Help for Low Back Pain

How can physical therapy help low back pain?

The leading reason for people to come to physical therapy is complaints of low back pain. Take a look at this segment from Health Watch!

Golf Fitness Clinic in Lititz

The Golf Fitness Clinic at The Rehab Center in Lititz will improve your golf game!

Did you know The Rehab Center in Lititz has a golf fitness clinic? Serving Lancaster County for 20 years, The Rehab Center is here for you.  We are best known for providing quality physical therapy services at our 8 outpatient clinics in Ephrata, Denver, New Holland, Lititz, Brownstown, Lancaster, Leola and Honey Brook.

How can the Golf Fitness clinic help your golf game?

It is estimated that there are 55 million people that golf worldwide. It is a low impact, aerobic based exercise that allows players to have social interactions while competing with aged matched cohorts. As with any sport there’s always the chance for injury, and improvement! A recent golf survey of professional and amateurs golfers showed some disturbing trends. The number one golf injury reported was low back pain; 30% of professionals and 27% of amateurs polled have experienced it. Naturally, you would assume that injuries would be directly related to the way the person is swinging the club. This may play a part of the problem but there are more factors involved. Decreased flexibility and strength, which occur naturally as we get older, can be contributing factors, too. Also, general lack of activity and exercise are becoming a larger part of our society.  That is why a visit to the Golf Fitness Clinic at The Rehab Center in Lititz is so important. Decreased flexibility in the trunk can lead to increased compressive forces in the spine. At the peak of your backswing the compressive forces in your spine are upward of 370% of your body weight! If you think that is amazing you haven’t heard anything yet. There are many muscle groups firing at once in an effort to stabilize your spine. The compressive forces at the moment of impact with the ball are at an astounding 600%+ your body weight!

Do You Need the Golf Fitness Clinic?

What if you haven't had an injury while playing golf?  A screening by a Physical Therapist who is certified to perform golf fitness screenings can determine whether you are at increased risk of injury and design a tailored exercise program geared toward preventing injury. Not only can we decrease the likelihood of becoming one of the statistics mentioned earlier but we can increase your overall health too. Increased flexibility in the hips, trunk, and shoulders allows a person to achieve more rotation during the backswing phase. This is more likely to allow a more uniform, fluid forward swing and permits more force production throughout the acceleration phase. You deserve to reap the benefits of a longer drive and more accurate swing. Whether you think your golf swing is like Tiger Woods' or you know you actually swing like Charles Barkley call today to make an appointment.  The Golf Fitness Clinic at The Rehab Center in Lititz will improve your golf game.  You can trust the physical therapist at the golf fitness clinic in Lititz to show you how.

The Rehab Center - Honey Brook Open House

The Rehab Center - Physical Therapy in Honey Brook

We are proud to announce our open house on Saturday, October 22nd.  We have just expanded to a new space at our same address and we invite everyone to come celebrate with us.  The Rehab Center - Physical Therapy in Honey Brook is one of eight clinics serving the Lancaster and Chester County areas.  Our clinics are located in Ephrata, Denver, New Holland, Lititz, Brownstown, Lancaster, Leola, and Honey Brook.  The Rehab Center - Physical Therapy has been providing quality services since 1992.  More recently we have now been in Honey Brook for over a year.  We want to thank the community of Honey Brook for their support to our physical therapy clinic.  

Physical Therapy Open House

We are hosting a Physical Therapy Open House from 12pm to 3pm on Saturday, October 22nd. Please stop by our clinic at 1351 Walnut Street in Honey Brook.  There will be free physical therapy screenings.  We will also have family friendly activities including face painting, a bouncy house, games, and prizes.  

Do You Need Physical Therapy?

You may need some physical therapy someday.  Most people seek out physical therapy when they are having pain.  The most common reasons are low back pain, knee pain, shoulder pain, and neck pain.  Other people come to physical therapy after a surgery.  We also treat balance problems, difficulty walking, sports injuries, work injuries, and fibromyalgia.    Whatever the reason is, you can be sure you are getting the best physical therapy in Honey Brook when you choose The Rehab Center - Physical Therapy. Call 610-273-4304 today to schedule an appointment.  We will get you in within about 24 to 48 hours.  We have evening and morning hours to accommodate your busy schedule  Ask your doctor if physical therapy is right for you.

Fibromyalgia and Physical Therapy: The Latest Research

Aquatic Therapy and Fibromyalgia: The Latest Research

As many people know, physical therapy can often be a nice addition to treatment for fibromyalgia.  In our last article we introduced the benefits of aquatic therapy for treatment of fibromyalgia. You don't have to take our word for it. At The Rehab Center - Physical Therapy we try to stay on top of the latest research regarding the best treatments for our patients.  So what does the latest research say about Aquatic Therapy and Fibromyalgia?

Aquatic Therapy and Fibromyalgia

Aquatic therapy helps to decrease pain in patients with fibromyalgia.  In the Journal of Rheumatology International, Deniz Evcik, M.D. concludes from his study that Aquatic Therapy has a better effect on long-term pain management than a home-based exercise program in patients with fibromyalgia.  There were two groups in this study.  One group was given aquatic therapy.  The other was given a home exercise program.  Both programs lasted for 5 weeks.  The average of reduction in pain scores was 40% in Group 1 and 21% in Group 2.  However, this was still significant at week 24 only in the aquatic therapy group.  Only aquatic therapy seemed to have long-term effects.

Aquatic therapy can also help fibromyalgia patients maintain an exercise program of some kind even 12 months after completing therapy.  In a randomized controlled trial, Munugia-Izquierdo of the University Pablo de Olavide, in Seville, Spain, showed that a 16-week aquatic training program helps fibromyalgia patients in two ways.  Aquatic therapy in a warm pool can improve most of the symptoms of fibromyalgia and can cause a high adherence to exercise in unfit women with heightened fibromyalgia symptoms.  In short, a good aquatic therapy program not only helps decrease pain, it can help people continue to exercise even after they are done with therapy.

How long do the positive effects of aquatic therapy last?  In a study published in the Scandinavian Journal of Rheumatology, Dr. Kaisa Mannerkorpi, of the Department of Physical Therapy, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, in Sweden, says that a six month aquatic therapy program showed positive effects even after 2 years.  He found that improvements in pain, fatigue, physical function, and social function were still found 24 months after completing the treatment program in the fibromyalgia patients.

Physical Therapy and Fibromyalgia: Aquatic Therapy is Best

Fibromyalgia is a chronic condition that can greatly affect your ability to function. Many fibromyalgia patients are finding that with the help of aquatic therapy their pain is decreased and they are better able to function.



If you are suffering from the pain and fatigue of fibromyalgia maybe it's time for you to try aquatic therapy.  The Rehab Center - Physical Therapy has two convenient locations with aquatic therapy pools in Ephrata and New Holland.  Give us a call.

Ephrata phone number is 717-738-7979.

New Holland phone number is 717-351-2468.

If you have fibromyalgia, ask your doctor if aquatic therapy is right for you to help treat the pain and fatigue associated with your fibromyagia.

Charlie Eberling, DPT - Physical Therapist at The Rehab Center in Ephrata

http://www.fox43.com/news/wpmt-victim-becomes-physical-therapist,0,6541509.story

Click Here

 

Charlie Eberling, DPT from The Rehab Center - Physical Therapy in Ephrata

We had one of our very own physical therapists on Fox News. Check it out!


 

Fibromyalgia and Aquatic Therapy

Physical Therapy and Fibromyalgia in Lancaster, PA

The best treatment for fibromyalgia can be found at The Rehab Center - Physical Therapy. Serving Lancaster County since 1992, The Rehab Center now has eight locations, including Ephrata, Denver, New Holland, Lititz, Brownstown, Lancaster, Leola, and Honey Brook, PA.

Fibromyalgia is a common problem we see in our physical therapy patients. Many fibromyalgia patients come to our clinics with another diagnosis. They may come because of low back pain, neck pain, shoulder pain, or knee pain. Some are coming because they just had a total knee replacement, or a rotator cuff repair. The physical therapy we provide to a patient with fibromyalgia is modified because of the unique nature of this syndrome.

Physical Therapy and Fibromyalgia

The National Institutes of Health states that Fibromyalgia is a disorder that causes muscle pain and fatigue. The American College of Rheumatology (ACR) says that to receive a diagnosis of fibromyalgia someone must have a history of widespread pain lasting more than 3 months, and the presence of diffuse tenderness. Pain is considered to be widespread when it affects all four quadrants of the body, meaning it must be felt on both the left and right sides of the body as well as above and below the waist. ACR also has designated 18 sites on the body as possible tender points. To meet the strict criteria for a fibromyalgia diagnosis, a person must have 11 or more tender points.

Aquatic Therapy is the Best: Physical Therapy and Fibromyalgia

Research suggests that the best pain relief for fibromyalgia comes when physical therapy is combined with AQUATIC THERAPY. The Rehab Center has two locations with Aquatic Therapy pools for our fibromyalgia patients. The first is The Rehab Center in Ephrata and the second is The Rehab Center in New Holland.

Here are six (6) great things about aquatic therapy in New Holland and Ephrata that might help convince you to try it.

1. The relaxing effect of warm water on fibromyagia pain.

The Rehab Center provides aquatic therapy in New Holland and Ephrata, PA. The water

[caption id="attachment_159" align="alignright" width="259" caption="Aquatic Therapy for Fibromyalgia"][/caption]

in each of these pools is kept at the optimal therapeutic temperature of 92 degrees. This has the effect of softening stiff muscles and joints, improving blood flow, and improving range of motion.

2. Decreased effects of gravity.

Being in water reduces the stressful effects of gravity on painful muscles and joints. With the water at chest-level body weight is reduced by up to 80%. This can increase the ability to exercise longer and get a more pain-free workout. It also takes stress off of your joints, decreasing the normal wear and tear you might normally experience from land-based exercise.

3. The strengthening properties of water resistance for fibromyalgia.

Water is a great environment to exercise in because it can provide resistance in all directions. A full-body workout with aquatic therapy in New Holland is more easily achieved, more muscles can be activated, and the resistance level can be controlled by the speed with which you move through the water.

4. Water Jet Massage.

Everybody loves the water jet massage at the end of their aquatic therapy in New Holland. The soothing feeling of fast-flowing water massaging sore back or leg muscles is a nice treat. You will not want to leave.

5. The Under-water Treadmill

And finally, ask any of our aquatic therapy patients at The Rehab Center in New Holland and they will tell you the best thing about aquatic therapy is the under-water treadmill in our state-of-the-art Hydroworx pool.  (Click Here to see a video: Aquatic Therapy – New Holland)

Physical Therapy and Fibromyalgia: Additional Points

It is not easy to treat fibromyalgia. There are many factors that will contribute to the successful treatment. For some patients the factor is improving sleep at night. For others it is increasing activity throughout the day. One thing is clear. Physical therapy and fibromyalgia are a good mix when people are looking for pain relief.

The Best Internet Links for The Rehab Center - Physical Therapy

Main WebPage:  www.therehabcenterpt.com

Main BlogPage:  www.therehabcenterpt.blogspot.com

Clinic Blog Pages:

Brownstown -     Denver -     Ephrata -     Honey Brook

Lancaster -     Leola -     Lititz -     New Holland

Google Places

Brownstown -     Denver -     Ephrata -    Honey Brook

Lancaster -     Leola -     Lititz -     New Holland

Physio Clinic Pages

Brownstown -     Denver -     Ephrata -     Honey Brook

Lancaster -     Leola -     Lititz -     New Holland

Ephrata Community Hospital - Centers for Health

Brownstown -     Denver -     Ephrata -     Honey Brook

Lancaster -     Leola -     Lititz -     New Holland

Additional information for each of our eight clinics can be found at these sites. Each clinic has its unique site in order to allow the public a chance to get to know all of them individually. That is a unique feature of The Rehab Center. We are located close to where you live and work. Many doctors will prescribe physical therapy for 3 times a week for four weeks. So why not choose a clinic that is close to where you live and work. This will save you time and gas money.

Other important links on the web:

APTA PTJournal PTstats PTDefinition

AboutPT WebMD/PT PTMovie

SportsInjuries BackPain-MayoClinic

back.com AdvancedSpine BackTrainer

PT-Good-for-Back-Pain MoreBackPain

Exercise-Good Nismat RTC-TBand

FamilyDoc Fibromyalgia-Physical-Therapy

Spine-Universe Quality-Health