Physical Therapy
Description
Physical Therapy is:
• The correction and alleviation of movement disorders that cause pain or hinder movement
• The determination of a person's potential capacity for effective body movement
• The prevention of potential movement problems
• The prevention of unnecessary deterioration of movement or loss of function
• The maintenance of improved levels of movement
Components of Physical Therapy
Evaluation
A licensed physical therapist gives each patient a thorough assessment in order to determine the patient’s initial treatment needs.
Modalities
Resources such as cold packs, hot packs, massage, ultrasound with electrical stimulation, mechanical traction and anodyne therapy are often used to control pain, reduce swelling and relieve muscle tension.
Exercise
Patients learn how to perform exercises that will improve muscle and joint flexibility, posture, strength and endurance.
Manual Therapy
Therapists may perform specific joint and soft tissue mobilization and stabilization techniques such as the McKenzie Method. At PTSC, high-tech equipment like MedX, SwimEx, and Baltimore Therapeutic Equipment are also used to achieve maximum therapeutic affects.
Self-Care
Each patient is given self-care instructions that include techniques for pain control, lifting and moving, wound care guidelines and activity level recommendations.
Home Exercise Program
Each patient is required to perform specific exercises on their own time. After a patient has been discharged from PTSC, he or she may continue to use the Gym for just $15 per month.
The McKenzie Method is a specific manual diagnosis and treatment protocol developed for treating problems of the spine, with emphasis on patient self-treatment. PTSC is one of only 6 certified McKenzie clinics in the USA and 14 worldwide. PTSC has a diplomaed McKenzie therapist and a certified McKenzie therapist on staff.
The McKenzie protocol was initially developed by Robin McKenzie, P.T., who has been in private physical therapy practice in Wellington, New Zealand, since 1953. Click here to visit the official McKenzie Institute website.
Benefits of the McKenzie Method
Assessment
A McKenzie assessment performed by a McKenzie-trained clinician can eliminate the need for expensive and/or invasive testing procedures. The comprehensive and logical assessment process can be used to evaluate a patient’s spinal problem quickly in order to determine the best course of treatment.
Treatment
The McKenzie treatment program consists of a series of individualized exercises. The emphasis is on active patient involvement, with a certified McKenzie clinician providing advanced hands-on techniques until the patient can self-administer.
Prevention
The McKenzie Method also incorporates a strong preventive strategy by teaching patients how to minimize the risk of recurrence and how to deal with new problems quickly.
At PTSC, our licensed physical therapists treat patients with spine and extremity injuries, degenerative diseases, fractures and burns, and many other general rehabilitative conditions that may result from accidents, falls, work-related injuries or surgery.
Here’s a list of conditions that can benefit from physical therapy:
ACL tears
Arthritis
Back pain
Burns
Bursitis
Cerebral Palsy
Developmental Delay
Fibromyalgia
Head injuries
Muscle weakness
Muscular dystrophy
Multiple sclerosis
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Myofascial pain
Neck pain
Parkinson’s Disease
Rehab after joint replacement surgeries
Rotator cuff injuries
Scoliosis
Spasticity
Sprains, strains
Strokes
Tendonitis
Walking/standing problems
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One of the most common conditions we treat at PTSC is back pain. Our therapists are specialists at pinpointing the cause of back pain; taking immediate measures to reduce the pain; and teaching patients how to prevent its return. Learn what former patients have to say about our high tech spine testing and strengthening machine, MedX. If you or someone you know suffers from chronic or occasional back pain, ask your doctor for a referral to Physical Therapy Specialists for an evaluation today!
How can Physical Therapy help?
Degenerative Diseases and Conditions
Physical therapy can help maintain a patient’s current level of functioning in the presence of degenerative diseases of the circulatory system and rheumatic conditions affecting joints and locomotion.
Fractures and Injuries
Physical therapy is an important treatment component following fractures, muscle injuries and nerve injuries. Physical therapy performed soon after these conditions occur can significantly improve a patient’s long-term functioning.
Rehabilitation Treatment
When used in conjunction with occupational therapy and speech therapy, physical therapy is a valuable component of total rehabilitation, the program of treatment that strives to restore the injured or ailing individual to his maximum efficiency in society.
Description
Occupational Therapy is:
• The development of skills necessary to carry out basic activities of daily living.
• The use of creative solutions and resources to maximize functionality and independence.
• The methods used to help patients with neurological impairments function on their own at home, work, school and in a variety of special situations.
Components of Occupational Therapy
Evaluation
A licensed occupational therapist gives each patient a thorough physical evaluation in order to determine the patient’s initial therapy needs. The evaluation may include an ergonomics assessment of the home, work or play environment to identify safety concerns and suggest solutions.
Treatment
• Occupational therapy treatment may include upper extremity strengthening and muscle re-education exercises.
• Fabrication of splints and serial casting for contractures.
• Recommendations and training in the use of adaptive equipment to replace lost function.
• Ergonomics recommendations for work place, home or school safety and functionality
Patients, click here to find out what to expect on your first visit to PTSC.
Conditions Treated
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is a common problem for people who use computer keyboards. Contact PTSC to find out about your treatment options.
Conditions Treated
• Work related injuries
• Low back problems, repetitive stress injuries, tendon injuries
• Limitations following a stroke or heart attack
• Arthritis, MS, CP, MD, Downs Syndrome, and other serious chronic conditions
• Birth injuries, Sensory Integration Disorder, Autism, and Developmental Delay
• Cumulative trauma injuries to the elbow, wrist, and hand
• Burns, spinal cord injuries, amputations, brachial plexus injuries
• Broken bones, lacerations and other injuries from falls, sports injuries or accidents
• Vision or cognitive problems that threaten a patients’ ability to drive
Description
Ergonomics is the study of people adjusting to their environment. It is the science, which seeks to adapt work sites and conditions to the worker. This applies to a wide variety of situations including an employee in a factory, a mother attending to her infant in a nursery, and a child at play on the playground. An ergonomics specialist is someone trained at evaluating environmental safety and comfort.
Ergonomics Assessment and Occupational Therapy
As a part of a patient’s therapy, a thorough evaluation of the work, home or school environment may be necessary in order to help the patient function better. In addition, ergonomics specialists are trained to make specific recommendations for improvements or changes in the work, school, or home environment to better accommodate a patient’s needs. As part of a comprehensive occupational therapy program, an ergonomics assessment can be of tremendous benefit to adults and children with physical or cognitive impairments.
Program for Ergonomic Training & Assessment (PETA)
In addition to providing ergonomics assessment for occupational therapy patients, PTSC offers a Program for Ergonomic Training & Assessment (PETA) to business and industry. The implementation of an ergonomics program specifically designed for a particular business can help:
• Reduce work-related injuries
• Reduce worker’s compensation costs
• Reduce employee downtime
• Increase productivity and performance
• Improve employee morale
• Obtain efficient and cost-effective workspace solutions
• Meet Federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) standards
Under proposed OSHA standards, employers with workers who perform the following types of jobs would be required to implement ergonomics programs to prevent and decrease musculoskeletal disorders and cumulative trauma injuries:
• Patient handling jobs like nursing
• Package sorting, handling & delivery
• Warehouse: manual picking/placing
• Beverage delivering and handling
• Grocery store bagging & stock handling
• Garbage collecting
• Cabinet making
• Tire building
• Assembly lines & components/parts
• Product inspection jobs
• Machine operation & machine loading/unloading
• Apparel manufacturing jobs
Let PTSC Customize Your Company’s Ergonomics Program
From workstation assessments to work hardening programs, the professional staff at PTSC can customize a Program for Ergonomic Training & Assessment specifically for your company. The PETA includes:
• Job site analysis
• Training for management on ergonomics issues and OSHA standards
• Training for employees and supervisors regarding injury prevention
• Job hazard identification and reporting procedures
• Establishment of an injury management program
• Establishment and training of an ergonomics committee
• Work station and job task redesign
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The Sports Medicine program at PTSC provides a valuable service to athletes, coaches and physicians. From strengthening and conditioning, to on-site injury care and evaluation, to performing physician-ordered rehabilitation, PTSC Certified Athletic Trainers (ATCs) are often involved in multiple aspects of an athlete’s overall health.
ATCs benefit coaches by keeping them updated on their players’ conditions during the recovery process, and by helping coaches reduce the number and severity of injuries all together.
ATCs are well trained at recognizing injuries that require medical attention by a physician. ATCs can be very helpful in relaying information about the manner in which an injury occurred, the patient’s initial reaction, and many other factors that can help a physician determine the type and extent of injury, and therefore prescribe a course of treatment.
Conversely, ATCs work together with physical therapists and occupational therapists at PTSC to carry out specific therapy orders from physicians.
What Does an ATC Do?
Conduct individual and team strengthening and conditioning programs.
Conduct injury prevention programs
for schools, businesses, and community organizations.
Provide sports/activity related injury assessments.
S pecialize in the rehabilitation and prevention of sports related injuries.
Measure and fit athletes for braces.
Provide consultation services for coaches on injury evaluation.
Assist patients coordinate their medical appointments with physicians, specialists and surgeons along with their PTSC appointments.
Work in collaboration with physical therapists and occupational therapists to maximize treatment results.
O ffer Swim Ex aquatic conditioning (at the West Plains clinic location) along with a variety of cardiovascular exercises performed in the Gym to improve overall fitness and strength.
To aid healing, ATCs may use equipment such as SwimEx and MedX along with modalities.
What are an ATC’s Qualifications?
• Must be certified by the National Athletic Trainers’ Association (NATA), which is recognized by the American Medical Association (AMA)
• Must complete a Bachelor’s Degree at an accredited college or university
• Must obtain a minimum of 1,200 hours of athletic training experience under the guidance of an ATC
• Must complete a three-part national certification exam consisting of an oral, written and practical exam.
High School Services
The ATC staff at PTSC provides the following types of sports medicine care to athletes at 15 area high schools:
• Attendance at practices and games
• Regular visits to schools for injury assessments
• Sport-specific rehabilitation to allow for quicker return to play
• Communication with athlete’s family physician or specialist
• Available for instruction at training camps
• Evaluate athletic equipment and supplies
• Establish a record keeping system for injuries
• Train and educate student trainers
Saturday Sports Injury Clinic
As a service to local athletes, PTSC opens its West Plains and Mtn. Grove clinics on Saturday mornings following Friday night high school football games. Athletes who suspect they may have sustained injuries are welcome to drop by the clinics between 9:00 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. without an appointment or doctor’s referral to be examined by an ATC and a physician. All athletes must be accompanied by a parent or guardian of legal age.
The evaluation is free of charge except for the cost of materials such as splinting or casting materials, or any special testing such as MRI or x-rays.
Industrial Rehabilitation
PTSC’s industrial rehabilitation program includes a wide variety of services for physicians who treat patients with work-related injuries; employees who need therapeutic rehabilitation following an on-the-job injury; employers who seek to minimize injuries among workers; and medical caseworkers who need to secure outpatient rehabilitation for injured workers.
What PTSC Can Do For…
Physicians: The clinical staff at PTSC is experienced in working with workers’ comp. claimants, their physicians, employers and caseworkers. We understand that getting injured workers well and back on the job is a top priority. You can expect to receive timely, typed documentation and computerized testing reports from PTSC. Learn more about our Functional Capacity Evaluations and work hardening, programs. Contact us for more information on BTE, Swim Ex, MedX, or to see sample reports of our FCEs. Click here to download a copy of our referral form.
Employees: PTSC’s team of skilled therapists can evaluate your work related injury, provide you and your physician with a plan for therapy, and work with you throughout your therapy program to ensure that you return to your pre-injured state as quickly and as safely as possible.
Case Workers: Physical Therapy Specialists Clinic, Inc. is a worker’s comp certified facility with three locations serving southern Missouri and northern Arkansas. Click here to see a map of our service area. We have state-of-art therapeutic equipment and a highly trained staff. Click here to download a copy of our referral form.
Employers: Recent ADA, EEOC and OSHA standards require employers to prevent unqualified workers from being placed in job positions where they pose a significant risk of injury to themselves or to others. The certified WorkSTEPS clinicians at PTSC are trained and work with employers to prevent injuries through functional employment testing. They are also licensed and experienced in working with employers who have workers’ comp injury claims. Our staff works closely with physicians to get workers back to work in a timely fashion and as cost effectively as possible. While injured workers may travel to Springfield, Columbia, Rolla or Little Rock for doctor’s appointments, they can receive their outpatient therapy close to home at one of PTSC’s conveniently located clinics in West Plains, Mo., or Mountain Grove, Mo.
Functional Employment Testing
PTSC offers a number of proactive programs to employers who wish to reduce the incidence of work-related injuries and to improve production. Upon thoroughly evaluating a company’s needs, PTSC may recommend a variety of employment tests. In a manufacturing setting, for example, some job duties require heavy lifting or repetitive motion or both. It is important to place the right employees in those positions. Results from a job analysis and functional employment assessment will provide an employer with a list of the essential duties required for the job and the objective measurements of a given employee’s physical suitability for a particular job function. Matching employees to job duties can help prevent injuries, increase productivity and improve employee job satisfaction, which will all contribute to employer savings.
Return to Work Program
Essential to an injured worker's successful return to work is adequate preparation and quantitative testing to determine the worker's ability to perform essential job functions. The Return to Work Program at PTSC offers employers, physicians, and insurance caseworkers the information they need to effectively close a case and get the worker back to work.
Employees who have been absent from work for a long period of time, employees recovering from illness or injury, employees changing job duties, or employees who have ongoing physical limitations can benefit from a return to work program. This program can help prepare employees for the physical requirements of the particular job whether driving a truck, lifting heavy objects, performing repetitive motion activities such as those done on an assembly line or simply standing for long periods.
The return to work program is designed to get employees ‘in shape’ for work and may include:
-Work Conditioning:
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Limited endurance exercise, stretching, strengthening and general functional activities
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Periodic fit for duty tests
-Work Hardening:
- Progressive physical demands leading up to full job simulation
- HPeriodic fit for duty tests
- Functional capacity evaluation
The Baltimore Therapeutic Equipment work simulator is often used during the return to work program and provides computerized reports of workers’ progress and limitations.
Functional Capacity Evaluation
PTSC is a licensed provider of the WorkSTEPS functional capacity evaluation (FCE).
These comprehensive FCEs provide physicians, insurance caseworkers, litigators and patients with a variety of detailed or summary reports which include quantified results as well as recommend-ations for further treatment options, if indicated. The WorkSTEPS FCE protocol is highly regarded amont the medical community and is fully compliant with all state and federal employment regulations.
An FCE is an objective test used to determine a person’s physical ability to perform tasks. The test can be used to determine a persons’ physical limitations immediately following an injury, or before or after therapy or work hardening. The test objectively measure’s a person’s effort, strength, range of motion, endurance, flexibility, etc. Limitations in a person’s physical abilities may warrant physical therapy, occupational therapy, work hardening, or other treatment or accommodations.
Ergonomics Assessment
If you would like a free initial consultation with an ergonomics specialist, call (417) 256-5669 to schedule an appointment. After your initial discussion, the staff at PTSC will present you with a proposal detailing the ergonomics assessment services that could most benefit your company. Click here to learn more about ergonomics and occupational therapy.
A PTSC ergonomics specialist is someone specifically trained to perform the following services:
- Identify hazards at the work site
- Recommend work site or job task changes in order to prevent injury
- Train employees and supervisors on injury prevention and reporting methods
- Make recommendations according to proposed OSHA standards
Safety Training
PTSC offers safety-training programs to groups of employees or managers. Topics include:
- How to Reduce the Risk of Back Injuries
- How to Perform Warm-Up and Stretching Exercises to Prevent Injury
- How to Spot Potential Job Site Health Hazards (for managers only)
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Lymphedema Therapy
Massage therapy has long been a standard part of the treatment philosophy at PTSC. The use of massage as a modality often enhances the benefits of physical therapy, occupational therapy, and sports medicine. Many patients at PTSC receive massage therapy sessions as a part of their total care.
Benefits of Massage Therapy
The benefits of massage therapy are becoming more recognized within the medical community. At PTSC, we believe massage can:
- Help relieve pain associated with muscle strain
- Stimulate blood flow to constricted muscles to promote healing
- Relax muscle tension
- Reduce feelings of stress
- Increase overall sense of physical and mental well-being
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