The oldest art of healing, manual therapy includes a vast assortment of treatment techniques where the therapist will, by definition, lay on hands. From increasing the mobility of the spine with targeted and directed force, to stretching tightened ligaments in a frozen shoulder, manual therapy is one of the most versatile and effective means to improve a patient's outcome. By creating external forces upon the joint, bone, and muscle structures, your therapist can improve your condition in a way that exercise and stretching cannot. This mode of treatment also includes medical massage. See that tab for more information.
Sometimes a muscle just does not function properly. This is often seen in rotator cuff tendonitis, or a lower back spasm. In these cases, we have to ‘teach’ the muscle how to remember its role. This is done by breaking down the movement pattern into simple components until they are mastered, then reintegrating them into effective motion. Coordination drills also are a part of this method of treatment, as are balance activities. If you are familiar with PNF or AIS, these too are neuromuscular techniques- using a muscular contraction to facilitate reflexive inhibition and reduce resistance to motion.
We use targeted exercise in order to affect tissue changes in the body. This is always closely monitored by your therapist directly to correct deviations in movement and to improve strength and flexibility. The number of repetitions, the direction of motion, and type of resistance may vary according to the need of the patient, and what activities are restricted. When stretching we may change the duration of the stretch and the angle to allow for effective lengthening of shortened tissues
Oftentimes clients are unaware of their own postural and ergonomic problems. Washington DC is notorious for overworked people, and the way that their desks and offices are set up may not reflect the individual needs of the client. During your initial evaluation, specific recommendations will be made according to your body's dimensions. Bringing in pictures of your work setup can allow us to make very specific, and often highly effective suggestions to improve your ergonomics. We can also give your employer a write up of our evaluation if new office equipment is needed. If that is not enough to set your body straight, a physical therapist can come to your workplace to perform an ergonomic assessment, and really get to know your specific stressors.
Call us at 202-257-1363 to start a comprehensive treatment program to reduce or eliminate your body's physical dysfunctions. We are conveniently located in Washington DC near the Farragut West and Farragut North metro stations.
CNMR’s physical therapy programs start with an initial evaluation. Here, we listen to the history of your injuries, investigate the involved areas, and develop a plan of care that precisely reflects your needs. The plan involves feedback from the patient at every turn; after all, it is your body. We will discuss the need for different methods of treatment, many of which are described below.
COVID SANITATION AND PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT WILL BE USED DURING ALL SESSIONS. ALL TOUCHABLE SURFACES ARE SANITIZED BEFORE AND AFTER TREATMENTS.
Watching how a person moves gives us clues as to what causes injury. Frequently the secret is finding the restricted motion, weakness, or alignment issue in the midst of normal activity. Seeing how a person walks, bends, lifts, twists, and so on gives us actionable insight and leads to an effective plan of care. We then isolate the faulty structures, retrain them in a functional manner, and then reintegrate the motion into the whole.
For specifics, please also see the Sports Physical Therapy tab for more information.
With our physical therapy programs, we diagnose these common problems:
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