Back pain is debilitating for millions of people worldwide. Here in the U.S., it is one of the leading causes of missed work and disability. If a person sees a doctor for back pain, the physician is likely to recommend a variety of techniques to try to lessen the person’s pain. Conservative, less-invasive treatments for back pain are attempted first, including physical therapy, dry needling, and transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS). Let’s take a look at some of the the ... [Read More]
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What Is Hand Therapy?
Because we perform a majority of all tasks using our hands, they are apt to get injured. If you have a hand injury or hand pain – whether due to trauma, repetitive stress on the hand, or even arthritis – who is going to help you with the pain and show you how to do things again? A physical therapist who specializes in hands – preferably who also is an occupational therapist or works with one at the same medical facility – is trained to teach patients how to work and live normally again. How D ... [Read More]
Dry Needling
Dry needling is becoming a popular technique performed by physical therapists to help their patients reduce pain. Although it uses the same type of needles as are used in acupuncture, they are very different techniques and are done for different reasons. Whereas acupuncture is an ancient Chinese form of therapy for the whole body, with the purpose of manipulating the body’s inner “energy flows,” dry needling is done based on research of pain relief. It focuses on relieving points of pain – spe ... [Read More]
Causes of Arthritis Pain
We all have someone in our lives who is affected by arthritis. Roughly 54.4 million Americans are diagnosed with a joint-related condition every year. So, what causes arthritis? Arthritis refers to over 100 conditions involving the inflammation and deterioration of the joints. Not all types of arthritis are caused by the same factors. Let’s take a look at the most common forms of arthritis and what the causes or risk factors are of different types of arthritis. Most Common Types of Arthritis ... [Read More]
Rotator Cuff Injury
The shoulder is one of the most complex joints in the human body. It is the junction of 3 bones (the humerus, collarbone and scapula), 4 muscles (the supraspinatus, infraspinatus, teres minor, and subscapularis) as well as tendons that surround the shoulder joint. The combination of the muscles and tendons that surround the shoulder joint are called the rotator cuff. When a rotator cuff injury happens, it can cause a lot of pain and reduce the function of the shoulder. Causes of A Rotator Cuff ... [Read More]
