return.
Resolving disputes. There are often situations where the insurer and the employer or worker do not agree with the level of disability a person states. This evaluation can help determine what the facts show so that a better understanding of return to work can be assessed.
More information about conditions. In some situations, this type of evaluation is thorough enough to pinpoint more information about the injury or illness, such as getting a better understanding of the limitations the individual has. This may allow for better decision making.

A core benefit of this type of evaluation is to truly ensure that a person returns to work if and when it is possible and that they receive the Social Security, disability, workers’ compensation, or other benefits they deserve based on their current condition and health. Because this type of evaluation is done by a third party, it is more accurate, which can alleviate tensions on either side. It aims to provide a true, full assessment that is fair.

Let Us Help You to Complete a Functional Capacity Evaluation

For those that need to have a functional capacity evaluation completed, it does not have to be anything to worry about or stress over. When you meet our team , you will find we are dedicated professionals that can help ensure accurate information is presented.

Rock Valley PT is focused on patients first. Always. We work to be as compassionate as possible in everything we do. When you turn to us, the largest therapist-led organization in the country (and we’re proud of it) you can expect exceptional care and attention to your needs.

5 Mobility Exercises For Runners

Mon, 20 Jun 2022 20:41:25 GMT

Exercises are a valuable tool for runners. Exercise helps to increase muscle and tendon strength, which in turn reduces the risk of injury. Done well, runners who exercise are less likely to develop knee injuries or arthritis compared to non-runners. The key isn’t just doing any type of exercising, but specific types of stretches and movements specifically designed for runners to strengthen leg and core muscles.

A key component to avoiding those types of injuries is to invest in proper physical therapy . That is, routine and consistent care can help minimize the risk of injury .

Why Physical Therapy for Runners?

Physical therapy for runners is a must. Therapists work to prevent injuries in a number of ways:

They help ensure a runner is running with proper form, minimizing the risk of injury as a result.
Therapists provide new training methods to help improve outcomes from each running session.
Therapists can also help with shoe selection, ensuring that the shoes a runner selects are the proper type and style for their needs.
They provide both pre-and post-running stretches and exercises to improve overall outcomes.
Therapists can often help develop custom plans designed to address the unique needs of the runner.

These are some of the benefits of physical therapy for runners. They can help reduce the risk of injury and give you the results you want. You don’t have to be in pain when running every day.

Types of Physical Therapy for Runners?

It’s important for each person to receive a custom physical therapy plan of care. What works for you may not be the best choice for others. Some of the following exercises may be beneficial to numerous people.

#1: Side Lunges

Lunges are a powerful way to improve mobility in the transfer and frontal planes. Lunges, which are long, directional steps in the proper direction, enable the opening up of the hips. This allows for stretching the abductors and glutes.

Side lunges involve taking a wide step to the left, bending the knees as you step outward while keeping the hips back. From there, push off with the left foot to return to a starting position. Do this on both sides of the body.

#2: Hip Flexor Stretch

For runners, hip mobility is very important. That is why it is so important to stretch this muscle prior to any significant run. The hip flexor stretch helps runners stretch out muscles, especially if they have been sitting for a number of hours prior to their workout. Sitting creates tighter hips, which can limit overall run quality because of how they extend their leg behind them during each run.

To complete this stretch, kneel and then position one foot in front of you with your knee bent at a 90-degree angle. Keep the back straight during this stretch, but push your hips forward while keeping your shoulders square. You should feel a stretch in the upper thigh area. Hold the stretch for 30 seconds and relax.

#3: Single Leg Deadlift

The goal of these exercises is to focus on balance. While a deadlift may seem like a terrifying experience, it does not have to be. In this exercise, you are only going to focus on one leg at a time. The benefit will be that you are working your hamstring, reducing the pain and tension there and enjoying it so you are ready to run easily. Hamstrings are critical to running and often the area of the leg that is injured the most. That occurs because this muscle is often one of the weakest muscles for many runners.

To do this, stand with your feet hip-width apart and parallel to each other. Use a barbell, two dumbbells, or a kettlebell. Hold it in front of you with your hands down. Then, lean forward with just your hips. Shift the weight onto just one leg while doing this. The other leg will start to extend straight behind you. Continue to lift the extended leg and pitch your body forward. The goal is to get as close to a “T” shape as you can. Hold your arms straight down, balancing your weight. Let your arms hang down in front of you, holding onto the weight. Hold for a few seconds, then slowly bring the extended leg to the starting position.

#4: Squats

This is another exercise that many people do not like to do, but it is one of the best options available for those who are looking to improve muscle strength and quality. Most runners need to do squats as they have tight quads and weak glutes. This exercise will also help improve hamstring strength. When you have weakness in these areas, it is very common to develop poor form when exercising and running.

To do squats properly, stand with your feet just a bit wider than your hips. Keep the toes facing forward. Then, drive your hips backward. You’ll be bending at your knees and ankles. Press your knees to a slightly open position. Move into the squatting position. Keep your heels and toes flat on the ground while you do so. Push your shoulders backward and keep your chest up for proper form. Over time, the goal is to reach a parallel level, with your knees at a 90-degree angle.

#5: Foam Roll

To keep your muscles healthy and hydrated, use a foam roller on your legs. Be sure to move the roller up and down along the quads as well as the calf muscles. This is a physical therapy exercise that helps to loosen the muscles there and gives you a bit of a breather from more intense workouts.

Let Our Physical Therapist Guide You

What is most about physical therapy for runners is that it is capable of being customized to meet your needs. An individualized treatment plan like this can help you run more effortlessly and improve your overall ability to recover from a workout. Give us a call today to learn more about the ways we can help you improve your running game.

Injury Recovery & Physical Therapy

Tue, 07 Jun 2022 21:02:24 GMT

When an injury occurs, it is very common for individuals to find themselves struggling to heal. Your skin damage may improve. The bruising may go away, but the healing of your muscles and tissues seems to take a long time. Any type of injury is going to require time for recovery. It also requires time to rehabilitate that area. Physical therapy is often a very big part of the healing process.

Why PT Is Vital for Long-Term Healing

Physical therapy and rehabilitation are essential to long-term recovery from most moderate to severe injury types. The goals of this type of therapy are to reduce the pain you feel but also to improve the function of the joints, muscles, tendons, or other components. It may also help you see improvement in range of motion or the flexibility that your body has when moving. Physical therapy can also help ensure proper alignment while you are moving that joint.

In short, physical therapy can help your body heal properly and fully. Consider for a moment what might happen without this type of therapy. For example, if you have joint damage and have surgery to repair it, that area is properly aligned and ready to function. However, if you do not have proper rehabilitation, your body will naturally alter the way you walk or move that joint to reduce pain. Within a short time, you could have alignment problems which create complications and damage to that area again.

Physical therapy works to eliminate this risk by encouraging the proper movement of the area. It also helps to ensure that your body heals to the highest level possible. Often, in rehab, your body learns how to properly move, minimizing the risk of further injury down the road while ensuring the best outcome now.

Understanding Your Unique Recovery Timeline

Every injury a person has needs its own timeline for recovery. The goal of treatment is to create a plan for that to happen. Initially, after the injury occurs, it’s important to rest the area, allowing for the inflammation to reduce and giving the body’s immune system the ability to go to work. There may be a lot of icing, elevation, and compression at this point.

Then, over a certain amount of time, dependent on the type of injury, it becomes necessary to start moving that area of the body again. That helps ensure that the muscles and other tissues are healing properly and allowing for proper movement.

In severe cases, the brain has to relearn how to use that area of the body, such as a leg or an arm. That means engaging in repetitive activities until the brain is able to instantly handle such tasks without concentrated thought.

Different injuries impact the various types of physical therapy and rehabilitation applied. For example, some injuries require helping to address pain, which means getting the nerve endings to work properly to communicate pain signals properly. Other times, it is necessary to re-form that brain to limb communication so that you can move easier.

A customized treatment plan is always necessary to ensure the best outcome for an individual. That plan may also change over time as it becomes necessary to adjust to the body’s unique needs.

Four Ways Physical Therapy Boosts Recovery

Physical therapy can do quite a bit of the heavy lifting to help your body heal properly. Here are some examples of how this may work:

Improve Poor Movement Patterns: Individuals who have chronic pain may have underlying issues that are causing that pain. With physical therapy, it is possible to not only find pain relief but also to correct those underlying problems. That way, they do not continue to impact you.

Limiting Scar Tissue Buildup: Scar tissue is one of the most worrisome of all components in the recovery process. It is common after a surgical procedure or injury to occur. When scar tissue develops, it can create tightness in the area, making it harder to move. Physical therapists know this, and that is why they use manual and other forms of stretching to help break up that tissue to ensure proper function.

Strength Improvement: The time you spend in recovery often means muscles are losing their overall strength. During physical therapy, you will learn how to activate and strengthen those muscles. This helps to reduce the strain that can commonly happen within joints. During physical therapy, your therapist works to help you strengthen all muscles involved. This helps you feel stronger, therefore more confident in safely performing more challenging tasks at home.

Improve Outcomes: Another way that physical therapy works is to help you get the very best outcome from a previous surgery or from the healing process. Using the tools associated with physical therapy, it is possible to improve post-surgical outcomes. It also often means that you are less likely to develop chronic pain or mobility issues.

One core component of all types of physical therapy is that it is always customized to fit the unique needs of the individual. That means that the treatment plan assigned to you is based on your body’s limitations, pain levels, and functional goals. It can be customized to address any concerns present that could impact your quality of life.

For some, strengthening those muscles, stretching joints, and just all around improving movement is difficult and painful. Yet, every time you engage in professional-led therapy , your body improves, and pain will improve.

Get Expert Rehabilitation at Rock Valley PT

No matter what happened to you, you can take steps now to get back on the path of healing and recovery. To do so, invest in our team at Rock Valley Physical Therapy. We have extensive support resources to help you reach the best version of you possible. Take some time now to request an appointment and learn more about our services.

Physical Therapy During Pregnancy: What to Know

Thu, 26 May 2022 22:01:34 GMT

Pregnancy is one of the most intense changes that occur in the body. During it, hormones change, the structure of the body adjusts, and physical demands increase. All of this can leave a person struggling with pain and discomfort. In some situations, it may even lead to injuries. For some, physical therapy while pregnant may be the ideal solution. It is a natural, safe way to improve the function of the body and relieve pain and discomfort.

Can I Do Physical Therapy While Pregnant?

Physical therapy, performed by a licensed professional, may help women through their pregnancy and in recovery later. While it is safe to do, many people don’t know it’s an option.

Beginning pregnancy physical therapy can help relieve the aches and pains that develop while carrying a baby. This helps keep mom more comfortable and more prepared for labor and delivery. We can also continue care after the baby is born. This time is commonly called the “fourth trimester” and physical therapy can be a big help during this time to help with healing and a return to good movement.

In physical therapy, conservative interventions are used to help provide pain relief, improve mobility, or accomplish other goals. This is done through the use of specific exercises and manual therapy. Various focuses are available, such as helping to improve symptoms of muscle pain or for women struggling with back pain or leg cramping. Many pregnant women struggle with spinal pain from the changes in their bodies due to the growth of the baby.

If you plan to engage in physical therapy while pregnant, be sure you choose a licensed practitioner who has experience working with pregnant women. Physical therapy can target very specific areas, but to be effective and safe, a professional needs to modify movements to accommodate the needs of the mother.

The Benefits of Physical Therapy While Pregnant

Physical therapy while pregnant can provide help in a number of ways. After an assessment, the right treatment plan can be developed to meet the individual needs of the patient. Some of the ways physical therapy may be applied to pregnancy include the following:

Pain reduction: Physical therapy can help muscles, tendons, ligaments, and other components of the body to function as they were designed. This may help to reduce the pain sensations that travel from the area of concern to the brain. For those with pain in any form, pregnancy physical therapy can help to soothe those aches without the use of medications.

Adjustments to Daily Life: During pregnancy, the growth of the baby can cause a wide range of changes in a person’s daily life. New areas may be experiencing stress and strain. You may be having trouble accomplishing tasks at home as you used to as a result. You also have to accommodate for the sudden movements of the child. Physical therapy may help to reduce some of the discomfort that comes from doing things differently.

Improving Labor and Delivery: When the time comes for labor and delivery, you’ll need all of the strength possible for delivery. Taking part in physical therapy prior to labor and delivery gives you the chance to increase strength and practice techniques that make the process smoother. Often, physical therapy focuses on improving the abdominal muscles, the hips, and the back, all with the goal of ensuring your body has all it needs to deliver your child. Your physical therapist can help you prepare for what’s to come.

Fluid Retention: For women that struggle with fluid retention during the pregnancy, physical therapy may offer some help. It can help to reduce lymphedema through the use of compression and massage techniques. This is very safe, and it can help you have an easier time throughout the pregnancy.

In addition to these areas, physical therapy may be able to offer very specialized treatment of areas of concern. For example, a large number of women develop carpal tunnel during pregnancy. If that happens to you, your therapist can help develop treatments that focus on this area. For other women, incontinence is a concern. If you have other medical conditions, like multiple sclerosis, physical therapy can help you to better manage your symptoms.

Relieving Pain with Pregnancy Physical Therapy

Though it may be a joy to carry your new treasure with you, it certainly causes changes in the body. This often leads to sore and strained muscles and pinched nerves. By far, pain relief is one of the best reasons for engaging in physical therapy while pregnant.

The process may include the use of stretches and exercises designed to help specific areas of the body where pain occurs, such as the joints or lower back. Working to strengthen pelvic muscles and the muscles around the spine may also help to reduce aches and pains.

You can work closely with your physical therapist to create a treatment plan designed to provide you relief, including through:

Flexibility improvement
Posture improvement
Joint alignment techniques
Building muscle strength
Reducing nerve involvement

The same principles that apply prior to pregnancy can also be applied after during your recovery phase. Our team works closely with our clients to create a treatment plan for improving the way their body functions after giving birth. This includes helping muscles to tighten up and aiding in reducing posture problems. A comprehensive treatment plan can address what’s happening in your situation, giving you the relief you need.

How to Choose the Right Physical Therapist for your Pregnancy

Take the time to understand who can help you with this type of physical therapy. While many receive basic training in this area, others focus specifically on pregnancy related physical therapy. Choose a professional that is willing to listen to the way you feel each day. Then, they should work with you to create a treatment plan to address your specific needs. At Rock Valley Physical Therapy, our team is dedicated to helping you. Take a closer look at what we do and the advanced techniques we use to accomplish these goals. Let our team help you through this complicated part of your life. Contact us now for an appointment.

What are the Most Common Softball Injuries?

Tue, 26 Apr 2022 15:58:18 GMT

“Take Me Out TO The Ballgame,” not “Take Me Out OF the Ballgame!”

Participating in sports should be fun and the health benefits gained from playing are undeniable, but playing carries a risk of potential injury if the athlete is not properly prepared.

The most common injuries experienced in youth baseball players are to their shoulders and elbows, with pitchers acquiring the greatest number of injuries. Typically, young athletes will complain of shoulder pain earlier in the season, and elbow pain as the season progresses.

If your athlete is experien cing shoulder and/or elbow pain, do not ignore these warning signs as it can lead to chronic detrimental effects and serious injury if unchecked.

3 Common Softball Injuries

Softball, a cherished sport enjoyed by women of all ages, entails a spectrum of injuries that demand attention. Here’s a comprehensive look at these common injuries, often exacerbated by the overuse of certain muscle groups, and the nuances associated with them:

1.) Overuse Injuries

Elbow Tendonitis (Strain on UCL): Excessive strain on the ulnar collateral ligament (UCL), particularly prevalent among pitchers due to the repetitive windmill pitch motion, can lead to elbow tendonitis.

Shoulder Pain (Rotator Cuff Inflammation): The demanding nature of throwing, especially among pitchers and outfielders, can result in rotator cuff inflammation and persistent shoulder pain.

2.) Sprains

Ankle Sprains: Sudden stops and lateral movements, common actions for infielders and base runners, can cause ankle sprains, with overuse contributing to their susceptibility.

Wrist Sprains: Collisions with another player or with the base are super common causes for wrist sprains on the Softball field. These are important to monitor as this injury needs time to heal and can get worse if ignored.

3.) Contact Injuries

Head Injuries ( Concussions ): Accidental collisions with the ball or other players can lead to head injuries, especially for catchers, batters, and infielders engaged in close plays.

Fractures: High-impact plays, such as direct hits by the ball, can result in fractures, with the repetitive nature and intensity of the game contributing to the risk.

How to Prevent Softball Injuries

1.) Warming Up Your Arm

To prevent overuse injuries in softball, especially among pitchers, a thorough warm-up routine is crucial. Incorporating windmill exercises, bicep stretches, and shoulder stretches helps prepare the arm for the repetitive throwing motions involved in the game. Light throwing before practices and games allows players to gradually increase intensity, reducing the risk of strain. Additionally, the use of resistance bands can enhance flexibility and strengthen the muscles supporting the throwing arm.

2.) Protective Equipment

Ensuring the use of protective equipment is an essential aspect of injury prevention in softball. Baserunning mitts provide added cushioning and protection to players when sliding into bases, minimizing the risk of hand and finger injuries. Teaching proper sliding techniques, emphasizing safe practices during training, contributes to injury avoidance and promotes a secure playing environment.

3.) Pitch Count

Adhering to pitch count guidelines is a fundamental strategy for preventing overuse injuries, particularly in pitchers. Following league pitch count rules helps manage the workload on players’ arms, reducing the risk of strain and inflammation. It is crucial for coaches, players, and parents to prioritize the well-being of athletes by monitoring pitch counts, allowing adequate rest between pitching sessions, and avoiding excessive throwing, especially for younger players.

How to Treat Softball Injuries

When softball injuries occur, effective treatment is crucial to ensure a prompt and comprehensive recovery. Here are key approaches to treating common softball injuries:

1.) RICE Protocol

The RICE protocol (Rest, Ice, Compress, Elevate) is a fundamental strategy for managing softball injuries.

Rest: Allow the injured area sufficient time to heal by avoiding activities that may aggravate the condition.
Ice: Apply ice to the affected area to reduce swelling and alleviate pain. This helps control inflammation in overuse injuries such as shoulder pain and elbow tendonitis.
Compress: Utilize compression techniques, such as bandages or wraps, to provide support to the injured area and minimize swelling.
Elevate: Elevate the injured limb above the heart level to enhance blood circulation and further reduce swelling.

2.) Physical Therapy

Engaging in a structured physical therapy program is essential for a comprehensive recovery. Physical therapists can design targeted exercises to improve strength, flexibility, and range of motion, addressing the specific needs of the injured area.

3.) Tapes and Braces

In certain cases, using tapes and braces can offer additional support to the injured region. This is particularly relevant for injuries like sprains or when recovering from fractures. These supportive measures aid in stabilizing the affected area during the healing process.

4.) Gradual Return to Activity

Returning to softball activities should be a gradual process, especially after an injury. Players should follow a prescribed plan provided by healthcare professionals, reintroducing physical activities slowly to prevent re-injury.

Rock Valley PT Is Here to Help

Understanding the dynamics of these injuries, exacerbated by the demands of the game, provides valuable insights into preventive measures and reinforces the significance of prompt and appropriate treatment. In the following sections, we’ll explore strategies for injury prevention and delve into effective treatments when injuries occur.

Seek out a licensed Physical Therapist at Rock Valley Physical Therapy before the injury develops and identify possible causes contributing to the athlete’s pain. A Physical Therapist will develop a plan to get your athlete back to their optimal playing performance. At Rock Valley Physical Therapy, we offer an injury screen to assess the injury and explain treatment options. Knowledge of common risk factors, impairments, and effective strategies/interventions can prevent or minimize the impact of these injuries.

What is LSVT Big Therapy?

Wed, 20 Apr 2022 21:35:52 GMT

LSVT Big Therapy is a type of treatment for people with Parkinson’s Disease (PD). The therapy “trains the brain” in new ways to move while going about daily life. Because people living with PD often struggle with both large and small motor skills, therapy helps them learn intentional strategies to make their movements appear more like movements made by others around them.

This rehabilitation method is suitable for other neurological disorders, such as stroke and speech disorders. However, in this article, we will cover the basics of LSVT Big, and how it helps people with Parkinson’s stay more functional and independent longer. We will also discuss what therapy improves and the types of treatments one might expect.

Before we discuss LSVT Big Therapy, here is more information about PD.

What is Parkinson’s Disease?

According to the Parkinson’s Foundation report, PD is a progressive nervous system disease that usually affects middle-aged and elderly people more than children and young adults. Only 4% of people diagnosed with the disease are diagnosed before age 50. The condition is more prevalent in men than in women.

Foundation research says that almost one million people living in the United States are living with PD. They expect the number of people diagnosed with this neurological disorder will climb to 1.2 million within the next decade (2030).

Early symptoms of PD may include:

Dizziness or fainting
Loss of smell
Changes in handwriting
Trouble falling asleep or staying asleep
Facial expressions that contradict your mood

People with PD move in slow motion. They take smaller steps and move slowly, but are unaware they are not moving about like everyone else. Both small and large motor skill output decline. And, as time passes, they become less and less aware of their declining movement patterns.

As the disease progresses, dopamine declines, causing a variety of systems, including uncontrollable tremors, muscular rigidity, and loss of fine motor skills. People suffering with advanced PD often develop dementia and may require 24-hour care in a medically supervised environment.

What is LSVT Big Therapy?

LSVT Big Therapy is an intensive treatment method for people with Parkinson’s and other neurological conditions that limit mobility and the ability to complete self-care activities such as bathing, feeding oneself, and getting dressed.

What LSVT BIG Therapy Improves

Treatments may include physical therapy, speech therapy, and occupational therapy. Depending on a client’s unique needs and challenges, therapists may focus on only one area or utilize all three treatment methods.

People engaged in various modalities (treatment plans) see improvement in mobility, self awareness, pain management, overall health and wellness, and work performance.

How is LSVT BIG Therapy Tailored to an Individual’s Parkinson’s Disease Journey?

Customized therapy plans typically involve a series of 16 sessions provided four days per week for four weeks. Each in-clinic session lasts one hour. Clients are assigned daily exercises and homework to reinforce the training sessions.

At the end of the four-week period, clients have developed lifelong habits designed to improve their daily life and slow the progression of PD.

While the program format and length is essentially the same for each client, individual sessions address specific challenges depending on the stage of disease one is living with. For some, that may include an increased focus on upper extremities – pointing, range of motion, impaired dexterity, and sensory perception of proprioceptive information. The latter applies to how a person with PD perceives their position based on messages sent and received throughout the body receptors in muscles, joints, the inner ear, and other tissues.

For other people with PD, therapy may focus on improving small motor skills, such as writing, doing puzzles, or working with small parts.

Does LSVT Big Really Work?

A 2012 National Institute of Health study found that after four weeks of LSVT Big therapy, participants had improved proprioceptive performance. They further found an additional month (four weeks) of clinical therapy improved performance significantly more. And, the researchers noted that based on participant questionnaires, quality of life improved.

The aforementioned study also explored the potential for delivering LSVT Loud (designed for speech deficit training and LSVT Big via teletherapy, sometimes called virtual physical therapy. Remote therapy has proven to be effective for helping people with PD recalibrate their sensorimotor thought processes to improve function.

Here are examples of what individual plans may address.

Speech Therapy: Targets and improves voice control

Parkinson’s may affect the tone and volume of a person’s voice, as well as, their ability to speak clearly and indistinctly enough to be understood by others. Speech therapy can help a person speak louder and articulate more clearly.

Physical Therapy: Targets muscle and movement challenges and improves mobility

Moving around is exhausting for many people who have PD. Therapy strengthens core muscles, which helps people avoid inactivity and improves their quality of life.

Other benefits include:

Being able to take bigger steps, which leads to an ability to walk faster
Improves balance, which builds confidence
Enhances one’s ability to perform daily living activities independently
Increases trunk rotation, which makes twisting and turning motions easier*

*Trunk rotation is the movement one needs to maintain balance and stability as you turn and bend to pick something up off the floor, or reach behind you for a book on a table. PT addresses weakness in the thoracic and lumbar vertebrae and supporting muscles. The thorax region is sometimes called the chest, and includes skin, breasts, and internal organs related to circulation and respiratory function.

Occupational Therapy (OT): Addresses limitations and/or pain in the upper extremities

OT and Hand Therapy therapists help people with PD gain better function of their arms and hands. Sessions train people how to feed themselves and how to maintain strength and flexibility as a preventative strategy. When necessary, people may also receive pain management counseling and support.

LSVT Big Therapy has the potential to positively transform the lives of people with PD. Learn more about Rock Valley Physical Therapy services today.

Physical Therapy for Parkinson’s Disease

Wed, 13 Apr 2022 22:29:55 GMT

At Rock Valley Physical Therapy , we believe our bodies are amazing creations capable of incredible feats. Our minds are powerful computers, enabling humankind to build, soar, work, achieve and create. Even though we are remarkable as a species, there are times when we face difficulties, and diseases or sickness can begin to interfere with our abilities and desires.

The particular focus of this post is the commonly diagnosed but challenging condition called Parkinson’s disease. We are going to discuss what this disease is, how it affects the human body, treatment options, including physical therapy, and how it can help those who have been diagnosed.

Whether you or a loved one has recently been diagnosed with this disease or you have been living with the symptoms for a while – we hope you will be encouraged and find respite this focused approach to physical therapy can provide.

Parkinson’s Disease

Before we discuss physical therapy for Parkinson’s disease, we must first determine exactly what we aim to address in this post. According to the American Brain Foundation, Parkinson’s disease is characterized as a hormone abnormality:

Parkinson’s disease is a chronic, progressive disease in which the body doesn’t make enough dopamine. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter, or “chemical messenger,” responsible for normal body movements. The loss of brain cells that produce dopamine leads to motor issues, such as tremors, slowed movements, and loss of balance and coordination.

April is Parkinson’s disease awareness month. We want to take time to discuss the members of our population who are daily facing this disease. About 1% of adults over the age of 60 years have been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, making it quite common amongst those in their golden years.

Though this disease is more common among our elders, approximately one-in-ten individuals experience what is called early-onset Parkinson’s disease. “Early-onset” means that an individual is diagnosed with this disease before the age of 50 years. Physical therapy for Parkinson’s disease is available for all ages, regardless of whether the diagnosis comes as early-onset or later in life.

Symptoms of Parkinson’s Disease

As we mentioned above, Parkinson’s disease manifests when the brain begins to produce inadequate supplies of the hormone dopamine. If the onset of Parkinson’s disease is a result of a chemical malfunction in the brain, then how can physical therapy help? To answer this question, we must first discuss what Parkinson’s disease does in the human body and bodily functions.

There is no existing “test” currently to diagnose Parkinson’s disease. A neurologist will diagnose this condition by learning of specific symptoms. Most people who are familiar with Parkinson’s disease associate this disease with the challenge of subtle muscle tremors. While this is a hallmark symptom, there are often other symptoms that manifest years before the tremors begin. These symptoms could include sudden body movements, sudden vocalizations, anxiety, mood changes, loss of smell, sleep disturbances, and constipation.

Generally, by the time tremors become noticeable, approximately 50% of the specific dopamine-producing cells in the brain have already been lost. As the disease progresses, other symptoms and their severity will be evidenced. These symptoms may include:

difficulty making facial expressions
rigid muscles
slowness of movement
balance impairment
shuffling walk
trembling hands, arms, legs, or feet
difficulty with remembering and completing tasks

Treatments for Parkinson’s Disease

Because there is no specific test to diagnose Parkinson’s disease, the use of scans and imaging equipment can help to eliminate other possible conditions and narrow the field of potential ailments.

One of the most common treatments for Parkinson’s disease is the use of medications. Often, a patient’s positive reaction to these medications is the tell-tale indicator that the Parkinson’s diagnosis is correct. These medications include Levodopa and Carbidopa (inhaled or by infusion), Sinemet, Rytary, dopamine agonists, monoamine oxidase B (MAO B) inhibitors, and Amantadine to name a few. Some of these medications treat symptoms, others reduce or slow the dopamine breakdown.

Physical Therapy for Parkinson’s Disease

We have now discussed what Parkinson’s disease is, what the symptoms and onset of the disease can look like for patients, and some of the modern medications that are available to diagnose, slow, and ultimately manage Parkinson’s disease symptoms. What about physical therapy for Parkinson’s disease? Is there PT available to help patients living with this condition?

At Rock Valley Physical Therapy, we are dedicated to making lives better. This means if we can find a way to help our clients by using physical therapy, then we are eager to do so. We provide physical therapy for Parkinson’s disease to help our clients by:

increasing the amplitude or breadth of their motor output
introducing bigger and broader bodily movements
improving client’s self-perception and awareness of their extensions
improving client’s self-cuing and attention to action
habitually increasing the scale of reach, breadth and movement patterns

LSVT BIG and Parkinson’s

Another treatment Rock Valley Physical Therapy offers is LSVT. In 1987, Lee Silverman Voice Treatment was introduced, and it has been studied for over three decades. At Rock Valley, we value LSVT because it has been proven successful for participants to gain benefits over a 2 year treatment period.

What is LSVT BIG? LSVT BIG is an effective, intensive, treatment. In LSVT BIG, our client will receive one on one therapy to work on practical skills, like balance walking, and other activities which are necessary for daily living. Some of these activities include dressing oneself, sitting in a chair and rising from a chair, writing, and other similar skills.[12]

Are You Ready to Make a Change?

If you or someone you love has been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, then we want you to know you are not alone. At Rock Valley Physical Therapy, we are here for you.

If you are interested in learning more about physical therapy for Parkinson’s disease, or you would like more information about LSVT BIG treatments, then please contact us today! Click here to request an appointment to begin finding relief from your Parkinson’s symptoms.

Heat vs. Ice Therapy for Muscle Strains, Sprains & Cramps

Wed, 06 Apr 2022 21:03:25 GMT

When it comes to a sprained wrist, a pulled muscle in our backs, a twisted ankle, or raging bursitis, none of us have it figured out. You may have an ice pack or heating pad at home but are questioning if your pain requires heat therapy vs. ice therapy. Read on to hear our physical therapists’ advice for these types of injuries.

First and foremost, what kind of inju ries can be aided towards recovery by using heat therapy or ice therapy?

Muscle Strains

Muscle strain, muscle pull, or even a muscle tear refers to damage to a muscle or its attaching tendons. You can put undue pressure on muscles during the course of normal daily activities, with sudden heavy lifting, during sports, or while performing work tasks.

Muscle damage can be in the form of tearing (part or all) of the muscle fibers and the tendons attached to the muscle. The tearing of the muscle can also damage small blood vessels, causing local bleeding, or bruising, and pain caused by irritation of the nerve endings in the area.

If you have incurred a strained muscle, you will experience a wide range of symptoms. These symptoms include pain, even while resting; pain when that particular muscle or the surrounding joints that work with that muscle are used; you may experience redness, bruising, or swelling; you may experience weakness in your tendons or muscles, or in the most extreme cases you may experience the inability to use the muscle.

Cramps

“A muscle cramp is a sudden and involuntary contraction of one or more of your muscles…Most muscle cramps develop in the leg muscles, particularly in the calf. Besides the sudden, sharp pain, you might also feel or see a hard lump of muscle tissue beneath your skin.”

Sprains

Most of us are familiar with a sprain. “A sprain is a common sports injury that generally occurs in the wrists, knees, and ankles. Throughout the human body, tissues known as ligaments support joints by connecting bones to other bones. A sprain is the result of the tearing or stretching of one of these ligaments too far. Common sprain symptoms include swelling, pain, discomfort, and difficulty moving the affected joint or limb.”

When to See a Doctor

You should seek medical attention quickly if you cannot walk, you hear or feel a “popping” sound when the injury occurs, you experience a significant amount of pain or swelling around the injury, you incur a fever, or you sustained open abrasions, lacerations or cuts. For cramping, see a medical professional if they reoccur frequently, you do not see them improve with self-care, or you know they are not correlated to a known cause, such as strenuous exercise.

Heat Therapy vs. Ice Therapy For Injuries

Now that we have discussed the types of injuries we are seeking to treat, let us talk more about how you can best expedite your recovery.

When is Heat the Best Treatment?

Most of us prefer to apply heat rather than cold solely because of the warmth, the soothing effect and it is just more comfortable. However, when you experience the strained muscle injuries we are discussing in this post, it is important to deny your natural instinct to place a heating pad or warm compress on your injury. When you apply heat to a strained muscle too early, it can actually increase the pain and swelling.

Types of Heat Therapy

There are several recommended types of heat therapy. Consider using a paraffin was treatment, applying a safe heating pad, rice pack, hot water bottle, or hot compress (washcloth) to the injured area. You may benefit from soaking the injury in a hot bath (aim for 92-100 degrees Fahrenheit or 33-37.7 degrees Celsius). Finally, consider medications like patches or rubs which contain capsicum (an herbal supplement).

When Not to Use Heat Therapy

Do not use heat therapy if you have an open wound or an existing skin condition like dermatitis. Do not use heat therapy if the injured area is numb, as this could lead to burns. Do not use heat therapy if the skin is already inflamed, red or hot to the touch. Finally, do not use heat therapy if you are unable to feel the heat due to an underlying medical condition like peripheral neuropathy.

When is Ice or a Cooling Pack the Best Treatment?

If you have experienced a muscle strain, sprain, or cramps, the swelling or pain can be reduced by the use of ice therapy. Ice or cold therapy can reduce inflammation by restricting blood flow for up to two days after your injury. Ice can also have a numbing effect which reduces pain.

Types of Ice Therapy (or Cold Therapy)

There are many ways to treat your injuries with cold therapies. You can use a cold compress, or an ice pack designed specifically for sports injuries. You can immerse yourself or the injury in a cold bath but avoid using freezing water. You can isolate the injury by massaging the area with a cube of ice.

Do not place ice therapies directly on your skin.

When Not to Use Ice Therapy

You should NOT use ice therapy if you are at risk of cramping, if the area is already numb, or if the skin is blistered or the wound is open. Do not use ice if you have a vascular disease or restricted flow of blood.

Take the Stress Out of Your Physical Therapy

When you find yourself asking, “hot or cold?” you can follow this basic guide for a strain, sprain, or muscle cramp. You already have a lot on your mind when you are injured, so the last thing you need is to be stressed about whether or not you need heat therapy vs ice therapy.

At Rock Valley Physical Therapy , we want you to live life better. If you have questions about which therapy is best for your injury, request an appointment today.

We are here to help, and we are committed to helping you recover by making therapy fun and easy!

Physical Therapy for Hand Pain: Improve Everyday Function

Sun, 03 Apr 2022 20:36:31 GMT

We do an incredible amount of things with our hands, from work to play to everyday tasks—which makes hand therapy an important part of regaining function. Hand therapy is the rehabilitation of injuries and/or diagnosis that pertain to the upper extremity—the shoulder, elbow, forearm, wrist and hand. Diagnoses and treatment cover a wide range including muscle weakness, tendon injuries, tendonitis, nerve-related injuries or neurological disorders.

Rock Valley Physical Therapy has multiple hand therapists on staff. To become a certified hand therapist; you need to be a registered therapist (occupational therapist or physical therapist) with five years of experience and 4,000 hours.

A hand specialist can treat patients ranging in age from pediatrics to older adults and may be required for post-operative care, non-operative care and preventative care. After surgery, the patient’s hand may need to be held in a specific position to promote the best healing, so hand therapists may fabricate a custom-molded splint to assist with proper healing. If it is difficult for the patient to regain prior level of function; the therapist may educate the patient in the use of adaptive equipment or how to modify tasks that are completed at home and at work.

Helping individuals regain function, whether at work or home, is what made me want to learn more about hand therapy and become a hand therapist. Could you imagine not being able to complete tasks that you previously could because of increased pain, injury or a neurological diagnosis? We use our hands for so much, and a person is affected not only physically but also mentally and emotionally. Each individual’s injury and diagnosis is unique—as a therapist, we have to address all of these areas when working side-by-side with a patient.

Our goal is that each patient will have the comfort of getting back to completing tho se everyday tasks. No matter what the injury is, the Rock Valley Physical Therapy team treats each patient according to their individual situation, needs and goals.

When your Doctor Recommends Physical Therapy

Fri, 04 Mar 2022 21:12:51 GMT

We are here for you and dedicated to making life better for you and your loved ones. Whether you have been in an accident, desire to return to or maintain your level of activity, are recovering from surgery, or preventing future injuries, we are here to ensure you have the support you need to recover or maintain your physicality. At Rock Valley physical therapy, we are a patient-centered, therapist-led organization dedicated to improving the health of our Midwestern communities. We commit to taking care of you and your family during your current struggle and any challenges that may arise down the road.

Whatever your journey has been, and whatever your goals are, you will likely have many questions when your doctor recommends physical therapy. We will address some of the clients’ main questions when a doctor recommends physical therapy.

What to do when a doctor recommends physical therapy?

There are several things to consider when you need to meet with a physical therapist. First, you should consider why your doctor is recommending physical therapy. What is the rationale for you to take on a new endeavor with a new physical therapist? Next, you should consider what conditions the physical therapist you have selected can help. Third, you will need to consider whether or not the physical therapist you plan to utilize for therapy requires a referral from your doctor. Finally, you will want to know approximately how long your therapy will last. Once you have these questions answered, the last thing to do is find the best physical therapist near you!

Why does your doctor recommend it?

It is important to consider why your doctor may be recommending physical therapy. When you see your primary care doctor, there is a very real possibility that your doctor is aware of your medical history and the events that have brought you to this moment. If your doctor is recommending physical therapy for you, there could be many reasons why.

There are several approaches and reasons physical therapy may be suggested for you. Gone are the days when physical therapy was only used to help people regain mobility after breaking a bone. Now, there are therapies available for all of your physical needs. What are some reasons you or your doctor may see a potential benefit in your participation in physical therapy? Some of these include your desire to avoid medication or surgery by gaining strength and agility. Physical therapy can help relieve pain from an accident or from natural age.

At other times, your primary care doctor may recommend physical therapy to help you with your goals to maintain a healthy and active lifestyle. As we age, certain physical activities that we take for granted can become more difficult or even impossible. Climbing the stairs, reading a dish in the top of the pantry, changing the oil in your car – these activities are suddenly great physical challenges. There are many different types of physical therapy listed below, and each of these can help you in various physical challenges.

Which conditions or ailments do physical therapists help treat?

The common misperception is that physical therapists work primarily with arms, legs, and backs. This is true; physical therapists can help with anything from regaining movement in limbs or your back or reaching to the highest cabinets to pull down dishes, to being able to walk your pets or play on the ground with your grandchildren. A physical therapist can do so much more than these necessary but traditional avenues of treatment.

Physical therapy is for all people who cannot perform normal daily activities or recreational activities because of weakness, imbalance, pain, or stiffness. Regardless of your age, history, background, or status, physical therapy can be a life-changing experience. If you have been or are experiencing a lack of functionality, or increased discomfort, then physical therapy is a great option for you.

As mentioned, the use of physical therapy is not only limited to your extremities. Another common reason a primary care doctor may recommend physical therapy is to help a patient recover from a stroke, improve balance to prevent falls, help manage diabetes and vascular conditions, assist in age-related illnesses or setbacks. It is not well known that physical therapy can also help with heart and lung disease management, as well as a variety of women’s health issues.[1]

From your head to your toes, from your knees to your back – physical therapy can bring relief to your entire body no matter where you are experiencing limited movement.

Are there different types of physical therapy?

When most people think of physical therapy, they imagine someone trying to regain the ability to walk after an injury of some kind. This is physical therapy, but the types of therapy offered vary widely.

There are many different types of physical therapy because there are many types of physical ailments. If you are experiencing pain, stiffness, weakness, or lack of movement in your muscles, then you will need a therapy that differs from if you are experiencing a broken bone, and those will both differ from joint injuries.

Occupational therapy targets hands, health, and wellness, including corporate therapy and nutritional therapy, athletic training targets sports injuries and injury prevention, and at Rock Valley physical therapy, we also offer vestibular therapy, dry needling, concussion management, pelvic health, aquatic physical therapy and so much more.

Do you need a referral?

One of the most common questions new patients ask when posed with the possibility of physical therapy is if the client will need a referral or to visit their primary care doctor before they can see a physical therapist. Are you wondering if you need a referral before you can get the physical therapy you need?

Most people are not aware, but in the United States and the District of Columbia, all 51 of these forums have validated direct access for patients to physical therapists. This means that you, as a potential client, no longer need to go and pay for a primary care doctor before you go to a physical therapist. When you are seeking physical therapy, and you know the questions and concerns you have, then there is no reason to add an extra appointment and expense.[2]

It is important to note that some states have restrictions on the length of treatment that a physical therapist can give without a doctor’s referral or input. This timeframe is usually 30 days. There may be other state-specific rules or regulations or specific treatments or plans, so be sure you check your local jurisdictional rules.[3]

What if you are not comfortable meeting in person?

We live in a time when some patients may be wary of going into a physical therapist’s office for an appointment. We understand this because physical therapy often requires a certain amount of closeness, touch, and being in close proximity. We are particularly proud to offer a Telehealth Physical Therapy option for our clients who are not comfortable with face-to-face meetings at this unprecedented time. Our Telehealth Physical Therapy enables our highly trained staff to participate in a virtual visit with you as the patient. You can remain in the comfort of your own home and still move forward with your physical therapy goals.

How long can you expect your therapy typically will last?

When your doctor recommends physical therapy, one of the key decision-making factors for you will be the time commitment that is required by you to complete the therapy. The time you are required to participate in treatment will influence your budget and your ability to commit.

Generally, you can expect you will be in physical therapy until your therapist communicates you have achieved your goals and releases you from your program. This is vague and may leave you with more questions, but as a starting point, it is important to note the time may not be set in stone. Every condition or injury that has motivated you to look into physical therapy will have a different timeline for healing. You can estimate approximately six weeks to eight weeks for soft tissue to heal. More serious injuries can be expected to take more time.[4]

Are you ready to leap into physical therapy?

You now have all the basic information you need before you make a decision to participate in physical therapy. The last thing for you to do is to find the best physical therapist near you!

How to find a Rock Valley physical therapist near you – Rock Valley’s physical therapy possesses 60 locations which are conveniently located throughout the states of Iowa and Illinois. Getting an appointment at a location near you is now easier than it has ever been before. We now provide a request an appointment feature , and you can find it by clicking here . Find your Rock Valley physical therapy and begin your healing today!

Resources

[1] https://www.burke.org/blog/2015/10/10-reasons-why-physical-therapy-is-beneficial/58

[2] https://www.strengthtrainingrehab.com/do-i-need-referral-for-physical-therapy/

[3] https://www.strengthtrainingrehab.com/do-i-need-referral-for-physical-therapy/

[4] https://www.verywellhealth.com/how-long-should-you-attend-physical-therapy-3975127

The Benefits of Physical Therapy as a First Response for Pain Management

Fri, 25 Feb 2022 20:36:39 GMT

You may be astounded to learn that more than 100 million people in the United States alone wrestle with untreated pain according to a recent Institute of Medicine research estimate This is an incredible 30% – give or take – of the United States population!

More specifically, the prevalence of pain tends to be in higher quantities for female patients, roughly 34% of females, than their male counterparts at 26%. Gender is not the only factor to consider, this study also shows there is an increase in occurrences and diagnosis of chronic pain as patients age.[1]

Chronic pain left untreated is a s erious issue, and recent studies are suggesting it is actually an epidemic. There are many methods of pain management, but the benefits of physical therapy to treat pain cannot be overlooked! Before we go further and discuss physical therapy and pain management, let us begin by starting with a simple question. How does untreated pain affect us?

How Does Pain Affect Us?

Pain can affect every area of our day-to-day life. It can affect our work, our sleep, and even our ability to enjoy our relationships. Pain left untreated can gradually affect our stress levels and ultimately have a negative impact on our work performance, our emotional health, and our physical availability for those we love.

In a recent study, the statistical prevalence of initial lower back pain was just slightly above eight percent. Treatment and management of lower back pain cost Americans approximately $86 billion dollars in 2005.[2]

For another common ailment, osteoarthritis, pain was prevalent in just under four percent of cases.[3] In this same study, about half of patients surveyed as sufferers of chronic pain reported that they experienced daily pain. The mean of those surveyed, just over 30%, reported that in the recent three months, their pain intensity was severe. Meaning they scored their pain as greater than or equal to seven on a scale ranging from zero to ten.[4]

How Do We Currently Address Pain Management in North America?

Now that we have clarified exactly what we mean by pain and who suffers from it, we should talk about some treatment options. As we discussed earlier in this post, nearly one in three Americans suffer from pain. That number is astounding, so surely the medical community has figured out the best way to bring about healing from pain, right? Sadly, this is not the case. So, what are your treatment options for dealing with pain?

Medication is a popular remedy to manage pain. When a patient suffers from an ailment, the general first line of medical care is the primary care doctor. What role, if any, does a primary care doctor play in pain relief using medication? A recent study provides this shocking information:

The National Survey on Drug Use and Health estimated that 1.8 million people had a prescription pain reliever use disorder and 11.5 million misused prescription pain relievers in 2016. An estimated 215 million opioid prescriptions were dispensed by retail pharmacies in 2016, reaching a rate of 66.5 dispensed opioid prescriptions per 100 persons in the United States. Of these opioid prescriptions, 45% were written by primary care clinicians.[5]

Nearly half of the prescriptions for opioids are prescribed by a primary care doctor to help their patient manage their pain.

Another common go-to plan of treatment is the use of magnetic resonance imaging or MRIs, CT scans, or other imaging techniques. Health Services Research found in 2015 that patients who complained to their doctors about lower back pain were primarily given two options: 45% were sent for MRIs, and 44% were sent to physical therapy. Of the 45% of patients who were initially sent for an MRI, 29% of the were eventually sent to physical therapy.[6]

Why Are Other Pain Relief Techniques Inadequate?

In the United States, the annual cost of daily and chronic pain upon the public was an estimated $635 billion in treatment and lost productivity.[7] Further, the misuse of potent opioid painkillers, meant to help manage pain, can increase the risk of addiction and abuse.[8] In 2017, the Department of Health and Human Services declared opioid abuse to be a public health emergency.[9] An estimated 10 million Americans misused prescription opioids in 2019.[10]

As for the MRIs and other imaging techniques, these procedures are costly and often waste time as the majority of patients end up utilizing physical therapy to find relief. The average cost of imaging in the Health Service Research projects was $1,306 in 2015[11]. And of course, that cost has increased in the seven years since that survey was taken.

Can Physical Therapy Help with Pain Management?

Can physical therapy as a first response to pain produce results? At Rock Valley Physical Therapy, we believe “physical therapy services are for anyone struggling to complete recreational or daily activities due to pain, weakness, stiffness, or imbalance” and we are here to serve you.

How does physical therapy practically help pain? By using a series of flexibility and strengthening movements to enable you to exercise and move with more efficiency and less pain or discomfort.

Typically, your physical therapist will ask questions and learn as much as they can about your pain. Then, your physical therapist will assign movements that are designed to increase gradually. These are all personal and specific to you and according to your own abilities.

Additional movements and exercises will be introduced to help you improve coordination and reestablish movement. These work together to reduce the strain, tension, and stress on your taxed body. Ultimately, this combination of movements and exercises will aid in decreasing the pain you are experiencing.

How does this work? Remember, the body has danger receptors and not pain receptors. So, pain is an output signal from the patient’s brain rather than an input signal our body sends to tell the patient they are hurting.[12]

By strategically introducing a specific exercise program, it will aid in training your mind to sense the area where you are experiencing pain, but without the “danger messages” i.e., the sensitivity will be reduced.[13]

What are the Benefits of Using Physical Therapy as a First Response for Pain Management?

We now know that physical therapy for pain is an extremely beneficial solution. But what are the other benefits of physical therapy for treating pain? Cost and efficiency are at the top of the list!

The Health Service Research survey found that patients who received physical therapy for lower back pain began treatment on average just eight days after they first met with their primary care doctor. Of those, only one in five would eventually go on to require an MRI or other imaging procedure.[14]

Research shows that the average cost of physical therapy was $504 in 2015. This is one-third or 33% of the cost of one single MRI.[15]

Further, by using physical therapy for pain, patients are protected from the harmful long-term effects or risk of opioid addiction.

Are You Ready to Heal?

Pain is far more prevalent in our society than it was even a decade ago. We know that it can be scary to deviate from traditional forms of treatment and try something new. It is your body, so we pose this question for you – do you want to simply manage your pain, or do you want to find long-term relief? Our bodies are amazing and heal, that we can promise, but we cannot promise complete and total healing. We will work with you to find the best, safest, and most holistic treatment for you.

Get back to the life you want to live ! Click here now to schedule an appointment.

Ergonomic Injury Prevention Guide

Tue, 18 Jan 2022 20:26:36 GMT

Does your career require extended time working at your desk? If so, you understand the potential perils, including a stiff neck, headaches, and sore back at the end of the day.

Fortunately, you can take steps to ergonomically set up your office that can reduce injuries and protect your overall health.

Four Fundamentals of Ergonomic Office Set-Up

When you’re designing your office, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, as the saying goes. Merriam-Webster defines ergonomics as “a science that deals with designing and arranging things so that people can use them easily and safely.”

This article will discuss four fundamentals to consider for setting up your office for ergonomic success; head and neck, back, hands and wrists, and movement.

1. Head and Neck Position

Neck strain is common when you’re sitting at a desk for long periods. To reduce your risk of neck injury, keep your head vertical to your neck when you’re working. You want to have a proper desk posture at all time.

One tip to do this if you’re using a laptop is investing in a laptop riser and using an external keyboard and mouse instead of bending your neck down to the screen. Have you heard the term “ text neck ” that occurs from hunching over your cell phone?

A similar thing happens when your computer screen is too low, and the angle of your head puts more weight on your neck and spine. Your head weighs approximately 10-12 pounds when you sit in a neutral position. However, if you tip your head down just 15 degrees, that weight increases to 26 pounds of pressure on your cervical spine. If your head is tilted 30 degrees, that weight increases to 40 pounds of force.

This added strain on your neck and spine leads to damage and pain over time. To avoid this, keep your head vertical by placing your computer screen at eye level. And if you have two screens, keep the primary screen centered right in front of you and the secondary screen off to your left or your right.

Monitor tips to consider:

Align the top of the monitor screen with your forehead, and use a riser if needed.
Place the monitor 20-40 inches from your face.
Place the monitor at a right angle or away from windows and task lights to reduce glare.

2. Back and Seat Position

Back and seat positioning are critical to reducing fatigue and pain. If you were trained to “sit up tall,” you may find this section interesting because sitting at a 90-degree angle is not good for your body.

If your chair doesn’t already have one, use a seat cushion to distribute your weight more evenly. You can purchase orthopedic seats that tilt your pelvis into a more natural position or seat cushions with tailbone cutouts for more comfort. Then, when you’re sitting in your chair, make sure your legs and thighs are parallel to your seat cushion, which reduces leg pain. Also, ensure that your seat isn’t hitting the back of your knees because it can cause your ankles and feet to swell.

Lumbar support pillows are also helpful because they accommodate the natural curve in your lower back when you sit.

If your feet don’t touch the floor, use a stool to place your feet on because your legs shouldn’t be dangling. Ideally, your feet should sit flat on the floor with your legs and hips at 90° to 100°, and you can purchase an adjustable footrest to help keep your legs in this ergonomic position.

3. Hands and Wrists

The American College of Rheumatology reports that carpal tunnel syndrome affects between 4-10 million Americans. It causes numbness in the fingers, hand weakness, loss of feeling, and loss of hand function. It has the potential to derail careers, but with ergonomic hand and wrist positioning, you can protect yourself.

When you’re working, it’s essential that your hands and wrists are in a neutral position as much as possible. Your shoulders should be in a resting position rather than hunched, and keep your arms at 90 degrees with your elbows bent and wrists neutral. Your arms shouldn’t bend to the side or across the midline of your body while you’re working.

Additional tips include:

Use an ergonomic mouse rather than a traditional mouse to prevent a bend in your wrist.
As we mentioned above, use an external keyboard if you’re using a laptop so you can keep your arm ergonomically positioned.
Be mindful when choosing new ergonomic devices such as a keyboard or mouse. It is important to look at how the entire arm is supported all the way from the wrist to shoulder. Making a positive change to one area, has potential to negatively impact another area if not properly assessed.

4. Behavior

The last ergonomic fundamental to reduce injuries is your behavior. Pace yourself using short, frequent breaks that are key to prevent repetition injuries and muscle fatigue. It also keeps your circulation flowing and increases your work performance.

Research reveals that taking a short break every 20 minutes to stand and stretch is helpful, but if you can walk for a minute or two as well, it’s better.

Sit-stand desks have become quite popular, and if you use them properly, they can benefit you. Keep in mind that standing strains your body more than sitting, and people tend to lean when they are standing for more than eight minutes. So if you’re going to use a sit-stand desk, it’s best to sit for 20 minutes, followed by 8 minutes of standing, followed by 2 minutes of moving around.

You only get one body, so invest in your health with the ergonomic setup tips we’ve discussed here to reduce injuries. Be sure to incorporate all of the four fundamental customizations for optimal results. For example, if you get a chair that keeps you in a neutral position, but you need to bend your neck to view the computer monitor, you will still run into problems.

Learn How You Can Set Up Your Office for Success

At Rock Valley PT , we are committed to equipping you to succeed at work, at home, and on the field. Our therapists are experts on ergonomic positioning that’s best for your health, and we are available to assist you with ideas for creating an ergonomic office space.

For an appointment or more information, contact us today .

How To Prevent ACL Tears: Tips and Exercises

Wed, 29 Dec 2021 21:39:15 GMT

No one wants to hear the characteristic “popping” sound and accompanying pain when their anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) suddenly tears. Yet ACL tears are the most common knee ligament injury , with the United States reporting 100,00 to 200,00 ACL injuries each year.

ACL tears require a significant recovery time, which makes them an injury that all athletes hope to avoid. The injury typically will end an athlete’s season and require at least a year of hard work to rehabilitate. Some athletes can continue to compete with a torn ACL if the surrounding musculature can support the knee without episodes of giving out, but most will eventually get surgery. Fortunately, you can follow preventive tips and exercises to decrease your risk of an ACL tear.

Knee Anatomy and Function of the ACL

The knee joint is where your femur (thigh bone), tibia (shin bone), and patella (kneecap) meet. The knee has four ligaments that provide static stability, connecting bone to bone. The muscles surrounding the knee provide dynamic stability to the knee.

The ACL and PCL (crucial posterior ligament) are the two cruciate ligaments inside your knee joint that work together to stabilize your knee and control the femur (thigh bone) sliding on the tibia (shin bone).

What Are the Causes and Symptoms of ACL Tear Injuries?

Anyone can have an accident and tear their ACL, but some factors increase your risk. For example, being female or participating in sports requiring cutting movements, pivoting, or landing on one leg increase your chances of tearing your ACL. Your risk also increases if you’re playing a sport on artificial turf.

Common causes of ACL tears include:

Stopping suddenly, side-step-cutting, changing direction, or pivoting rapidly while the foot is planted on the ground
Landing incorrectly from a jump
Suddenly slowing down while running with poor mechanics
A direct blow to the knee or colliding with another athlete
Hyperextension of the knee
Repeated stress to the knee

How do you know if you may have torn your ACL? Signs and symptoms of an ACL injury include:

Hearing a loud “pop”
Feeling a “popping” sensation in the knee
Sudden severe pain
Inability to bear weight on the knee (feels like it’s “giving out”)
Rapid knee and leg swelling
Loss of range of motion in the knee
Knee feels warm to the touch
Bruising
Numbness below the knee

Tips To Prevent ACL Tears

Although you can’t completely eliminate the possibility of an ACL tear, there are steps you can take to reduce your risk of it occurring.

Always stretch and warm-up adequately before exercising or participating in sports.

Your warm-up should include stretching, dynamic strengthening movements (lunges, squats, etc.), and plyometrics (jumping activities). There are numerous ACL prevention warm-up programs available online. Examples include the Santa Monica ACL prevention program (PEP) and FIFA 11.

Practice proprioceptive training.

Proprioception allows you to perceive the position and movement of your body, know where your body is in space, and have a sense of balance and equilibrium — therefore reducing your risk of an ACL tear.

Proprioceptive training improves muscle strength, balance, and reaction times using approaches like movement exercises and sequential training. Practicing on unstable surfaces (i.e., Airpax pad or wobble board) can be helpful in this training.

Participate in lower-body strength training.

You are more prone to an ACL injury if the muscles around your knee are weak. Strengthening your leg muscles, especially your thigh hamstrings, quadriceps, and gluteus maximus muscles, improves your balance and range of motion and prevents injury.

Increase conditioning before your sports season starts.

Fatigue increases your risk of an ACL tear, but strength reduces your injury risk. So properly ramp up your conditioning prior to your season, so you’re at peak fitness and limit fatigue as a factor for injury.

Keep your entire body conditioned year-round, and include strengthening your hips and lower core.

Practice your landing skills.

Many ACL tears occur from an improper landing, but you can prevent ACL tears by landing your jumps properly. Be sure your knees are bent and not straight when you land, and keep your knees from turning inward.

Practice agility and deceleration.

Agility and deceleration training teaches you to perform common sports movements such as cutting, pivoting, changing direction, and stopping, which are other high-risk skills that cause ACL tears when executed improperly.

Exercises To Prevent ACL Tears

Keeping the muscles around your knee strong and flexible can reduce your risk of ACL tears.

The hamstring muscles and ACL work together to prevent your tibia from moving forward suddenly, so if your hamstrings are strong, you may be able to prevent an ACL tear. And strengthening your hip/core control and gluteus medius muscle prevents your knee from collapsing inward and causing an ACL tear.

A physical therapist can provide you with a detailed assessment of any range of motion limitations, strengths, weaknesses or asymmetries, and analyze your movement patterns. They then will provide you with a plan to address the limitations they discovered so that your body can move and absorb forces more efficiently.

Your physical therapist may work with you using the following exercises that target your hamstrings, quadriceps, and glutes to lower your risk of ACL injury:

Plyometric exercises
Hip abduction
Loaded squats
Deadlifts
Wall Sits
Reverse Lunges
Bridges (short leg and long leg)
Planks and Side Planks

Consult With a Rock Valley Physical Therapist to Prevent an ACL Tear

Don’t allow yourself to be sidelined by an ACL injury but learn more about how you can keep yourself healthy and safe in your sport or daily activities.

At Rock Valley PT , our physical therapists can evaluate you and your unique needs to create an individualized preventive plan. If you have already suffered an ACL injury, we can assist you with developing a rehabilitation treatment plan so you can get back to life without pain .

Request your appointment at Rock Valley today.

What Types of Injuries Require Physical Therapy

Tue, 09 Nov 2021 21:49:59 GMT

Injuries account for 37.9 million visits to the emergency room each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention . Fortunately, physical therapy is available to help you return to the activities you love after experiencing an injury.

In this article, we will examine the types of injuries requiring physical therapy, where these injuries most commonly occur, and how physical therapy helps reduce your pain and heal your injury.

Soft Tissue Injuries

Muscles, tendons, and ligaments are examples of soft tissue and can suffer injury.

Muscles

Muscles are soft-tissue organs that provide stability and movement for the human body. They consist of fibers that can stretch or tear.

Tendons

Tendons are soft tissues that connect muscles to bones, allowing you to move your joints. Tendons are made of collagen, your body’s strongest protein.

The most common tendon injury is the Achilles tendon injury which can be caused by straining or twisting the Achilles tendon.

Ligaments

Ligaments are strong bands that are usually composed of two strips of fibrous connective tissue. They function to connect bones to other bones. They play a key role in maintaining the stability and range of motion in a joint.

Ligament injuries can be quite painful and require surgery to repair.

Soft tissue injuries are the most common type of injury because they often happen when you engage in everyday activities that can damage your muscles and joints.

Different types of soft tissue injuries can be classified as sprains, strains, or tears.

Sprain Injuries

Twisted ankles are the most common sprain injuries and often happen when people fall or twist suddenly. This sudden jarring forces the joint out of its normal position and overstretches the ligament in the process.

Sprain injuries can be quite painful initially, and signs and symptoms include:

Pain
Swelling
Bruising
Inability to use the joint

Strain Injuries

A strain injury is the over-stretching of a muscle or tendon. Have you ever leaned over to pick something up and discovered the item was much heavier than you expected it to be? Most of us have.

Ouch! You instantly realize you may have “pulled a muscle.” This is one of the ways strains happen; when a muscle is misused, fatigued, or overused, it can get injured.

The severity of the injury ranges from mild to severe.

Signs and symptoms of a strain injury include:

Swelling, bruising, or redness
Pain
Muscle or tendon weakness
Muscle spasms
Complete loss of muscle function

Tear Injuries

Tear injuries happen when a tendon, muscle, or ligament fibers partially or entirely tear after being overstretched suddenly and quickly.

Sometimes you’ll hear a popping sound followed by intense pain when a tendon, muscle, or ligament tears (or ruptures).

Signs and symptoms of tendon or ligament tears include:

A “popping” sensation
Severe pain and inability to continue the activity you were doing
Rapid swelling
Loss of range of motion
Inability to bear weight on the injured area
A feeling of instability

Even if surgery is necessary to repair a tear, physical therapy is beneficial before and afterward. Initial steps to treat a new injury for the first 24-72 hours typically include the P.R.I.C.E. Protocol :

Protection: to avoid further injury
Rest: to allow the body’s healing process to begin
Ice: to reduce blood flow to the injury site
Compression: to minimize swelling
Elevation: to keep injury at/above heart level and prevent fluid accumulation at the injury site

Where Do Most Injuries Occur?

Most injuries in the U.S. occur in a sports setting, at home, or at work.

1. Sports Injuries

Participating in sports is both fun and beneficial for your overall health. The downside is that it does increase your risk of getting injured. Whether it be from a contact sport like football, a non-contact sport like track & field, or a throwing sport like softball , a variety of unique injuries can occur. The most common sports injuries include that can require physical therapy are:

A.C.L. (anterior crucial ligament) knee injuries
Ankle sprains
Concussions
Rotator cuff injuries
Runner’s knee
Shin splints
Tennis elbow or Little League elbow

Physical therapy offers you the opportunity to return to the sport you love after a sport-related injury.

2. Home Injuries

Slips, trips, and falls are the most common cause of injuries in the home. Physical therapy not only helps you recover from your fall injury but also helps you reduce your risk of falling again by:

Assessing your fall risk.
Helping improve your home’s safety.
Providing you with education about your medical risk factors that can increase your fall risk.
Designing a personalized exercise and balance training program.
Improving your ability increase your fitness.

3. Work Injuries

While increased health and safety measures in the workplace have significantly reduced the amount of work-related injuries, they do still happen. The most common work-related injuries result from:

Slipping
Tripping
Falling
Overexertion
Repetitive movements
Workplace equipment
Fires and explosions

Physical therapy provides a pathway to healing from work-related injuries.

How Physical Therapy Helps You Heal From an Injury

These goals help you prevent future injuries and participate in the activities you love.

1. Reducing or eliminating pain

Pain can cause you to injure other parts of your body by overcompensating as you try to protect the painful area. Physical therapy strives to reduce or eliminate your pain.

2. Improving flexibility and range of motion

Physical therapy incorporates specific exercises and other treatments designed to improve your flexibility and range of motion.

4. Preventing re-injury

Educating you about how to prevent another injury is an essential goal of physical therapy.

3. Increasing strength

Physical therapy increases your strength through tailoring to your needs and including treatments such as passive and active strength exercises.

Physical Therapy At Rock Valley PT

Our physical therapists at Rock Valley PT are skilled experts who help you recover from injuries through hands-on care, education, and treatments tailored to your specific needs. Contact us today so you can heal and enjoy your life to the fullest.

What is Hand Therapy & How Can it Help You

Tue, 31 Aug 2021 20:53:05 GMT

Your hands make up a small portion of your body, but if they hurt or don’t move effectively, it can really make your life unpleasant. You need your hands every day for tasks like grasping, writing, eating , using your phone, and so much more.

It’s easy to underestimate how much having use of your hands benefits your life until they stop serving you well. If you’re suffering after an injury, disease, or chronic pain, hand therapy can help restore your hands so they function well again.

This article will discuss what hand therapy is, how it can help you, and how to know if you need hand therapy.

What Is Hand Therapy?

Hand therapy is an evidence-based, specialized treatment that focuses on personalized services for individuals with injuries and other conditions of the upper extremities. The term hand therapy can be misleading because, in addition to hands, it treats the upper extremities , which involve the bones, joints, muscles, nerves, and blood vessels of the:

Upper arm
Forearms
Shoulder
Elbow
Wrist

Hand therapists can be occupational or physical therapists who are highly trained to provide specialized care of your upper extremities. They have advanced certification to assess and treat conditions that affect them. Hand therapists use therapeutic interventions versus hand therapy interventions that allow you to regain maximum functional use of your upper extremities.

Hand therapy restores you back to health with personalized treatments, including:

1. Preventative Care:

Nobody wants to put the work into recovery and then start back at square one if it can be prevented. Preventive care teaches you practical tools like protecting your joints and conserving energy to avoid re-injury or worsening symptoms. It includes therapies such as:

Patient education
Custom splinting
Strengthening and flexibility programs

In addition to preventing surgery, hand therapy is also used to help you heal after an operation.

2. Post-operative Care:

After surgery, you can enhance your recovery period and speed up the healing process through post-operative hand therapy, including:

Edema (swelling) control
Diagnosis-specific exercise programs
Protective splinting
Scar management
Wound care

4. Customized Splinting:

A custom splint is designed to hold a body part in place after an injury or surgery. It is formed to fit you precisely to promote healing and prevent re-injury. Customized splinting may be utilized for:

Post-operative healing
Congenital or acquired deformity correction
Reducing contracture (tightening and rigidity of the hand and fingers)
Sports (or other) injuries

3. Rehabilitation:

Hand therapy promotes healing through treatment modalities such as adaptive equipment and exercises.

Hand therapy rehabilitation restores mobility, flexibility, and strength. It is helpful for:

Diagnosis-specific recovery after an injury
Sensory re-education
Work conditioning
Pain management

Rehabilitation can also include customized splinting.

How does hand therapy look practically? Let’s use an example of recovering from surgery to remove a cyst from your wrist. Your hand therapist will use their training to assess your unique situation and develop a treatment plan specifically for you. Your treatment plan begins with education, so you always understand the thought process behind why any therapeutic tool is recommended to you.

Your treatment plan may also include reducing pain and inflammation using heat, ice, or ultrasound. To protect you from injury or overuse of your wrist, your hand therapist may recommend that you wear a supportive splint during the initial recovery phase.

Next, your therapist will help you work on improving your strength, flexibility, and range of motion through specific stretches and exercises. Finally, your hand therapist will adapt your treatment approaches accordingly as your wrist heals and pain subsides.

Now let’s talk about the types of conditions that might warrant hand therapy.

Which Conditions Can Hand Therapy Treat?

The specialized interventions we’ve discussed offer hope for recovery of a wide range of conditions related to upper extremities. Hand therapy can treat problems caused by a wide range of conditions, including (but not limited to):

Amputations
Arthritis
Bursitis
Carpal tunnel syndrome
Crush injuries
Cumulative trauma
Fractures and dislocations
Frozen shoulder
Golfer’s elbow
Nerve injuries
Pain syndromes
Replanted extremities
Sports injuries
Tendon injuries
Trigger finger

How To Know if You Need Hand Therapy

At this point, you may recognize yourself in some of what we’ve described so far. And you may be wondering how to know if you need hand therapy.

A good place to start is to ask yourself if problems with your hands, wrists, arms, or shoulders are causing you to miss out on the activities you enjoy? Are you unable to work as efficiently as you once could? If you can answer “Yes,” to either of these questions, hand therapy can help you.

You may also benefit from hand therapy if the movement of your upper extremities is restricted when you try to participate in daily tasks, exercise, sports, or recreational activities. Regardless of the underlying cause of your reduced ability to function at your highest level, hand therapy may help.

Make an Appointment at Rock Valley

Have you literally lost your grip? If so, start regaining your strength by reaching out to Rock Valley PT . We are a patient-centered, therapist-led organization dedicated to improving your health. You don’t need a physician referral, and we accept nearly every type of insurance.

Our entire team is empathetic and cares about you, your concerns, and staying abreast of the best ways to serve you.

Our therapists are not only skilled and experienced, but they are also passionate about helping you achieve your health goals — and they want you to have fun while you do it. The advanced training of our hand therapists equips them to provide you with the comprehensive care you need to feel better and function at your best.

You don’t have to continue on with having pain or limited function impacting your life and daily activities in life-altering ways. Instead, invest in yourself and get back to the lifestyle you want to live. We offer more than 50 locations throughout Iowa and Illinois. Contact Rock Valley for an appointment near you today.

How Physical Therapy Helps After a Concussion

Wed, 25 Aug 2021 20:11:00 GMT

“It’s just a concussion.” If you’ve suffered from a concussion and the complex aftereffects, having the words “just” and “concussion” in the same sentence is like a glaring contradiction.

Healthcare providers understand that a concussion is a serious injury that affects your life in profound ways. Read on to learn more about what a concussion is, the warning signs, and how physical therapy can help you recover from a concussion.

What Is a Concussion?

A concussion is a traumatic brain injury (TBI). Your brain is soft and squishy — it’s been compared by neurosurgeons to feeling like jello. Cerebrospinal fluid is between your skull and your brain, and it protects your brain from damage.

But sometimes, a sudden shake or blow to the head is so severe that it causes your brain to bounce against your skull, resulting in a concussion. This abrupt head-jolting can cause short-term and long-term problems due to damage to brain tissue. It can also cause chemical changes within the brain. This damage affects your brain’s function and produces challenging symptoms.

What causes concussions? The most common cause of concussion is falling. However, contact sports, vehicle accidents, assault, and playground accidents are also leading causes of concussions.

Warning Signs of a Concussion

Have you ever witnessed athletes colliding on the field and wonder if they’re okay? As an observer, you can look for warning signs of a concussion immediately following an injury. But keep in mind that symptoms don’t always show up right away; sometimes, they gradually appear over a period of hours or days.

Recognizing warning signs of a possible brain injury like a concussion helps you assess the need for medical attention and if it’s safe to return to the activity. Warning signs of concussion that you may observe can include:

Losing consciousness/”passing out” (although 90% do not lose consciousness)
Appearing dazed/confused
Slow to respond to your questions
Garbled/slurred speech
Asking the same question repeatedly

If you or someone else exhibits concussion symptoms while participating in an activity such as a sport, it’s important not to return to that activity until you’ve been evaluated by a healthcare professional.

We understand the commitment level that accompanies a sport. However, if you’ve suffered a concussion and return to the game, you have a significantly higher risk of a second concussion.

If you experience a second concussion before the first one heals, you are at risk for second impact syndrome (SIS) . SIS causes the brain to swell rapidly. It’s somewhat rare, but it’s debilitating and often causes death.

Additionally, repeated concussions can lead to a permanent, chronic brain disease called Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) .

Protect your brain!

A concussion changes the way your brain functions, causing a range of symptoms that can last a few days, a few months, or longer. Signs of a concussion can be grouped into four categories: somatic, cognitive , sleep, and emotional.

1. Somatic (Physical) Signs

The physical signs of concussion can be easier to recognize and may include:

Headache
Nausea/vomiting
Double/blurry vision
Dilated pupils
Dizziness
Difficulty with balance
Sensitivity to light
Ringing in ears
Seizures
Loss of taste or smell

2. Cognitive (Thinking) Signs

Cognition is defined as “a range of mental processes relating to acquiring, storing, manipulating, and retrieving information.” It’s essential to function in everyday life and is incredibly frustrating when thinking that used to be so second nature becomes difficult.

Confusion
Concentration problems
Difficulty processing and understanding information
Attention/focus problems
Obsessive or fixated thinking
Easily distracted
Memory problems
Difficulty problem-solving
Decision-making problems

3. Sleep Signs

Research reveals that 30% of those who experience a concussion have difficulty sleeping soon after their injury, and 30-70% have continued difficulty sleeping.

Insomnia
Hypersomnia (too much sleep)
Sleep apnea
Restless leg syndrome
Excessive daytime sleepiness/narcolepsy

4. Emotional Signs of Concussion

Emotional signs of a concussion may be the most difficult to cope with because they can change your personality, which is tough for you and your loved ones.

Increased stress
Depression
Anxiety
Loss of interest or emotions
“Rollercoaster” emotions: for example, laughing followed quickly by crying
Expressing intense emotions at inappropriate times
Anger outbursts
Easily overstimulated

Despite the challenges following a concussion, you can have hope because there is good news! Physical therapy can help.

How Physical Therapy Can Help a Concussion

1. Creating an individualized treatment plan

Physical therapists and athletic trainers are specially trained to evaluate your symptoms and develop an individual treatment plan unique to your situation. We use a concussion assessment program, C3 Logix , to assess and record your postural stability, working memory, set switching, reaction time, learning, and static and dynamic visual acuity.

2. Increasing your strength

If rest is a part of your treatment plan, it makes sense that taking a break from physical activity can lead to mild muscle weakness or a decrease in endurance. To increase your strength and endurance, your physical therapist will likely prescribe a safe, therapeutic exercise program to walk through with you – carefully monitoring symptoms throughout the process.

3. Improving your balance

Dizziness and imbalance are common concussion symptoms. Your physical therapist may prescribe vestibular therapy techniques to help you regain your balance.

4. Reduce headaches and neck pain

Headaches and neck pain are also common after a concussion. Headaches are directly related to the concussion, and neck pain is usually associated with the incident that caused the concussion.

Your physical therapist may implement strength training and hands-on manual therapy such as massage to alleviate head and neck pain.

5. Assistance with regular sports activities

If you’re an athlete, concussion management is crucial for your recovery and prevent further sports injury. When it’s considered safe to return to your normal sports activities, your physical therapist and athletic trainer will begin to assist you with training to integrate sporting activity into your routine safely.

Concussion Rehabilitation Therapy at Rock Valley PT

At Rock Valley PT , we understand how challenging it is to cope with concussion symptoms. Our professional physical therapy team at Rock Valley PT keeps up-to-date on the best evidence-based treatments to guide you through to a successful recovery after a concussion .

You don’t need a referral. Just reach out today, request an appointment , and start healing.

5 Benefits of Physical Therapy for Athletes

Wed, 05 May 2021 19:40:33 GMT

Athletes are well aware that injuries can happen at any time in any sport. Anything from insufficient stretching and warm-up to a collision on the field can lead to a sports injury. When this happens, athletes not only suffer physical pain, but their injuries can also take students out of their favorite sport, jeopardize academic scholarships, and end careers.

There is good news, though; physical therapy offers athletes the chance to get back to the sports they enjoy after an injury. It also accelerates healing after surgery to repair damage from a sports-related injury. Although people often associate physical therapy with recovery from an injury or surgery, physical therapy isn’t only used for rehabilitation. It’s also an integral training tool for preventing sports injuries.

Physical therapy reduces or eliminates pain, increases flexibility and strength, and prevents athletic injury. We will discuss ways physical therapy helps athletes safely enjoy the sports they love.

How Does Physical Therapy Help Athletes?

Whether you’re looking to return to your sport after injury or surgery or wanting to stay in it by strengthening and reducing the risk of injury, athletic physical therapy helps in various ways.

1. Rehabilitation

After an athlete has suffered from a sports injury or surgery, physical therapy is vital to the rehabilitation process. The goal of the rehabilitation is to get you back to your sport by limiting the extent of the injury, reducing or reversing the impairment and functional loss, and preventing, correcting, or eliminating the disability caused by the injury.

A physical therapist develops a treatment plan specific to your needs after assessing your pain, mobility, range of motion, balance, and strength. Although your rehabilitation focuses on your unique needs, the general stages of rehabilitation in sports injuries include:

Reducing pain and swelling
Restoring joint mobility and range of motion
Restoring muscle strength and endurance
Recovering coordination
Recovering movements specific to your sport
Returning to sport

Next, we’ll examine how physical therapy reduces or eliminates your pain.

2. Reduces or Eliminates Pain

Nothing is pleasant about pain, yet it can serve a purpose. In sports, pain can alert you to an injury or protect your body from further harm. But if your injury pain isn’t managed, it can lead to chronic pain as your brain becomes conditioned to over-respond. Physical therapy helps to reduce or eliminate your pain.

When one area of your body hurts, you will naturally compensate by putting more weight on other body parts to protect yourself and avoid triggering more discomfort in the painful area. The problem is that you can overstress another part of your body and cause additional injury without realizing it.

Physical therapy gets you on track to avoid overcompensating. It allows you to participate in sports again using treatment modalities such as exercise and stretching, manual therapy , electrical stimulation, iontophoresis, and therapeutic ultrasound.

Sometimes, pain is caused by an athletic injury that includes muscle damage, and those muscle fibers become jumbled and hardened. To relieve this kind of soft tissue pain, physical therapists may utilize astym treatment .

Astym treatment engages the body’s regenerative mechanisms intending to repair damaged tissue and resorbing scar tissue. It also improves your flexibility and range of motion.

3. Improves Flexibility and Range of Motion

Most sports require you have a good range of motion and flexibility. Range of motion measures a joint’s capability to reach its full potential of producing its complete spectrum of movements.

Flexibility is the range of motion in a joint or group of joints or the ability to move joints effectively through a complete range of motion. Physical therapy can help improve your flexibility without creating hyper-flexibility, which can lead to injury.

Physical therapy targets particular muscle groups and incorporates specific exercises and other treatments designed to improve flexibility and range of motion to help you prevent future injuries and reach your full potential as an athlete.

4. Increases Strength

A significant benefit of physical therapy is increasing your strength. Just as your body overcompensates when you’re in pain, the same can happen when an area is weak, leading to overuse and injury.

The muscles surrounding your injury weaken after you have been in a cast or brace. Weakening can also occur after the rest needed to recover from surgery or injury. Physical therapy will help you restrengthen your ligaments, joints, and muscles.

A goal of physical therapy is to help you return to your sport as strong as, or stronger than, you left it so you can function at your best as an athlete. Your strength is increased through a physical therapy program tailored to you and may include treatments such as passive and active exercises.

5. Prevents Athletic Injuries

Bone fractures, ligament and tendon tears, muscle sprains, dislocated joints, and head injuries are common in sports. Many sports injuries result from inadequate training methods, such as improper equipment and lack of conditioning. Insufficient warm-up and stretching also cause sports injuries.

You can’t perform optimally as an athlete if you’re hurt, and physical therapy is beneficial to prevent athletic injuries. In addition to what we have already discussed about managing pain, improving flexibility and range of motion, and increasing strength, your physical therapist can also help keep you injury-free through education, including:

Teaching you how to prevent overuse injuries
Showing you how to maintain good form while you’re conditioning
Showing you how to warm up, cool down, and stretch effectively
Teaching you how to head your body’s cues and know its limitations
Recommending proper protective equipment, how to maintain it, and when to replace it
Teaching you about nutrition and rest
Evaluating when it’s safe to return to the game

Physical Therapy for Athletes

Every athlete wants to participate in their sport at peak performance. If you desire training to reach your full potential or need help recovering from an injury so you can return to the sport you love, Rock Valley PT provides skilled athletic physical therapy for athletes just like you. Contact us today to request an appointment and get on your path to healing.

Top Reasons People Are Afraid To Go to Physical Therapy

Wed, 07 Apr 2021 15:16:16 GMT

Has your healthcare provider prescribed physical therapy sessions for you? Are you hesitant to make that first appointment, but you’re not sure what exactly is holding you back? It’s possible that you may be afraid to go to physical therapy — fearful that it might be painful, expensive, or for other reasons.

Read on to learn about common reasons people are afraid to go to physical therapy, and hopefully ease your mind if you recognize any of these fears in yourself.

Top Reasons People Are Afraid To Go to Physical Therapy

Fear is a powerful emotion, and it drives the choices we make. Do any of these fears resonate with you? If so, talk to your physician or physical therapist about them.

1. People Are Afraid Physical Therapy Will Hurt

The idiom “no pain, no gain” originated in 1670 from John Ray’s proverb collection and was adopted in the 1980s by athletic coaches to motivate their athletes to work harder. But if you believe physical therapy is about inflicting pain to benefit you, it can understandably cause fear about going. Few people want to sign up for more pain.

It’s important to distinguish between pain and soreness, and physical therapy shouldn’t cause you pain. Rest assured that a physical therapist’s goal is to minimize your pain rather than make it worse. A good physical therapist considers your pain threshold and adapts your therapy accordingly.

When you participate in any kind of strengthening exercise, it stresses your muscle fibers. This impact on your muscles can cause them to be sore after physical therapy, but it’s a good kind of soreness indicating that your exercise is strengthening you, not hurting you.

The bottom line is if you avoid physical therapy because you’re afraid of the pain it might cause, you will most likely prolong or exacerbate the discomfort that got you a referral for physical therapy in the first place. By communicating with your physical therapist, you can work together to create a treatment plan that provides you great results without unnecessary discomfort.

2. People Are Afraid They Don’t Have Time for Physical Therapy

People are also afraid to go to physical therapy because they believe they don’t have time for it. Whether you are juggling the demands of school, career, family, or all of them together, everyone has multiple demands on their time, and it can seem daunting to add one more thing to your full schedule.

Physical therapists understand the temptation not to invest the time going to physical therapy appointments; however, they will work with you to create a treatment plan that takes your lifestyle into account while also producing the desired health outcomes.

Remember — your health is valuable, and anything of value requires some degree of investment.

3. People Are Afraid They Can’t Afford Physical Therapy

According to the American Physical Therapy Association , private health insurance, Medicare, and worker’s compensation typically cover medically necessary services under a licensed physical therapist’s supervision.

What if you don’t have health insurance or if the cost is prohibitive for you? Tell your therapist, and they might be able to design a modified program that allows you to do some treatment on your own at home while monitoring your progress. This may reduce your out-of-pocket costs.

Also, consider counting the cost of not going to physical therapy. Are you suffering from a sports injury ? A fall injury? Lower back pain ? Loss of function? Through passive and active manual physical therapy , you can reduce pain, enhance flexibility, and increase your strength, which improves mobility and restores lost function.

4. People Are Afraid Physical Therapy Won’t Work

Have you, or someone you know, put the time and effort into physical therapy, but didn’t get the results you hoped to see? It sometimes happens, even if your physical therapist is committed to helping you achieve your therapy goals.

Below are suggestions to help promote successful physical therapy results:

Have good communication with your physical therapist. Don’t be afraid to tell your therapist what you need. Adaptations are usually possible to help you reach your therapy goals. If you find that you and your therapist are not a good personality fit, you can request another therapist without worrying about hurting anyone’s feelings. The goal is to help you any way we can so you can live a full life.
Ensure that you understand how to do your home exercises correctly. If you were assigned home exercises, ask all the clarifying questions needed, so you are confident that you’re performing them correctly. If your form isn’t correct, it can delay your progress. It’s also essential to do the home exercises at the frequency your therapist prescribes, so you don’t slow down your progress.
Get regular reevaluations. Your physical condition changes, and your physical therapy needs to change with it. Be sure to get to the reevaluation appointments so that your therapist can reassess you and ensure that your treatment plan still suits your needs.

5. People Are Afraid of Going to Physical Therapy Amidst the Pandemic

The COVID-19 infection has impacted millions of people around the world, so it’s understandable to want to stay safe amidst the current pandemic, and we want to keep you safe too.

You can have peace of mind that at all Rock Valley PT locations , we are keeping the following COVID-19 protocols in place to keep you safe. For in-clinic services, we require:

Face coverings to be worn by everyone inside a Rock Valley Clinic in all regions with moderate to high transmission rates.
All high-traffic touch-points are continually sanitized by staff and therapists
All equipment and surfaces are cleaned and sanitized after every use

If you’re uncomfortable receiving your physical therapy treatments in person despite the precautions in place, talk to us about telehealth options for those who choose treatment at home.

Rock Valley PT Is Making Lives Better

At Rock Valley PT , our goal is to make your life better. We are a patient-centered, therapist-led organization dedicated to improving your health. We invite you to reach out today and request an appointment with one of our highly-skilled physical therapists.

Physical Therapy for Chronic Pain

Thu, 25 Mar 2021 22:01:48 GMT

Nearly 100 million adults in the United States suffer from chronic pain. According to the American Academy of Pain Medicine , that is more than a whopping 30 percent of the entire adult population who are coping with the life-altering fallout of chronic pain.

Chronic pain is described as persistent pain lasting more than three months. It can profoundly decrease your quality of life by preventing quality sleep, increased opioid dependence, reduced mobility, and much more.

Chronic pain can leave you and your healthcare team feeling confounded about why it won’t go away. You may have tried everything under the sun, from pain medication to surgery, but you’re frustrated that you’re still in pain.

Fortunately, there is a drug-free remedy for you if you’re suffering from chronic pain, and it could dramatically reduce — or even eliminate — your discomfort. That remedy is physical therapy.

Read on to learn more about how physical therapy and its treatments can relieve your chronic pain and allow you to live a fuller life again.

Physical Therapy Can Help You Achieve Chronic Pain Relief

Pain is an uncomfortable, unpleasant sensory and emotional experience your brain produces in response to actual or perceived tissue damage.

The body uses nerves to send signals to the brain constantly. All parts of your brain work together to decide if the body’s messages should be interpreted as “danger” signals that result in the sensation of pain. Once the brain determines it needs to send a pain response, it develops a “pain” map for this activity or situation. This is a good shortcut for the brain as these pain maps can quickly trigger a pain sensation and protect you from further injury.

Often these pain maps in the brain become over-utilized and keep operating even after the tissues are healed. This can lead to chronic pain from an overly sensitive nervous system. Fortunately, physical therapy can help decrease the sensitivity of the nervous system in the following ways:

1. Physical therapy increases your physical strength.

When you are suffering from pain, it’s common to respond by resting to avoid more pain. Although it may seem counterintuitive to participate in body-strengthening exercises when you’re coping with chronic pain, it is precisely the answer to managing it.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), most people experience chronic pain that stems from their musculoskeletal system, including pain from bones, muscles, ligaments, tendons, or joints. Five hundred sixty-eight million people endure chronic low back pain.

Physical therapy can lessen your nerve and joint pain as exercising strengthens your musculoskeletal muscles allowing for better support.

2. Physical therapy helps you reduce your fall risk and avoid new injuries.

Reducing your fall risk through physical therapy can prevent and reduce chronic pain. Falling is known to cause serious injuring leading to chronic pain. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that one in four adults over age 65 fall each year, and 95% of hip fractures are caused by falling.

Physical therapy incorporates exercises to improve your balance and strength to prevent future falls. Exercises to strengthen your core might be incorporated into your program. Core exercises train the muscles in your pelvis, lower back, hips, and abdomen to work together.

3. Physical therapy improves your flexibility and range of motion

Improved flexibility and increased range of motion lead to reduced pain. The term range of motion describes how much movement one of your joints can make in terms of distance and direction.

When you are inactive, your joints and muscles become less flexible and stiffer, reducing your range of motion and causing inflammation and joint pain. Everyday activities such as picking items up and getting out of bed become more difficult.

Physical therapy incorporates specific exercises and stretches to improve your flexibility and range of motion. This allows you to move your body in a healthy way without pain.

4. Physical therapy can help optimize your movement patterns

Did you know there are specific ways you can move to reduce pain? We develop habits in the way we move about in our daily lives and are often be unaware of those movements.

Physical therapy incorporates education to help you sit, stand, walk, bend, reach and do other movements safely. You could be moving in a way that increases your pain without realizing it.

During your physical therapy visit, your therapist may ask you to do some everyday movements to evaluate if they need tweaking. If it appears you can modify specific activities to reduce your chronic pain, they will show you how.

Physical Therapy Treatments

Physical therapy integrates a wide array of treatment modalities to provide relief for your chronic pain, including:

Exercise and stretching

Exercise is a critical component of physical therapy to reduce chronic pain. It not only improves your mobility and strength but also rewires pain messages to your brain.

As you strengthen and move with less pain, your body sends messages to your brain that it won’t hurt you. This reinforcement allows you to move with less pain each time.

Education

In addition to physical treatments, your physical therapist provides you with educational information that empowers you to a life with less to no pain. They help you understand the source of your pain and lifestyle adaptations that can reduce it, such as home exercises and ergonomic moving throughout your day.

Manual therapy

Manual therapy is a specialized physical therapy method that utilizes specific, hands-on techniques. Manual therapy improves tissue extensibility; increases range of motion of the joint complex; mobilizes or manipulates soft tissues and joints; induces relaxation; changes muscle function; modulates pain; and reduces soft tissue swelling, inflammation, or movement restriction.

Chronic pain is relieved through manual therapy techniques such as massage and joint mobilization.

Dry Needling

Dry needling uses a very thin needle inserted into the muscle causing it to relax and decrease pain. It is safe, minimally discomforting, and often effective for patients with chronic pain.

Modalities

Your physical therapist may use therapeutic ultrasound to improve circulation and blood flow to promote healing and reduce chronic pain in some cases. Ultrasound is a treatment modality used to provide deep heating to muscles, tendons, joints, and ligaments in the body.

There are other modalities that your physical therapist can utilize, including electrical stimulation, iontophoresis, heat, ice, etc. Talk to your physical therapist to learn if any of these are appropriate for you!

Get Relief From Chronic Pain

You don’t have to live with chronic pain. At Rock Valley PT , we have skilled physical therapists who are trained in pain science and how to treat your chronic pain. Contact us today and find out how you can get back to living a life free of chronic pain.

Do I Need Astym Treatment?

Thu, 14 Jan 2021 20:56:14 GMT

Muscular dysfunction can be debilitating! Whether the result of a sports injury, post-surgical scar tissue buildup, or simply undiagnosable tension, individuals facing soft tissue damage may look to a variety of treatments for relief. Astym therapy is a highly successful, non-invasive option for individuals ready to return to normal life, free of muscular pain.

Could asty m therapy be right for you? Determining if you need astym treatment begins with an understanding of the unique therapy, a list of commonly treated conditions, and groups of individuals who often pursue treatment.

What is Astym Treatment?

Although commonly confused as an acronym, astym treatment is simply a name. In fact, the therapy is named after its primary purpose: to engage the body’s natural healing mechanisms via “a-stimulation.”

When muscle damage occurs, muscle fibers often become jumbled and hardened. This treatment informs soft tissues to restart the inflammation process and encourage natural regeneration. The treatment “ has been shown to stimulate a regenerative response via stimulating the recruitment and activation of fibroblasts, which product fibronectin, and thereby helps to facilitate soft tissue healing and remodeling.”

Astym is unique, because the treatment does not disrupt healthy muscle fibers – the technique only realigns dysfunction soft tissues, returning patients to normal functioning without pain in short order.

Astym Treatment vs IASTM Treatment

Before diving into the list of conditions commonly treated with astym therapy, we must make an important distinction. Commonly confused, astym treatment is distinctly different from IASTM therapy (Instrument Assisted Soft Tissue Mobilization). Both the “ methods and results are quite different from Astym therapy, and IASTM methods are often not well-tolerated by patients. IASTM methods use tooled cross friction massage to mechanically break apart the tissue, whereas astym therapy engages the regenerative mechanisms of the body aiming to repair damaged tissue and resorb scar tissue.”

What Conditions Can Astym Therapy Treat?

Astym therapy is designed to treat a wide variety of soft tissue problems, especially unresolved conditions. Individuals experiencing pain or restricted movement but hoping to avoid surgery may also pursue astym therapy.

A variety of treatable conditions include:

Achilles tendonitis
Ankle pain
Tennis elbow
Sprains and strains
Hand pain
IT band syndrome
Scar tissue
Shoulder pain
Joint stiffness
Back pain
Carpal tunnel
Neck pain
Plantar fasciitis
Wrist pain
And more!

Common physical symptoms associated with the aforementioned conditions, such as scar tissue, are discussed in one academic journal , systematically reviewing astym therapy:

Scar tissue formation around muscles, joints, tendons, and ligaments is often characterized by limited function, swelling, and pain. This abnormal tissue can form because of immobilization, overuse injuries, acute or chronic trauma, and other reasons; and can lead to chronic inflammation and tendinopathies.

Astym Treatment Tools

Astym treatment utilizes specially made tools, designed to interact with injured muscles in a similar fashion as deep tissue massage. Often clear blue or white, astym tools are made in varying sizes. Your therapist will likely use larger tools for larger muscle groups and smaller, specialized tools for small muscle groups, often working from largest to smallest.

What is Astym Treatment Like?

During treatment, astym tools are applied on top of the skin, transferring mild pressure to unhealthy tissues. The pressure is carefully applied to stimulate tissue turnover and prompt regeneration of soft tissues structures, including muscles and tendons. As the tools are applied over any fibrotic tissues (scar tissues), patients may feel a bumpy or “crunchy” sensation as the tissues are stretched.

One excellent resource for astym treatment info describes the Astym healing process:

Astym treatment is typically provided twice weekly for four to five weeks (about 9 total treatment sessions) and is done in conjunction with eccentric loading, stretching, and functional exercises. Unlike other treatments, Astym encourages patients to active, workers to stay on the job, and athletes to stay in their sport during treatment. The Astym process makes the tissues of the body stronger and allows a patient’s body to become adapted to greater stress without injury.

Treatment itself often lasts between 10-15 minutes, followed by stretching to reduce mild soreness. Patients can often return to physical activity directly after treatment and typically experience instantaneous relief from pain and increased muscular flexibility.

Who is Astym Treatment For?

After learning about the details of astym treatment, specific tools, and associated benefits, you may begin to wonder whocould benefit from this treatment technique. Could this treatment be applied to your situation and lead to recovery?

Astym therapy is often applied to specific patient groups, including:

Professional athletes, triathletes, golfers, runners, tennis players, and members of the military.
Individuals looking to avoid surgery or injections with non-invasive treatment.
Individuals who have not found successful healing past treatments.

If you are still unsure if astym treatment is right for your situation, reach out to a trusted physical therapist for guidance!

Rock Valley Physical Therapy

At Rock Valley Physical Therapy , our team is dedicated to the good of our patients, helping every client return to normal life by treating the source of the problem – not just the symptoms.

To learn more about our restorative physical therapy services, reach out via our online contact form ! A team member will respond promptly!

Resources:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6409241/
https://www.preferredptkc.com/what-is-astym/
https://www.aptclinics.com/3-things-to-know-about-astym/

What to Expect at Physical Therapy for Lower Back Pain

Sun, 04 Oct 2020 21:44:07 GMT

Do you suffer from lower back pain ? Are you wondering what to expect at physical therapy for lower back pain? If so, you aren’t alone. Back pain affects 80% of the population at some point in their lives. It is also the second leading cause of work-related disability and a major cause of missed work.

Most back pain occurs in the lower back, and physical therapy can provide tremendous relief. In this article, we will discuss topics such as the anatomy of the spine, symptoms of lower back problems, tips to reduce back pain, and how physical therapy for lower back pain can help.

Causes of Lower Back Pain

The most common cause of lower back pain is a torn or pulled muscle or ligament. Types of lower back pain include acute, subacute, chronic, and neuropathic, and each of them can cause significant or debilitating pain.

Acute: Acute pain is pain that lasts six weeks or less. Acute pain is often caused by a sudden injury such as an accident, fall, or heavy lifting resulting in a disruption in the way the spine, muscle, discs, and nerves work together. Most acute lower back pain is caused by injury to the muscles, ligaments, joints, or discs.
Subacute: Subacute pain is pain that lasts between six weeks and three months. It is a category of acute pain.
Chronic: Chronic pain in the low back lasts more than three months. 90% of the time, people can’t pinpoint the cause, but the pain source can be from problems such as degenerative disc disease, herniated disc, spinal stenosis, osteoarthritis, and scoliosis.
Neuropathic: Neuropathic pain in the lower back is usually chronic. Patients experience neuropathic pain as a sharp, electric-like, stabbing pain often accompanied by numbness, tingling, or weakness down the legs to the feet.
Sciatica – This nerve can suffer inflammation due to pressure, trauma, or poor posture over time. This creates a shooting, intense pain. You may feel like the pain is suddenly intense and unexpected. See how physical therapy can help with sciatica .

Symptoms of Lower Back Problems

Describing your symptoms helps pinpoint the source of the problem and develop an effective treatment plan to alleviate pain. The following symptoms are characteristic of lower back problems :

Dull, aching pain
Sharp pain that travels down the leg
Pain that increases with sitting
Pain that improves when you shift position
Pain that is worse in the morning and improves after moving around
Tingling or numbness in leg or foot
Weakness in leg or foot

If you experience lower back pain together with loss of bladder or bowel control, numbness in the groin, unintended weight loss, fever, chills, or severe abdominal pain, seek immediate medical attention.

Types of Physical Therapy

1. Active Physical Therapy:

Active physical therapy consists of exercises to strengthen muscle groups that support your lower back and core. Stretching is incorporated to help keep you flexible. Another pain-reducing active treatment is soft tissue work and joint mobilization/ manipulation provided by manual therapy .

2. Passive Physical Therapy:

Passive physical therapy is used in conjunction with active physical therapy for pain modulation. Passive physical therapy can include treatments such as cold and heat packs to reduce inflammation and dry-needling trigger points .

What Happens During Physical Therapy for Lower Back Pain

Physical therapists are highly trained healthcare professionals that use physical therapy treatment modalities to strengthen core muscle groups that support the lower back. When you visit us for physical therapy to address lower back pain, you can anticipate a personalized and effective approach. Our sessions prioritize one-on-one time with our highly trained therapists.

The goals of your therapy include:

Pain Management:
Techniques such as hot or cold packs, TENS therapy, and spinal manipulation.
Functional Improvement:
Targeted exercises to strengthen core muscle groups supporting the lower back.
Long-Term Back Health:
Education on posture, body mechanics, and home exercises for sustained well-being.

During your initial appointment, expect a thorough assessment where we understand your pain, evaluate your mobility, and develop a tailored treatment plan. Wearing loose-fitting, comfortable clothing allows for easy movement during this process.

Your therapy may involve a variety of modalities such as massage, ultrasound, and specific exercises. The emphasis is not just on immediate relief but on equipping you with the tools and knowledge for lasting back health.

How Long Does Physical Therapy Take to Work for Back Pain?

The duration of your physical therapy journey is uniquely tailored to your specific needs and progress. Typically spanning six to eight weeks, the number of sessions is individualized, focusing on achieving your defined therapy goals. Progress is continually assessed, and adjustments are made if needed.

In some cases, patients experience rapid improvement within a few sessions, with a focus on equipping them with exercises for continued self-management. On the contrary, if back pain persists or worsens, a more extended period of physical therapy might be recommended, especially in cases where surgical intervention is considered.

When to Seek Physical Therapy

If persistent lower back pain is affecting your daily routine, it may be time to consider physical therapy. Look out for signs such as prolonged discomfort, difficulty with regular activities, or pain that interferes with your quality of life. Physical therapists specialize in identifying and addressing these issues, providing targeted solutions for lasting relief.

Receive Lower Back Pain Relief at Rock Valley Physical Therapy

At Rock Valley Physical Therapy , we are committed to helping you live a productive life without pain. Contact us today by requesting an appointment and get started on your journey to wellness.

Concussion Rehabilitation: Signs and Treatment for Kids

Mon, 31 Aug 2020 20:49:01 GMT

Concussion management for athletes is extremely important. Also known as traumatic brain injury (TBI), the effects of a concussion can be serious, especially if left untreated or ignored. Understanding the cause of a concussion, common symptoms, and beneficial treatments is the beginning of proper concussion management for athletes. Below, we dive into each of these facets.

What is a Concussion?

A concussion typically occurs after a sudden and unexpected blow to the head, causing the brain to bounce around in the skull. The unnatural jolting can lead to chemical changes within the brain, damaged brain cells, and unpleasant symptoms.

What are Common Concussion Symptoms?

Concussion symptoms range from seemingly “mild” to extremely serious. However, even mild symptoms should be immediately reported as concussion treatment can prevent further injury and lead to expediated recovery. Additionally, while concussion symptoms may not appear instantaneously, they can develop one or two days after the traumatic incident.

Commonly Observed Symptoms:

Immediate memory loss (i.e. trouble recalling events immediately prior to or after the traumatic incident)
Dazed or stunned look
Forgets instructions easily
Confusion over common tasks, such as the responsibility of a specific athletic position
Loss of consciousness
Uncharacteristic mood or behavior changes

Commonly Reported Symptoms:

Headache
Nausea and/or vomiting
Feeling a little “off” or simply not “feeling right”
Concentration or memory problems
Feeling sluggish or groggy
Previous symptoms intensified by light or noise

One symptom misconception to correct is the assumption that every concussion involves loss of consciousness, or being “knocked out.” This is notthe case! Alternatively, most concussions occur without loss of consciousness, and such cases must still be taken seriously. The Permanente Journal concludes:

Although loss of consciousness was previously considered a marker of a more severe concussion, evidence does not support this conclusion; rather, amnesia has been shown to be most predictive of neurocognitive deficits.

Critical Considerations for Your Child:

What Should I Do if I Think I Have a Concussion?

First and foremost, stop all physical activity you are participating in. It can be tempting for some athletes to minimize symptoms – or ignore them entirely – with the hope of returning to the game or avoiding down time. We understand the temptation!

However, even though you may feel like you can finish the game, complete practice, or keep competing with friends, playing through a traumatic brain injury is extremely serious. In fact, playing through a concussion places you at risk for Second Impact Syndrome (SIS).

Second Impact Syndrome occurs when a person suffers a second concussion shortly after an earlier concussion, before symptoms have subsided. When SIS occurs, the brain swells rapidly. Although fairly rare, SIS is often fatal.

Once again, The Permanente Journal explores this concept:

The athlete found to have concussion on the sideline should be removed from play immediately and not allowed to return that day under any circumstances. It is recommended to perform serial examinations to monitor for worsening neurologic decline.

Next, reach out to a coach, athletic trainer, or doctor about your symptoms. Explain exactly how you feel to the best of your ability. Once again, reporting the first symptoms of a concussion will ultimately protect your athletic career for the future.

Thirdly, wait to return to physical activity until you have been permitted to do so by a medical professional. Depending on the severity of the concussion and treatment assignment, proper healing can take place within a week . If serious symptoms persist or worsen past a two-week period, you may be referred to a neurologist for additional testing.

What Are Ways I Can Naturally Expediate Healing From a Concussion?

As an athlete, taking a few practical measures can help accelerate healing.

Avoid any physical activity, including running, push-ups, or any other physical exercise
Avoid excessive screen usage, including video games and texting
Avoid loud music
Avoid situations with large, loud crowds
Always follow recommendations provided by your care specialist

What Are Ways I Can Protect Myself From a Concussion?

First, always wear the proper equipment while performing physical activity. Make sure your equipment is maintained and fits properly. Second, follow the rules associated with your sport. Finally, practice good technique. Poor technique can result in a higher chance of injury. For example, tackling an opponent improperly in American football could result in a concussion for either team member involved.

What Does Concussion Management Physical Therapy Involve?

Initial Diagnosis

Athletes who have suffered traumatic brain injury may be referred to a physical therapist for concussion management treatment, always utilized alongside a variety of other traditional therapy interventions. At an initial visit, your physical therapist may proceed to officially diagnose your injury through careful testing, including asking questions and performing simple tests. The physical tests often evaluate coordination, memory, smell, sight, and muscle strength.

Throughout the treatment process, your physical therapist will continually perform similar tests to judge progress over time. Additionally, your physical therapist may examine for neck problems associated with the concussion.

A Treatment Plan

Your physical therapy plan will likely include a number of the following treatments, chosen based on the results of the initial diagnosis.

Rest: as mentioned, rest from physical activity, loud music, and the use of electronics is a huge component of concussion recovery.
Strength training: taking a break from physical activity can result in mild muscle weakness or a decrease in endurance. Your physical therapist will likely prescribe a safe, therapeutic exercise program to walk through with you – carefully monitoring symptoms throughout the process.
Balance improvement: dizziness and imbalance are common concussion symptoms. Utilizing Vestibular Therapy techniques , your physical therapist will likely assist in regaining balance through special treatments and exercises.
Reducing headaches: implementing hands-on treatments like massage as well as strength exercises can help reduce and eventually eliminate headaches stemming from concussions.
Assistance with normal sporting activity: at the right time, your physical therapist will begin assisting with training to safely integrate normal sporting activity into your routine.

With complete concussion management, you will be back in action before long!

Rock Valley Physical Therapy

At Rock Valley Physical Therapy , we are committed to helping you get better – or finding someone who can. As a patient-centered, therapist-led organization, we are dedicated to our Midwestern communities and athletes. A proper concussion management system for athletes is extremely important, and we would love to help make the process of recovery as smooth as possible.

To reach out to our team of professionals, please do not hesitate to request an appointment today . Our front office team will be in contact with you shortly.

What is Manual Therapy?

Thu, 21 May 2020 14:22:57 GMT

Often as the result of car accidents, aging, sports injuries, birth defects, work-related injuries, or simply poor posture, many people are familiar with back and neck pain or tension – discomfort that is often debilitating. With intentions of returning to a life without pain, individuals often seek the assistance of a physical therapist for relief.

At times, therapists will recomm end manual therapy! Trained in manual therapy, physical therapists readily prescribe the unique, hands-on method to ease pain, tension, and help individuals return to everyday living. In the content below, we define what is manual therapy and explore its origin, along with specific manual therapy techniques.

The Definition of Manual Therapy

Manual therapy is a specialized physical therapy method that utilizes specific, hands-on techniques without the assistance of devices or machines. The International Federation of Orthopedic Manipulative Physical Therapists ( IFOMPT ) defines manual therapy as:

Skilled hand movements intended to produce any or all of the following effects: improve tissue extensibility; increase range of motion of the joint complex; mobilize or manipulate soft tissues and joints; induce relaxation; change muscle function; modulate pain; and reduce soft tissue swelling, inflammation or movement restriction.

Manual physical therapy generally involves two kinds of movement: soft tissue work and joint mobilization/ manipulation.

Soft Tissue

Certified physical therapists often perform soft tissue work. Muscles, nerves, and tendons are examples of soft tissues in the body. Often including massage techniques, soft tissue therapy involves applying pressure to soft tissues in order to relax muscle tension, break scar tissue, reduce inflammation, ease pain, or promote circulation.

Joint Mobilization/ Manipulation

Manual therapy also often includes joint mobilization and manipulation to reduce pain and help the body return to regular functioning. Robert Daul, MPT describes joint mobilization and manipulation as the following:

[This technique] uses measured movements varying speed (slow to fast), force (gentle to forceful), and distances (called ‘amplitude’) to twist, pull, or push bones and joints into position. This can help loosen tight tissues around a joint, reduce pain in a joint and surrounding tissue, and help with flexibility and alignment.

Relief from Acute & Chronic Back Pain

Manual therapy can be especially beneficial for relief from acute and chronic back pain. Joints lacking range of motion due to musculo-skeletal conditions can cause significant discomfort, frustration, and the inability to complete everyday tasks. Manual therapy techniques involve restoring mobility and reducing tension.

Chronic back pain stemming from joint problems can be addressed with join manipulation and mobilization. However, acute back pain – often caused by soft tissue injury – can be remedied with soft tissue work.

Origin of Manual Therapy

The existence of manual therapy spans across the world over the duration of many millennia. Although first referenced in Europe around 400BCE , the practice parallel developed across the globe.

In the 19th century, medical professionals from a variety of backgrounds began to seriously consider the implications of manual therapy. As the technique grew in popularity, it was primarily utilized for treating spinal and musculoskeletal problems within alternative health communities. Professionals in the medical field often held strong views either in favor or opposition of the technique.

Once physical therapists began exploring and effectively utilizing manual therapy, acceptance of the technique rapidly spread. Today, many physical therapists receive specialized manual therapy training.

What Issues Can Manual Therapy Treat?

Manual therapy is often utilized for issues stemming from the spine, including acute and chronic back pain. However, the technique is often implemented to treat a wide variety of issues, including:

Neck pain
Neck injuries
Hand, wrist, elbow, or shoulder problems
Hip, knee, ankle, or foot problems
Accident-caused injuries
Work related injuries
Muscle spasms/ tension

Specific Manual Therapy Techniques

Before initiating any manual therapy (or other physical therapy) techniques, the therapist will typically perform a complete assessment of the patient’s bones, muscles, and blood and nerve supply to ensure further complications will not occur. Depending on assessment results, the physical therapist may choose to perform techniques including, but not limited to, the variety discussed below.

Soft Tissue Mobilization

Soft tissue mobilization is often utilized to break up fibrous muscle tissue and relax muscle tension. For example, a therapist may perform soft tissue mobilization around scar tissue buildup resulting from a back injury. The technique itself consists of repeated stretching and pressure around the target musculature.

Joint Mobilization

Joint mobilization is implemented to loosen a restricted joint and increase the range of motion. The painless technique involves slowing providing speed and distance of motion into the barrier of the target joint. Joint mobilization often provides lasting relief from muscle pain that both rest and icing temporarily ease, because the root of the issue is in the joint itself.

Muscle Energy Techniques (METs)

METs utilize voluntary contraction of the muscle against a counterforce to mobilize joints and lengthen shortened muscles. Robert Daul, MPT explains the precise treatment:

Following a 3-5 second contraction, the operator takes the joint to its new barrier where the patient again performs a muscle contraction. This may be repeated two or more times. This technique is considered an active procedure as opposed to a passive procedure where the operator does all the work (such as joint mobilizations). Muscle energy techniques are generally tolerated well by the patient and do not stress the joint.

Strain-Counterstrain

This technique corrects structural and postural issues, stemming from abnormal neuromuscular reflexes. Performing the technique is extremely gentle. Thus, therapists may prefer this technique in place of other procedures too painful to treat acute or delicate back problems.

Seek Restorative Relief with Rock Valley Physical Therapy

At Rock Valley Physical Therapy , we are dedicated to making lives better through fun, easy, and effective therapy. If you need someone you can trust to help your return to the life you want to live, please do not hesitate to get in touch today! We always provide a customized plan from a caring therapist – we promise the listen and treat the source of the issue, not just the symptoms.

You can locate a clinic nearest you, or search for a specific therapist ! Or, feel free to directly reach out to our team via our online request an appointment form . We look forward to getting in touch!