Exercise Therapy

Therapeutic exercises are designed to correct impairment, strengthen weakened muscles, increase joint flexibility, reduce pain, restore function, prevent disability, and develop fitness. Therapeutic exercise helps in circumstances where movement and function are threatened by aging, injury, disease or environmental factors.

We provide exercises for individuals to develop, maintain and restore maximum movement and functional ability throughout the lifespan. Physical therapy also helps prevent loss of mobility before it occurs by developing fitness and wellness oriented exercise programs for healthier and more active lifestyles.  Exercise restores mobility and function.  Functional movement is central to what it means to be healthy.

• Individualized Exercise Programs

  Customized exercise programs are set up to meet your specific needs and goals.  These programs can be for your exercise program at the gym, for home use, or for on the go when you are out of town.  Exercises using resistive bands, weights, foam rollers, therapy balls, and other simple equipment are easy to set up and do at home.

• Core Strength and Spinal Stability

  These are exercises that improve your abdominal, back, and pelvic floor strength and trunk stability.  As well as including exercises to increase pelvic, hip, and leg strength to support your trunk.  With a stronger ‘core’, your back is more effectively supported, leading to fewer episodes of back pain and restrain. Education about proper body mechanics, posture and exercise technique is another important component of ‘core’ exercises.  Learning prevention techniques to avoid future strain and injury is also crucial to good spinal care for your neck, midback, and lowback. A pilates style of exercise can be utilized on mat, ball or foam roller as your strength progresses.

• Postural Exercises

  A full postural examination is done by your physical therapist. Imbalances, strains, and weaknesses are identified.  Stressing postures at work or home are identified. Manual therapies will be used to help correct these imbalances as will postural exercises.  Postural exercises consist of lengthening muscles that have shortened and strengthening muscles that are weak to return your body to it’s best postural balance.  A home program is established for you to continue. Postural education for at work, home, and during exercise  is discussed.

• Body Mechanics/Movement

  So how do you move?  Are you stiff in your low back or hips as you walk?  Do you feel tight in your neck and upper back when you reach for things?  Do you experience pain after the typical house and yard activities of gardening, laundry, vacuuming, or mowing the lawn?  Or do you have pain after work? Then you may be moving incorrectly or in a pattern that is straining your body.  So let the physical therapist evaluate your movement patterns and strategies to find what is out of balance.  Then we can train you to move with more ease and in new patterns to protect your neck, back, and other joints.

• Gait Training

  So how is your gait pattern?  Do you list to one side?  Do you limp, shuffle, stumble, or just get tired while walking.  The physical therapist will evaluate your gait and determine if your pattern of gait is off due to muscle weakness, joint or muscle tightness, low endurance, poor patterning, or balance issues.  Do you need an assistive device? And if so, which one is right for you. After a full assessment then a program of stretching, strengthening, balance exercises, and gait training is instituted to improve your gait.

• Back and Neck Rehabilitation

  Spinal rehabilitation involves a whole spinal approach utilizing both manual therapies and therapeutic exercises. An assessment is performed of your back/neck vertebral mobility, strength, muscle tightness/flexibility, pain, and posture. Then a personalized program is started using hands on techniques and exercises.   Core strengthening, postural exercises and body mechanics are all part of this program. The goal of therapy is to rebalance you back and neck so they are functioning at the optimal level to support your spine and protect it from stress and strain. The home exercise program that is established during treatment will then be used by the patient for ongoing care of their back/neck.

• Pre and Post Natal Treatment

  During pregnancy women can experience problems with low back pain, hip pain, neck and shoulder tension, and leg and foot aches.  Yes, physical therapy can help with the aches and pains of pregnancy, so why suffer! Gentle hands on techniques are used to ease areas of stress and tension. Exercise instruction is given for safe and appropriate stretching and strengthening exercises that protect and stabilize your body during pregnancy.  Body mechanics for pregnant women are discussed for safe and comfortable movement.  Manual therapy techniques are also used to help relieve the stress and strain of pregnancy on pelvic and low back joints and soft tissues.