Chiropractic Physical Therapy

 
  • Heat and cold.  At Pearson Family Chiropractic, Dr. Pearson may alternate between heat and ice therapy to help your area of pain. Ice packs may be used to numb the back for a 10 to 15 minute period and then switched with a heating pad, heat wrap or hot water bottle to restore blood flow to the area and promote faster healing.
     
  • Exercise. Dr. Pearson may provide you with instruction for exercise programs that will help you strengthen and stretch your core muscles to help support your correction and lead to you being able to do more in you activities of daily living. 
     
  • Massage.  It is common for a chiropractor to recommend massage of the soft tissues to improve circulation, reduce swelling and inflammation associated with the injured area and to promote faster healing.
     
  • Ultrasound. Ultrasound is sound waves that create a deep heat therapy that is applied to the soft tissues and joints. Ultrasound is basically a micro-massage of the soft tissues and joints; ultrasound therapy can not only help reduce pain, stiffness, and muscle spasms, but increases blood flow and accelerates the healing process. Ultrasound is most commonly used for rehabilitation purposes. The increased blood flow to the affected area provides proteins, nutrients, and oxygen for better healing. Dr. Pearson may recommend ultrasound to help speed your recovery.
     
  • Electrical muscle stimulation (EMS). With EMS, Dr. Pearson or his staff will apply electrodes on the skin that send light electrical pulses to different areas of the body with the purpose of reducing inflammation, curtailing muscle spasms and relieving pain.
     
  • Dietary management. Dr. Pearson may provide patients with tips on how an improved diet which, quite often, will help with their back pain, and sometimes may recommend dietary supplements.
     
  • Spinal rehabilitation can be defined as the slow, steady, monitored progress toward spinal health after injury. Exercise is one of the most important parts of full rehabilitation after spine injury, and Dr. Pearson may recommend it for you. The reason? Exercise eliminates muscle fatigue, helps build more cushioning through muscular development, and retrains the nervous system which can help a person to avoid re-injury. In this way, exercise of the back, neck, legs, and hips is critical in helping the body heal from injury and preventing or decreasing pain down the road. Dr. Pearson is knowledgeable in creating and maintaining physical therapy and exercise regimens for the spine. The specific type of therapy — whether limited to stretching and strengthening, or possibly expanded to traction and manual adjustments – will depend on the type of injury or surgery sustained by the patient. Patient input and room for change based upon the patient’s own unique set of physical restrictions is also also taken into account. Patients will typically learn the exercises with the Chiropractor and then do them on their own at home. Most people affected by spinal injuries often wonder if and when they can return to exercise and certain activities after surgery or rehab. That depends on how their bodies respond to exercise and rehab, and how they can both mentally and physically prepare to return to those activities while monitoring pain. Here, it’s important to understand that a slow, steady recovery that’s monitored by both patient and health care professional is the best course of action. Chiropractors are useful in helping the patient determine his or her readiness at this stage.
     
  • Pelvic stabilization. When leg-length deficiency, flat feet and/or subtalar instability are present, Dr. Pearson may recommend you place a small heel lift in your shoe on the short leg side and/or prescribe corrective arch supports to help stabilize the pelvis.
     
  • Patient education. Knowledge is power. The goal of Dr.  Pearson and his staff is to provide you with information that will assist you in making the best possible choices regarding your health care, utilizing emails, printed educational materials, giving health talks in the office, or simply through one on one discussions with patients.
     
  • Extension Traction Devices. With all the electronic devices we use today (iPhone, iPad, kindles, laptop computers, etc...), we are constantly looking down &/or sitting in a "C" shape. This causes the neck to be in constant flexion, and this is NOT a good thing. In fact, it can lead to a reversal of the cervical spine, and numerous symptoms associated with  it (like migraines). A traction device is designed to counteract the effects of constant flexion, and strengthen the cervical muscles. Dr. Pearson may recommend you use such a device.