When it comes to injury rehabilitation, you naturally want the most advanced approach so you can heal quickly and completely. Physical therapy is delivering. Innovative techniques are increasingly joining traditional methods in order to give you options that were not available even a few years ago. When applied by a skilled professional, they make personalized treatment plans and faster recoveries possible. Here are 5 techniques leading the rehabilitation revolution. 

Active Release Technique

Known as ART for short, Active Release Technique is a specialized form of manual (hands-on) therapy designed to target areas of adhesion and scar tissue while stimulating blood flow and healing. It combines manual therapy and specific movements that together break up scar tissue and improve mobility within the affected area. 

During an ART session, the practitioner and patient usually work together. The practitioner will use their hands to identify the areas that are restricted due to adhesions (Thick, fibrous areas of scar tissue that bind muscles, tendons or ligaments together). They will then apply pressure to these areas while walking the patient through specific movements of the affected area. Sometimes, the practitioner will move the affected body part themselves. 

Relief can begin immediately, but is often most noticeable after a few ART sessions. The process works by releasing restricted muscles, tendons and ligaments from the grip of scar tissue and adhesions. The process also promotes healing blood flow to the area. The result is greater mobility and less pain. 

This approach has been proven to be extremely effective in treating the jaw disorder TMJ. Other conditions which also respond well to ART include the following: 

• Repetitive strain injuries
• Plantar fasciitis
• Back pain
• Surgical scar tissue
• Tennis elbow
• Shoulder pain
• Sciatica 
• And more

ART is also fast. Dr. Roy has successfully used ART alongside traditional chiropractic techniques and exercise rehabilitation to cut recovery times in half for repetitive strain injuries. 

Functional Movement Therapy

The way you move your body when playing sports or completing daily activities can literally make or break you. Functional movement therapy is a way of evaluating the specific movements that provide stability and prevent pain, identifying areas of inadequate movement and providing strengthening and corrective exercises to address the dysfunction. 

The first step in functional movement therapy is always a thorough screening of your movement patterns. This screening utilizes 7 specific, fundamental movements that provide your practitioner with insight regarding your stability, movement patterns and more. 

You may be surprised at how “basic” or “simple” these movements are. Yet, many even accomplished athletes or active individuals have difficulty with these exercises because they have developed more complicated, and physically taxing, ways of achieving the same thing. 

Your practitioner will identify areas where your may be weak or where you may be using compensatory techniques. They will then develop a tailored treatment plan to help you get back to appropriate ways of moving. 

Moving your body in optimal ways can have positive impacts on your health and wellbeing. If you currently suffer from pain, functional movement therapy can help you address the root cause of that pain and drive it away for the long term. However, this approach can also identify dysfunction BEFORE it causes you pain. That means that by making a few adjustments, you can avoid days or weeks away from your daily life and cut down on the number of clinic visits you have to make. 

Personalized Blood Flow Restriction

Personalized blood flow restriction is an innovative way of strengthening specific areas of the body without high-impact exercises. As its name implies, it involves preventing blood flow through a specific extremity, such as an arm or a leg. This is done in order to trap blood in that area of the body to enhance healing and strengthening during regular, low-impact exercise. 

During a session, your practitioner will affix a cuff to the desired treatment area and use it to apply pressure to that part of your body. The amount of pressure, and where it is applied, is personalized to your needs. The pressure will be maintained and monitored while the practitioner guides you through your exercise routine. 

While restricting blood flow may sound dangerous, this is a very safe procedure that has the same level of risk as traditional exercise. Ideal for individuals who suffer from dysfunction in one of their limbs and who cannot benefit from more intense exercise, it is effective for the following conditions: 

• Sports injuries
• Joint pain
• Post-operative pain
• Pre-surgery patients looking for strengthening
• And more

Shockwave Therapy

If you want to jumpstart healing deep within injured muscles, shockwave therapy is a physical therapy technique that can revolutionize your rehab. This approach uses faster-than-sound energy pulses to target areas of muscular dysfunction within the body. By producing energy at the point of impact, these waves encourage the body to naturally target that area with healing processes. As a result, shockwave therapy can be used to create more rapid recovery from certain muscular injuries. 

During a shockwave therapy session, a specialized machine will be used to deliver these high-speed energy pulses to very precise locations in your body. With almost no side effects and appointments around 30 minutes long, this approach is a safe and effective way to overcome injury without giving up your daily routine. 

Shockwave therapy can treat many musculoskeletal conditions. Here are some of them: 

• Brain injuries
• Fractures
• Osteoarthritis
• Tendonitis
• Golfer’s Elbow
• Stroke
• Plantar Fasciitis
• Tennis Elbow
• Tendinopathy
• Bursitis
• Patella Tendinosis
• Multiple Sclerosis
• Cerebral Palsy

OTZ Tension Adjustment

Frozen shoulder syndrome can limit the use of your shoulder while creating significant stiffness and pain. One of the leading, and most effective, treatments for this condition is OTZ tension adjustment. This approach, which involves a single adjustment at the back of the neck, can relieve frozen shoulder syndrome and save you years of suffering in a single session. 

During the session, the practitioner will manipulate the joint that lies between the back of the head and the first vertebrate. Range of motion can improve almost immediately. 

Used almost exclusively for frozen shoulder syndrome, this approach is faster than traditional treatments and is non-surgical, making it an innovative and appealing way to address stiffness in the shoulder. 

Are you ready to speed up healing, tackle the cause of your pain, and do it in fewer clinic visits? Then you are ready for Dr. Roy Nissim. We specialize in innovative and effective methods of treating a wide range of conditions so you can find the approach that works for your body. Schedule an appointment today and find out the difference we can make.