OUR EXPERT ADVICE ON PHYSICAL THERAPY

Being Injured At Work Doesn’t Mean You Should Fear The Loss Of Your Job or Be Confused About Your Legal Rights To Healthcare

For several years we have helped patients regain their physical function after being incapacitated by injury or accidents. We continually amazed by how many injured workers fear losing their job because of employer pressure on them to return to work, often times before they are physically able to do so. Workers Compensation laws stop all of this but most patients just don’t understand their rights.



Our Physical Therapists Exposes A Myth Regarding The Role Of Rehabilitation Through “Hands-On” Physical Therapy

Despite all the technological inventions over the last decade, there is still nothing that can replace the healing benefits of the human touch. The Insurance Industry wants you to believe that a few exercises done at home by yourself is all you need to heal. We disagree with that philosophy. We believe a well trained, experienced Therapist has a lot more to offer then merely handing out an exercise instruction sheet.

What Makes BlackGold Physical Therapy Any Better or Any Different Than All The Other Physical Therapy Clinics?

First and foremost, we are a patient advocate. We fight for your rights to receive proper treatment and will secure authorization for the treatment that you need. Unfortunately, a lot of insurance companies limit the number of physical therapy visits per patient per year so it is vital that you make the right choice of provider when it comes to physical therapy. A common problem in our profession is the use of untrained or unlicensed personnel. The person treating you must be a licensed physical therapist or physical therapist assistant. Some facilities employ athletic trainers and exercise physiologist who are not trained to treat general pathology and conditions common in physical therapy.

Three Critical Characteristics To Demand From Your Physical Therapist. Ask Them And Save Yourself Time And Frustration

1. Do You Provide A Hands-On Personalized Treatment Plan For Your Patients…Or Do You Just Offer The Standard Cookie Cutter Approach To Therapy?

2. Are All Of Your Staff Licensed Physical Therapists or Physical Therapy Assistants?

3. Are You A Certified Provider For Therapy Services For The Bureau of Workers Compensation and Will You Secure The Authorization For Treatment For Me?

Headache? Your Posture May Be the Cause

Do you suffer from headaches? If you do, you're not alone. The headache has been reported to be the No.1 reason patients seek medical attention.

There are many causes of headaches. But did you know that how you sit, lie and stand can cause headache pain?

As you sit reading this, ask yourself these questions:

·       Are your feet resting squarely on the floor?

·       Is your low back pressed against the back of the chair?

·       Are your shoulders relaxed?

·       Is your head resting squarely over your shoulders?

If you answered "no" to these questions, your sitting posture could cause increased tension in the shoulder and neck muscles. Thus, poor posture, the experts say can cause or intensify a common tension headache.

How Does It Happen?

"The next time you have a headache, check your position," suggests Erik van Dijk, PT., of the Private Practice Section of the American Physical Therapy Association. "See if you can decrease your pain by correcting your posture. If so, you may be able to decrease or prevent your headaches by improving your postural habits."

He offers this comparison: It is easier to carry a heavy object if you hold it in close to you. You probably would be able to carry a 12-pound bowling ball longer, for example, if you hold it close to you. If, however, you hold the same ball at arm's length in front of you, you would only be able to carry it that way for a noticeably short time. Your muscles would get tired and ache.

The same principle applies to carrying the weight of your head, he says. When your head is resting squarely above your shoulders there is little tension on the muscles of the head and neck, If, instead, your head is resting forward of your trunk, a great deal of muscular activity is required. Physical therapists are specialists in caring for aches and pains and can provide exercise programs specifically designed to correct faulty posture.

Recurring Back Injuries Can Be Prevented

Jack lifts 80-pound bags of dog food almost every day at work. For him, treating the excruciating pain in his lower back is not enough. He needs to know how to prevent it. His livelihood depends on it.

Fortunately for Jack and millions of others, careful attention to prevention is one of the hallmarks of the healthcare provided by Canada’s physical therapists.

Skilled through extensive education and clinical training, these professionals work with more than 350,000 people daily in the United States and Canada to restore health and alleviate pain. Physical therapists encounter a variety of problems, ranging from golfer's elbow and skier's ankle of the weekend athlete to stroke victims trying to regain normal movement, burn victims hoping to prevent abnormal scarring and cardiac patients striving to improve their endurance.

Underlying Causes

But physical therapists, are convinced that exclusive treatment-oriented approaches are not enough, because they fail to examine the underlying causes of problems. Prevention of recurring injuries is imperative for people like Jack, who planned to stay at the same job where he sustained his injury lifting those bags of dog food.

A physical therapist could evaluate Jack's problem to determine whether his leg of abdominal muscles was not strong enough to endure the constant heavy lifting. Or perhaps tight hamstring muscles limited his flexibility and predisposed Jack to back injury. Then the therapist could design an exercise program tailored to Jack's special needs. The therapist might also go to the work site and help Jack and his supervisors learn how to lift the heavy bags with less strain.

Physical therapists share the same goal. Call Us Today! 780-215-0570