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Phsyical Therapy for TMJ – An Alternative to Surgery

For people struggling with TMJ disorder, surgery may seem like the only solution. While this was the typical treatment in the past, new treatments have come to light that offer an alternative that doesn’t require going under the knife and often with excellent results.

What Causes TMJ?

TMJ disorder has a number of potential causes. Some of those respond very well to physical therapy treatment, while others do not. Some of the more common causes of the disorder include:

  • Bite problems
  • Grinding the teeth
  • Stress or poor posture
  • Inflammatory joint conditions
  • Autoimmune disease
  • Dental procedures
  • Injuries

For conditions like inflammation or autoimmune disease, treating the underlying issue is vital. For bite problems and dental procedures, getting a dentist on board is important. Stress, posture issues, teeth grinding, and injuries can all respond quite well to physical therapy.

How Physical Therapy Works for TMJ Disorder

TMJ dysfunction responds very well to conservative treatments, like bite guards, orthodontic care, and physical therapy. Physical therapy uses pain-rerelieving exercises and stretches to reduce stress on the joint and help the jaw hold a more natural, sustainable position. It may also use ice and heat to loosen tension in the jaw. At ourPhysical therapy clinic in Wichita, we also use massage, electrical stimulation, and trigger point dry needling as treatment for TMJ.

If you choose physical therapy as part of your TMJ treatment, your therapist will assess your mobility and pain in your jaw to determine the underlying source. They will then create a customized plan of exercises and stretches to target the specific areas of concern for you, while also providing in-office treatments. You’ll work with them to perform these therapies, so you can enjoy pain-free movement in your jaw.

Relief from TMJ disorder is possible. Reach out to Physical Therapy by Phoenix today to schedule an evaluation with a physical therapist.

Recover Faster with Our Sports-Specific Physical Therapy Program

When a certain sport is a big part of your life, you want to get back to playing it as soon as possible after an injury. Maybe you have already taken steps to start your recovery, such as visiting your doctor or looking into general physical therapy. While both of these methods can be useful, we have found that people recover faster when they completesports-specific physical therapy in Wichita KS.

How is Sports-Specific Physical Therapy Different?

At Physical Therapy by Phoenix, we tailor our sports-specific physical therapy programs to the unique needs of each injured athlete. Rather than giving you general exercises that may or may not improve your game, we focus on the mechanics of your sport to prepare you for the movements you will make when you get back to playing. Our physical therapists have worked with enough injured athletes to know that general strength training is not adequate to help them recover and compete at their previous level.

Benefits You Can Expect from Sports-Specific Physical Therapy

People who have finished our sports-specific physical therapy program report improved performance soon after they start playing again. You have greater strength, stamina, and range of motion than you did even before your injury. Other benefits you can expect include:

Better ability to manage pain
Increased circulation to the injured area
Improved cellular metabolism
Improved mental well-being
Reduced risk of additional injuries and faster recovery if you do injure yourself
These are just a handful of the many benefits you can expect when attending sports-specific physical therapy in Hutchinson KS or one of our four locations in Wichita. Please contact the Physical Therapy by Phoenix location nearest you to request an evaluation and more information about sports-specific physical therapy.

Could You Benefit from Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy?

The pelvic floor in women contains a group of muscles that support the reproductive and urinary tracts. Your pelvic floor muscles help to hold your vagina and rectum in place towards the back and your bladder towards the front. Additional connective tissue, muscles, and tendons keep your uterus in place at the top of the pelvic floor.

The pelvic floor muscles also attach to your pubic and tail bones. These muscles can weaken over time for a variety of reasons. While muscle weakness can be frustrating to deal with, the good news is that pelvic floor physical therapy in Wichita KS can help to strengthen them.

Symptoms and Risk Factors of Pelvic Floor Dysfunction

You may experience one or more of the symptoms listed below when your pelvic floor muscles can only tighten instead of relaxing.

  • Chronic pelvic pain
  • Constipation
  • Frequent urination
  • Leakage of urine and/or feces
  • Organ prolapse
  • Painful intercourse

The risk factors associated with developing pelvic floor dysfunction include:

  • Aging
  • Excess weight
  • Pregnancy and childbirth
  • Previous injuries to the pelvic floor
  • Overuse of the pelvic muscles

Physical therapy is the most common treatment recommended for women who want to strengthen their pelvic floor.

What to Expect from Physical Therapy

When you visit Physical Therapy by Phoenix at one of our four locations in Wichita KS or our fifth location in Hutchinson KS, one of our experienced physical therapists will conduct a comprehensive evaluation. You should expect to answer questions about your pelvic and overall health and goals for treatment. With your permission, our physical therapist will also complete a physical examination.

The information from your first session allows your physical therapist to create customized exercises targeted at strengthening your pelvic floor. Please schedule an initial consultation to learn more about pelvic floor physical therapy in Wichita, KS.

How Physical Therapy Can Improve the Symptoms of Neurological Conditions

Neurological conditions in Wichita, KS, can cause debilitating symptoms that make daily life challenging. If you have undergone surgery, take daily medications, and still feel that your neurological condition has too much control over your life, consider the benefits of physical therapy at one of our four locations in Wichita or one location in Hutchinson.

Examples of Common Neurological Conditions

We work with patients with various brain disorders here at Physical Therapy by Phoenix. The most common conditions we treat include:

  • Alzheimer’s disease
  • Cerebral Palsy
  • Multiple Sclerosis
  • Parkinson’s disease
  • Stroke
  • Traumatic brain injury (TBI)

As you can see by the inclusion of cerebral palsy, people of all ages can struggle with a neurological condition.

Physical Therapy Can Help You Lead a More Comfortable and Independent Life

The skilled physical therapists at Phoenix customize each patient’s treatment plan to improve their weaknesses and build upon their strengths. For example, several of these neurological conditions cause issues with balance and coordination. We prescribe certain exercises that improve the signal between the brain and muscles to help make the latter stronger.

Your physical therapist first teaches you exercises at our clinic and then supervises you the first several times you attempt them. Completing exercises at home is a critical part of your physical therapy program, and we expect all patients to report to their next session having done the exercises we prescribed at home.

Working with Neurology Patients Requires Extra Training

Physical therapists who work with people with a neurological condition have completed a certification program beyond their degree. This requires 2,000 hours of supervised practice with people who have these conditions to obtain the specialty certification.

Your neurological conditions in Wichita, KS, have taken enough from you already. Let us help you regain some independence by scheduling your initial consultation today.

Common Manual PT Techniques

Manual therapy is a very common technique in physical therapy. It involves placing targeted pressure on soft tissue and bones to lower pain, reduce stiffness, and help the body heal.

Here are some common manual therapy techniques you may see in a physical therapy setting:

Soft Tissue Mobilization
This approach works to break up muscle tissue, which can reduce inflammation and stiffness. A physical therapist may accomplish this by stretching and applying pressure to certain ligaments and muscles.

Joint Mobilization
Joint mobilization occurs when a physical therapist applies pressure to a joint to boost range of motion and aid mobility. This technique works well for those with tight and painful joints.

Myofascial Release
This treatment involves targeting the fascia, the thick tissue that covers all the bones and muscles in the body. Using this technique, the specialist will find stiff or problematic areas in the fascia and work to improve them.

Are you ready to try these techniques? If so, contact Physical Therapy By Phoenix today for exceptional physical therapy in Wichita, KS!

Strain-Counterstrain Therapy
Strain-counterstrain therapy is when a physical therapist holds your body in certain positions for about 90 seconds. This involves the sensory receptors within your muscles, helping them relax and heal.

Dry Needling
Dry needling is a technique that targets trigger points throughout the body. These trigger points are stiff areas of muscle fiber. To start the treatment, a physical therapist inserts thin needles into these areas to promote blood flow, improve tension, and reduce pain. Dry needling is typically used alongside other PT treatments, such as therapeutic exercise.

Do you have pain that just won’t go away? Contact Physical Therapy By Phoenix today to work with the top physical therapist in Wichita, KS!

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Did You Know Physical Therapy Can Help Relieve Your TMJ Pain?

The Mayo Clinic describes the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) as a hinge that slides and connects your skull and jawbone together. Your TMJ allows you to eat, speak, and perform several other functions. You have one TMJ on each side of your jaw.

TMJ disorder occurs when the joints become irritated due to misaligned teeth, grinding and clenching your teeth at night, stress, injuries, and jaw arthritis. The result is chronic pain, daytime fatigue, irritability, lack of concentration, and the inability to sleep well at night. Most people with this disorder visit their dentist, buttemporomandibular joint dysfunction therapy in Wichita, KS, or Hutchinson, KS, can also help.

How to Know if You Have TMJ Dysfunction

The symptoms above describe the outcome of living with TMJ dysfunction, while those listed below indicate that you have the disorder in the first place.

  • Aching pain in your face, jaw, or shoulders
  • Clicking sound when you open your mouth
  • Difficulty opening your mouth due to joints locking up
  • Dizziness
  • Earaches
  • Headaches
  • Pain when chewing your food
  • Ringing in the ears

If you think you might have TMJ disorder, consider scheduling a consultation with Physical Therapy by Phoenix. We can also work in coordination with your dentist.

What You Can Expect from Our TMJ Dysfunction Program

By the time people come to us, they have usually tried non-prescription pain relievers, ice or heat packs, and other home remedies to no avail. We offer a range of natural therapies, depending on your pain level and other symptoms. Examples include electrical stimulation, trigger point dry needling, manual therapy, and customized exercises.

TMJ that does not improve negatively impacts your quality of life. Please reach out to request a consultation to discusstemporomandibular joint dysfunction therapy in Wichita, KS, or Hutchinson, KS, today.

How Augmented Soft Tissue Manipulation Works to Relieve Pain

Augmented Soft Tissue Mobilization (ASTYM) uses specialized instruments to treat your tissues. The idea is to stimulate the body’s healing response by applying a specific type of trauma to the affected area. It may seem counterintuitive to harm a part of the body that’s already in pain; the controlled movements of the right physical therapist in Wichita, KS, can alleviate chronic pain and lead to the formation of healthy tissue.

How It Works

ASTYM starts with introducing new inflammatory cells into your body. When you sustain trauma, whether all at once or as part of an ongoing basis, the body may not always do everything it’s supposed to do to recover successfully. You may have leftover scar tissue that makes the area stiff or painful. Your tissues may have only partially healed as your body’s way of conserving energy.

ASTYM tricks your body with just enough trauma to wake up the healing systems that can ultimately reduce scar tissue and repair tissues. As the tissue heals, Augmented Soft Tissue Manipulation in Wichita, KS, will break up any additional scar tissue that forms so that you can get back your range of motion.

Find Soft Tissue Mobilization in Wichita

The body can respond to pain in all kinds of ways, and not all of them are as predictable as others. If you’ve had difficulty treating a condition on your own, seeing a physical therapist can help you figure out what your healing systems are doing and how you can get them to do what you want. Struggling with pain doesn’t have to be a life sentence, especially if the pain is interfering with your daily activities. At Physical Therapy By Phoenix, our staff administers therapies that work with your body to vanquish pain.

6 Key Benefits of Dry Needling

Dry needling is used to treat musculoskeletal pain and movement problems. This therapy is often part of a larger treatment plan that may include massage, stretching, and other techniques.

During dry needling treatment, the provider inserts a small, thin needle into your skin to stimulate underlying myofascial trigger points. This can lead to several advantages, including pain reduction, improved blood flow, and more.

Keep reading to learn even more benefits of dry needling treatment.

Helps the body heal
Dry needling can be effective for issues throughout the body, such as a shoulder or knee injury. The needles used actually create a small lesion in the tissue, which encourages blood flow and promotes healing to the area.

Reduces muscle pain
Pain reduction is one of the top reasons why people choose dry needling. With increased blood flow, this speeds up the healing process. Whether you have an acute injury or something chronic, dry needling can be an effective tool in your treatment plan.

Think you want to give this treatment a try? If so, reach out to Physical Therapy By Phoenix today for the most dependable dry needling in Wichita, KS!

Alleviates soreness and tightness
When we experience an injury, it’s common to feel very sore and tight. However, if you don’t stretch, exercise, and treat your injury properly, it could turn into a chronic condition. Luckily, dry needling is an excellent way to reduce soreness and tightness, getting you back on your feet quickly!

Treats several conditions
Dry needling is an effective treatment for several different conditions, including the following:

Headaches
Shoulder pain
Knee issues
Sciatica
Plantar fasciitis
Leg pain
Tendonitis
And more!
No matter your condition, dry needling can improve your quality of life.

Improves flexibility
As more blood is moved throughout the body, you can also expect increased flexibility and an improved range of motion.

Safe and natural
Unlike pharmaceutical drugs and other treatments, dry needling is safe and natural. Furthermore, the therapy doesn’t usually involve any pain!

If dry needling sounds right for you, call Physical Therapy By Phoenix today to work with the most trusted physical therapist in Wichita, KS!