Overview
Integrative physical therapists help improve the way you move by providing a total-body evaluation looking at the musculoskeletal, neurologic and somatovisceral systems to deliver whole-person care.
Principles
Techniques:
- Myofascial release
- Visceral manipulation techniques
- Joint mobilization
- Therapeutic exercises
- Postural strengthening
- Pain education
Conditions
Conditions Treated:
- Chronic pain
- Numbness, tingling, radicular symptoms
- Pelvic pain, SIJ dysfunction
- Sciatica
- Sports injury
- Back and neck pain
- Post-operative rehabilitation
- Upper and Lower extremity pain or injury
Services
Visceral Manipulation/Mobilization
- Light touch manual therapy technique to help facilitate the intrinsic movement of the organ as well as decrease any adhesions in the fascial connections of the organ
- Can be used to help mobilize scar tissue following abdominal surgeries
- Decreases referred pain
Therapeutic Exercises
- Your Physical Therapist will design a specific home exercise program tailored to your body’s needs
- Often utilize body weight and/or resistance bands
- Can be prescribed to help strengthen weakened muscles, improve flexibility and improve your movement pattern
- Overall goal is to help improve your posture and your ability to perform activities of daily living while preventing further injury
Sciatica
- Can be a catch-all phrase referring to pain traveling down the back of your leg
- Your Physical Therapist will help evaluate your symptoms to determine where the pain is coming from. It could be coming from your low back, sacroiliac joint, or could be related to your piriformis muscle restricting your sciatic nerve mobility. There is also potential that the pain could be referred pain from the viscera/abdominal cavity.
- Treatment for sciatica will be driven by what your Physical Therapist finds during the evaluation and individualized to your specific body and needs.
Pelvic Pain
- The pelvis consists of two bones that come together forming a bowl-like shape that attach in the front at the pubic symphysis and in the back at the sacrum.
- Sometimes one half of the bowl will rotate which may lead to pelvic pain or dysfunction.
- Your Physical Therapist can help identify factors leading to this rotation as well as apply manual techniques to help your pelvis return to neutral alignment
Pain Explained
Pain is the brain’s protective response to perceived danger in the body, whether or not danger is actually present. Pain is an output mechanism from the brain. Pain is often associated with an emotion and can even be triggered by the memory associated with the pain.
| Chronic pain | Acute pain | |
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· Persistent pain lasting more than 12 weeks |
· Initial 4-6 weeks following an injury | |
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· Amount of pain does not necessarily correlate with amount of tissue damage |
· Correlates with tissue “damage” and acute inflammation | |
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· The brain’s normal response to protect itself from a perceived danger |
· Responds to “RICE” treatment of rest, ice, compression, elevation | |
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· Fear, memory, and context of the pain are very important |
Reference: Butler DS, Moseley GL. Explain Pain. Adelaide, Australia. Noigroup Publications. 2003.
Why Choose Us?
What is Physical Therapy?
Evaluation and treatment to help improve the way you move, improve function, and decrease pain through the use of hands-on techniques, patient education and therapeutic exercises.
Can Physical Therapy Help Me?
Yes! We treat conditions affecting the whole body orthopedically and neurologically and we treat patients of all ages. Physical therapy can help you prepare for surgery, rehabilitate post operatively, prevent future injuries, and recover from chronic or persistent pain.
But I’ve tried other physical therapy before and it didn’t help.
We specialize in helping patients get better who perhaps didn’t find as much relief from traditional techniques. We also work alongside with the integrative health team at SSIHI and can collaborate with other practitioners such as naturopaths, osteopaths, massage therapists and acupuncturists to help you reach your goals.
Why is a holistic approach useful?
With pain and injury, the musculoskeletal and nervous systems are in a protective state. Taking a holistic approach allows us to really evaluate what your body is protecting and address it. The goal is to restore homeostasis which means to restore balance in your nervous system and ultimately improve your function.
What does it mean to work on the viscera?
Visceral manipulation or mobilization is a light touch manual therapy technique during which we work on the fascial connections surrounding the organ and help facilitate the organ’s natural movement within the body. This may be an important piece to helping your body heal and to restore balance within the nervous system.
Our Team
April Reilly, PT, DPT