Therapeutic Modalities

Therapeutic modalities are advanced techniques made to alleviate pain, reduce inflammation, retrain muscular contraction, and treat acute and chronic soft tissue injuries. In our practice we use electrical stimulation, microcurrent, ultrasound, coldwave laser, traction, cryotherapy, moist heat, cervical decompression, and lumbar decompression. Like most of our treatments, the type of modality and the intensity of the treatment depends on each situation. Your doctor will determine the type of therapeutic modality or modalities which will best address your condition.

Here are a few examples of the therapeutic modalities you may be prescribed as a part of your course of treatment:

Electrical Muscle Stimulation is a useful tool for practitioners looking to resolve troublesome muscle pain, especially pain that is not being solved by traditional over-the-counter analgesics. When a sports injury, or other injury causes a muscle to become inflamed, EMS therapy can help by forcing muscles to contract and relax in specific ways that increase blood flow and raise endorphins, helping the healing process.

Microcurrent therapy is a painless type of physical therapy modality which can be used to treat a wide variety of issues regarding the muscles and nerves of the body. Microcurrent therapy differs from typical forms of Electrical Stimulation in that microcurrent uses different wavelengths and does not cause contraction or spasm of the muscles. Microcurrent is also used more for acute inflammation that is too tender to the touch. Instead, microcurrent therapy helps relax muscles, improves blood flow, and more.

When you think of Ultrasound, you may think of Ultrasound imaging, which is used to diagnose a variety of conditions, as well as to track the progress of a developing fetus. Ultrasound Therapy uses a similar principle: sound waves are targeted to a specific area experiencing muscle pain, which helps to decrease inflammation, increase blood flow, and promote regeneration. This procedure is completely non-invasive – just a little bit of conductive gel and a whole lot of relief!

Cold laser therapy is a therapeutic modality which uses low levels of light to promote regeneration and healing of inflamed tissues. This form of light therapy differs from a traditional surgical laser because it does not transmit enough energy to damage, cut, coagulate, or vaporize tissue. A low-level light will be applied to the affected area for a short amount of time to encourage healing. This technique is completely non-invasive and does not involve any sort of pain or discomfort.

Traction therapy is a non-surgical therapy which can help treat conditions related to the spine, especially conditions such as herniated or slipped disks. Traction therapy works by helping realign a patient’s spine through careful stretching and realignment. These therapies can be done manually (with a doctor’s hands) or on a traction table, which is specially designed to help the spine to stretch.

Cryotherapy is a treatment which involves exposing the body to extremely low temperatures to treat musculoskeletal issues. These sessions involve engulfing the body with nitrogen gas (the most abundant gas in our atmosphere, making up nearly 80% of the air you breathe every day) for a short duration to reduce the skin’s temperature. This non-invasive treatment can be used to reduce pain, as well as to promote recovery.

Moist Heat Therapy is a non-invasive technique that is exactly what it sounds like: a dampened source of heat is applies to a problem area in order to alleviate pain and promote healing. Similar to the process of applying a hot water bottle to an area in pain, or taking a hot bath, moist heat therapy can help target a painful area without damaging tissues.

Decompression is a therapeutic modality which works by taking pressure off the disks of the spine: the cushions between the vertebrae. This gentle stretching of the spine can result in the retraction of herniated disks, which can promote healing of areas of the spine which are causing you pain.