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Electrical Muscle Stimulation
Often referred to as "muscle stim," the therapy involves low levels of electrical impulses delivered to the injured, painful tissues to reduce pain and speed healing. Often described by patients as a pleasant, "tingling" sensation, or "electrical massage," these impulses stimulate the body to release natural pain relievers, called endorphins. These endorphins reduce pain and inflammation, thereby promoting faster healing of the injured tissues. This therapy is often used to treat acute or chronic pain, as well as strains or sprains of the muscles, joints, and soft tissues of the spine and extremities.
Ultrasound
This treatment should not be confused with diagnostic ultrasound, often used in prenatal screening, but is instead a therapeutic procedure that utilizes sound waves to treat injured muscles, joints, and soft tissues. The sound waves vibrate the tissues back and forth, creating a deep, micro-massage effect. In the case of a recent injury, this helps to decrease scar tissue and adhesion formation, which would otherwise interfere with the body's healing process. The sound waves also decrease inflammation by destroying unwanted inflammatory cells. The sound waves also accelerate healing by stimulating the activity of the cells responsible for cellular and tissue repair. In chronic cases, special
What is Ultrasound?
Ultrasound uses high-frequency sound waves and it is administered in the region of soft tissue injuries. Decompression Therapy is a form of intersegmental traction designed to treat bulging and herniated discs. It has become a very strong initial, conservative treatment option for those patients suffering from herniated or ruptured discs. One study has shown a 91% success rate when utilizing this form of treatment. In our clinic, we attempt to enhance this form of care by combining it with a comprehensive, customizeable, spinal strengthening program.
How does Ultrasound work?
The sound waves, some moving with a frequency of 1,000,000 waves per second, penetrate into deep into the tissues. The vibrations and heat break down and disperse unhealthy calcium and other hard tissue accumulations.
What does Ultrasound feel like?
During the treatment most patients either feel nothing, or a pleasant and relaxing sensation below the skin's surface.
Why is Ultrasound used?
The treatment can be administered directly to the affected area and it penetrates deeply. As the temperature rises, blood flow increases and muscle spasms relax thus speeding up the healing process.
What are the benefits of Ultrasound?
Ultrasound stimulated healing without irritation and enhances the body's natural healing ability. It is effective in treating calcium deposition, speeds metabolism and improves blood flow and reduces nerve root irritation.
Decompression Therapy
Cryotherapy Cryotherapy is a term that describes the application of ice compresses to reduce the temperature of tissues directly on or below the skin surface. Cryotherapy works on the surface cooling constricts blood vessels, numbs painful areas, and helps relax muscle spasms. Cold temperatures reduce nerve transmission of painful symptoms and provide temporary relief. Cooling affected tissues is effective in reducing and preventing post-traumatic swelling. Local cooling should be applied several times a day during the initial stages of an injury.
Patients Benefits: Helps reduce swelling and inflammation, Numbs affected area to reduce pain, Reduces muscle spasms and is inexpensive and can be self-applied.
Interferential Electro-Therapy
It is a therapeutic treatment to aid in the relief of pain and the promotion of soft tissue healing.
Tiny amounts of electrical impulses are induced into the tissues in the vicinity of the injury. Where these waves intersect below the surface of the skin, a low-frequency stimulation is created. This prompts the body to secrete endorphins and other natural pain killers to help relieve pain.
Most patients find Interferential Electro-Therapy to be extremely beneficial and describe the treatment as a faint "pins and needles" sensation.
Interferential Electro-Therapy is most often used for pain relief and to aid in reducing the swelling of soft tissues. Ligament sprains, muscle strains and spasms often respond to this treatment, helping to reduce atrophy and increase blood circulation.
Microcurrent Therapy
Microcurrent Therapy uses extremely small amounts of electrical current (millionths of an amp) to help relieve pain and heal soft tissues of the body. Injury to the body disrupts its normal electrical activity. Microcurrent Therapy produces electrical signals like those naturally occurring when the body is repairing damaged tissues. By applying similar electrical currents, the healing process is enhanced. The electrical current used in Microcurrent Therapy is so small that it is rarely felt. However, the water-moistened electrodes or gel used to conduct the current may seem cool when first applied.
Microcurrent Therapy is often recommended in cases involving soft tissue inflammation or muscle spasm. Since Microcurrent Therapy mimics the body's electrical fields it is helpful in relieving pain and stimulation the healing of soft tissues. Microcurrent Therapy can help speed the healing process, reduce swelling and inflammation, masks acute and chronic pain, releases muscle trigger points, and improves, soft tissue regeneration.
DTS Therapy
You don't have to live in debilitating pain. Whether you have lower back pain, a pinched nerve, sciatica, neck pain, or a variety of symptoms related to damaged or degenerative discs, as well as syndromes of the lumbar and cervical spine, DTS Therapy may be for you.
This gentle, non-surgical therapy can provide lower back pain relief, sciatica pain relief, and is a state-of-the-art therapy for neck pain relief, bulging or degenerative disc disease, and lumbar pain.
The gentle distractive forces of the DTS therapy create a decompression of the spine with unloading due to distraction and proper positioning, to improve blood flow and nutrient exchange to the injured area. You'll experience several cycles of stretch and relaxation, which graduates to a peak over a period of several minutes.
Therapy sessions typically last less than 20 minutes, 3 times a week for 1 month, transitioning from passive to active treatments as you respond, with most patients feeling pain relief with as few as 6-10 treatments. Most patients are released from treatment after 8 weeks.
A complete program targeting the function of the stabilization muscles is a vital part of DTS Therapy. Exercise and adjunctive therapies such as heat, muscle stimulation, ultrasound, and cold therapy can assist in rehabilitation of these structures. Our goal is to not only help heal the disc, but to also enhance muscular control and support of the back and neck.
Regular home exercise and periodic visits to our office will help in maintaining your spinal health and reduce the probability of reoccurrence. Clinical results of this type of therapy have been effective in over 75% of the patients treated and most patients find long-term relief or effective management of their pain when they complete the entire program of treatments utilizing the DTS Spinal Decompression Therapy.
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