Tag: healing journey

Pain From An Auto Accident? Whiplash? Pinched Nerve? Physical Therapy Can Help Cure the Emotional and Physical Pain Following a Car Crash

Posted on by naupt
Physical Therapy can help with car accident related injuries

By Sukie Nau, DPT/Owner, NAU Physical Therapy & Wellness

We’ve all been through it. The bang, clang, and crash of an auto accident. We feel fine at first, but the next day, the pain sets in.

You don’t feel it right away because your endorphins kick in as part of your body’s fight-or-flight response.

But later, you feel tightness as well as painful and restricted movement. Muscle tightening and inflammation are symptoms that your nervous system is in high alert – it’s your body’s way of telling you that it’s inflamed.

At NAU Physical Therapy & Wellness, we can help you relieve the pain by initially adjusting your sympathetic nervous system with electric acupuncture. Then, we’ll treat your autonomic and parasympathetic nervous systems.

This process calms the nervous system down from the fight-or-flight response, making it easier for you to heal.

When your muscles release the good endorphins, you’ll gradually feel better. Then, we’ll use hands-on soothing manipulation to loosen the joints with very light corrective strategies, such as stretching, so that the muscles re-learn how to use the body without compensating.

We also have other modalities available, such as cold laser, to help loosen tight muscles and decrease inflammation.

This type of treatment usually takes 30-45 days. During this time, physical therapy allows the body to release its emotional blockage and heal.

We empower our patients to become more autonomous with their minds and bodies, so they can take control of their own healing.

For more information, or to schedule a free consultation, call our office today.

Chronic Pain in Your Shoulders, Neck, Arms, and Back? Before resorting to surgery or taking pain pills, target your trigger points!

Posted on by naupt
chronic pain can be resolved with natural methods other than medication and surgery

By Sukie Nau, DPT/Owner, NAU Physical Therapy & Wellness

Have you been bothered by chronic pain for many years, and believe nothing helps? Have you popped pain killers and opted for surgery, but still no relief?

Have your physical therapist check your trigger points!

Trigger points are hyperactive muscle spasms caused by strain and muscle overuse. The symptoms are caused by the muscle trying to protect and guard itself.

Targeting trigger points helps with vertigo, headaches, sciatica, frozen shoulder, and other symptoms.

With chronic pain, for example, a patient has latent trigger points which flare up with stress. Likewise, if someone has a rotator cuff injury, that means that there are active trigger points.

At NAU Physical Therapy & Wellness, the most effective work we do is with trigger points after pain gets misdiagnosed. In most cases of pain, trigger points are not properly addressed.

Many people resort to medication, opioids, injections, surgery, or spinal manipulation. But pain relief from spinal manipulation is short-lived because of the underlying trigger points.

Surgery is only needed in rare cases such as massive, herniated discs pushing on a nerve, such as severe trauma after a fall and/or accident. But most people can get help with conservative management over time.

Trigger point treatment allows the patient to come off meds and avoid surgery. In our experienced physical therapy practice, we’ve seen the most ‘aha’ moments when we treat the trigger points.

The treatment methods we use are designed to release the painful, tight tissues through a blend of Eastern and Western healing philosophies to promote complete and deep healing.

In addition to joint mobilization techniques and other soft tissue release methods, they include:

  • Targeting trigger points (Western medicine)
  • Targeting acupressure points (Chinese medicine)
  • Activating marma points (yoga/Ayurvedic medicine in India)

While trigger points can be elusive, people tend to have the same trigger points. When the trigger points are targeted, there’s an 80%-90% reduction in pain.

The satellite trigger point starts at the shoulder, runs down the arm, and into the hand. Targeting the central point can help alleviate symptoms following therapy, surgery, injections, and constant pain.

You can even learn how to self-diagnose and self-treat. You just need guidance and effort.

At NAU Physical Therapy & Wellness, we treat trigger points by:

  • Identifying what the trigger point feels like
  • Identifying which trigger points to work on based on symptoms
  • Knowing how to treat actual trigger points (which don’t respond to a massage) by:
    • Finding the spot in the muscle (knot)
    • Finding the apex of the knot and put the same pressure on the knot
    • Moving it in a small range motion 1⁄2 inch in diameter. This allows the milky tissue to release the fluids of muscles.

For more information, or to schedule a free consultation, call our office today