Physical Therapy for COVID-19
After any illness that causes fatigue, weakness, balance issues and shortness of breath, recovery can take long time.. “Long” COVID is no different. What many people don’t realize is that physical therapy for COVID-19 can help speed up your recovery.
The condition of “Long” COVID is now being called PASC, which stands for Post-Acute Sequelae of SARS-CoV-2. Our physical therapy team can help by treating the effects of PASC. Getting moving is important to your recovery. Our physical therapists may include activities, including, stretching, strengthening and balance training to assist in your individualized recovery process.
Our goal is to help improve your strength, stamina, and returning you back to your quality of life you experienced before COVID.
If you still suffer from the effects of COVID or any illness that has left you with long-term fatigue, weakness, balance or shortness of breath symptoms, maybe physical therapy can help you? We offer two Ahwatukee locations to help you in your recovery. Contact us at 480-785-5415 to schedule your appointment.
Massage relieves stress during stressful times
How to Prevent Overuse Injuries
All to often we see people coming into our practice who have experienced an overuse injury. While physical therapy is a great option to assist in the recovery from an injury, we wanted to share some tips on how to prevent overuse injuries.
Arizona is known for our great Fall through Spring weather to get outside and be active. After a long hot summer, people are ready to ramp up their activity and enjoy the weather. Many overuse injuries arise during this time because we want to fit as much activity as we can during these seasons.
What is an Overuse Injury?
An overuse injury is an injury that is caused when your body doesn’t have enough time to recover after an activity. This can lead to muscle strains and sprains and inflammation and pain in joints.
How to Prevent Overuse Injuries
Start back slowly - When resuming activity after a period of inactivity, start back slowly to let the body adjust to this new activity level
Allow for rest - Provide appropriate rest between activity periods. Make sure you are getting good sleep. Your body does most of its recovery while you sleep. Target 7-8 hours.
Proper nutrition - Fuel up properly for your activity and replenish by eating properly after activity. Proper nutrition provides the building blocks for muscle recovery and joint health
Hydrate - Drinking plenty of water is important to keeping the body in optimal condition for activity. It reduces cramping and improves joint health.
Rotate Activities - Performing the same movement patterns are a sure fire way to encourage an overuse injury. Change up your activities so that it allows certain muscle groups and joints to recover. For example, run one day and cycle the next day.
Know your body - Everyone is different. Activity levels that are fine for one person may be too much for another. A lot of factors come into play, like, physical condition, pre-existing conditions, size, age, gender, and genetics can contribute to one person having an overuse injury over another. That is why it is important to listen to your body to help avoid injuries.
Consult with a medical provider - It is always good to consult with a medical provider prior to starting a new activity. They can provide guidance and support so that you can avoid overuse injuries
Pritchette Physical Therapy treats and helps prevent overuse injuries. Contact our office at 480-785-5415 to schedule an appointment today.
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How Dry Needling can help in injury recovery
What is Dry Needling?
Dry needling is a technique for the treatment of pain and movement impairments. The technique uses a "dry" needle, one without medication or injection, inserted through the skin into areas of the muscle. Sometimes the treatment may include electrical stimulation in combination with the dry needle technique.
Dry needling is not acupuncture, a practice based on traditional Chinese medicine and performed by acupuncturists.
What makes Dry Needling different from Acupuncture?
Dry needling relies on the practitioners knowledge of skeletal and neuroanatomy. This knowledge allows one to identify damaged and sensitive tissues, taut bands, and trigger points as well as injured and overused tissues. Physical therapists trained in this technique utilize an examination that includes movement analysis, orthopedic evaluation, and a neurological workup that includes myotomal and dermatomal testing.
Acupuncture is an ancient traditional Chinese technique that utilizes the knowledge of meridians. This focus allows an acupuncturist to work on a person's inner balance, energy, qi, and one's life-force. Work up and exam includes physical, tongue, and pulse examination. Traditional acupuncture has been widely studied and practiced for thousands of years.
What should be expected from Dry Needling?
Dry Needling is performed by a trained and certified physical therapist and is a safe treatment technique. After a thorough examination this treatment option may be discussed with patient as a viable treatment option.
The area of treatment is thoroughly sanitized and the therapist uses single use acupuncture needles. Depending on the area being treated the application of the needles may take 10 minutes and is applied in and around the affected treatment area. The treatment time is usually around 20 minutes.
Sometimes we add electrical stimulation or e-stim, an electrical current transferred through the dry needle that can help accelerate the pain-relief process.
What does Dry Needling treat?
Dry needling treats muscle tissue, and its goal is to reduce pain, inactivate trigger points and restore function. Typical conditions that can be treated by dry needling include:
Neck and back pain
Myofascial pain
Tendonitis
Tennis elbow
Plantar fasciitis
Trigger points
TMJ
Shoulder impingement
Joint problems
Headaches and migraines
Does Dry Needling hurt?
Dry needles are very thin, so the insertion of the needle into the skin is typically painless. The needle insertion into the muscle may cause an initial muscle twitch in the affected area which might cause some momentary discomfort. Once treatment begins the patient will feel no pain.
Due to the nature of the treatment and desired outcomes, a patient may experience some mild soreness after treatment. This is to be expected as part of the healing process. The soreness usually lasts only 24 hours.
Pritchette Physical Therapy has trained and certified Dry Needling physical therapists. If you would like to explore this treatment option, please contact our office at 480-785-5415 to schedule an appointment.