Welcome to our F.A.Q. archive.

Blood Flow Restriction

Physical therapist Royce Bowman says “blood flow restriction has been one of the most profound physical therapies I’ve seen in my twenty-two-year career.”

Blood flow restriction (BFR) uses a flexible nylon cuff applied to your upper arm or upper leg to inhibit and limit venous (veins) blood flow. With this restriction, you can complete simple exercises with a lighter weight. This creates a similar amount of hypertrophy (muscular growth) as heavy lifting without causing strain or stress to your joints. Also, you see these changes in a 2-3 week period, compared to 8-12 weeks for a normal heavy lifting program. Read the rest of the Blood Flow Restriction F.A.Q.

Cold Laser Therapy

What is cold laser therapy and how does the therapy help you heal? Cold laser therapy helps treat a wide range of physical injuries and sprains such as muscle and ligament strains, tendonitis or bursitis, neck, knee, and lower back pain. Read more in the Cold Laser Therapy F.A.Q.

Dry Needling

We got a lot of questions about dry needling and how dry needling helps. Dry needling helps decrease muscle tightness, pain, or dysfunction due to chronic or acute musculoskeletal conditions. Dry Needling F.A.Q.

Plantar Fasciitis

A painful foot condition that affects many people. How can therapy help? The best way to address plantar fasciitis is to decrease inflammation and pain with whirlpool and massage, while lightly engaging and strengthening the calf and intrinsic foot muscle groups. Once the pain intensity decreases, higher levels of strengthening have been shown to get rid of pain and reduce the persistence of pain. Orthotics and modifying the type of shoe used during activity are often indicated as well. Read more in the Plantar Fasciitis F.A.Q.

Hip Joint Replacement

What can you expect after having your hip joint replaced? It is very difficult to put a time frame on how quickly someone will recover or walk normally. Many patients have developed gait abnormalities over years of walking with hip pain. The hip replacement fixes the joint problem, but other issues that have developed because of the hip pain (i.e. muscle imbalance, decreased balance, decreased range of motion) take time to improve or correct. Your chances of walking normally improve when you commit to a PT or strict home exercise program. Find out more by reading the Hip Joint Replacement F.A.Q.

Knee Joint Replacement

Knee joint replacement has grown common. What can you expect after a replacement? Most orthopedic surgeons prescribe 6-10 weeks of physical therapy (PT) after a knee replacement. In order to achieve functional goals and improve gait mechanics, some patients require more PT to gain additional range of motion or strength. Depending on job requirements, you could expect to return to work within 4-6 weeks and return to driving as soon as 3 weeks. Note: you won’t be able to drive while taking pain medications. Knee Joint Replacement F.A.Q.

Rotator Cuff Therapy

What happens during rotator cuff therapy? Early on, you will only be able to do passive range of motion (PROM) exercise. Your therapist assists in maintaining and gaining new motion that may have been limited in the early stages after your surgery. You will be able to progress to isometric strengthening exercises to increase muscular engagement. Eventually, you’ll progress to the band and weighted strengthening exercises for shoulder, upper back, and arm muscle groups. Read more in the Rotator Cuff Therapy F.A.Q.