Physical Therapy

At Northwest Physical Therapy, we offer comprehensive care for a wide range of diagnoses, injuries, and conditions. Our physical therapy services are designed to quickly reduce your pain and restore your normal function.

Patient care begins with an in-depth assessment of your condition. Based on measurements and history taken during your evaluation appointment, your therapist develops a customized treatment program that is directed towards making meaningful, practical and sustained changes in your ability to function. Goals for therapy are developed with your lifestyle in mind and are focused toward maximizing functional independence, preventing further movement/problems and maintaining health.

We provide specialized care and treatments for:

Back and Neck Pain:
An exact cause of back or neck pain is often difficult to establish. Some back and neck pains are symptoms of a larger condition. A thorough diagnosis by a physician and an appropriate program of Manual Therapy and exercise under the direction of a physical therapist can usually correct most problems.

Hip and Knee Pain:
Hip or knee pain can be caused by a number of conditions, some temporary, others chronic but treatable. An accurate diagnosis is the key to

Foot and Ankle Pain:
The foot and ankle contain 26 bones, 33 joints and more than 100 different muscles, tendons and ligaments. After pinpointing the specific cause of pain and discomfort, an experienced physical therapist can determine the most effective course of treatment.

Shoulder, Elbow, Wrist & HandPain:
Orthopedic disorders of the finger, hand, wrist, forearm, elbow and shoulder might be genetic, or, more often, acquired through months or years of strain on the affected areas, whether through work or recreational activities. Physical therapy can alleviate the pain and discomfort of many of these conditions.

Sports Injuries:
Generally speaking, there are 2 types of injury in sports…The first is what are called acute traumatic injuries, things like fractures, sprains, strains, and concussion. These are usually caused by impact or lateral force, getting tackled in football for example, or falling from a skateboard.

The second type is overuse injuries, usually from repetitive movement and includes things like stress fractures, bursitis, and tendonitis or tennis elbow.
All of these injuries are treated by physical therapists.

Postural / Muscular Imbalance:
Through work or other regular daily activity your body adapts to certain required positions or movements. Often these positions can put your spine and other joints out of their normal balanced alignment. This is called postural dysfunction. Physical therapy can help your body “re-learn” these movements and regain proper balance.

Arthritis:
Arthritis is essentially inflammation and swelling in and around the joints and surrounding soft tissue. This inflammation causes pain and stiffness. Physical therapy can help both reduce inflammation and relieve pain, as well as restore freedom of movement.

Geriatric Rehabilitation:
Geriatric rehabilitation programs are for older patients who may have multiple problems.
Physical, cognitive, and functional capabilities are all considered. Physical therapy can help older patients retain the skills needed to live as independently as possible.

Osteoporosis Exercise Programs:
Osteoporosis is the loss of calcium and other minerals from your bones, which makes the bones very fragile. Most bone fractures occur because of a fall. Physical therapy can reduce the chances of falling by using exercises to build muscle strength and improve balance. These exercises can also slow the rate of bone loss, further reducing the risk of fractures.

Orthopedic Rehabilitation:
Therapies concerned with muscles, ligaments and joints are considered orthopedic therapy. Conditions include many injuries or diseases; knee problems, shoulder injuries, torn cartilage, hip problems and fibromyalgia.

There are many specific treatments for orthopedic disorders, depending on the type and severity of the problem.

Auto Accident / Injury:
Automobile accidents can cause many different types of injuries, to virtually any part of the body, depending on the circumstances of the crash and the severity of the impact. Neck injuries, spinal cord, back, knee, head trauma… All of these injuries may require either physical or occupational therapy to achieve optimal recovery.

Work Related Injuries:
Work conditioning uses strengthening and conditioning exercises to restore function after an illness or injury.
Work hardening is a more aggressive approach. With work hardening, a worker attends daily therapy sessions during the first week. With each week of progress, one more hour is added to daily sessions, eventually allowing the patient to resume a full, normal workday.

Balance and Gait Disorders:
Gait training is a therapy that helps people improves their ability to stand and walk. One goal of gait training is preventing falls. Gait training helps strengthen muscles and joints, improves balance, develops muscle memory, builds endurance, and retrains the legs for repetitive motion.

Gait training is often recommended after an illness or injury, to help a patient regain independence in walking.

Dizziness / Vertigo:
Dizziness and vertigo are among the most common symptoms causing patients to visit a physician. Falling is often a direct consequence of dizziness and the risk is compounded in elderly persons with other medical problems.

Patients are most often treated both medically and with vestibular rehabilitation. Physical therapists provide structured balance-rehabilitation programs and educate patients in home safety.

Headaches and Migraine:
There are many treatments for headache. Hot or cold packs, ultrasound, electrical stimulation, posture improving exercises, trigger point injections, stretching, and relaxation techniques are some of the therapies available.

Migraine treatment often involves acute treatment of the actual symptom and preventive therapy to reduce the frequency of occurrence. Therapy to reduce migraine triggers is often very effective

TMJ Disorder:
Temporomandibular joint disorder, or dysfunction, (TMD) is a common condition that limits the natural functions of the jaw, such as opening the mouth and chewing. It currently affects more than 10 million people in the United States. It is sometimes incorrectly referred to as simply “TMJ,” which represents the name of the joint itself. TMD affects more women than men and is most often diagnosed in individuals aged 20 to 40 years. Its causes range from poor posture, chronic jaw clenching, and poor teeth alignment, to fracture or conditions such as lockjaw, where the muscles around the jaw spasm and reduce the opening of the mouth. Physical therapists help people with TMD ease pain, regain normal jaw movement, and lessen daily stress on the jaw.

Post Stroke:
Although rehabilitation cannot “cure” the effects of stroke, rehabilitation therapies can substantially help people relearn skills that may be lost when part of the brain is damaged. Skills like the coordinated leg movements needed to walk, or any other complex activity. For example, an individual may need to learn how to bathe and dress using only one hand, or re-learn how to communicate effectively.

Traumatic Brain injury (TBI):
Traumatic brain injury typically results from a violent blow or jolt to the head. Any object penetrating the skull will also cause traumatic brain injury. Mild traumatic brain injury may cause temporary dysfunction of brain cells. Serious traumatic brain injury often results in physical damage to the brain, causing long-term complications.

There are specific physical and occupational therapies that can often improve many of these conditions.

Neurological Rehabilitation:
Injuries, infections, degenerative diseases, congenital defects, tumors, or disorders of the circulatory system can affect the nervous system.
Neurological rehabilitation is a therapeutic program designed for people with diseases, trauma, or disorders of the nervous system. Neurological rehabilitation can often improve function, reduce symptoms, and improve the general well-being of the patient.

Post-Operative / Surgical Rehabilitation:
The goal of post-surgical rehabilitation is to enable you to regain full physical function and mobility, allowing you to resume your normal, everyday life, your work and favorite recreational activities.