The Benefits of Physical Medicine

Physical medicine has a multitude of benefits that range from helping relieve pain to helping you improve your mobility. From prevention to rehabilitation, here is why physical medicine could be beneficial to your health. 

What is Physical Medicine? 

Physical medicine uses physical means to help patients relieve their pain, prevent pain, increase mobility, and more. The American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation states that physical medicine works to enhance and restore physical impairments that are affecting different areas of the body, including joints, ligaments, muscles, and tendons. 

Treatments Under Physical Medicinef

Physical medicine is a broad term that encompasses a range of treatments. At Texas Spine and Sports Therapy, our physical medicine services include:

Chiropractic Care

As chiropractic physicians, Dr. Atencio and our team are experts in locating and analyzing improper placement of the vertebrae. With this expertise, we treat patients who have health issues and pain as a result of their muscular, nervous, and skeletal systems. Chiropractors are primarily trained to focus on the health of the spine and nerves, whereas most doctors only study this on a broad scope. If you’ve had back pain with no relief and haven’t sought help from a chiropractor, this could be what helps reduce or eliminate the pain you’re feeling. This can help because chiropractic care’s sole purpose is to focus on your body’s structure. This means looking at the bones, muscles, and nerves. Adjustments can help realign the spine, which helps put your body back in an optimal position to begin functioning properly again. 

Spinal Decompression Treatment

When the spine becomes compressed it can cause problems and pain. These problems can include bulging or herniated discs, the wearing down of the spinal joints, nerve root damage, and stiffness throughout the neck. To help relieve this, we offer spinal decompression therapy using systems that help treat disc related pain. Spinal decompression therapy entails a drop in intradiscal pressure, which then creates a vacuum effect at the location of the injured disc. When this happens, it is known as negative pressure. After the this pressure takes place, the injured discs are rehydrated. This then means the body can begin the natural healing process. 

Class IV Laser Therapy

IV therapy works to penetrate the injured tissue. As a result, it helps increase healing time and natural pain relief. Class IV laser therapy works on a number of conditions. For instance, it can help: arthritis, bone spurs, runner’s knee, plantar fasciitis, stress fractures, TMJ, nerve damage, post-operative healing, sciatica, carpal tunnel, back pain, neck pain, and more. 

High Tech Rehabilitation 

We use SpineForce, a state of the art machine that helps reinforce strength and structure. With this technique, we’re able to  target your body’s problem areas. This is possible because of precise digital sensors. This high tech machine also allows us to be able to see an assessment of your spine immediately on a computer. This means, because of the immediate results, you can monitor your progress the entire time. Due to this, you see the healing happening as it takes place. 

Active Release Technique 

Overworked and overused muscles can cause pain that makes it hard to function like you’re used to. It’s easy for us to overwork muscles because of our jobs, workout routines, and more. Active Release Technique (ART) uses tissue-focused massage technique that closely targets the muscle, nerve, tendon, or ligament you’re feeling pain in. Once the doctor identifies the inflamed tissue, they will apply pressure combined with specific movements done by the patient. This treatment helps promote your body’s ability to self-correct.  

Vibration Exercises and Rehabilitation

This technique was developed by Russian and American scientists to help astronauts from developing muscle atrophy in zero gravity. Vibration can cause the muscles to tense and relax, stretching and toning them all at once. This is because vibration’s quick contractions can help strengthen your muscles and reaction speed. 

Trigger Point Therapy 

Tension in the back and neck can cause trigger points, which are most commonly attacked by massage therapists, however more and more healthcare professionals are seeing the benefits. Trigger point therapy combines multiple treatment therapies to help resolve irritation, inflammation, and lack of flexibility, which can get you back to your normal routine quickly and effecitvely. 

Anti-inflammatory Injections

These injections are anesthetic shots that can help relieve nerves that continuously send out pain signals. These are due to compression on joints that is due to arthritis, injury, and more. The needle goes into the joint or nerve area to directly deliver the medicine where the pain is.

Physical Therapy 

Another way to help with pain, and pain prevention, is physical therapy. Remaining active through physical therapy is a great way to reduce pain, improve muscle function, and recover from injury. You know that exercising is good for you, but do you know exactly what the benefits of physical therapy are? They can include:

• Pain management without opioids 
• Avoiding surgery
• Improved mobility and movement
• Injury recovery
• Stroke recovery
• Fall prevention
• Balance improvement
• Management of age-related problems 

Choose Physical Medicine for Your Health

If you have pain from injury or want to focus on pain prevention, consider physical medicine with Texas Spine and Sports Therapy Center. Our dedicated team or specialists will work hard to help you regain and maintain your physical health and wellbeing. As a result, you can find pain relief and get back to your normal activities without downtime from invasive surgery. Call today to make an appointment: (512)-806-0015.