Clinical Outpatient Treatment

Physical therapy aims to help rebuild, restore, or retrain various body parts that have a functional impairment or have been disabled by injury or disease. Depending on the patient and condition present, physical therapy may include a combination of stretching, strengthening, aerobic conditioning, temperature therapy, and sometimes electrical nerve stimulation therapies. Physical therapy can be used to treat musculoskeletal conditions, inflammatory conditions, lower back pain, chronic pain, shoulder pain, knee pain, neck pain, arthritis, and fibromyalgia.

Aquatic therapy is a form of exercise that takes place in a pool or body of water designed to provide low impact exercise to reduce spine and joint compression. It has been shown to improve movement, muscle strength, endurance, balance, agility, coordination, and posture.

Acupuncture is an alternative form of medicine which provides pain relief by strategically inserting tiny needles into specific points. It is believed to stimulate muscles, tissues, and nerves in order to reduce both acute pain and chronic pain. Dry Needling incorporates the same philosophy while using evidence-based guidelines.

Cupping involves the application of cupping devices that can be used to suction, like a vacuum, onto a specific area of muscular tightness or discomfort. Cupping is most commonly used on the back, chest, abdomen, and buttock. It is believed to help manage chronic pain by increasing blood circulation and activating the immune system.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is a form of psychotherapy that involves a wide range of strategies aimed at helping patients cope with chronic pain, increase confidence in their abilities, and change their response to pain. CBT is most often used in a multimodal treatment approach, which utilizes pain medications, physical therapy, and other treatment modalities in order to manage chronic pain effectively.

Biofeedback is a technique that aims to train individuals to learn to control specific bodily functions such as heart rate, breathing, muscle contractions, and even brain waves. This noninvasive, medication-free treatment approach typically involves a doctor, therapist or physiotherapist who will connect an individual to sensors that will monitor various bodily responses. Common conditions that biofeedback is useful for include constipation, irritable bowel syndrome, chronic pain, stress, anxiety, muscle spasms, and lower back pain.

One often overlooked aspect to treating pain is through psychological approaches. Patients with chronic pain often suffer from depression which can worsen physical pain. It is important that clinicians assess patients for mental health conditions and optimize their treatment for these conditions prior to treating pain as patient pain symptoms may improve. Psychiatric care may include cognitive behavioral therapy in combination with antidepressant medications to help combat mental health issues and provide physical pain relief.

Spinal Decompression is a procedure that may help relieve lower back pain, neck pain, and headaches by gently stretching the spine which takes pressure off the spinal disks. Decompression may promote pain relief through retracting bulging or herniated disks, thus taking pressure off nerves.

Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) is a technique that uses electrical impulses to interfere with and prevent pain signals from reaching pain centers in the brain. A TENS unit consists of electrodes that can be placed on the skin of painful regions where it releases small, electrical currents that can negate pain signaling and increase endorphins, which are natural pain relievers produced by your body.

Ultrasound is a form of high pitch sound waves or mechanical vibrations that have the ability to penetrate muscle. In addition to its utility in viewing internal body structures, it is believed to speed up tissue healing.

Infrared light therapy involves the use of light at certain wavelengths in order to promote faster healing of deep tissues and provide pain relief. Infrared light is currently used to treat joint pain, joint inflammation, muscle pain, spinal injuries, nerve pain, and sports injuries.