Physical therapy is the identification and treatment of functional limitations in the human body. That may seem like a broad definition, but that’s because PT can cover so much.
Often PT is helpful for pain.
That pain may have developed suddenly, or it may be insidious, meaning it developed more slowly without a clear cause. The pain may be in one particular area of the body, or it may manifest in several places. Sometimes our pain isn’t such an obvious “ouch,” rather it manifests as a restriction in range of motion, or strength.
Ultimately PT is about function. The goal is to guide our patients to maximize their functional capabilities so that they can do all of the things they want to do! PT is a very interactive experience, so get ready to understand your body better. This is how we heal best, and even prevent future problems.
The major interventions that your PT will use are:
Manual Therapy:
Manual therapy means “Hands-on” therapy. It’s not just a massage though. Your therapist can mobilize joints, and vertebrae. They can treat tight muscles, ligaments and tendons. They can utilize dry needling (keep scrolling for more info). Manual therapy also includes treatment of fascia, and viscera.
Neuromuscular Re-education:
Neuromuscular re-education can look a lot like therapeutic exercise, but it’s a layer deeper. We’re trying not only to strengthen the body itself, but also our connection between the body and the brain. With this intervention, we are trying to retrain how our bodies move, align, and posture. Most importantly, we’re trying to improve our awareness of these patterns to form more safe and efficient strategies of movement.
Therapeutic Exercise:
Therapeutic exercise is the strategic use of strengthening, stretching, and mobilizing the body in order to improve our overall balance and function. Your PT might break out weights, thera-bands, body-weight training, yoga, pilates, you name it!
Functional Activity Training:
In functional activity training we are putting our practice to the test. What good is it to be able to leg press 200 lbs if you can’t get out of a chair without tweaking your knee? Functional movement is how we meet our goal of doing all of the things we want to do without risking future injury.
Each PT plan of care is different, and individual to the patient’s needs. For some patients, the focus is on removing barriers, and may be very manual therapy based. For other patients, changing movement patterns is the solution, so postural and alignment based training will be the focus. For most people, some combination of the above therapies is most appropriate.
Physical Therapy Services
The below offerings are a part of a physical therapy plan of care. Each intervention will be carefully chosen. No two patients are the same and neither are the combinations of therapies. Not every intervention is used with every patient. We will only select what makes sense for you.
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Dry Needling
Dry Needling treats trigger points.
Trigger points are places where our muscles are all “bunched” together. This feels like a bump, a band, or a hardened area in a muscle which should otherwise be soft and pliable. Trigger points can form for a number of reasons: poor posture, habitual overuse of a muscle, acute injury, illness, stress, and more. Once the trigger point is there, the area can be limited in range of motion, strength, and is often painful.
When we perform dry needling, a small, solid-filament needle is inserted into the trigger point to produce a lengthening/relaxing effect, often accompanied by a twitch response. No, it’s not entirely pain-free, but it is highly effective, and can accelerate the recovery process significantly.
How do I know if dry needling is right for me? Dry needling is a part of Physical Therapy. If we determine it’s appropriate, then it becomes part of our treatment plan. We do need a physician’s referral for this service, and if you need help getting that, we are happy to assist.
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Visceral Mobilization
Think of your body like a car. Our arms, legs, and skeleton are the things that get us around. The viscera (aka organs), are the engine that keep the car running. If the body is damaged, it can make getting around difficult, but if the engine is damaged, the whole thing stops.
In the context of a whole human, often the body will tense up and even seem injured in an effort to protect the organs. Shoulder pain might be an indicator of liver problems. Knee pain might be an indication of an ovarian restriction. The effects can be far and wide.
Just like with the rest of our body, our organs need to be able to move, glide, expand, contract, and pump to function at their best. Visceral mobilization is the practice of assessing which organs may be restricted, and then very gently helping those organs to be able to move again.
Unlike with manual techniques for the joints and muscles, which can sometimes be a bit more aggressive, with the viscera, the treatment is quite gentle. As stated earlier, sometimes visceral treatment has an impact on surrounding (or distant) joints, and sometimes the viscera themselves function better after treatment. This can lead to improved GI motility, reduced symptoms associated with menstruation, reduced pressure on the pelvic and abdominal cavities, and so much more.
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Chronic Pain
Chronic pain is a whole different animal.
With acute pain, we manage inflammation, and focus on letting the body heal itself.
With chronic pain, the whole nervous system can change. Along with the nervous system, our moods, and mindsets are also effected. Chronic pain is strongly connected to the body’s fight or flight response. The longer the pain continues, the more our bodies create tension and pain in places far from the origin. Our postures, our movements, and even our mental state can change. It can feel like your body has betrayed you.
It’s important to remember that your body is always trying to protect you, so while this feels like a betrayal, it is an attempt at preservation. In treating chronic pain, the first step is in removing the sense of the threat so that the body can come out of the fight or flight response.
We work together to ensure that you feel safe. Trauma informed care is essential to allow the body to trust and start to heal. After that, we very gradually expose the body to gentle movement to retrain the nervous system as we expand what’s possible and pain free.
If treated properly, there is always hope. Chronic pain is different, but it is not impossible to heal.
At SuperHuman Therapy, we treat the following conditions:
Neck pain
Thoracic pain
Low back pain
Sacroiliac Joint (SIJ) Dysfunction
Coccyx pain
Shoulder Impingement
Shoulder pain
Pinched nerves
Disc “bulge” pain
Scoliosis
Tennis elbow (lateral epicondylitis)
Golfer’s elbow (medial epicondylitis)
Hip Impingement
Bursitis
Hip pain
Sciatica
Knee pain
Meniscus, ACL, PCL rehab
ITB tension
Muscle strain
Ankle sprain
Ankle pain
Flattened arches
plantar fasciitis
Pelvic Floor Dysfunction
Women’s Health
Men’s Health
Incontinence
Constipation
Abdominal pain
Peri and Post Partum rehab
Diastasis Rectus Abdominus
Gender affirmation rehab
Dyspareunia
Sexual dysfunction
Fascial Restrictions
Visceral pain and lack of mobility
Chronic pain
Postural abnormality
Gait dysfunction
Trigger Points
Balance limitation
Limited coordination
Post-operative rehabilitation
…and if it’s not listed - please call and ask!
Is there anything we don’t treat?
Hand Therapy. The most qualified practitioners to treat hands are Certified Hand Therapists (CHT). These will usually be Occupational Therapists, and there are some Physical Therapists who have pursued this training.
Vestibular rehabilitation. This is another area that you will want to find a PT who has specialized training . If you are experiencing inner ear related dizziness, a vestibular therapist is your best bet.
Medical conditions. SuperHuman Therapy is a physical therapy practice. We cannot prescribe medications, and we cannot diagnose/treat medical conditions. If a PT evaluation is performed and a medical problem is suspected, your PT will let you know, and recommend the appropriate practitioner with whom to pursue further assessment.
If you feel like PT is right for you, then you can book online to make an appointment, or you can call SuperHuman Therapy at 470-815-0587.
We can answer any questions you might have, or help you to get booked.
A physician’s referral is not necessary for your Physical Therapy Evaluation, but it is nice to have. You can usually call your PCP and they will fax a referral directly to SuperHuman Therapy at 678-228-1478. Otherwise, just book and come on in. We can figure it out together from there.