“I cannot say enough good things about Elite Physical Therapy!”
JoAnne Smith lived with a headache for two weeks that was so bad that she had to hold the top of her head when brushing her teeth. She finally went to her orthopedic doctor and was told she had extreme inflammation at the right side base of her skull.
Often times its bad habits or mistakes we make that create the common disc issues so education is critical. Your physical therapist will give you a home exercise program(HEP) for your specific disc issue with detailed instructions and pictures of stretches and exercises to perform on the days you do not come into the clinic.
Disc issues are more common that you would think and understanding the treatment in clinic helps you to act promptly and quickly reduce any long term effects.
One of the most common disc issues is a ruptured or herniated disc, when the center of the disc (nucleus) pushes through the outer layer and presses against the nerves.
Brenda Ayers, called “Honey” by her family and friends, started feeling pain and tightness in her neck several months ago. When the pain went down into her upper back and left shoulder blade and got worse instead of going away, Honey went to her doctor and had an MRI. She was told she had cervical disc degeneration and was sent to physical therapy at Elite.
It is important to know the difference in the most common disc issues: herniated/ruptured disc, bulging discs and degenerative disc. It is also to important to understand the symptoms, risk factors and treatment options for disc issues. Most people are unaware that you can experience radicular pain in other parts of your body that originate from common disc issues in your spine.
“Everyone at Elite PT have been very encouraging”
Jeri Arrighi is a patient at Elite’s Shelbyville clinic. She initially presented with balance issues that progressively got worse, leading to falls and reliance on a walker, as well as numbness and tingling in her hands. Since Jeri spends a lot of time working on her farm and with her horses,
Spinal stenosis is defined as an abnormal narrowing of the space in the spinal canal. There are two main categories of spinal stenosis:
1) Primary spinal stenosis, which is known as congenital, is present since birth and typically becomes apparent in the fourth decade of life.
2) Secondary spinal stenosis,
We live in a society that contributes to cervical (neck) pain. Much of our day is spent in a flexed spinal position which places our head in a forward position when compared to our shoulders. Sitting at desks, typing, driving, watching TV and looking at cell phones are all activities that cause poor postural habits which in turn can cause neck pain.
How can Physical Therapy help neck pain?
Thankfully, most neck pain does not have a significant, serious cause. The vast majority of patients experiencing neck pain can get relief from conservative treatments by a Physical Therapist. But, if surgery or other more intensive medical treatment is unavoidable, Physical Therapy can also be used post-op to allow quicker recovery of mobility,
After cervical spinal fusion eight years ago, Rita McBee relies on physical therapy to help her with neck pain, stiffness and burning caused from arthritis. Keeping her up at night and from enjoying daily activities, Rita knew it was time for physical therapy at the Shelbyville clinic of Elite Physical Therapy.
Rita says “the staff at Elite Physical Therapy thoroughly evaluated my pain and set out a plan of care to give me relief.