Low Back Pain? You need Physical Therapy

 By: Terry Abrams

If you’re suffering from low back pain and wondering why your insurance company won’t approve an MRI before going to physical therapy – there was a great study done on about 800 individuals where they compared two groups, published originally in the journal Health Services Research. One group went straight to imaging and one tried physical therapy first. What they found, was that the ones that went straight to imaging (X-rays, CT scans, MRI) had a greater likelihood to go to surgery, have injections, and end up in the emergency room compared to those who went to Physical Therapy first. The article describes physical therapy as an approach that “focuses on educating patients about what might be causing their back pain, assuring them that most problems subside in time, and engaging them in their therapy.”

Physical therapists are specially trained experts in low back pain.

They are trained to identify any red flags or emergencies that would require further medical assessment. They’re also trained to help you understand your low back pain, find the root cause of your condition, and give you some practical advice on how to resolve those issues without medication and surgery. So, if you’re dealing with low back pain and you have not received the authorization for an MRI, I encourage you to find a local, licensed physical therapist in your area and have a conversation about your condition.

“What sets physical therapy apart from other types of treatment is the quality time we spend with our clients,” says Terry Abrams owner and physical therapist at CardioFlex Therapy in Davie, Florida. “Not only will we teach you about your condition and ways you can help yourself, but we will also start you on a program made just for you to get you moving again. A program customized just for you, and none of the side effects of surgery and pain medication.”

NOTE: your physical therapist is well trained in warning signs that would require you to see a doctor for further testing if required.

For more info visit: www.cardioflextherapy.com

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Conditions you didn't know Physical Therapy can help with

 By: Terry Abrams

Physical therapists (PTs) are highly-educated, licensed health care professionals who can help patients reduce pain and improve or restore mobility – in many cases without expensive surgery and often reducing the need for long-term use of prescription medications and their side effects. CardioFlex Therapy in Davie, Fl, is well prepared for any type of condition that may require physical therapy. In this article we will discuss some of the common ailments we treat, many which you didn’t know we could help you with.

1- Vertigo: a spinning sensation and can occur even when you are perfectly still, scientifically benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV), is easily treated in just a few physical therapy visits. CardioFlex Therapy physical therapists specialize in vestibular rehabilitation physical therapy.

2- Headaches: The most common type of headaches may be caused by poor posture, stress, muscle tightness, or a neck injury. At CardioFlex, a physical therapist can help to determine the type of headaches you have and what the best treatments may be to help alleviate your symptom, performing manual massage to help loosen up tight muscles, and correcting any posture problems to prevent future headaches.

3- Incontinence: Most common in women, incontinence can be due to pregnancy, childbirth, surgery, pelvic floor weakness or spasm, or overall deconditioning. A Physical Therapist can help to strengthen the proper muscles with a variety of techniques, depending on your symptoms.

4- TMJ: Or temporomandibular jaw dysfunction, commonly jaw pain or an unusual popping or clicking of the jaw while talking or eating. TMJ disorders are common and can be treated by one of our professionals at CardioFlex Therapy.

5- Concussions: Athletes or victims of car accident may have concussions that may cause long term issues, like dizziness/vertigo, balance problems, or headaches, all of which can be treated by a physical therapist, allowing the individual to fully recover.

6- Lymphedema: A chronic and incurable swelling of affected body parts, usually arms and legs, very common after certain type of cancer treatments, such as breast cancer. CardioFlex Therapy trained Physical Therapists can perform certain types of lymphatic drainage massage or use certain wrapping techniques to help decrease swelling in a limb.

Physical therapy helps people of all ages who have medical conditions, illnesses or injuries that limit their regular ability to move and function. Physical therapy will help you reduce or eliminate pain, improve mobility, avoid surgery, recover from a stroke, recover or prevent sports injury, and manage age related issues like arthritis. It will also help you with balance, preventing you from falling, manage diabetes and cardiovascular issues, and heart and lung diseases.

If you or a loved one is injured or needs help staying mobile, please call our office to set up an appointment for Physical Therapy or Occupational Therapy. We can treat patients at our PT & OT Outpatient Clinic in Davie, Florida, or visit them in the comfort of their homes within Palm Beach, Broward, and Dade counties. Call us at 954-693-9090.

For more info visit: www.cardioflextherapy.com'

http://www.cardioflextherapy.com/blog/conditions-you-didnt-know-physical-therapy-can-help-with/

Front Desk Administrator needed at CardioFlex Therapy

CardioFlex Therapy is currently looking for a Front Desk Administrator for our Outpatient PT & OT Clinic in Davie, FL. We are looking for a candidate available from Monday to Friday, from 7:45 am – 6 pm. This can be either a part-time or a full-time position, depending on the hours available.

The Front Desk Administrator for CardioFlex Therapy is responsible for verifying insurances, processing the billing, analyzing documentation, assisting in payroll, scheduling patients, managing our Home Therapists, interviewing job applicants, drafting letters and e-mails, and all basic clerical activities. We are looking for a candidate with excellent attention to detail, customer service, and ability to multi-task in a fast-paced environment.
It is mandatory to have at least 1-2 years of healthcare experience and reside within a 15-minute drive to apply for this job. If interested, please email your resume to: info@cardioflextherapy.com

For more info visit: www.cardioflextherapy.com

Sports Therapy Tips for Hips

 At CardioFlex Therapy’s outpatient clinic we offer sports therapy, which helps top athletes not only recover from injuries (rehab) but also prevent them (known as pre-hab). Sports therapy is a segment of the global healthcare industry that has recently become quite popular due to its applications and positive results in sports.

The hips are the human body’s main engine and center of mass. The largest and most powerful muscle groups—the glutes, quads, and hamstrings—all connect at the hips, and they allow you to run, jump, climb, and swim. The joint is crucial to all movement, in sports and day-to-day life. Persistent hip pain can be very debilitating, we will concentrate on how physical therapy can seriously impact this part of our body.

While the following may be common causes of hip pain in athletes, there are other causes of hip pain that can sideline a player from the action:

• Muscle Strains: The most common injuries of the hip and groin region in athletes are muscle strain injuries. Muscles around the hip joint are especially prone to this type of injury because they are subject to eccentric contraction. Eccentric contractions cause tremendous forces in the muscle and can lead to a muscle strain. Muscle strains around the hip include groin pulls and hamstring strains.
• Hip Bursitis: Inflammation of the bursa over the outside of the hip joint, so-called trochanteric bursitis, can cause pain with hip movement. Treatment of hip bursitis is often effective, but the condition has a problem of coming back and sometimes becoming a persistent problem.
• Contusions (Hip Pointer): A direct blow to the outside of the hip causes an injury to one of the large bones of the pelvis, the ileum. When a contusion is sustained in an athlete over the outside of the hip, the injury is called a hip pointer.
• Stress Fractures: Stress fractures of the hip are usually seen in long-distance runners, and much more commonly in women than in men. These injuries are usually seen in endurance athletes with deficient nutrition or eating disorders.
• Hip Labral Tear: The labrum of the hip is a cuff of thick tissue that surrounds the hip socket. The labrum helps to support the hip joint. When a labral tear of the hip occurs, a piece of this tissue can become pinched in the joint causing pain and catching sensations. Much more has been learned about hip labral tears, to the point that some orthopedic surgeons are concerned these injuries are overdiagnosed. However, some patients with hip labral tears can find improvement with treatment of this condition.
• Femoroacetabular Impingement: Femoroacetablar impingement, often referred to as FAI, is a condition where bone spurs form along the edges of the ball-and-socket hip joint and cause limited mobility of the joint and damage to soft tissues including the labrum. FAI is thought by many surgeons to be a precursor to arthritis of the hip joint.
• Osteitis Pubis: Osteitis pubis is thought to be due to the repetitive pull of muscles over the front of the hip joint. Usually, pain is activity related and often seen in runners, soccer players and hockey players. The x-rays may show signs causing concern for infection, but osteitis pubis usually resolves with rest and anti-inflammatory medications.
• Sports Hernias: Sports hernias are a problem seen most commonly in hockey players, but can be seen in other sports that require repetitive twisting and turning at high speeds. The problem is thought to be due to an imbalance of the strong muscles of the thigh and the relatively weaker muscles of the abdomen.
• Snapping Hip Syndrome: Snapping hip syndrome is a word used to describe three distinct hip problems. The first is when the IT band snaps over the outside of the thigh. The second occurs when the deep hip flexor snaps over the front of the hip joint. Finally, tears of the cartilage, or labrum, around the hip socket can cause a snapping sensation.
• Traumatic Hip Subluxation & Dislocation: Complete dislocation of the hip joint is a very unusual hip injury—most commonly hip dislocations occur in high-speed car crashes. However, hip subluxations, an injury where the ball of the ball-and-socket hip joint is pushed part of the way out of joint, are being recognized as a possible cause of hip pain in athletes. A hip subluxation is the type of injury that is thought to have ended Bo Jackson’s athletic career.
• Hip Arthritis: Arthritis of the hips is increasingly seen in athletes as the age in which we participate in sports increases. Older athletes can experience joint stiffness and pain as a result of hip arthritis.
• Low Back Strain: While not a problem in the hip region, low back problems can often cause pain around the buttock and hips.

For serious athletes, a person recovering from an injury or anyone with a specific performance goal in mind, a visit to a Physical Therapist can increase awareness of weakness, asymmetry or problem areas and give you tangible, functional ways to improve.

The most common steps during an athlete’s visit to our clinic are:

• – sports massage
• – sports and occupational injury management & rehabilitation
• – ultrasound therapy treatment
• – sports performance improvement & management using muscle activation techniques
• – advice on how to improve posture, flexibility & stretching

 For more info visit: www.cardioflextherapy.com