Farnsworth Orthopedic Physical Therapy

Orthopedic Physical Therapy

neck pain

Happiness is A Warm Theragun

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One of the “weapons” that our therapists have in their arsenal is the Theragun. Shaped like an electric drill, the Theragun is a tool that takes aim at muscle tension, zaps knots, and blasts through scar tissue. At the tip of the Theragun is one of several specialized heads that target your muscles with strong percussion. There are small tips that pinpoint trigger spots, and broad tips for larger areas like your back.

Wherever you’ve got pain, the Theragun delivers powerful percussion to relax your muscles and increase blood flow to the area. The vibrations stimulate your nerves enough that they stop sending signals for pain. Translation? You don’t hurt so much. If you smash your finger, you may immediately shake your hand around, stimulating your hand in a way that isn’t painful in hopes that you feel the shaking instead of the awful pain of a smashed finger. Likewise, when you have muscle pain, the Theragun is there to shake things up and get your nerves busy sending signals for something other than pain.

Additionally, your muscles have a casing around them called myofascial tissue. Sometimes this tissue can get tight and inflexible, kinked, or overlapped onto itself. This can lead to widespread muscle pain. Loosening this tissue and making it flexible again can increase flexibility and relieve pain. This release is an important part of recovery. The Theragun is a useful tool to work on trigger points that create myofascial release.

Lastly, it just feels nice and relaxing. Who wouldn’t want some percussive vibrations on their sore muscles? There may be some of us who might not. A Theragun is not the right tool for those who have injuries that are too recent. It also may not be the right option for patients who have certain conditions above the shoulders or who have had certain operations. Getting evaluated by a licensed therapist will help you to know if this therapy is right for you. If it is, you will soon be on your way to a more relaxed, flexible, and pain free you.

Post Written By: Tom Farnsworth, PT

Thank You, Necks

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Even genies get cervicalgia!

Many neck injuries and conditions can cause pain extending down into one or both of the arms. This radiating pain is called cervical radiculopathy. Problems in the cervical (aka neck) region may cause irritation and inflamation to the nerves located there. Because these nerves run down the arms and hands, it is normal for the brain to perceive the pain as originating there, even though the problem is in the neck.

There are three main nerves in the arms: median, ulnar, and radial. Each of these nerves originates at certain levels in the neck. The location of the pain in the arm may indicate where the problem lies in the neck.  One cause of cervical radiculopathy is degenerative disc disease. Discs are located in the spine between the vertebral bones of the spine. The discs are circular, flat in shape, and made of a thick fibrous tissue. When the disc begins to degenerate, it loses height and becomes less resilient, which can irritate the nerves. Cervical strains may also cause radiculopathy. Cervical strains are usually caused by injuries such as being struck on the head by a heavy object, or automobile accidents. When these injuries occur, the muscles, tendons, and ligaments may become inflamed, thus irritating nerves in the neck region.

Osteoarthritis is another condition that can create cervical radiculopathy. As the arthritis progresses, bony spurs become larger and increasingly prevalent. Eventually, these spurs can begin to irritate the nerves in the neck. Brachial plexus injuries can cause cervical radiculopathy. The brachial plexus is a large bundle of nerves located where many of the nerves of the neck combine and then split into the nerves of the arm. Injury to the brachial plexus may be from neck trauma, contact sports, and motor vehicle accidents. It is easy to see why injuring this nerve bundle can cause cervical radiculopathy, since it directly affects the path of the nerve impulses.

There may be other causes of cervical radiculopathy, such as severe neck muscle spasms, cancer lesions in the neck, infections in the neck region, as well as other disease processes. For more information about what may be causing your particular symptoms, consult your doctor or physical therapist.

Post written by: Travis Rohner, PT, DPT

Traction Satisfaction

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Have you ever experienced a shooting pain that travels down your leg? Believe it or not, this pain can be related to a disc in your low back. If you have ever experienced this issue, you know it can be painful and debilitating. Luckily there is a treatment that can help ease your pain. Spinal decompression is a type of motorized traction that may help relieve pain related to disc issues or sciatica. Spinal decompression works by gently stretching the spine, which changes the force and position of the spine. Don’t worry, it’s not as scary as it sounds! In addition to providing relief, this change takes pressure off the spinal disks, retracts any bulging or herniated disks, and helps promote movement of water and oxygen into the disks so they can heal.

There are two types of traction a patient can receive; pelvic or cervical. Patients with neck pain may receive cervical traction, while patients with back pain may receive pelvic traction. The process takes about 15 minutes and is just a portion of the treatment you may receive here. The patient will lay face up on the treatment table, with a harness around their pelvis or neck. After the initial appointment, you may experience some mild discomfort. It is important not to get too discouraged if this happens! Be patient, relief will come with time.

Around your waist, we secure the pelvic harness.

 

The pulling can begin once the harness is securely in place.

Our goal is to get you feeling better as soon as possible. Because of this, we recommend attending multiple sessions over a period of 3-4 weeks. When it comes to physical therapy, consistency is key!  Treatment can vary when dealing with specific injuries, as every body is different. During your initial evaluation, your therapist will decide if traction is the right treatment for you. As always, if you have any questions you can reach out to us by phone and we would be happy to help you.

Post written by: Tom Farnsworth PT, MPT

Proper Posture Prevents Pain

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Attention all desk jockeys! Bad posture getting you down? Do you find yourself with a sore neck, back or shoulders following your typical workday, especially at the end of the week? Studies show that 60-80% of the work force in the United States spends more than half their day sitting at a desk. That equates to AT LEAST 20 hours per week sitting in a chair. That’s more time than some of us sleep in those five working days! For most of us, body aches are inevitable. However, there are ways to prevent bad posture and curb some of the tension that builds throughout the day. Are you taking these three necessary steps to help?

One of our PT techs at the Mesa office generously offered up his modeling skills to demonstrate how you should NOT be sitting at your desk. Shoulders rounded, head forward. This encourages the body to lean and hunch over which causes muscle soreness and discomfort.
  1. Set up a good ergonomic desk space. Some companies have a designated ergonomic supervisor or team member that will help assess your sitting posture and give suggestions. For those who aren’t so fortunate, keep in mind that everything matters: chair type, chair height, desk height, monitor placement, keyboard and mouse placement. So many factors are essential in postural alignment while sitting at a desk. Luckily there are many resources out there to prevent postural faults!
  2. Get up and walk. Sometimes the best way to prevent prolonged sitting….is to stop sitting! Set an alarm on your phone to get up and walk every 30 minutes to 1 hour. A short walk to the bathroom or water fountain would suffice, or if you are able, take a walk outside for some fresh air. In the physical therapy world, we use the phrase “motion is lotion.” Move often, you won’t regret it!
  3. Perform a short exercise routine throughout the day. Bad posture accumulates with a combination of weaknesses and tightness in the body. Pushing your chair back from the desk to perform a few stretches or exercises throughout your day will significantly improve the symptoms you have as the day progresses. A short routine of specific exercises won’t take up too much of your time. After all, you don’t want the boss to think you are sloughing off! Performing exercises 2-3 times during your work day will be sufficient to help your body feel better at the end of the day.

Make sure to keep moving throughout the day and take a look at your ergonomic set up. This will minimize the symptoms you get as the day progresses. It will also encourage good posture and leave you feeling better at the end of the day. If you are experiencing any symptoms that you can not fix on your own, we’d love to help you. Contact our office and set up a consultation so we can further assist you.

Post written by: Casey Badder PT, DPT

SFMA Level 1 Certified

Functional Dry Needling (FDN) Certified

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Areas Served:

Mesa, Gilbert, Chandler, Phoenix, Queen Creek, Apache Junction, Tempe, Globe, Gold Canyon

Postal Address

Gilbert Office
730 N. Greenfield Rd.
Gilbert, AZ 85234
Phone: (480) 633-0666

Mesa Office
342 N Val Vista Dr. Suite 106
Mesa, AZ 85213
Phone: (480) 325-3310