Therapies Offered

Physical Therapy

Phsical Therapy focus on regaining and improving physical abilities by restoring range of motion and functionality of joints and muscles.  Other goals of Physical Therapy include relieving pain and preventing or limiting permanent physical disabilities suffered from injury or disease.  From the Wellness perspective, Physical Therapy encourages the enhancement and improvement of our patient's fitness from whtever level they entered the program in.  At Talley Chiropractic & Wellness Center we treat a wide range of patients, each one with unique goals: athletes, accident victims, and infants born with musculoskeletal conditions to individuals with disabling conditions, such as low back pain, sciatica, arthritis, heart disease, fractures, and head injuries.

Exam and Review of Findings

The doctor may recommend that you participate in a physical therapy program.  During your exam the doctor will assess your range of motion, ballance and coordination, strength, your posture using digital static kinematic analysis, and your muscle performance.  You also will be assessed on your ability to resume your activities of daily living after injury or illness.  The doctor will review his exam findings with you and explain any questions that you may have about your plan.  You will receive a personalized treatment plan outlining the therapies that the doctor recommends and is best for you; the goals of the therapies, and the therapy's anticipated outcome.

Is it Painful?

At Talley Chiropractic we throw the "No Pain - No Gain" philosophy out the door.  A responsible therapy program should not be painful.  Pain is a warning sign that something is wrong or tht something has been pushed beyond its limits.  Pain is our body's way of tellin us to stop.  Our program and our therapists are easy to follow and take the time to explain each movement to you.  Each session builds on thework done in the previous session and is designed to help you reach your goal as quickly and as safely as possible.  Our therapy programs are well planned and balanced to include many of the benefits of exercise including increasing cardio efficiency, and endurance.  Many of our patients acheve their ideal weight during our therapy program and find it easier to maintaion their weight afterwards.  Our patients also report having a better night's sleep as well aws improved mood and improved ability to recover from addictions to nicotine, caffeine, and alcohol.

Ultrasound

Ultrasound therapy has been in medical use for more than 40 years.  This therapy is used to aid in reducing pain, muscle spasms, and joint contractures.  Ultrasound is literally a sound wave produced from a vibrating crystal inside the treatment soundhead.  The soundhead emits therapeutic sound waves generally in the range of 1 MHz to 3 MHz.  The sound vibrations penetrate deep into the tissue creating a heat response.  The heat and vibration help to break down and disperse hard tissue accumulations.

In order to deliver the sound waves efficiently from the soundhead to the body tissue, ultrasound therapy requires the useof a material that conducts sound waves effectively.  This is accomplished in either of two ways.

One method is a special Treatment Gel, (which does not stain skin or clothing).  This gel, when applied liberally, provides the greatest contact between the skin and the ultrasound sound-head, which is moved continuously over the affected aea during sound waves to the skin tissue.  Most patients do not feel anything, or they may feel a pleasant relaxing sensation below the surface of the skin. 

The other method is Underwater Therapy.  Water, being an excellent conductor of sound waves, is a popular vehicle for providing Ultrasound Therapy.  In this application, the specially designed waterproof ultrasound sound-head is actually submerged in water during treatment.

Patient Benefits of Ultrasound Therapy

• Highly effective in treating calcium deposition
• Stimulates healig witout irritation
• Speeds metabolism and improves blood flow
• Reduces nerve root irritiation
• Enhances the body's natural healing ability
• Interferential electrical muscle stimulation                                                                                                        

Electrical Muscle Stimulation - Electro-therapy

Channeling therapeutic low-frequency electrical current through muscle, nerve, and connective tissue for the purpose of reducing pain has been a widely accepted medical proactice for many years.  This stimulation prompts the body to secrete endorphins and other natural pain killers to help relieve pain.  Ligament sprains, muscle strains and spasm often respond well to this treatment.

Interferential electrical muscle stimulation is often prescribed for providing relief from chronic, intractable and/or acute post-traumatic pain, as well as for increasing local blood circulation, muscle re-education, and maintaining or increasing range of motion.

Electro-therapy is introduced into the body at te injury site through the use of electrodes.  Once the electrodes have been placed on the skin, the therapist slowly increases the electrical output intensity.  Initially a tingling sensation is felt felt.  Since the human body has a tendency to adapt to the electrical current after the first couple of minutes, it may be necessary to periodically increase the intensity during the treatment period, which may last anywhere from 10 to 20 minutes, depending on the condition being treated.

Most patients find Interferential Electrical Muscle Stimulation to be extremely beneficial and describe it as a faint "pins and needles" sensation.

Patient Benefits of Interferential Electrical Muscle Stimulation

• Reduces painful symptoms
• Decreases local swelling
• Promotes muscle tone
• Restores normal movement
• Releases body's natural pain killers
• Accelerates the healing process
• Moist heat therapy ( chronic/sub-acute pain)

Moist Heat

For centurires, the ability of heat to increase blood flow and ease the sensation of pain has had an important role in managing pain and supporting hthe healing process.

When warm moist heat is applied to an injury, it dilates the capillaries (tiny blood vessels) in the affected area, increasing blood flow, which nourishes the tissues with essential nutrients and oxygen to accelerate the healing process.  Heat also temporarily reduces pain in an injured area and helps reduce muscle spasm.

Heat can be generated and delivered to the affected area in a number of ways.  While heating pads, hot packs and hot water bottles are frequently used, the can "cook" tissue and cause harm.  Moist heat is the best choice for the treatment of a superficial injury because it reaches deeper into the affected area than dry heat methods.  Moist heat is a therapeutic heat therapy that penetrates between 1 to 5 mm below the skin's surface.  (In comparison Ultrasound Therapy can raise the temperature of the affected tissue 5 cm below the skin surface and is a deep heat therapy usually reserved for more severe musculo-skeletal injuries).

Remember, heat must be used with caution, as it increases the chance of small capillaries leaking blood and plasma into soft tissues (petechia) around the injury.  While dilation of the blood vessels and increased blood flow are desirable for swelling, which retards the healing process.  To be beneficial, heat should not be applied until the capillaries have had a change to seal and stop leaking, usually 24 to 48 hours following an injury.

The therapeutic moist heat pack is stored in water at 155  degrees Fahrenheit.  When applied to the treatment area, it is wrapped in a special towel and is at that point approximately 115 degrees Fahreenheit.  Moist heat is adjusted according to the patient's tolerance and sensitivity to heat.  The skin on the affected area should turn a bright pinkwhen the proper level of circulation has been reached, whichis usually after 10 to 20 minutes of heat applicatin.

Moist heat is beneficial in that it increases ciruculation and nutrients, facilitates the removal of cellular by-products and relieves tight muscles.

 Ice & Inflamation

Injury caused by a trauma, such as a bruise or a sprain, or a repetitive strain, such as carpal tunnel, will cause inflammation.  When a cell membrane is damaged, it releases prostaglandin around the cell which causes the capillaries (tiny blood vessels) around the affected area to swell.  Inflammation is a good thing because your tissues need it to heal.  Inflammation acts to isolate the injured area and initiates the repair process.  However, if proper care of the injury is not taken, inflammation can hinder the healing process.  If inflammation is left uncontrolled, nutrition flow to the injury will decrease, which may lead to scarring and dysfunctional muscle groups, which may ultimately lead to improper motion and on-going pain.