What We Treat

We Treat the Problems; Not the Symptoms

We use a combination of manual physical therapy, occupational therapy, osteopathic evaluation and treatment techniques. In other words, our therapists use their hands to treat, as well as focus on identifying the cause of the problem, rather than just treating the symptoms.

If you are experiencing any of these conditions or symptoms below, request an appointment today, Request an Appointment Today.

green bay physical therapy

Ankle (Sprains, Strains, and Injuries)

We can help with strengthening, using ultrasound, manual therapy, and tissue healing.

Rest, ice, compression, and elevation (RICE) is the best immediate treatment for a sprained ankle, and physical therapy usually begins after this phase. Physical therapy for ankle sprains usually includes exercises to increase range of motion, strength, and stability. Balance and proprioception exercises, which help improve the body’s awareness of its position and movement, are important components of ankle sprain physical therapy. Manual therapy techniques, such as massage and joint mobilization, can be used to reduce pain and improve flexibility. Ankle braces or taping may be used to provide support and reduce the risk of re-injury. In severe cases or if conservative treatments do not work, surgery may be necessary. However, physical therapy is still an important part of rehabilitation after surgery.

Common Causes and Symptoms:

  • Rolling the foot and twisting
  • Arthritis – trauma, autoimmune diseases, or infection
  • Break or fracture
  • Tendons and cartilage damage or swelling
  • Infection to the joint­­­
  • Muscle weakness around the ankle joint
  • Pain, inflammation, swelling, redness, bruising, or limited range of motion

Arthritis

Raise your hand if you or someone you know struggles with “Uncle Arthur.” Arthritis can happen in any joint in the body, and it can become extremely debilitating as time goes on, with weather changes, or while you’re completing your daily activities. PT’s can assist in managing arthritic pain by using a variety of treatment techniques, while working closely with your doctor to monitor the best plan of care, specific to you!

We can educate you in posture & body mechanics, strengthening & joint integrity, manual therapy, and we can recommend environmental modifications.

Common Causes and Symptoms:

  • Aging
  • Being overweight or obese
  • Family history
  • Joint injuries, such as from sports or accidents
  • Repetitive movements of a joint
  • Bone deformities
  • Certain metabolic diseases, such as diabetes or hemochromatosis
  • Environmental factors such as cigarette smoke
  • Gout
  • Pain, inflammation, swelling, redness, or limited range of motion

Back Pain (Upper or Lower)

By using dry needling, myofascial release and muscle energy techniques, strengthening and stretching programs, and facilitate improved posture and body mechanics.

Low back pain can have various causes, including muscle strain, spinal arthritis, herniated disc, or degenerative disc disease. Physical therapy aims to reduce pain and improve function by targeting the underlying cause of low back pain. A thorough assessment of the patient’s condition is necessary to determine the best course of physical therapy treatment. Physical therapy can involve passive treatments (e.g., massage, heat therapy) and active treatments (e.g., exercise, stretching). Exercises that strengthen the muscles in the lower back and core are particularly important for treating low back pain. Patients are usually given a home exercise program to continue their recovery outside of physical therapy sessions. Some physical therapy techniques may include spinal manipulation or mobilization. Education about posture and body mechanics is often included in physical therapy treatment for low back pain. Physical therapy can help patients avoid surgery or have better outcomes after surgery. Patients may need to make lifestyle changes to prevent recurring low back pain. Physical therapy can help patients recover their physical function, allowing them to return to work, hobbies, or daily tasks.

Common Causes:
Back pain can happen when mechanical or structural problems develop in the spine, discs, muscles, ligaments, or tendons in the back, or compress a nerve.

Chronic Headaches

By using dry needling, traction to the cervical region, strengthening, and education in breathing and stress management.

Common Types and Symptoms:

  • Chronic migraine – Affect one side or both sides of your head, feels like a pulsating, throbbing sensation, and they cause at least one of the following: nausea, vomiting or both or sensitivity to light and sound
  • Chronic tension-type headache or daily persistent headache – Often affect both sides of your head with pain that feels like pressing or tightening, but not pulsating
  • Hemicrania continua – Affect only one side of your head, daily and continuous, can become severe with development of migraine-like symptoms

Ehlers Danlos Syndrome (Symptoms)

Ehlers Danlos Syndrome – commonly referred to as “EDS,” this is a group of genetic disorders that affect connective tissues and can cause a range of symptoms: unstable or hypermobile joints that are prone to dislocation, bruising easily, abnormal scarring and wound healing, fatigue, dizziness, chronic pain and headaches. Our therapists spend the time to learn about your journey with EDS, and tailor your treatment plan to reduce your symptoms and work on strength and conditioning.

We can help by addressing tissue and joint health through strengthening, assist with pain reduction, and education in body mechanics during movement to prevent injury.

Common Symptoms:

  • Overly flexible joints. Because the connective tissue that holds joints together is looser, your joints can move far past the normal range of motion. Joint pain and dislocations are common.
  • Stretchy skin. Weakened connective tissue allows your skin to stretch much more than usual.
  • Fragile skin. Damaged skin often doesn’t heal well.

Fall Risk Patients

Our OTs and PTs can instruct you in a balance program, educate you in safety awareness and proper use of equipment, and improve strength to prevent future falls.

If you or a loved one are at risk of falling, attend our upcoming FREE Balance Screening Event on Wednesday, Oct. 16th, details here:
https://www.facebook.com/events/416089364928374/?ref=newsfeed

Common Causes:

  • Balance problems and muscle weakness.
  • Vision loss.
  • A long-term health condition, such as heart disease, dementia or low blood pressure, which can lead to dizziness and a brief loss of consciousness.

Fibromyalgia (Symptoms)

We can help with pain reduction techniques via dry needling, myofascial release, and using ice/heat.

Common Symptoms:

  • Chronic, widespread pain throughout the body or in multiple areas. Pain is often felt in the arms, legs, head, chest, abdomen, back, and buttocks. People often describe it as aching, burning, or throbbing.
  • Fatigue or an overwhelming feeling of being tired.
  • Trouble sleeping.

Foot Pain

By giving you exercises and stretches to improve mobility and strength. Shoe modifications and orthotics may be recommended. Rest and ice to help manage pain and inflammation.

Foot pain can be caused by a variety of issues, including plantar fasciitis, Achilles tendonitis, and stress fractures. Physical therapy for foot pain typically involves exercises and stretches to improve mobility and strength in the affected area. It’s important to address foot pain as soon as possible to prevent it from becoming a chronic issue. A physical therapist can help determine the underlying cause and develop a personalized treatment plan.

Functional Movement Disorders

We can work on motor relearning of your muscles, balance/fall prevention and addressing stress reduction techniques that may be contributing to symptoms.

Functional movement disorder (FMD) is a common condition that causes abnormal movements, and symptoms can include:

  • Tremors: Shaking in a limb that you can’t control. Tremors can range from minor to severe.
  • Jerks and twitches: Sudden, brief, involuntary twitching or jerking of a muscle or group of muscles.
  • Spasms and contractures: Limbs may freeze in an uncomfortable or awkward position.
  • Gait problems: Difficulty standing up straight, walking unsteadily, dragging a leg, or fear of falling.
  • Speech difficulties: Stuttering, speech arrest, lower speech volume, or a foreign accent.
  • Vision changes: Blurred vision, double vision, sensitivity to light, or reduced vision.

Golfer’s or Tennis Elbow

We can help by using dry needling, myofascial release, stretching and establishing a strengthening exercise program.

Common Symptoms:

  • Pain and tenderness on the inside of the elbow
  • Pain that runs from the elbow to the wrist along the inside of the forearm
  • Pain when flexing the wrist with the palm facing down
  • Pain when shaking hands
  • Weak grip
  • Numbness or tingling in the fingers, pinky, and ring fingers
  • Difficulty gripping or twisting movements
  • Restricted movement in the elbow
  • Pain that worsens with certain movements, such as swinging a golf club
  • Pain that can occur at night and disrupt sleep

Hip Pain (or Conditions)

We can provide you with stretches and exercises aimed at strengthening and stabilizing, perform manual therapy, offer postural corrections, and address any underlying issues.

Hip pain can have various causes, such as osteoarthritis, hip labral tears, bursitis and strain of the hip muscles or tendons.

Common Symptoms:

  • Pain: Pain in the hip joint, groin, buttock, or front thigh, often worse with movement or activity. Pain can also migrate down the front of the thigh to the knee.
  • Stiffness: Stiffness in the hip, especially in the morning or after resting. It can be difficult to bend down or put on shoes and socks.
  • Swelling: Swelling in the hip, usually caused by inflammation or fluid buildup.
  • Limping: A more serious symptom of hip pain.
  • Decreased range of motion: Difficulty rolling the hip or thigh outward.
  • Locking or catching: The hip may lock, stick, or grind.
  • Weakness: Weakness in the buttock muscles.

Incontinence

We can address strength and coordination issues of pelvic floor musculature and surrounding tissues and educate on life style changes to assist with symptom management.

Common Causes:

  • Weakened muscles – As people age, the muscles in their urinary tract weaken, making it harder to hold in urine. This can also be caused by pregnancy, childbirth, menopause, or pelvic floor trauma.
  • Nerve damage – Damaged nerves may send the wrong signals to the bladder, or not at all. This can be caused by childbirth, diabetes, multiple sclerosis, or spinal cord injury.
  • Blockage – A blockage in the bladder, such as from a kidney stone or tumor, can prevent it from emptying fully.
  • Medications – Some medications can cause bladder control problems, especially for a short time.
  • Constipation – Chronic constipation can put pressure on the bladder and pelvic floor muscles, weakening them and causing incontinence.
  • Smoking – Smoking can increase the risk of incontinence because coughing strains the pelvic floor muscles.
  • Obesity – Being overweight puts pressure on the bladder, which can weaken the muscles over time.

Knee (Sprains, Strains, and Injuries)

We will assess the knee to determine the cause of the pain, provide exercises to improve strength, flexibility, and range of motion. In some cases, bracing or taping may be recommended.

Knee pain can be caused by a variety of factors, including overuse, injury, and underlying conditions such as arthritis, patellofemoral syndrome, and IT band syndrome.

Motor Vehicle Accident Injuries

We can address any muscle or tissue injury through various techniques to assist in alleviating pain. We may also recommend modifications to home, work or school set up.

There are a multitude of injuries that can occur with a car accident, including: whiplash, bone fractures, concussion, and overall trauma to the spinal cord. Therapists take pride in assisting patients in recovering from traumatic injuries, while also showing them how to complete daily activities in a way that best suits them to promote independence and safety while also reducing pain.

Neck Pain

We can help by improving posture and body mechanics, strengthening, stretching and by using dry needling, myofascial release and osteopathic techniques.

Neck pain can have a variety of causes, including muscle strain, poor posture, and degenerative conditions. Physical therapy can be an effective treatment for neck pain, helping to reduce pain, improve function, and prevent future episodes of pain. Common physical therapy techniques for neck pain include manual therapy, therapeutic exercises, and postural training. Manual therapy involves hands-on techniques such as massage, mobilization, and manipulation to improve joint mobility, reduce pain, and release tight muscles. Therapeutic exercises can help to improve neck strength, endurance, and flexibility, as well as improve posture and reduce muscle tension. Postural training involves teaching patients proper alignment and positioning to reduce strain and stress on the neck. The duration of physical therapy for neck pain will depend on the severity and cause of the pain, but it typically involves several sessions over a period of several weeks to several months.

Parkinson’s (Symptoms)

We can help with balance/fall prevention, improving safety at home, gait training, strengthening and also educate on proper use of assistive devices.

Parkinson’s has four main symptoms:

  • Tremor in hands, arms, legs, jaw, or head.
  • Muscle stiffness, where muscle remains contracted for a long time.
  • Slowness of movement.
  • Impaired balance and coordination, sometimes leading to falls.

Pelvic Health (Women’s, Men’s and Pediatrics’)

We can assist with addressing underlying strength, mobility and coordination deficits contributing to bowel/bladder dysfunction in men, women and children. We also provide education in lifestyle and dietary components contributing to symptoms.

See more about our specialized pelvic health care:

Meet our Pelvic Health Team

Pre-Operative Evaluations

We can educate you on weight-bearing restrictions/immobilization, assistive equipment needed and instruct you on exercises and home set up/safety to optimize your recovery.

Our therapists will:

  • Educate you in your upcoming surgery
  • Discuss any weight-bearing restrictions or activity precautions
  • Educate you on needed equipment (toilet risers, shower chairs, reacher/sock aid/long handled shoe you) and assist you in obtaining this equipment
  • Instruct in safe transfers, mobility
  • Organize needed support systems from family/community
  • Review appropriate exercises to best prepare you for your procedure

Pregnancy and Post-Partum Pain

Our pelvic health PTs can assist in addressing any aches/pains during pregnancy or postpartum by using hands on techniques, strengthening and taping. We can also assist with returning to sport/exercise and work on improving diastasis recti.

Learn more about Female Pelvic Health

Note: the treatments listed aren’t an exhaustive list of what can be provided, as each person’s rehabilitation journey is individualized to their specific needs.

Post-Operative Rehabilitation

We can support you with use of modalities such as heat, ice, or electrical stimulation and a strengthening program to ensure you make a full recovery and return to your daily life and leisure activities.

Physical therapy is often an important part of the rehabilitation process after orthopedic surgery, as it can help restore mobility, strength, and function to the affected area. Physical therapy can also help manage pain and inflammation during the recovery process, and may involve the use of modalities such as heat, ice, or electrical stimulation. It is important to work closely with a qualified physical therapist to design an individualized rehabilitation plan and monitor progress throughout the recovery process.

Rotator Cuff Injuries

We will work closely with your provider to ensure continuity of care, facilitate a stretching and strengthening program and use dry needling and joint mobilization as needed for trigger point release and improving range of motion.

Common symptoms of a rotator cuff injury include:

  • Pain: A dull ache or sharp pain in the shoulder or top of the arm, especially when lifting over your head, reaching behind your back, or at night
  • Weakness: Loss of strength in the arm or shoulder
  • Limited mobility: Difficulty moving your arm, raising it above your shoulder, or sleeping on the injured side
  • Popping or crackling: Grating or cracking sounds when moving your arm

Sciatica

We can instruct you on various ways to mobilize the sciatic nerve and reduce tension to reduce tingling/burning, create a strengthening and stretching program and use dry needling and osteopathic techniques.

The most common symptoms of sciatica are:

  • Pain: Pain that radiates from the lower back and buttocks down the back of one leg
  • Numbness: Numbness in the leg, foot, or buttocks
  • Weakness: Weakness in the leg, foot, or buttocks
  • Tingling: Tingling along the nerve or where it provides sensation
  • Aching: Aching in the lower back, buttocks, and/or back
  • Muscle spasms: Muscle spasms in the back

Shoulder Pain

By providing exercise to facilitate strength and improve range of motion. We will educate on modifying activities and proper posturing to decrease irritability of the shoulder.

The shoulder is a complex joint made up of the humerus, scapula, and clavicle bones, as well as various ligaments, tendons, and muscles. Common shoulder injuries include rotator cuff tears, labral tears, impingement syndrome, and dislocation. Overall, physical therapy for shoulder injuries aims to reduce pain, restore range of motion, and improve strength and stability of the shoulder joint.

Sports Injuries

We perform manual therapy techniques, such as massage or joint mobilization, to reduce pain and promote healing, and use targeted exercises and stretches to develop strength and flexibility and prevent future injuries.

Sports injuries can range from acute injuries, such as sprains and strains, to chronic conditions caused by overuse or repetitive motions. Physical therapy for sports injuries typically involves assessing the severity of the injury, creating a plan for rehabilitation, and implementing exercises and stretches to improve function and mobility. Education and injury prevention strategies are also important elements of physical therapy for sports injuries. These may include information on proper form and technique, as well as training programs to prevent future injuries. Physical therapists work closely with athletes and other healthcare professionals, such as doctors and athletic trainers, to coordinate care and ensure optimal recovery.

TMJ/TMD (Temporomandibular Joint Disorders)

We will educate on proper posturing and movement, utilize joint mobilization and dry needling to reduce TMJ pain and headache patterning.

Temporomandibular joint disorder (TMD) can cause severe pain and discomfort in the jaw, making it difficult to eat, speak, and even sleep. While medication and surgery are common treatments, physical therapy has emerged as a highly effective alternative. By using various exercises and techniques, physical therapists can help patients alleviate pain, improve jaw mobility, and prevent future TMD flare-ups. If you’re suffering from TMD, consider working with our physical therapist to find long-lasting relief and a better quality of life.

Vertigo (and Balance Disorders)

We can improve balance and coordination through re-training exercises, issue vestibular exercises and perform repositioning maneuvers.

The vestibular system is responsible for balance and spatial orientation, and vestibular issues can cause symptoms such as dizziness, vertigo, and imbalance. Physical therapy can be used to treat vestibular issues, with exercises designed to improve balance, vision, and proprioception. Depending on the individual’s symptoms and needs, vestibular rehabilitation may involve specific exercises such as gaze stabilization, balance training, or habituation exercises. A physical therapist will perform an assessment of the individual’s vestibular function, medical history, and physical capabilities to develop an individualized treatment plan. Treatment may also include education about triggers to avoid, lifestyle modifications, and strategies for managing symptoms. Vestibular issues can be caused by a variety of factors, including head injury, inner ear infection, aging, or medication side effects.

Whiplash Injuries

We offer osteopathic techniques, visceral therapy and dry needling to decrease pain and improve range of motion and strength. We will monitor and treat additional symptoms such as dizziness.

Common symptoms of Whiplash:

  • Neck pain and stiffness
  • Pain that gets worse with neck movement
  • Loss of range of motion in the neck
  • Headaches, most often starting at the base of the skull
  • Tenderness or pain in the shoulder, upper back or arms
  • Tingling or numbness in the arms
  • Tiredness
  • Dizziness

Workers Compensation Injuries

We offer exercises, manual therapy, and modalities for pain relief such as education on injury prevention and proper body mechanics. We also offer site evaluations to prevent any work-related injuries.

Employers can learn more about Workplace Solutions, click here.

Note: the treatments listed aren’t an exhaustive list of what can be provided, as each person’s rehabilitation journey is individualized to their specific needs.

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