Manual Therapy
Manual therapy is a general term that is used to describe hands on techniques used by a number of practitioners, including physical therapists, in order to assist with recovery. The definition of manual therapy is quite broad, and can be described as “skilled hand movements and skilled passive movements of joints and soft tissue.”
Return to Sport after ACL injury: Cue Chaos
While Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) rehabilitation is one of the highest studied areas within physical therapy, it certainly has its shortcomings with loose return to play (RTP) guidelines remaining less than definitive and not to mention delivering relatively high failure rates. So, why is this high failure rate occurring, what are we missing, and what can we do to see meaningful changes in return to sport?
Evidence for Exercise
Have you ever had an overuse injury like a tendinopathy (also known as tendinitis)? A common misconception about this injury is that rest is the most important piece to recovery. Though rest is important, it is not the most important part of your recovery. While adjusting your training volume during a time of injury, you should also be progressively loading your tendon. Tendon fibers become stronger when they are put to use in an intentional way.
The Time to Improve Foot Function is Now
The human foot is an evolutionary marvel. The human foot contains twenty-six bones, thirty-three joints, and one-hundred ligaments, muscles, and tendons. Our unique ability to walk on two legs (bipedal walking) is due in part to the ingenious balance of mobility, shock absorption, and propulsion found in our feet.
Sapphire Physical Therapy Takes Over Montana Pedorthics Practice
Sapphire Physical Therapy is excited to announce the expansion of our custom foot orthotic services. John Fiore, PT has taken over the customer base of MT Pedorthics LLC as Marvin Walchuk has retired. John will be serving Western Montana from our Missoula, MT clinic. We will be accepting past, present & new customers who were previously treated by Marvin Walchuk. In preparation for his retirement, Marvin has mentored John to continue the legacy of quality customer service that he has built over the past 34 years. Sapphire Physical Therapy uses the same Amfit digital scanning & on-site milling technology for a truly custom orthotics build to the unique structure & needs of your feet.
Addressing the Unique Challenges of Injured Workers
The task of treating work related injuries often comes with unique challenges and requires a coordinated effort from providers to assist workers in their return to work. At Sapphire Physical Therapy we offer a number of services including functional capacity evaluations (FCEs), physical therapy, and work hardening to help.
Rehabilitation after ACL Reconstruction
Optimizing rehab following ACL reconstruction (ACLR) is essential for a successful return to sport and recreational activities. Unfortunately, quad strength deficits and gait impairments can linger >6 months to 3 years after surgery.(1,2) It is our job as physical therapists to guide the individual through a quality rehab process and have the correct tools to objectively measure progress.
Fall Ski Specific Training to Reduce Injury Risk and Increase Enjoyment
The forecast for the Northern Rockies calls for a cold and snowy winter which is good news for Montanans. Winter enthusiasts in the US include 13 million downhill skiers and snowboarders, 1 million backcountry skiers (wildsnow.com), and 5 cross country skiers (statista.com). With snow in the high country and the first arctic storm hitting Montana, now is the time to get serious about a fall ski specific training program.
Expanding Clinic Space & Services
Sapphire Physical Therapy completed a major expansion project last winter. We are open Monday through Friday from 8:00 am to 6:00 pm to evaluate and treat new and existing patients. Our recently expanded clinic is 6,000 square feet which makes social distancing a reality. The additional space includes a large gym area, new exercise equipment, three additional private treatment rooms (brings our total private treatment rooms to six), and a new therapist office. We have two separate parking lots, two entrances, four unique waiting areas, and we are staggering our schedules to eliminate waiting and congestion.
ACL Coper Protocol
With Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) injuries on the rise, it is important for health care providers to understand the evidence based, non-surgical approaches available. So what is the ACL Coper Protocol? It is a non-invasive protocol to assess ACL deficient athlete’s potential to return to cutting sports without ACL reconstruction.