Sports Therapy at CardioFlex Therapy in Davie, Fl

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Sports Medicine is important expertise at CardioFlex Therapy in Davie, Florida. Our Physical Therapists have successfully treated major league athletes that are still playing. No matter what sport you play, Physical Therapy will help you improve certain moves or treat your injury. Physical Therapy deals with physical fitness and the treatment and prevention of injuries related to sports and exercise. Most professional sports teams employ Physical Therapists these days.

Physical therapy (PT), also known as physiotherapy, is one of the allied health professions that, by using mechanical force and movements (biomechanics or kinesiology), manual therapy, exercise therapy, and electrotherapy, remediates impairments and promotes mobility and function. Physical therapy is used to improve a patient’s quality of life through examination, diagnosis, prognosis, physical intervention, and patient education, performed by a physical therapist.

Physical therapists are closely involved in the care and wellbeing of athletes including recreational, semi-professional (paid) and professional (full-time employment) participants. This area of practice encompasses athletic injury management under 5 main categories:

Acute care – assessment and diagnosis of an initial injury
Treatment – application of specialist advice and techniques to encourage healing
Rehabilitation – progressive management for a full return to sport
Prevention – identification, and address of deficiencies known to directly result in, or act as precursors to injury, such as movement assessment
Education – sharing of specialist knowledge to individual athletes, teams or clubs to assist in the prevention or management of injury

CardioFlex Therapy offers many types of Physical Therapy, including Sports, as follows: Post-Surgery Rehabilitation, Back Stabilization, Orthopedic Rehabilitation, Senior Rehabilitation Programs, TMJ, Cardiovascular Rehabilitation, Work Injury Rehabilitation, Lymphedema Treatment, Balance Training, Neurological Rehabilitation, Pain Management, Vestibular Rehabilitation, and Occupational Therapy. Most of our services are provided at our outpatient clinic in Davie, but we also offer home services for those who cannot travel within Broward, Miami and Palm Beach counties.

For more info visit: www.cardioflextherapy.com

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Crossfit needs Physical Therapy

http://www.cardioflextherapy.com/blog/crossfit-needs-physical-therapy/

By: Terry Abrams

“The physical therapist is one of the most underutilized avenues of rehab among conventional fitness athletes and CrossFitters. Physical therapists are movement specialists with a deep understanding of human anatomy. PTs are also the main point of contact for physical medicine and unlike many primary care physicians, PTs usually won’t tell athletes to give up the sports they love. Instead, PTs will provide athletes with the tools they need to understand how their bodies can perform better in those conditions”, says Genevieve Gyulavary, PT, DPT in an article written for Covalent Careers. This could not be further from the truth, well-written statement and I couldn’t agree more. Let’s go back to the basics.

CrossFit will push you to the absolute max with heavy weights, as many reps as possible, as fast as possible. It is promoted as both a physical exercise philosophy and a competitive fitness sport, incorporating elements from high-intensity interval training, Olympic weightlifting, plyometrics, powerlifting, gymnastics, girevoy sport, calisthenics, strongman, and other exercises. While all exercise can create injury, we see more injuries with CrossFit because of the high-speed, high-impact approach. 

The number one reason we see more patients injured during their CrossFit sessions is muscle and joint exhaustion caused by incorrect techniques, paired with patients not knowing their own limitations. You will need to learn the fundamentals and the right technique before you begin to increase intensity or volume.

Anytime an athlete pursues a recreational activity with intensity & volume, injuries are possible. The most common injuries we see at our practice caused while practicing CrossFit are shoulder, back, and knees. We explain more bellow.

• Torn labrums, shoulder impingement, and rotator cuff injury. Repeated use of the shoulder can make the tendons in your shoulder swell, leading them to “catch” on your upper shoulder bone. Your rotator cuff is a group of muscles and tendons that attach your upper arm bone to your shoulder. They help you lift and rotate your arm. The rotator cuff sits under the top of the shoulder, which is called the acromion. If you have shoulder impingement, your rotator cuff catches or rubs against the acromion. When you lift your arm, the space (bursa) between the rotator cuff and acromion narrows, which increases pressure. The increased pressure irritates the rotator cuff, leading to impingement. 
• Lower back sprains are the most common problem and they often occur from improper lifting techniques or from trying to lift too much weight. Sciatica caused by short and tight piriformis, spinal stenosis (narrowing of the spinal canal), slipped vertebrae or herniated disc, stiff iliopsoas. 
• Squats, jumps and various other CrossFit movements give knees a pounding. The most common knee injuries that can occur during this type of exercise are MCL injury and meniscal tears. The MCL is a band of tissue on the inside of your knee connecting your thighbone to the bone of your lower leg, injuring it will require Physical Therapy or surgery. A meniscus tear is a common knee injury that happens when one or more of the fibrocartilage strips in the knee (called menisci) is stretched or torn. 

When these injuries occur, the best course of action is to work with a physician group that understands how to deal with the pain and rehabilitation of sports injuries. It’s your best chance to avoid additional injury and to get you back to your previous activity level. Only a healthy athlete can be a successful athlete. When pain or injury do occur, seek the right treatment with a Sports Physical Therapy clinic after you see your doctor. CardioFlex Therapy in Davie, Florida is well prepared to treat these and many other Sports Injuries to get the athlete back in shape and back in the game.

For more info visit: www.cardioflextherapy.com

Physical Therapists Can & Will Manage Your Pain

http://www.cardioflextherapy.com/blog/physical-therapists-can-will-manage-your-pain/

by Terry Abrams.

CardioFlex Physical Therapists are professionally trained to help you improve movement and regain control of your lifestyle. Physical therapy is among the safe and effective alternatives to opioids recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for the management of most non-cancer related pain.

Whereas opioids only mask the sensation of pain, physical therapists treat pain through movement, hands-on care, exercise, and patient education. Physical therapists know how to manipulate your body to get it up to its best performance, though this can only be achieved with the commitment of the patient.

Here’s how Physical Therapists help manage pain:

1. Exercise.
A study, per APTA, following 20,000 people over 11 years found that those who exercised on a regular basis experienced less pain. And among those who exercised more than 3 times per week, chronic widespread pain was 28% less common1. Physical therapists can prescribe exercise specific to your goals and needs.

2. Manual Therapy.
Research supports a hands-on approach to treating pain. From carpal tunnel syndrome to low back pain, this type of care can effectively reduce your pain and improve your movement. Physical Therapists may use manipulation, joint and soft tissue mobilizations, ultrasound, hot and cold compresses, and electricity, as well as other strategies in your care.

3. Education.
A large study conducted with military personnel demonstrated that those with back pain who received a 45-minute educational session about pain were less likely to seek treatment than their peers who didn’t receive education about pain. Physical therapists will talk with you to make sure they understand your pain history and help set realistic expectations about your treatment.

4. Teamwork.
Recent studies have shown that developing a positive relationship with your physical therapist and being an active participant in your own recovery can impact your success. This is likely because physical therapists are able to directly work with you, assess how your pain responds to treatment and monitor improvement.

Low Back Pain: Although low back pain is rarely serious or life-threatening, there are several conditions that may be related to your low back pain, such as:

• Degenerative disk disease
• Lumbar spinal stenosis
• Fractures
• Herniated disk
• Osteoarthritis
• Osteoporosis
• Tumors of the spine

Our Physical Therapists can help you improve or restore mobility. Stay active, and do as much of your normal routine as possible (bed rest for longer than a day can actually slow down your recovery). If your pain lasts more than a few days or gets worse, schedule an appointment to see your physical therapist. Your physical therapist will evaluate, identify the factors that have contributed to your specific back problem, and design an individualized treatment plan for your specific back problem.

Treatments for Low Back Pain may include:

• Manual therapy, including spinal manipulation, to improve the mobility of joints and soft tissues
• Specific strengthening and flexibility exercises
• Education about how you can take better care of your back
• Training for proper lifting, bending, and sitting; for doing chores both at work and in the home; and for proper sleeping positions
• Assistance in creating a safe and effective physical activity program to improve your overall health
• Use of ice or heat treatments or electrical stimulation to help relieve pain

CardioFlex Therapy is located in Davie, Florida. We offer Physical and Occupational Therapy at our facility or in the comfort of your home. Call us at 954-693-9090 to learn more about how we can help you manage your pain. We accept most Insurance plans and with our flexible schedule, we will be able to bring you in.

For more info visit: www.cardioflextherapy.com

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome & Physical Therapy

Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is a common condition of the wrist and hand that can affect the use of the whole arm. It is caused by pressure on the nerve at the base of the palm. Because of the demands that people place on their hands and wrists, CTS is a common condition affecting 1 out of 20 Americans. Surgery for this condition is commonly performed on the wrist and hand. Fortunately for most people who develop CTS, physical therapy treatment can often relieve pain and numbness and restore normal use of the hand, wrist, and arm without the need for surgery.

Physical therapists work closely with other health care professionals to accurately diagnose and treat CTS. Symptoms of CTS are typical, and it is often possible to diagnose it without extensive testing.  Physical therapists are experts in the movement and function of the body and will conduct an evaluation to determine all of the factors that may be contributing to your condition. After an evaluation, your physical therapist will prescribe your treatment plan based on your specific case.

Physical therapy treatment can be effective in reducing your symptoms and getting you back to performing normal activities. During your first visit with the physical therapist, be prepared to describe your symptoms in as much detail as possible, and say what makes your symptoms worse.

Depending upon the causes of your CTS, your therapy program may include education regarding changing wrist positions, general back and neck positions, exercises to increase the strength of the muscles in your hand, fingers, and forearm—and in some cases, the trunk and postural back muscles. It may also include stretching exercises to improve the flexibility of the wrist, hand, and fingers, use of heat/cold treatments to relieve pain, use of a night splint to reduce discomfort, and more.

The goals of physical therapy are to reduce your symptoms without the need for surgery, to enable you to be as active and functional as possible, and to help you resume your normal work, home, and leisure activities.

All physical therapists are prepared through education and experience to treat a variety of conditions, including CTS. However, you may want to consider:

• A physical therapist who is experienced in treating people with arm and hand musculoskeletal disorders and one who has experience in ergonomics and worksite evaluations. Ergonomics involves understanding the fit between a user (the person), the equipment, and the environment.
• A physical therapist who is a certified hand therapist (CHT).
• A physical therapist who is a board-certified clinical specialist or who has completed a residency or fellowship in orthopedic physical therapy. This therapist has advanced knowledge, experience, and skills that may apply to your condition.

CardioFlex Therapy Physical and Occupational Therapists are prepared to treat this and many other conditions. Call us for a consultation or appointment, we’ll be happy to see you.

CardioFlex Therapy’s Davie Outpatient Clinic: 954-693-9090.

For more info visit: www.cardioflextherapy.com