Questions to ask before making an appointment Written by: MICHELLE MILLNER, PT, DPT, OCS All physical therapists are not created equal. As with any profession there are rock stars and there are shower singers. Unlike other area’s of medical care, however, physical therapy is a time intensive individualized therapy based on helping you (the patient/client) …
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What is direct access? Written by: Paul Kochoa, PT, DPT, OCS, CKTP, CGFI Did you know that you can see a physiotherapist without going to a physician first? It’s called “direct access” and it’s a law in 46 states (.pdf link) that allows a healthcare consumer, that’s you, to see a physiotherapist without a …
How to prepare for your first physiotherapy visit Written by: Paul Kochoa, PT, DPT, OCS, CKTP, CGFI Physiotherapists are skilled medical professionals and movement specialists that are trained to reduce pain, improve function, and can even help you avoid the need for surgery and medication. In many states, like New Jersey, you can go …
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More on stability and mobility Written by: Paul Kochoa, PT, DPT, OCS, CKTP, CGFI Allow me to go on a tangent here, talking more about stability and mobility. You’ve probably read about the core and stability/mobility thoughts here before. Today, I’m going to take it back to something that I learned way back when …
Spinal fusion surgery Written by: Paul Kochoa, PT, DPT, OCS, CKTP, CGFI Let’s say you have some back pain, you go see a specialist, perhaps an orthopedic surgeon, and discuss your back pain. The doctor mentions surgery. What do you do? For many patient with back pain, this can result in major problems on …
Setting goals Written by: Paul Kochoa, PT, DPT, OCS, CKTP, CGFI The other day I was doing an initial evaluation on a patient. She came to me complaining of left shoulder pain that limited her ability to carry and lift her bags as well as have pain while driving her car. She never had …
What is Regional Interdependence? Written by: Paul Kochoa, PT, DPT, OCS, CKTP, CGFI In a case study published in the Orthopedic Physical Therapy Practice journal, a 62 year-old man complained of shoulder pain.¹ The case study detailed this patient and his results with physical therapy. He couldn’t lift his arm more than 30 degrees, …
The changing face of physical therapy Written by: Paul Kochoa, PT, DPT, OCS, CKTP, CGFI Most people think that physical therapy is just for the injured or the disabled. This is true, but physiotherapists do more than you think. Physiotherapists are the medical specialists that doctors usually refer their patients to for rehabilitation of an …
What’s a frozen shoulder? Written by: Paul Kochoa, PT, DPT, OCS, CKTP, CGFI If you’ve ever had shoulder pain and searched on the internet for some answers, you’ve probably come across the term, “frozen shoulder”. It’s a term that’s been used to describe shoulder pain with limited motion. Actually, the proper name for this …
Neck surgery and physical therapy Written by: Paul Kochoa, PT, DPT, OCS, CKTP, CGFI This week, a patient of mine mentioned that her husband recently started having neck pain with numbness and tingling going down his arms. As we talked more, she then stated that when he went to go see a doctor, the doctor …