Physical Therapy Bowie, MD
What To Expect During Your First Physical Therapy Session
Physical therapy is beneficial for a wide range of conditions. It can help individuals regain their strength following an injury or surgery. It can also improve balance and coordination in individuals with temporary and permanent movement disorders. The first visit for a physical therapy Bowie in MD with a physical therapist determines subsequent treatment and includes multiple steps.
Interview
During your first visit, your physical therapist will begin by asking you questions to get a sense of your overall health history, the limitations and discomfort you experience due to your condition, and what you hope to achieve through therapy.
Physical Evaluation
After interviewing you, the therapist may touch and move your body parts or ask you to perform movements or activities to determine how well your joints, muscles, and nerves function and assess your:
- Strength
- Coordination
- Flexibility
- Balance
- Range of motion
- Mobility
- Stamina
Treatment Plan
After a thorough evaluation, a physical therapist will propose a treatment plan to help you achieve your goals. Treatments often begin during the first visit and include various modalities. Sessions will usually start with an application of heat to stimulate blood flow and send oxygen and nutrients to the affected areas. Heat increases flexibility in preparation for other treatments that follow.
After applying heat, the therapist may use manual massage techniques to decrease muscle pain and tension and improve circulation. The therapist might also repeatedly move your joints in various directions to help improve your mobility.
Ultrasound is helpful in the treatment of musculoskeletal conditions. A topical gel on the skin over the affected site helps deliver ultrasound waves to the muscles via a wand to improve blood circulation and promote healing. Light therapy and electrical stimulation can help reduce pain and inflammation and encourage injury healing.
Treatment sessions may also include supervised exercises that you can perform with progressive degrees of intensity as your condition heals or improves. Your sessions will end with an application of ice to control inflammation resulting from therapeutic activities.
Home Exercises
During an initial physical therapy visit to our clinic Mid Atlantic Spinal Rehab & Chiropractic, your therapist may recommend exercises using special equipment available at the physical therapy site. The therapist will also review home-based exercises you can perform independently between sessions. Discussing the importance of these exercises is a crucial part of your initial visit and will help ensure that you continue to improve and progress between sessions with a therapist.
If an injury or medical condition leaves you unable to enjoy life, schedule an evaluation and initial session with a knowledgeable physical therapist to start on the road toward feeling better.
BY: Mid Atlantic Spinal Rehab
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How Does Your Physical Therapist Assess Your Progress?
You may require physical therapy to help you recover from an injury or medical condition that causes pain or limits your mobility. Your therapist will periodically assess your abilities to determine if your therapy is helping you achieve the goals you set during your first visit.
Typical physical therapy in Bowie, MD goals may include:
- Pain relief
- Better range of motion
- Better balance
- Greater endurance
- More strength
Your therapists may apply one of the following methods to evaluate your progress during physical therapy.
Ask for Your Feedback
One of the most significant ways your therapist can determine if you are progressing in your therapy is to rate your pain level. Before you start your treatment plan, your therapist will ask you to describe your pain’s intensity by assigning it a number on a predetermined scale. As your therapy progresses, your therapist will periodically ask you to rate your current pain level and compare it to the baseline measurement you provided at your first session.
Take Objective Measurements
Your therapist can evaluate your strength, endurance, and range of motion objectively by using various tests. For example, at the start of therapy for a shoulder injury, you may not have been able to lift your arm higher than your rib cage. If you can raise your arm above your head after several weeks of treatment, your therapist can objectively determine that you are improving without asking you.
Therapists also use various kinds of equipment to measure strength, including isokinetic dynamometers that measure muscle strength in the hips, elbows, shoulders, or knees or hand held dynamometers that a patient can squeeze to indicate grip strength.
Observe You While You Are Performing Dynamic Activities
The ability to perform various activities without pain or compensating for a deficiency in strength, flexibility, or balance are additional signs that a physical therapist will look for when assessing your overall progress. Your therapist may ask you to demonstrate your ability to perform various dynamic activities, including walking, bending, or squatting, which demonstrate the degree to which you can support your body weight and maintain balance while shifting your center of gravity.
The goals for your therapy are established before it begins. Your therapist will determine the best approach to your treatment based upon an initial assessment. Still, a routine evaluation of your progress is necessary to determine if an adjustment to the initial approach will be beneficial or if you have attained your therapy’s maximum benefit.
Contact our experienced physical therapist at at Mid Atlantic Spinal Rehab & Chiropractic for your physical therapy in Bowie, MD, we will evaluate your condition and recommend a treatment plan to help you achieve your goals.
BY: Mid Atlantic Spinal Rehab
Chiropractic Therapies
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Chiropractor
Chiropractor
Understanding Chiropractic Care
Chiropractic care has been used as a reliable treatment for back pain and other health issues for over a century, and yet it’s only just now beginning to gain any sort of mainstream recognition. If more people understood chiropractic, they would be better able to benefit from it. If you’ve been thinking about trying out a safe, affordable, and all-natural treatment option in order to improve your sense of well-being and enhance your health on an overall scale, you really should be looking into getting chiropractic adjustments from a Chiropractor.
What’s the Science Behind Chiropractic?
How can chiropractic benefit the body without relying on medication and by only using natural techniques? Chiropractic focuses primarily on maintaining the health of the spinal column. The spine houses the central nervous system, protecting it so it can facilitate communication between the body and the brain. When the spine is in its proper alignment, the central nervous system is able to function well.
However, the spine can suffer from misalignments, which are known as vertebral subluxations, due to a variety of causes such as falls, auto accidents, and muscle strains. These subluxations not only cause pain and discomfort in the body, but they disrupt the signals going between the body and the brain, which lead to a breakdown in many of the body’s other functions. As a result, issues with sleep, digestion, energy, and even stress can start to occur.
Various Chiropractic Techniques
A Chiropractor such as Ameriwell clinics, deploys a variety of chiropractic techniques, including CBD oil. Patients can choose one or more of these to address their issues. Some of the chiropractic adjustments can expect include:
Diversified technique: Widely used, this technique entails a high-velocity, low-amplitude thrust at a joint (quick, shallow thrusts that cause the popping noise).
Thompson technique: A variation of the Diversified technique, the Thompson technique uses a segmented table with drop pieces as your doctor delivers high-velocity, low amplitude, and low-force to fully adjust your spine.
Using an activator: This technique employs a small, handheld instrument called an activator. It applies a quick, low level of force to specific points on the body. These impulses dampen muscle resistance to treatment
Extremity Adjustments: While many think of back and neck issues when they consider chiropractic care, it also addresses the needs of hands, feet, wrists, and ankles. These areas see repetitive and intense movement and experience strain as much if not more so than anywhere else on the body. By addressing issues in the limbs, extremity adjustments can reduce pain and increase articulation.
Pelvic Blocking: This technique addresses pelvic or hip misalignments. Often, such issues can cause problems with the lower back, knees, and other areas.
Each of these methods alone or in combination with each other helps patients manage and lessen their chronic pain. Also, they provoke the body’s natural healing process making it more receptive and able to recover after injury or everyday wear and tear. Thus, using chiropractic adjustments regularly allows patients to stay active, strengthen their muscles, improve their mobility and range of motion, and be aware of how to keep themselves healthy over the long-term.
Consult a Chiropractor
Chiropractic care is often a solution for a variety of different types of pain. If you have a medical issue you’re not sure what to do with, chiropractic care could be the answer.
BY: Mid Atlantic Spinal Rehab
Chiropractic Therapies / The Chiropractors
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Accidents, Knee Pain and Chiropractic Care
Chiropractic Car Accident Care
There are more than 6 million car accidents in the U.S. every year. Thankfully, the number of fatalities has gone down in recent years, but nearly 4.5 million people are seriously injured in car crashes every year.
Knee injuries account for about 10 percent of car accident injuries. People seated in the front side passenger seat are particularly susceptible, as their knees often slam into the car’s dashboard upon impact. The knee is the largest joint in the body, and though neck and back injuries are more common in car crashes, knee injuries can be just as serious.
The Most Common Knee Injuries Suffered by Accident Victims
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- Torn Meniscus. The two menisci in each knee are actually cartilage that serve as a cushion between the shin bone (tibia) and the thigh bone (femur). The cartilage can tear when the knee is under stress, and the pain and swelling will make it difficult to extend the knee.
- Kneecap Fractures. When involved in head-on or side-impact collisions, victims could crack, break or shatter their kneecap (patella).
- Torn Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL). The ACL connects your shin bone and thigh bone. When the ACL tears away from the knee joint, there will be much pain, and surgery will likely be required.
- Dislocated Knee. This occurs when the kneecap becomes misaligned with the shin and/or thigh bone.
- Posterior Cruciate Ligament (PCL) Injuries. Located in the back of your knee, the PCL keeps your shin bone from moving too far backwards. When the front of your knee takes a huge hit while in a bent position (like when a passenger’s knee hits the dashboard), your PCL can be damaged.
What Are Your Treatment Options?
In many cases, car accident victims experiencing knee pain may be asked to engage in physical therapy, take painkillers and, if those fail, prepare for surgery.
A Proven Alternative – Chiropractic Care
Another option that is increasingly popular is chiropractic care. Following extensive examinations and testing, including x-rays, most chiropractors will examine not only the knee but also your lower back, pelvis, hip, ankle and feet due to the direct impact they have on the knee. They will discuss a treatment plan with you that likely includes exercises and gentle chiropractic manipulation and mobilization techniques, as well as laser or ultrasound therapies to reduce the pain and increase your range of motion.
Car accident victims have many options to consider, as a chiropractor, like a car accident treatment professional in Glen Burnie, MD, at a practice like Mid-Atlantic Spinal Rehab & Chiropractic, can explain.
BY: Mid Atlantic Spinal Rehab
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Keeping Our Friends Upright and Moving
Geriatric Physical Therapy
Our nation’s elderly population is susceptible to numerous age-related injuries and illnesses, such as arthritis, Alzheimer’s disease, hip and knee replacements, strokes, Parkinson’s disease, osteoporosis, and more. On top of that, one out of every four older people falls every year, with about 20 percent of these falls causing a serious injury (e.g., broken bones, head injuries, etc.). It’s likely that a similar fate could await the generations that follow.
What can be done to delay these conditions?
One of the top recommendations from medical experts is to keep our aging population as active as possible for as long as possible. Whether currently active, sedentary or recovering from an injury, geriatric physical therapy (PT) can play an important role in delaying the physical challenges of aging.
Participating in a rehabilitation program or a geriatric physical therapy program can restore people’s range of motion and functionality, reduce pain and improve their quality of life. Experienced PT professionals understand that they’re not training future Olympic athletes with a strict dietary and exercise regimen. They’re helping the elderly accomplish daily tasks and recommending exercises that can be done safely and effectively.
Specific kinds of geriatric PT include:
- Orthopedic PT: In addition to helping patients recover from orthopedic surgeries, orthopedic PT focuses on treating injuries to the musculoskeletal system. Its goal is to restore function to the patient’s muscles, bones, joints, tendons and ligaments.
- Cardiopulmonary PT: This PT aims to increase endurance for those who have had heart attacks or other cardiovascular or pulmonary conditions, like Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease or pulmonary fibrosis.
- Neurological PT: This PT addresses both brain and bodily functions. Here, physical therapists teach seniors with Alzheimer’s disease, ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease), Parkinson’s disease or brain injuries to adapt to their physical and mental limitations (visual, mobility, balance, muscle loss, etc.) so they can continue to complete their daily activities.
An increasing number of geriatric PT locations use a broad range of gentle, yet effective strategies, including stretching, light exercise, walking, hydrotherapy, massage, and more. The goal remains to make basic tasks easier for senior adults and to help them be as independent as possible.
If you or a loved one are battling age-related injuries or illnesses, perhaps you should consider geriatric physical therapy? There are many options to explore, as a professional, like the geriatric physical therapy team in Baltimore, MD at a PT rehab center like Mid-Atlantic Spinal Rehab & Chiropractor, can explain.
BY: Mid Atlantic Spinal Rehab
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A Chiropractor’s Tips for Staying Fit
Chiropractor
Why wait for Summer when you can get fit right away and stay healthy! Whether you are 17 or 48, there is no limitation to getting into the habit of a healthy lifestyle. We all go through different grade of stress in our daily lives. Some of us spend hours at the regular 9-5 desk jobs, even grind at construction sites and some of us play dangerous sports.
While trying to stay fit might seem like added minutes of effort, it is still the best, and perhaps the most cheapest action you could ever engage in. In fact, your body will thank you in the later years. Also, wouldn’t it be amazing to not have to go to a chiropractor? That is why we have accumulated some professional chiropractic tips to kick start your good habits for a healthier lifestyle.
- Sit Straight Y’all!
If you haven’t done it yet after we said it in the previous line, then try now! We seriously cannot stress enough on the benefits of sitting with a good posture. A good sitting posture is essential to keep your neck and back pain miles away from hitting you. It decreases physical stress over the bones, spinal discs, pelvic muscles and ligaments holding your spinal joints together. Besides, you always look presentable and attentive in front of your boss so that’s a plus!
- Sleep Comfortably!
Get some chiropractor recommended pillows and back cradling mattresses that will give you amazing sleep consistently. An additional tip to ensure restful sleep is to include yoga in your bedtime ritual. It will relax you into a deep sleep within minutes of resting your head. Try sleeping either by lying flat on your back, or on your side to relieve the muscles and your spine.
- Eat Healthy
What’s as important as exercising daily? That’s right, eating healthy! Chiropractors always advise on eating in moderation and watch out for obesity. Not only does bad eating make you obese, more health issues follow with it. Bones around your back, knees, feet and joints get affected the most. So if you want to avoid chiropractic treatment, then start maintaining a healthy weight from today.
- Keep Yourself Active
Moments after a heavy meal, we tend to slip under the sheets or slouch on the couch. Instead of giving in, try taking a stroll across your office or your living room. It will help your back and keep your digestion proceeding. Besides exercising and stretching on a daily basis, engage in a hobby. This will keep your muscles moving, take your productivity to the next level and help you to stay fit.
Conclusion
Trying to stay fit should not have to be challenging, stressful or bank breaking. That is why these professional chiropractic in Mesa, AZ tips are cheaper and will support you in the long run. You have to agree that you have heard most of these tips before!
Thanks to LifeCare Chiropractic for their insight into chiropractic care and tips for staying fit.
BY: Mid Atlantic Spinal Rehab
Wellness Lifestyle Tips
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Chiropractor Treatment
What to Expect at the Chiropractor
If you are about to have your very first visit with a chiropractor, you may not know exactly what to expect. Though you’ve probably heard of other people’s experiences, it could be intimidating to go without prior experience yourself. The good news is that chiropractic treatment or physical therapy can be life-changing. The following are some things that you can expect.
Length of Your Visit
Your first visit will more than likely last longer than follow up visits because the chiropractor will want to make a full assessment of your condition and overall health. This could take anywhere from 30 to 45 minutes. Adjustments only take a matter of minutes, so most of the initial visit will be talking, going over your medical history and getting your financial matters taken care of.
Follow up visits could last anywhere from five to 20 minutes, depending on the severity of your condition and the type of care you’re receiving.
What It Feels Like
Have you ever done a workout for the first time in a long time? You know that sore feeling you get at the end that’s a good-sore? If you feel any pain at all after a chiropractic adjustment, it will be that same good-sore feeling. If you have more serious pain than that, you should discuss it with your chiropractor for the chance it’s something more serious that needs a different sort of treatment.
Returning for Follow Up Care
Not every patient will have to return for follow up care. It’s possible the issue you’re dealing with can be fixed in a matter of one appointment. It’s also possible it will take multiple appointments that span over the length of many years. Depending on your problem, you may need to return to the chiropractor for follow up visits for the rest of your life, just as you would go in for dental exams and medical physicals on a regular basis. Your chiropractor will discuss this with you at your initial appointment so you can know what to expect moving forward.
Paying for the Visit
Many health insurance plans cover chiropractic care, though this is something you should speak with your provider about. You may have to use an in-network chiropractor and you might only be allotted a certain amount of visits per year, so it’s important you understand the details of your plan. If you don’t have insurance coverage, you may be able to work out a payment plan with the chiropractor.
Getting in Touch With a Chiropractor
Visiting the chiropractor doesn’t have to be a stressful event. To learn more about what you can expect at your next visit, get in touch with a chiropractor today.
BY: Mid Atlantic Spinal Rehab
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Getting Help with Numbness or Tingling From a Chiropractor Therapy
If you are experiencing tingling or numbness, then we advise seeing a chiropractor for an assessment right away. A sensation similar to “pins and needles” of the extremities can be very uncomfortable and quite annoying. Numbness and tingling are two symptoms that could be associated with health concerns, so it is important to respond promptly by getting medical care.
To rule out major health concerns, a chiropractor will try to identify where the cause of this sensation is coming from. Usually, tingling or numbness means there is something awry within the spinal column. Rest assured that if this is the case, we can create a care plan to get you back on track.
The Cause of Numbness and Tingling
More serious reasons that numbness and tingling may be happening is due to a stroke, seizure disorder, diabetes, or multiple sclerosis. But for most patients that a chiropractor sees, these sensations are due to less serious conditions, such as migraine headaches or carpal tunnel. Essentially, what could be occurring is a nerve is getting pinched. When the flow of blood is restricted from a pinched nerve, people can experience numbness or tingle in their fingers, hands, legs, or arms.
How Chiropractics Can Address These Symptoms
Chiropractics focus on the central nervous and musculoskeletal system, including function of nerves. So, it makes sense to see a chiropractor if you are feeling tingling sensations or numbness, as these symptoms are associated with nerve-related issues. When the spine gets misaligned, it can lead to migraines, carpal tunnel, or pinched nerves. These misalignments can cause interference of nerves, which hinder sufficient blood flow and impact communication between brain and body. When messages cannot be effectively sent throughout the body, dysfunction can arise.
Chiropractic Adjustments
A chiropractor can examine a patient’s spine, and perform an adjustment to remove incorrect alignments while reducing nerve interference. During these adjustments, a chiropractor is using his or her hands to apply gentle force to specific areas of the spine as a way to move vertebrae back into placement. Many patients express feeling immediate relief and a sense of mental calmness after their treatment session.
After realigning the spine, blood flow can open up and the body can function as it was intended to once again. For a significant number of patients, regular chiropractic care can correct the uncomfortable and intrusive nature of numbness and tingling sensations. Additionally, chiropractics can help people maintain overall health and wellness of their entire body so they can feel at their very best.
Don’t let unsettling tingling and numbness prevent you from enjoying your daily life. At a chiropractic clinic, they can help figure out where the source of this issue is coming from and take immediate steps to correct it. If you would like to book your appointment with a chiropractor or find out more information, don’t wait to call a clinic.
BY: Mid Atlantic Spinal Rehab
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Do You Need a Chiropractor After a Personal Injury Accident?
Personal Injury Doctor Glen Burnie, MD
When you have been in a personal injury accident, you may wonder why your lawyer is sending you to a chiropractor. In fact, immediately following your accident you probably aren’t worried about much else except whether you can safely move, if your passengers are safe, and getting the contact information of the other driver. Wondering what kind of medical help you need and whether you will get compensation for your injuries or personal property damage is probably not the first thing on your mind. However, chiropractors have worked with many patients and their attorneys after a personal injury accident. They know it can be daunting to be going through both medical and legal ordeals at the same time, which is why they strive to help patients out with both.
How can a chiropractor help after the accident?
When you visit an office, you are getting a team of chiropractors who knows how to help patients suffering from a personal injury that was caused by someone else’s negligence. They often help treat injuries such as:
- Muscle Tears
- Whiplash
- Headaches and Migraines
- Bone Fractures
- Spinal Damage
When should I see a chiropractor?
Often, patients come to a doctor after waiting weeks after the accident because they were hoping their injuries would just go away. Unfortunately, this is not how the body works, and to rid your body of the pain you should get treatment as soon as possible. They believe it is important for your health to come to our office immediately following the accident so we can diagnose your injuries and get you on the right treatment plan. Further, insurance companies do not want you to get medical help shortly after the accident because they can use this against you.
Can you help with my legal claim?
You will need evidence to support your argument when you are speaking with the insurance company. We provide you with a full write-up of your diagnosis, the injuries you have, the proposed treatment plan, and why we believe chiropractic care is the best option for your treatment as opposed to any other medical service. Further, when you see a chiropractor, you may be able to avoid more costly treatment options such as surgery. An insurance adjuster may be more willing to accept your compensation amount when they see a reasonable price instead of surgical procedures.
When it comes to your healing after a car accident, we know that it is both physical and emotional. While your doctor’s primary goal may be to help your body heal, they can also work with you and your attorney to give you the emotional closure you need by helping with your claim. For more information, please give a personal injury doctor in Glen Burnie, MD from Mid Atlantic Spinal Rehab and Chiropractic a call now.
BY: Mid Atlantic Spinal Rehab
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Benefits of Alternative Medicine – Chiropractic Treatment
Chiropractor
Chiropractic treatment is not as popular as its conventional counterpart; pharmaceuticals, but has numerous benefits for our health if not more. Chiropractic adjustments focus on the bodily alignment and spinal placement which helps to keep the balance in the central nervous system. This treatment has proven to be the safest approach to naturally heal the patient with almost no side-effects while treating the body and mind holistically. The lack of chemicals and artificial medication definitely adds to the basket.
Back and Neck Pain
Compared to medicine treatments, chiropractic treatment is preferred by majority of the patients suffering from Back pain and neck pain. A research outcome as published in the British Medical Journal in 2003, proves that Chiropractic adjustments provide vastly better results compared to that of physiotherapy or counseling and drugs.
Migraine and Headaches
After back pain, Chiropractors commonly cure headaches and its cousins. Migraine pains are unbearable and the patients’ suffering is unending. A gradual and almost permanent solution to such headaches can be acquired through regular and thorough chiropractic sessions. It keeps you away from the long-term drugs and their side-effects while also reducing pain intensity bit by bit. Recurring visits to a headache doctor or chirocraptor in Mesa, AZ can ensure a healthy balance of neuro-chemicals and prevent migraine attacks and spontaneous headaches.
Neurological Benefits
Not only do MRI scans reveal a marked increase in cerebrospinal fluid and blood flow after a chiropractic adjustment, scientists observe that cerebellar invagination (when the cerebellum falls below the neck line) is reversed and brain plaquing (common in patients with various sclerosis) disappears.
Blood Pressure Benefits
Several studies showed comparable results with hypotensive patients, and after chiropractic care; their low blood pressure was increased to ordinary concentrations. This is interesting as it highlights the capacity of the body to produce a healthy homeostatic atmosphere after removal of vertebral subluxations.
Prevents Surgery
Chiropractic practices have been considered the most natural way to deal with bone and back alignment, which negates the need for expensive surgeries. In fact, experts advise people with lower back pain to consult a chiropractor before turning to surgical options.
Conclusion
Even though western medicine and drugs have proven to be effective and useful to us for decades, we shouldn’t neglect other forms of treatment and consider the healthiest choices for our bodies. It is definitely worth your time to consult a chiropractor along with your orthopedist, to explore all the possible solutions for your day to day bone and brain needs.
Thanks to LifeCare Chiropractic for their insight into chiropractic care and alternative medicine.
BY: Mid Atlantic Spinal Rehab
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