Conditions Our Physical Therapists Treat

Craniosacral Therapy

Gentle effective hands-on technique which works by finding and releasing the fascial tensions in the body which helps to decrease pain and dysfunction and improve the overall balance and wellness in the body. Fascia, a form of connective tissue, covers everything in the body including organs, muscles, brain, and nerves. CST believes that the body is interconnected at all levels and dysfunction in one region can affect other regions in the body. Craniosacral technique encourages detection and correction of restrictions and imbalances in the fascial system and membranes and fluids in and around the central nervous system which promotes a feeling of well-being by eliminating pain and improving overall function. CST taps into and promotes the body’s self-healing and self-correction abilities.

What conditions may CST help?

• Back Pain
• Chronic Pain
• Complex regional pain syndrome
• Epilepsy
• Fascial Adhesions
• Fibromyalgia
• Headaches
• Multiple Sclerosis
• Neck Pain
• Neuralgia
• Post-Concussion Syndrome
• Stroke
• TMJ Disorder

What to expect during a CST session:

During a CST session you stay fully clothed. The treatment session begins with a consultation with your trained therapist to identify troubled areas. The therapist uses gentle touch and pressure techniques to assess and release the existence of possible disruptions and/o restrictions in your fascial system. Most patients often report feeling a sense of deep relaxation. Craniosacral therapy may be integrated with other physical therapy methods to enhance recovery.

Cupping

Cupping can sometimes be described as a “tissue distraction release” technique or Myofascial Decompression. During the cupping process, the cups are glided across different areas of the body in order to lift and separate tissue. This works to enhance the release of the interfaces between the neural tissues, fascia, skin, ligaments, muscles, and tendons. It relaxes muscles, releases trigger points, improves lymphatic flow, increases local circulation, and releases scar tissue adhesion. Evidence supports cupping as an effective treatment method for several conditions, such as chronic neck pain, low back pain, and fibromyalgia.

What conditions may Cupping help? 

• Achilles Tendonitis
• Acute Pain
• Back Pain
• Chronic Pain
• Complex Regional Pain Syndrome
• Edema
• Fibromyalgia
• Hip Bursitis
• Myofascial Pain
• Neck Pain
• Patellofemoral Disorders
• Post-Surgical Pain
• Scar Tissue
• Shoulder Pain
• Sport Injuries
• Tennis Elbow
• Thoracic Pain

What to expect during a Cupping session:

Cupping requires skin contact. The treatment begins with massage lotion applied to the area. The therapist will use a silicone cup to distract the superficial tissue. Cupping can be held in one spot or used in a gliding motion. This technique helps to release the affected area to promote healing. Side effects include redness, petechiae, bruising, tenderness, or mild discomfort.

Electrical Stimulation

Also known as E-stim, is a common modality used in physical therapy. It uses electrical currents to stimulate specific muscles or sensory nerves to help reduce pain, improve circulation, and promote healing. E-stim works by sending mild electrical pulses through the skin to help stimulate the muscles or nerves. The stimulation can cause muscles to contract, which can strengthen the muscle and promote blood flow, or it can activate sensory nerves that can help reduce pain. Benefits of E-stim can include pain reduction, decreased inflammation, increased blood flow, muscle strengthening, and enhanced mobility. It may also help prevent muscle atrophy, particularly in patients who are unable to move or exercise a particular muscle group. Physical therapists often use E-stim to treat a variety of conditions, such as musculoskeletal problems (like sprains, strains, and fractures), postsurgical pain, wound healing, arthritis, and certain neurological conditions. During E-stim, electrodes are placed on the skin around the area being treated. The physical therapist sets the type and intensity of the electrical current based on the patient’s condition and goals for treatment.

What conditions may Electrical Stimulation help? 

• Achilles Tendonitis
• Acute or Chronic Pain
• Back Pain
• Complex Regional Pain Syndrome
• Edema
• Fibromyalgia
• Hip Bursitis
• Myofascial Pain
• Neck Pain
• Patellofemoral Syndrome
• Post-Surgical Pain
• Scar Tissue
• Shoulder Pain
• Sport Injuries
• Tennis Elbow
• Thoracic Pain

What to expect during an Electrical Stimulation session:

Electrodes are placed on the patient’s skin surrounding the treatment area. The therapist will increase the intensity of the electrical stimulation until it is strong but comfortable. The patient will feel a tingling sensation.. This modality is administered for 10-15 minutes and can be done in combination with an ice pack or hot pack.

Graston Technique

Graston Technique® is an evidence based form of instrument-assisted soft tissue mobilization. This technique allows clinicians to detect and break down scar tissue and fascial restrictions and maintain optimal range of motion. A form of soft tissue mobilization in which skilled clinicians use stainless steel instruments to glide over muscles, tendons, or ligaments which immediately identifies areas of restriction. Once the restricted tissue has been identified, the instruments are then used to “break up” and treat the abnormal tissue. When Graston technique is combined with appropriate therapeutic exercises and stretching, pain-free function is often restored. Positive results are seen within three sessions.

What conditions may Graston Technique help? 

• Achilles Tendonitis
• Acute or Chronic Pain
• Back Pain
• Complex Regional Pain Syndrome
• Edema
• Fibromyalgia
• Hip Bursitis
• Myofascial Pain
• Neck Pain
• Patellofemoral Disorders
• Plantar Fasciitis
• Post-Surgical Pain
• Scar Tissue
• Shoulder Pain
• Sport Injuries
• Tennis Elbow
• Thoracic Pain

What to expect during a Graston Technique session:

Graston Technique requires skin contact. The treatment begins with emollient applied to the effective area. The therapist will use a stainless steel instrument to glide over the superficial tissue to feel for fascial restrictions in the body. Different instruments can be used for different techniques of Graston. Side effects include redness, petechiae, bruising, tenderness, or mild discomfort

Infrared Laser

This modality utilizes specific wavelengths of light to help stimulate healing, reduce inflammation, and alleviate pain. The infrared laser light penetrates the skin and is absorbed by the cells. This absorption can stimulate cellular metabolism and protein synthesis, helping to speed up the healing process. It is often used to help reduce inflammation, alleviate acute and chronic pain, accelerate tissue regeneration, and improve blood circulation. It may also help reduce edema and swelling caused by bruising or inflammation. The laser is applied directly to the skin at the site of injury or pain. The therapist may move the laser in a circular or sweeping motion. The duration of the treatment session can vary depending on the condition being treated.

What conditions may Infrared Laser help? 

• Achilles Tendonitis
• Acute or Chronic Pain
• Back Pain
• Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
• Complex Regional Pain Syndrome
• Edema
• Fibromyalgia
• Hip Bursitis
• Myofascial Pain
• Neck Pain
• Patellofemoral Disorders
• Post-Surgical Pain
• Shoulder Pain
• Sport Injuries
• Tennis Elbow
• Thoracic Pain

What to expect during an Infrared Laser session:

Infrared laser is directly applied to the skin. Your therapist or technician will increase the intensity until the patient feels the electrical stimulation sensation. Once it begins, the therapist or technician will sweep the area of the body until the infrared laser senses areas to treat by targeting cells in the body. Treatment on the area can last anywhere from a few seconds to 60 seconds. The only sensation the patient will feel is a tingling or prickly sensation. This modality takes about 10 minutes to perform.

Kinesio Tape Applications

Stretchy flexible tape that supports and stabilizes joints, changes muscle tone, moves lymphatic fluids, corrects movement patterns, and improves posture.

What conditions may Kinesiotape help? 

• Achilles Tendonitis
• Acute or Chronic Pain
• Ankle Pain
• Back Pain
• Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
• Edema
• Golfers Elbow
• Hip Bursitis
• Myofascial Pain
• Neck Pain
• Patellofemoral Disorders
• Plantar Fasciitis
• Post-Surgical Pain
• Rotator Cuff Disorders
• Sciatica
• Sport Injuries
• Tennis Elbow
• Thoracic Pain

What to expect during a Kinesiotape session:

The area being taped will need to be exposed. The therapist will apply kinesiotape on dry clean skin in a specific pattern to inhibit and/or facilitate muscles. Kinesiotape can stay on the body for up to 3-4 days. Patients are educated on wear and removal. Side effects include redness and itching of the skin.

Manual Therapy

Modalities include tissue mobilization, manual traction, resistance & stretching, myofascial release, soft tissue and trigger point release using a hands on approach to treatment. 

What conditions may manual therapy help? 

• Achilles Tendonitis
• Acute or Chronic Pain
• Back Pain
• Complex Regional Pain Syndrome
• Edema
• Fibromyalgia
• Hip Bursitis
• Myofascial Pain
• Neck Pain
• Patellofemoral Disorders
• Plantar Fasciitis
• Post-Surgical Pain
• Scar Tissue
• Shoulder Pain
• Sport Injuries
• Tennis Elbow
• Thoracic Pain

What to expect during a manual therapy session:

Patients can remain fully dressed. The therapist may do a combination of hands-on manual techniques to stretch and feel for areas of tightness or restrictions in the body.

Massage Therapy

Massage therapy is a widely-used modality in physical therapy, as well as in complementary and alternative medicine. It involves manipulating the body’s soft tissues using hands-on techniques to relieve pain, promote relaxation, and improve overall health and well-being. Massage therapists apply varying degrees of pressure and motion to the body’s muscles, tendons, ligaments, and other soft tissues. This can stimulate circulation, relax muscles, and provide relief from muscular tension and spasms. Massage therapy can help reduce muscle tension and pain, improve circulation and flexibility, decrease stress, enhance sleep quality, and promote overall relaxation and wellness. During a massage session, therapists use their hands, fingers, elbows, or sometimes even tools to apply pressure to the body’s soft tissues. The specific techniques used can vary widely depending on the type of massage and the individual’s condition or preferences.

What conditions may Massage Therapy help? 

• Achilles Tendonitis
• Acute or Chronic Pain
• Back Pain
• Complex Regional Pain Syndrome
• Edema
• Fibromyalgia
• Hip Bursitis
• Myofascial Pain
• Neck Pain 
• Patellofemoral Disorders
• Plantar Fasciitis
• Post-Surgical Pain
• Scar Tissue
• Shoulder Pain
• Sport Injuries
• Tennis Elbow
• Thoracic Pain

What to expect during a Massage Therapy session:

Patient will meet with our massage therapist to discuss chief complaints prior to beginning the massage. The massage therapist will step out of the room to allow the patient to disrobe and get comfortable. Patients are encouraged to relax during their session. Massages are available for 30, 60, and 90 minutes. We offer full body or a small targeted area massage. After the session, patients are advised to drink lots of water to keep muscles hydrated.

Mechanical Traction

Mechanical traction is a form of decompression therapy that relieves pressure on the spine and alleviates pain. Physical therapists often use this modality to treat conditions related to the spine. Mechanical traction works by stretching the spine and changing the force and position of the spine. This change in pressure can lead to an alteration in the position of the spinal disc material, reducing spinal disc herniation, and alleviating pressure on nerve roots. It can alleviate pain, improve mobility, and can potentially help patients avoid more invasive treatments, such as surgery. It may also aid in promoting the flow of nutrients into the disc space, fostering a better healing environment. Physical therapists often use mechanical traction for conditions such as herniated or bulging discs, sciatica, degenerative disc disease, pinched nerves, and many types of joint conditions. It’s commonly used for cervical (neck) and lumbar (lower back) regions. During treatment, the patient is typically positioned on a traction table. The therapist sets the traction machine to apply a specific amount of force to gently pull the spine, based on the patient’s condition and comfort level.

What conditions may Mechanical Traction help? 

• Back Pain
• Neck Pain
• Radiculopathy
• Spinal Conditions
• Thoracic Pain

What to expect during a mechanical traction session:

Lumbar Traction: The patient will lie down on the traction bed and get strapped into two harnesses, one around the ribs and one around the pelvis. The belts must be tight to prevent any slipping from occurring. During the modality, the patient will be stretched in opposite directions to allow decompression of the lumbar spine. The stretch is held for about 60 seconds, then released for 40 seconds. This cycle continues to occur for about 10-15 minutes. After the decompression, the patient will lie still for about 3 minutes to allow the spine to relax before getting up off of the table.

Cervical Traction: The patient will lie down in the cervical harness that is strapped to the forehead and sides of neck. The machine will pull the neck into a gentle stretch which is held for a set amount of time, then release the stretch. This cycle continues to occur for about 10-15 minutes.

Pilates Therapy

Pilates is a form of full body exercise designed to engage the core and extremities. These exercises focus on precise movements involving your head, shoulders, arms, ribs, hips, and legs. A strong focus on breath promotes core recruitment. Posture and alignment are always encouraged

What conditions may Pilates therapy help? 

• Back Pain
• Balance Deficits
• Chronic Pain
• Complex Regional Pain Syndrome
• Fibromyalgia
• Hip Pain
• Knee Pain
• Neck Pain
• Posture
• Shoulder Disorders

What to expect during a Pilates session:

Learn a combination of exercises that challenge your strength and flexibility with full-body movements and light resistance.

Therapeutic Exercise

Therapeutic exercise refers to a range of physical activities that help to restore and maintain strength, endurance, flexibility, stability, and balance. This modality is used to assist individuals in recovering from injuries, surgeries, or chronic illnesses. It is also used to mitigate the effects of aging or long periods of inactivity. Types of exercises include range of motion, strengthening, endurance, balance and coordination and flexibility. The type and intensity of the therapeutic exercises are tailored to the individual’s specific needs, considering factors like their health status, age, physical condition, and therapy goals. 

What conditions may therapeutic exercise help? 

• Ankle and Foot Conditions
• Arthritis
• Back Pain
• Balance Deficits
• Chronic Pain
• Complex Regional Pain Syndrome
• Fibromyalgia
• Gait Abnormalities
• Hip Pain
• Knee Pain
• Muscle Stiffness
• Neck Pain
• Shoulder Pain
• Weakness

What to expect during a therapeutic exercise session:

Your physical therapist will tailor your therapeutic exercise specifically for your condition and skill level to most effectively address your goals.  Our skilled, experienced therapists and technicians will be with you every step of the way in carrying out your tailored exercise plan at SIRM.

Ultrasound

It is a therapeutic procedure that uses sound waves to treat pain, inflammation, and muscle strains. There are two types of therapeutic ultrasound, thermal and nonthermal (or mechanical). Thermal ultrasound therapy uses a more continuous transmission of sound waves, which can produce heat in the deeper tissues of the body. This heat can help to ease pain and increase blood flow to speed up healing. Nonthermal ultrasound therapy, on the other hand, uses pulses of sound waves to help with cellular healing. The use of ultrasound can aid in the reduction of inflammation, promotion of tissue healing, breakdown of scar tissue, increase in local blood flow, and pain reduction. The vibrations and heat can help to stimulate the body’s natural healing processes. A gel is typically applied to the skin, and then the ultrasound probe is moved in circular motions over the area being treated. The probe sends out sound waves, which penetrate the skin and vibrate the underlying tissues.

What conditions may Ultrasound help? 

• Achilles Tendonitis
• Back Pain
• Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
• Hip Bursitis
• Myofascial Pain
• Neck Pain
• Patellofemoral Disorders
• Plantar Fasciitis
• Sciatica
• Shoulder Pain
• Sport Injuries
• Tennis Elbow
• Thoracic Pain

What to expect during an Ultrasound session:

Ultrasound is directly applied to the skin. Your therapist or technician will apply a small amount of ultrasound gel to the area being treated. Once the modality begins, the therapist or technician will continuously move the ultrasound head in small slow circles to allow deep heat to penetrate in the body.. This modality takes about 10 minutes to perform.

Vestibular Rehabilitation

Dizziness or vertigo with a sense of imbalance can be caused by lesions to both the central nervous system (MS, TBI, CVA) and peripheral nervous system (BPPV, vestibular neuritis, labrynthitis, and Meniere’s disease).  BPPV stands for benign paroxysmal positional vertigo and is the most prevalent peripheral vestibular disorder, accounting for 20-40% of vertigo cases.  There are two types of BPPV: canalithiasis and cupulolithiasis. Either of these can occur in any of the three semicircular canals of the ear.  Head movement produces movement of the endolymph fluid (present in the canals) causing movement and depolarization of the hair cells. This in turn causes excitement of the underlying vestibular nerve, which sends messages to the nuclei in the brainstem that control eye movement.  For example, during head movements, our eyes are able to stay fixed due to the vestibular ocular reflex (VOR). When this reflex is impaired due to misfiring during vestibular disorders, our eyes no longer are able to stay stable and demonstrate involuntary eye movements such as nystagmus (movement side to side or up and down).  Clinicians are able to use these eye movements to help us differentially diagnose a patient with BPPV to determine which ear is involved, which canal is involved, and which type of BPPV the patient has.

What conditions may vestibular rehabilitation help? 

• Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV)
• Falling Risk
• Labyrinthitis
• Ménière Disease
• Migraine Headache
• Stroke
• Traumatic Brain Injury
• Vertigo
• Vestibular Neuritis

What to expect during a vestibular rehabilitation session:

Your physical therapist will guide you through vestibular balance designed to manage dizziness symptoms, including imbalance. An important aspect of this is re-training your brain to coordinate your surroundings with your body movements. When there’s a disconnect here, it often manifests as the conditions mentioned above resulting most commonly in dizziness and balance deficits. Muscular strength and postural awareness can also contribute to this.

Visceral Manipulation Therapy

Internal organs are surrounded by connective fascial tissue which holds ot only your organs in place but also allows them to move smoothly against each other within your body cavity with every movement your body makes while you go about your daily life. If this connective tissue gets tight due to adhesions or scar tissue from previous surgeries, injuries or inflammation within the body, these small but significant movements are impeded causing movement dysfunction causing pain and restriction in other parts of the body. Our therapists can use this gentle hands-on manual therapy to help your internal organs glide within your body to help treat abdominal pain, back pain, pelvic discomfort, cramps, indigestion and other movement pain and dysfunction.

What conditions may visceral manipulation help? 

• Back Pain
• Chronic Pain
• Fibromyalgia
• Hip Pain
• Neck Pain
• Pelvic Dysfunction
• Sciatica
• Shoulder Pain
• Thoracic Pain

What to expect during a visceral manipulation session:

During the session, the specific area of your body being treated is exposed. Common areas of visceral manipulation treatment include the rib cage, abdomen or pelvis. You may experience mild tenderness or mild discomfort when receiving treatment. Some visceral manipulation techniques are a deeper touch while others much lighter. You may feel tenderness, tightness, or even a gurgling of your tummy as the tissues start to relax.

Yoga-Infused Therapy

Yoga, by definition, is a connection of your body and mind. In a physical therapy setting, it means to focus on how, why, and what you are doing to improve your function. The combination of full body exercises lengthen and strengthen your body at the same time. The strong focus on breath helps to promote relaxation and stress reduction which is helpful for your body to heal. 

What conditions may Yoga help? 

• Back Pain
• Balance Deficits
• Chronic Pain
• Complex Regional Pain Syndrome
• Fibromyalgia
• Hip Pain
• Knee Pain
• Neck Pain
• Posture

What to expect during a Yoga session:

Learn a combination of exercises that challenge your strength, flexibility, and balance from an experienced enthusiastic yogi physical therapist.