Physical Therapy

The ultimate goal for each individual after an amputation and obtaining a prosthesis is to return to safe ambulation and participation in daily and community activities. Rehabilitation after the loss of a limb will include education, gait and strength training, and community re-integration. Education will be provided on appropriate wear and care of the prosthesis, skin inspection on the residual limb, and proper weight-bearing during walking and transfers. Your physical therapist may work with your prosthetist throughout the rehabilitation process to ensure proper fit of the prosthesis for safe participation in physical therapy. Therapy often starts prior to a person receiving a prosthetic to strengthen and stretch the muscles to prepare for prosthetic gait training. After receiving a first time or new prosthetic, therapists will work on safe ambulation and transfers to more advanced sport and work-related tasks based on each individual’s needs and goals.

More than 1/3 of adults over the age of 65 will fall this year. While it is true our risk of falling increases as we get older, it is a myth that there is nothing we can do about it. Christie Clinic’s Department of Physical Therapy can help you reduce your risk of falling by providing you with a specialized program for maintaining balance and safe ambulation. After the therapist conducts an evaluation and determines where you are having the most difficulty, they will develop an individualized program to reduce your risk of falls. Most of the exercises are simple and do not require any specific equipment, and you can do them in your home for 15 – 20 minutes a day. You and your therapist may feel it would benefit you most to come into our clinic for a period of time to work on more advanced activities, but our ultimate goal is to provide you with activities you can do in your home and on your own time. If you are feeling unsteady and having more difficulty with your balance, don’t wait until you fall, ask your doctor for a referral to physical therapy for a fall risk assessment.

Physical Therapists use Dry Needling as a technique used for the treatment of movement impairments and pain. The “dry” needle is inserted through the skin into areas of the muscle, without any medication or injection.

The goal of dry needling is to release or inactivate trigger points to relieve pain or improve range of motion. It can improve pain control, muscle tension and can help speed up the patient’s return to active rehabilitation. The process involves a thin filiform needle that penetrates the skin and stimulates the trigger points and connective tissues. The needle is able to target tissues that are not manually palpable.

IASTM is a physical therapy intervention that is rapidly growing in popularity due to its effectiveness in treating common musculoskeletal dysfunctions. Christie Clinic physical therapists are trained in a variety of soft tissue techniques including ASTYM.

Physical therapists specialized in pediatrics are qualified to treat a wide range of pediatric conditions. These may include brain or spinal cord injury, torticollis, gait abnormalities, developmental disabilities, spasticity management, and orthopedic issues. The therapist will evaluate your child’s flexibility, strength, posture, gait, motor development, and sensory processing. A plan of care will then be developed including interventions tailored to best address your child’s needs. Games and recreational activities may be incorporated to keep your child engaged and motivated and to create a pleasant experience for the child. Close communication and input with the child’s parent(s) or guardian(s) is consistently sought to best meet the child’s needs and provide the best care possible.

Christie Clinic’s physical therapists have received special training in a variety of conditions involving the pelvic floor for both women and men. Our therapists are trained in evaluation and treatment of urinary or fecal incontinence, urgency/frequency of urination, and/or pain in the pelvic region. This includes pain in the abdominals, buttocks, pelvic floor, tailbone, vagina, and rectum.

What does Pelvic Pain & Incontinence Rehabilitation Involve?

Evaluation and Non-Surgical Treatment:

• flexibility and strength assessment
• behavioral modification and bladder retraining
• manual therapy, including soft tissue mobilization, myofascial release, joint mobilization and muscle energy techniques
• pelvic floor muscle surface EMG (or biofeedback)
• pelvic area internal and external muscle assessment and treatment
• therapeutic and postural exercises
• relaxation techniques and diaphragmatic breathing
• development of an individualized home exercise program

A concussion can occur at any age, from a wide range of causes including car accidents, head trauma, falls, playground accidents, physical abuse, sports injuries, or any direct blow to the head, face, or neck. After a concussion, a physical therapist can evaluate the symptoms that may have resulted, such as: headaches, nausea/vomiting, dizziness, fatigue, irritability/mood changes, sensitivity to light and/or noise, difficulty concentrating/reading, and balance/gait disturbances. Intervention may include activity modification, education, strategies for managing symptoms, vestibular rehabilitation, hand-eye coordination training, postural control retraining, balance and gait training, manual techniques for cervical impairments and headaches, reading, concentration, and memory exercises, and progressing to safe return of recreational and sports activities. Your licensed physical therapist will guide you in the appropriate progression of activities that best suit your individual case.

Runners can find themselves injured for many reasons, but physical therapy can assist runners with returning to running safely and efficiently. Our physical therapists will start by performing a comprehensive evaluation, as many injuries can be provoked by a lack of mobility and stability somewhere other than the injured location. Your therapist will use a standard clinical assessment of your range of motion, strength, joint mobility and postural stability as well as movement screenings to look for deficits in your movement patterns. Once able to run safely, our therapists will perform a video gait analysis of your running gait and review the findings with you. The video gait analysis is used in conjunction with the clinical findings and helps to tailor an individualized program for your unique running needs. Our skilled physical therapists will then work with you to get you safely back into a running program that meets your goals and needs.

Christie Clinic’s physical therapists are trained to rehabilitate individuals with a wide range of sports injuries. These may include upper and lower extremity pain issues or post-operative rehabilitation. Examples of these include ankle sprains, ACL repairs, shoulder labral repairs, and general joint and muscle pain issues. Based on the severity of the injury, your therapist will develop an appropriate plan of care and interventions including improvement of flexibility and range of motion, strengthening exercises, and balance and stability interventions. Our team of therapists are well-trained to appropriately progress and rehabilitate you to a safe return to your sports activities.

Along with your vision and sensation of proprioception/touch, your vestibular system allows you to perceive where you are in space and gives you a sense of balance. Vestibular rehabilitation is utilized for people who suffer from dizziness, unsteadiness, difficulty reading or concentrating, and concussions. The rehabilitation treats both acute and chronic conditions of dizziness, which can be caused by vertigo, blood pressure, glucose level, concussion, oculomotor deficits, etc. Our vestibular trained physical therapists identify the source(s) of your symptoms and use a variety of treatment methods to help you recover. These may include gait and balance activities, oculomotor training (exercises for eye muscles), manual therapy techniques for the spine, cervical exercises, and canalith repositioning (Epley maneuver).