Aquamed is a hydromassage bed. It’s a glorified whirlpool that doesn’t require you getting wet.  You lay on what looks like a big bed while the whirlpool jet travels up and down the length of the body.  It can be set to only work the neck, or the legs, or the feet, or the back and neck,  or the whole body! It’s heated to about 103 degrees.  It’s pretty comfortable.  Most people really enjoy it.  It’s beneficial as well contributing the massage and heat to the back or neck.  The treatment lasts 15 minutes and is often paired with some of our electrical stimulation devices.  Conditions that respond well to hydromassage treatment are back and neck issues, plantar fasciitis, and hip bursitis among others.  Fibromyalgia also responds very well to the Aquamed.

Cervical Traction works the same way that Pelvic Traction does except that the amount of weight is much smaller and the body is not harnessed to the table.  Instead your noggin is positioned in a “sled” of sorts called the “Saunders Traction Device” named for the guru of traction Duane Saunders. The typical amount of pull is somewhere between 10 and 30 pounds.  Most folks come in around 18-22 pounds. Again the contraindications are the same: if a client’s symptoms are too acute or if they have difficulty relaxing, traction may not be for them.

This machine is not for the feint at heart. The Fitter was originally designed as a ski trainer for off season skiing without snow.  It works on knee strength but more importantly stability of the knees and balance.  It's not for every knee that comes in the clinic, so don't be scared.
It looks pretty neat having a client on it zooming back and forth.  Stand on top of the foot plates and move right to left in a semi-squatted position...your legs will feel a workout.

The most valuable piece of equipment in a physical therapist's arsenal is his or her hands.  PT's use their hands to massage musculature, palpate for tenderness and muscle spasm, position a client into the correct position on an exercise, and to lend --when needed-- a caring touch.  They can apply very light or very firm pressure.  They can also make that pressure to be very broad across the whole hand or be very focused into a fingertip. Manual Therapy is essential to comprehensive physical rehabilitation.

HVG is a type of electrical stimulation that works very well for decreasing inflamation, swelling, and pain.  It works great on localized, p
ainful areas that you can “put your finger on” much better than on broader areas like the whole shoulder or knee.  Usually it has 2 electrodes.  A larger one and a smaller one.  The smaller one goes over the hurt area.  Most people perceive the current as a strong buzz but isn’t painful and lasts 10-20 minutes.  Many times HVG is performed with coldpacks at the end of therapy.  The 2 treatments combined together help relieve swelling and inflamation.  That relief of symptoms helps decrease pain.

We often describe interferrential current as an “electrical massage”.  The tingling that it produces is perceived by most people to be very pleasant. It is the most frequently used electrical stimulation device at most clinics in Arkansas.  IFC is used to decrease inflammation and relax muscle spasm.  It targets more broad areas –the low back, the knee, the shoulder, for example– and uses 4 electrodes instead of 2 like the HVG current.  The 4 electrodes are positioned to create a perimeter of sorts on the body and the electricity treats the area within that perimeter.  IFC is used most often in the treatment of back and neck issues , but also on conclusion most visits for treatment of the knee, shoulder and other extremity.

Iontophoresis is the use of direct current to drive medication through the skin to underlying tissues.  While you don’t get as strong a dose as you would with an injection, you also don’t get the needle-trauma. We use this treatment quite a bit for different conditions.  It works best for superficial conditions such as tendonitis, heel-spurs, and carpal tunnel. These are the 3 main conditions for which we use it. However I’ve even used it on neck and low back problems. We also use it for decreasing scar tissue.  Ionto has 2 main functions in physical therapy: decreasing inflamation through the use of dexamethosone and decreasing scar tissue and bone spurs by using acetic acid (yes, table vinegar).  Other neat things you can do with iontophoresis?  Treat warts and hyperhydrosis –excess sweating.

Pelvic traction is a misunderstood beast. It’s scary-looking, it’s cumbersome, but it’s effective. A client with back issues is harnessed to a treatment table and is hooked to the traction machine which pulls –pretty gently– roughly half of your body weight.  A stretch is felt in the low back, and one should feel some relief from the pull.  Traction should be pleasant.  If a client’s symptoms are too acute or if they have difficulty relaxing, traction may not be for them. The pull-and-let-off of traction relaxes the muscles around the spine, and helps to decrease inflammation around the spine.  I’m not convinced it actually reduces a herniated or bulged disc but it provides relief of radiating symptoms by taking pressure off of the irritated nerves.

The SciFit Recumbent Elliptical is a cross between an elliptical running machine and a recumbent bike.  It is a whole body exerciser, working the arms, the legs, and the core.  It’s ideal for the knee client who has “passed” the benefit of the stationary bike as it strengthens the legs but not ready for an upright elliptical. The back client can work on core-strengthening on this device, and shoulder clients can have range of motion, strength, and reaching exercises on it.  This is a pretty neat machine.  It’ll tire you out. Different than a Nu-step (that many have seen or worked with), it moves the legs in an ellipse as if running and mimics the body’s natural motions.

The Shuttle is our most well-rounded piece of exercise equipment.  It works the whole body: legs, arms, core, balance, return to sport.  It’s so versatile that when we originally opened the clinic, the shuttle was one of 2 pieces of exercise equipment we owned. The shuttle uses heavy duty elastic bands in combination with body weight for resistance.  We use it with virtually every knee or ankle injury that walks in the clinic.  The upper-extremity towers and pulleys allow for strengthening of shoulders as well. One of the neater things that can be done on the shuttle is practicing jumping –single leg, both legs, back and forth– for getting an athlete back to the field or court.

We use this commonly in treatment of the low back and neck –other areas, too, but the spine most often.  It’s the same ultrasound we normally use and the same hi-volt current BUT the soundhead from the ultrasound acts as a moving electrode.  I liken it to a mixed drink: it isn’t the gin or the rum in a Long Island Iced Tea that does the trick.  It’s both of them working together. It is especially helpful with stubborn muscle spasms and trigger points.

 Ultrasound in physical therapy is different from the pregnant-and-gonna-have-a-baby-ultrasound.

Ultrasound is the use of soundwaves to treat muscle, tendon, and ligament problems.  It can generate a deep, penetrating heat. Ultrasound can treat tissues 2-5cm beneath the skin, allowing it to penetrate muscles. Some tissues that are closer to the surface, don’t need or require the thermal effects of ultrasound and are treated with non-thermal settings.

Ultrasound (US) is used to successfully treat a myriad of conditions. Tendinitis conditions –tennis elbow, golfers elbow, plantar fasciitis, patellar tendonitis– react very well to US.  Spine issues also respond favorably.  At our clinic the ultrasound is often paired with electrical stimulation for a “cocktail” –style treatment when treating back and neck issues.  The heat of the ultrasound when combined with the “tingle” of electrical stimulation works very well i
n treating muscle spasm in the low back and neck.

Yes, I made that word up but we use the Nintendo Wii and the WiiFit for balance and other interactive exercise.  One of the best things you can do about exercise is make it fun. Face it, with exercise, sometimes that’s not exactly easy to do. The WiiFit is great for balance training and proprioception. Whether you’re using the ski-jump simulator or ankle and balance trainer or even the yoga exercises, the interaction with the game system brings something new to the table...or, the uh, PT clinic.