About amacht

Clinical Question – Tendinitis

What is Tendinitis?

Tendinitis is an inflammation of a tendon.  This is most often caused by overuse.  Common areas that develop tendinitis are at the elbow, back of the ankle, knee, and shoulder.  Symptoms of tendinitis are tenderness to touch over the tendon, pain with movement, decrease range of motion, decrease strength, and swelling of the tendon.  Physical Therapy is beneficial for patients with tendinitis because it decreases symptoms and strengthens/stretches the injured area to prevent re-injury.

Clinical Questions – Frequency of Therapy

How often do I have to come to physical therapy to get better?

Depending on what diagnosis brings you to physical therapy, the physical therapist will determine the appropriate frequency per week.  Typically, post-operative patient require 3 times a week initially and gradually progress to 1-2 times a week.  As you continue to improve, the therapist will decrease the frequency of your treatment to progress you to independent exercise.

Clinical Question – Sitting Posture

Will strengthening my stomach muscles help me with my sitting posture at work?

Yes, by strengthening your core muscles it will allow you to maintain an ideal sitting posture for a longer duration.  Having weak core muscles will cause you to sit with a more forward flexed posture and you will not be able to sustain good posture throughout your workday.

Clinical Question- Ultrasound

What is Ultrasound?

Ultrasound is used during physical therapy when a patient presents with pain, soreness, or tightness of a specific body part.  It uses high frequency sound waves that travel to muscle and tissue and warm up the targeted areas by increasing blood flow.  The majority of the time, ultrasound is used in conjunction with massage techniques to further decrease muscle tightness and pain in the treated area.

Clinical Question – Postoperative

After orthopedic surgery, how long will it take me to feel “back to normal?”

There are many factors that go into healing and everyone heals at a different rate.  Typically, it takes about a year to feel “back to normal.”  After receiving surgery to one of your extremities and completing physical therapy, patients usually report continued swelling at the end of the day.  After surgery, patients report that swelling is the last symptom to decrease.  With any orthopedic surgery, patients will usually gain approximately 80-95% of their original function and strength.  However, this all depends on the success of surgery, if a revision was performed, and the overall outcome of physical therapy.

Clinical Question – Ice vs. Heat

Should I apply ice or heat for pain?

First you need to determine if you have pain from an acute injury or chronic injury.  An acute injury has a rapid onset and is short-lived.  A chronic injury happens gradually and is long-lasting.  For acute injuries, you should apply ice for 10-15 minute intervals several times a day for up to 3 days.  For chronic injuries, you should apply heat for 15-30 minutes intervals as needed.  If you find your symptoms still persist after approximately 48 hours of heat/ice treatment, you should contact your physician or physical therapist for further treatment options.

Clinical Question – Stress

When I have a stressful day, why do I have more neck and back pain?

When stressed, people tend to contract their muscles.  For example, people tend to elevate their shoulders toward their ears when stressed, thus causing increased tightness at the muscle on top of the shoulder (Upper Trapezius).  This leads to increased muscle tightness, which in turn can cause more pain.

Regarding physical therapy of your neck and back.  If you continue to have increased stress in your life while receiving physical therapy, this will lengthen the amount of time it takes to have a successful treatment outcome.  During therapy, the therapist will provide you with techniques to prevent further tightening of your neck and back musculature.

Clinical Question – Length of Treatment

How often and how long do I need physical therapy?

Depending on your condition, the therapist will give you an approximate timeline.  On average, physical therapy is usually 2 days a week for approximately 4-6 weeks.  Patients that have an extensive past medical history might take longer to heal; therefore, requiring a longer duration of physical therapy.  Examples that affect the duration include: diabetes, age, smoking, history of slow healing wounds, malnutrition, previous injury to the area being treated, and previous surgery to the area or limb being treated.

Clinical Question – Home Exercise Programs

Once I finish physical therapy, will I have to continue doing my home exercise program forever?

Once you are discharged from physical therapy, the therapist will provide you with a progressive home exercise program to maintain the gains you have achieved during treatment.  Compared to the exercise program you receive while in treatment, it will not be as frequent, nor will it consist of as many exercises.  You will not have to do these exercises for a lifetime; however, if your symptoms return, you always have the exercises to get back on track.