Member Spotlight – Advanced Physical Therapy
You’ve been experiencing back and neck pain, and JUST CAN’T SEEM TO GET ANY RELIEF! Have you considered the option of dry needling? This treatment is exactly what its name implies, and you now have that option available to you at Advanced Physical Therapy. Dry needling is a procedure that is different from acupuncture in that it is muscle specific and targets the muscle twitch response. Acupuncture is more global in its approach and more for relaxation. Dry needling uses a small filiform needle that is put directly into the taut muscle band. The needle will stimulate the trigger point (the taut muscle) in order to deactivate and release the trigger point. This treatment option can help with pain range of motion, and mobility. Advanced Physical Therapy’s Dr. Amanda Noll, certified Level I in dry needling, says “It really works!’ This technique has been found effective and shown excellent results with back, neck, shoulder or elbow pain, headaches, TMJ, and tendinitis.
Another area that Advanced Physical Therapy is addressing is the treatment of Parkinson’s patients. Heather Thiessen, manager at Advanced Physical Therapy, is certified in LSVT BIG, which is a Parkinson’s program. Heather said of the program, “You can start with all levels of Parkinson’s – from early onset to ones that are in a wheelchair or even in bed. We can start the program with lying down exercises.” One example of the impact the program has had on Parkinson’s patients was shared by Heather. Advanced Physical Therapy has a patient who had not walked for three years and had been getting around using a motorized scooter. Since starting the program, the patient has been able to walk with the use of a walker 200 feet and is doing really well, Heather added. In addition to helping with walking issues, the program also addresses posture and helps the patient to move around with more ease. The Parkinson’s program is intense – it’s 4 days a week for an hour a day, for 4 weeks. Exercises are also done at home on a daily basis, so the patient can maintain the level they have achieved. If the patient is in an advanced stage the program can be increased to 12-16 weeks.
Advanced Physical Therapy has therapeutic equipment to help rehab patients. They also carry the SI Belt (alleviates pain and inflammation) Thera Bands (light strength training), and the TheraBand Ball (strengthening muscle, improves poster, and prevents back pain). Advanced Physical Therapy also carries the Thera Cane which is massage cane used to target trigger points, like in the upper back area, allowing you to work on those painful knotted up muscles yourself. AND the Thera Cane is made in McPherson, KS by Ferguson Production Inc.!
Advanced Physical Therapy takes all insurance and does a lot with Work Comp as well. They are certified in Work Steps and the Physical Capacity Profile testing system (PCP), which are pre-employment assessments used to determine a person’s ability to successfully perform the essential functions of the job the person is applying for and to get a baseline of their abilities.
Advanced Physical Therapy, located at 400 W. 4th, takes a comprehensive approach to physical therapy and uses a combination of treatments tailored to each patient’s individual needs. To learn more about all the services and treatments Advanced Physical Therapy has available, visit their website. Photos from Chamber Connections hosted by Advanced Physical Therapy can be found here.