Hickman Physical Therapy Hickman Nebraska

HOW PHYSICAL THERAPY HELPS:

Physical therapy includes a broad scope of rehabilitative outpatient services that focuses on helping patients improve issues such as:

  • range of motion

  • strength

  • tissue flexibility and length

  • pain reduction

When you see DPT after a therapist's name, it means he or she has completed approximately seven years of college and holds a Doctorate in Physical Therapy. While therapists train in areas such as orthopedics, neurology, pediatrics, geriatrics, cardiology, and intensive care therapy, most therapists decide to specialize in one or two.

PHYSICAL THERAPY IS FOR PEOPLE WHO:

  • have neck and back pain

  • are recovering from surgery or a car accident

  • are experiencing balance issues

  • are healing from a work injury

  • have foot and ankle discomfort

  • hurt themselves playing sports

  • suffered a household mishap

  • have carpel tunnel syndrome

  • want to increase their strength and agility

  • have chronic migraines

  • have recently had a baby and are ready to feel strong again

  • suffer from fibromyalgia

THERAPY MAY INCLUDE:

Manual Therapy

Therapist will use his or her hands to move the joint, bone, or muscle. The goal is to assist your range of motion or to decrease muscular pain. 

Massage

Massage improves blood flow for healing, relaxation of muscles, reduction of muscular spasm, and decrease of pain. It also helps tissue return to its normal length. 

Electrical Stimulation

Sounds scary, but it's painless. Small electrical currents promote muscular contraction, which helps reduce edema.

TENS

Electrical stimulation is used to decrease muscular pain by blocking pain fibers from returning to your brain. Our patients often experience big relief from acute pain after a TENS session.

Ultrasound

Ultrasound increases blood flow, remodels scar tissue, reduces pain, provides deep heat, decreases edema, and promotes healing. Our sound waves penetrate tissue up to 2-5 cm deep. 

Phonophoresis

This treatment helps reduce inflammation and pain. We use ultrasound to deliver medication through areas of pain on your skin.

Iontophoresis

We use electric current to deliver medication to target tissues. Our goal is to decrease your pain and inflammation.

Therapeutic Exercise

Your therapists may prescribe exercises to target weak tissues. Our goal is to help you regain range of motion, lengthen tightened tissues, and to add stability of a joint. Research shows that exercises are the most effective intervention used by therapists to eliminate pain and dysfunction, especially of chronic pain. 

Gait Training

Did you know the way you walk may be causing you pain? With Gait Training your physical therapist will teach you how to walk with a relaxed and normal pattern for your body frame. Walking with a normal pattern can help your body conserve energy and decreases wear and tear on other joints in your body.