Services
Types of Therapy
Functional Manual Therapy
Trained and certified specialist in using advanced clinical reasoning to methodically evaluate and treat individuals through a combination of scientific evidence, intuition and developed knowledge from clinical practice.
Seamlessly transition between mobilization of tissues (joints, soft tissues, viscera and neuromuscular structures), neuromuscular facilitation and motor control timing.
What do we evaluate?
- Mechanical components: joints, soft tissue, viscera, neuromuscular components as the relate to limitations and dysfunction in movement and function.
- Neuromuscular components: proper initiation, strength and endurance of muscles including appropriate automatic core response during movements.
- Motor control: efficiently use the above components to assume a balanced posture and perform activities efficiently
Functional Dry Needling
- Uses small needles to deactivate trigger points and loosen shortened muscles
- Can effect immune, inflammatory, biomechanics, vascular and neurological systems
- Treats the neuromuscular system based on pain patterns and muscular dysfunction and is driven by physical examination and orthopedic signs and symptoms
- Not based off training in traditional Chinese medicine
- Chemical response from needle effects levels of chemicals that are associated with pain
- Normalization of chemical associated with spontaneous/extra activity of the muscle
- Primary goal of FDN is to desensitize sensitive structures, restore motion and function and possibly induce a healing response of the tissues by:
- Obtaining a twitch response
- Releasing a shortened muscle
- Produce local inflammation which is necessary to promote healing
- Neuromuscular “reset” to allow retraining
Pelvic Floor Therapy
The pelvic floor consists of muscles that form a hammock or bowl at the base of the pelvic region in both women and men. The muscles are crucial in supporting our pelvic organs (bladder, uterus, vagina, prostate and rectum), bowel and bladder control, sexual function and core stability.
Dysfunction can be a result of many things. Some common contributors to pelvic floor dysfunction include child birth, trauma, abuse, surgery or infection, poor posture, tailbone fracture or injury, heavy lifting, improper muscle activation or movement patterns.
Pelvic floor therapy is a comprehensive treatment approach much like the treatment of any other area of the body. This includes external and internal release and facilitation of the pelvic floor muscles, joint mobilization, visceral and neural mobilization, muscular retraining, postural training, relaxation exercise, proper lifting techniques and patient education on strategies to address these issues at home.
What does pelvic floor dysfunction cause?
Urine or bowel issues
Including leakage, pain during, constipation, increased urgency or inability to completely void
Pain
Pain in the pelvic region, hips, abdomen, low back, buttocks, tailbone, vagina, scrotum, penis, rectum or surrounding area
Sexual dysfunction
Including pain with penetration or erectile dysfunction
Musculoskeletal issues
Poor posture and core control
Visceral Mobilization
- We need movement to be healthy and have optimal function. This principle applies to every structure including our organs. Afixation or adhesions to another structure (no matter how small) implies impairment of that tissue on our system.
- Visceral mobilization (VM) assists functional and structural imbalances throughout the body including musculoskeletal, vascular, nervous, urogenital, respiratory, digestive and lymphatic dysfunction. It evaluates and treats the dynamics of motion and suspension in relation to organs, membranes, fascia and ligaments. VM increases proprioceptive communication within the body, thereby revitalizing a person and relieving symptoms of pain, dysfunction, and poor posture.
- Strains in the connective tissue of the viscera can result from surgical scars, adhesions, illness, posture or injury. Tension patterns form through the fascial network deep within the body, creating a cascade of effects far from their sources for which the body will have to compensate. This creates fixed, abnormal points of tension that the body must move around and this chronic irritation gives way to functional and structural problems
- An integrative approach to evaluation and treatment of a patient requires assessment of the structural relationships between the viscera, and their fascial or ligamentous attachments to the musculoskeletal system.
- We need proper visceral mobility during involuntary (ie heart beating or breathing) and voluntary (ie moving our limbs or squatting) movement. To help explain this, let’s look at the diaphragm as an example to how it’s relation to organs effect both involuntary and voluntary motion:
- Involuntary visceral movement: Breathing places external forces on our viscera and requires movement of our diaphragm. The diaphragm has direct fascial connections with the liver and the stomach. When we take a deep breath, we are causing the diaphragm to have a push/pull on these organs. Mobility of the organs is required for this to happen.
- Voluntary visceral movement: When raising our arm over our head, our rib cage elevates and ribs rotate to allow for full, pain free motion. The rib cage is directly attached to the diaphragm and the diaphragm to the organs and therefore, if the diaphragm is bound down to one or multiple organs, our shoulder range of motion to reach over head is compromised.
What does visceral mobilization help with?
Acute Disorders
Whiplash
Seatbelt Injuries
Chest or Abdominal Sports Injuries
Concussion
Traumatic Brain Injuries
Digestive Disorders
Bloating and Constipation
Nausea and Acid Reflux
GERD
Swallowing Dysfunctions
Women's and Men's Health Issues
Chronic Pelvic Pain
Endometriosis
Fibroids and Cysts
Dysmenorrhea
Bladder Incontinence
Prostate Dysfunction
Referred Testicular Pain
Effects of Menopause
Musculoskeletal Disorders
Somatic-Visceral Interactions
Chronic Spinal Dysfunction
Headaches and Migraines
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
Peripheral Joint Pain
Sciatica
Neck Pain
Pain Related to
Post-operative Scar Tissue
Post-infection Scar Tissue
Autonomic Mechanisms
Pediatric Issues
Constipation and Gastritis
Persistent Vomiting
Vesicoureteral Reflux
Infant Colic
Emotional Issues
Anxiety and Depression
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
Neural Mobilization
- Neural mobilization examines the skull and the spine and its mechanical relationship to the dura (brain and spinal cord) and the nerves. It not only addresses local pain and dysfunction, but also how a restriction within the dura or nerve can effect the rest of the system and our posture.
- Connective tissue forms at least 50-90% of the nerve and is very reactive. Every time you have trauma, it creates a reaction on the connective tissue and the function (thereby causing dysfunction). You can change the function of the nerve by changing the pressure through manual treatment.
- The nerves need to have good blood supply to function properly. Manual treatment to the nerve also effect blood supply to the nerve and therefore improving it’s function.
- Nerves have significant elasticity which is important for protection. Loss of elasticity greatly effects the function of the nerve.
- There can be local fibrosis (hardening) of a nerve from swelling caused by nerve compression (increased pressure within the nerve). Stretching the nerve directly permits change in intraneural pressure.
- Manual therapy, as it applies to the treatment of nerves, follows the standard principles of mobility and function. For optimal function nerves must be able to move freely within its surroundings. This freedom of movement is essential for:
- nerve conduction
- electromagnetic conduction
- intraneural blood supply
- intraneural nerve supply
- local and systemic responsiveness
- Effects of neural manipulation: helps remove fixed points that stop the nerve from stretching distally and can even effect the nerve root itself (where it exits the spine)
What does neural mobilization help with?
Lower Back Pain & Sciatica
Headaches & Migraines
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
Joint Pain
Digestive Disorders
Post-operative Scar Tissue Pain
Swallowing Dysfunctions
Thoracic Outlet Syndrome
Whiplash Injuries
Birth Injuries
Neuralgia & Neuritis
Tendinitis
Sprains & Traumatic Lesions
Concussion & Traumatic Brain Injuries
What I Treat
Ankle sprains
Arthritis
Body alignment
Body work
Chronic pain
Disc herniation and sciatica
Dizziness
Elbow, wrist, hand pain or injuries
Face pain
Foot and ankle pain
Hip pain
Low back pain
Migraines and chronic headaches
Motor Vehicle Accidents
Neck pain
Nerve tension
Pelvic floor dysfunction
Pregnancy- pre labor prep, pain with pregnancy and post delivery
Pre or post surgery
Performance improvement
Repetitive stress injuries including tendonitis/tendonosis
Rib/Thoracic pain
Sports Injuries
Scar tissue adhesions
Scoliosis
Shoulder pain
SI dysfunction
TMJ
Visceral mobilization
Ready to feel your best?
1515 W Hubbard St.
Chicago, IL 60642
4880 Library Rd
Bethel Park, PA 15102