Your foot is the link between the ground and the rest of your body. Small structural issues or problems in the foot can lead to, of course, foot pain but also knee, hip and back pain through a chain reaction due to improper body mechanics. In addition to traditional therapies to address your foot problem, custom casted orthotics can be fabricated that help to restore normal alignment and balance in the foot. By creating a more normal balance, this will help to relieve the stress that your body has been enduring thus setting up an environment in which you can heal.

Orthotics are made by first casting your foot. From this cast, an exact replica of your foot is created, and then an orthotic is made using this replica. Having an orthotic in your shoe is comparable to wearing a pair of shoes that was custom made for your foot. If you are having ongoing pain in the feet, knees or even the spine, then orthotics might be right for you.

We treat many work injured patients at Performance Rehabilitation. Many work related injuries affect the spine but others may injure any part of their arms or legs, sometimes requiring surgery. The ultimate goal is, of course, to get you better so that you can return to work and start earning an income once again. Besides specifically addressing your injury, we prepare you specifically for the work that you will have to return to. If you do a lot of lifting then once you are ready, we will teach you the proper techniques to lift and make sure that your back and legs are ready for the task. If your job requires you to push, pull or carry heavy objects or just stand for long periods of time, your program will be tailored to get you ready for these tasks. We might have you enroll in "The Back School" at Performance Rehabilitation.

Joint replacements are not only of the knees and hips, but also the shoulder, elbow and fingers. No matter which body part is affected, joint replacement is a big operation and once your surgery is complete,your therapy is a crucial part of your recovery. Your therapy is exercise and a functionally oriented program that may be supplemented with modalities that help alleviate pain and reduce the swelling that you will experience after joint replacement surgery. During this period, you need an expert to guide you through your rehabilitation, which will help you to restore mobility, strength and function.

Replacements of the finger joints are very delicate. It is highly recommended that you seek out a commission certified hand therapist to render your treatment.

Treating the neurologically impaired patient takes the therapist back to his/her roots and fundamentals of care. Neurological impairment can be quitedevastating but physical therapists are highly trained at analyzing your weaknesses, addressing problems with balance, coordination, and spasticity. Improvements in these areas will take a person from being unable to walk to walking unassisted, or helping a person dress or bathe themselves. Once again, ultimately restoring the one thing that is so important to all of us...our independence.

This area encompasses all problems that are related to the bones, joints, ligaments, tendons and muscles, commonly referred to as our musculoskeletal system. Whether you are suffering with pain in the shoulder caused by an impingement, an arthritic knee or after reconstructive surgery, we have the expertise and knowledge to safely progress you through your rehabilitation.

The back and neck are the two most common areas afflicted with pain and dysfunction. Low back pain affects tens of thousands of people every year and is the most common problem that we treat at Performance Rehabilitation. Due to its complexity, this area of the body requires a great deal of experience and knowledge to effectively rehabilitate. The cornerstone of spinal rehabilitation is appropriate exercises that develop stability and core postural strength. These exercises may be supplemented with manual therapies such as passive stretching, various types of soft tissue massage or manual mobilization of stiff joints. Additionally, modalities that loosen and soothe painful joints and muscles such as ultrasound or electrical stimulation may be employed.

Our back school is a unique program that brings our patients to a new level of knowledge and understanding about spinal care and function. We have found that when people have a better understanding of their problem they are more apt to apply this knowledge to help themselves get better. The back school starts out by educating the individual about the structure and function of the spine...how it is put together and how it works. We then review the various things that can go wrong in the spine. For example, you will learn the difference between a herniated disc, a slipped disc, a pinched nerve and a bulging disc. From there we learn the different activities and positions that put stress on the spine and those that do not. We will teach you proper posture for sitting, standing and how to lift correctly. In the end you will learn simple and effective techniques and life style modifications in order to eliminate pain and improve your quality of life.

The injured athlete is a special group of individuals that require special care and attention. This is because they are typically involved in a team sport and are injured during their season of play, when they are needed most by the team. For this reason, they need to be treated carefully but as aggressively as possible to get them back to their game. One of the biggest challenges a therapist faces when they are dealing with this population of patients is finding the perfect balance between rapidly returning them to their pre-injury level of play as quickly as possible and remembering that injured tissue must go through stages of recovery before it can tolerate the stress that athletics can place upon them. For this reason, the injured athlete needs a therapist that understands the demand of the game but more importantly, the appropriate course of therapy to safely return the individual to their sport in the quickest period of time. Whether you are suffering from a strain, sprain, tendinitis or more traumatic injury, Performance Rehabilitation's safe and effective programs will get you back in the game as soon as possible.

Many people are afflicted with what is commonly called TMD or temperomandibulardysfunction. It is an ailment that affects the jaw and at times becomes so painful that one can not open or close their mouth. The jaw joint or TMJ is a joint like any other joint in the body, and is treated as such. Many of the exercises and modalities that we employ can be used on the jaw as well. Often times, jaw dysfunction is associated with problems of the neck. Postural deviations of the neck are addressed when treating the jaw. The ultimate goal here is to restore normal mechanics of the jaw allowing pain free mobility.

The vestibular system is that part of our inner ear that helps us to maintain our balance. When you spin around very fast and you get dizzy, it is because you are stressing your vestibular system. The normal vestibular system is responsible for giving our brain information about the position of our head in a particular space.

Unfortunately, if this system is not working correctly, our sense of balance and position is off. Your doctor has various forms of medication that may help you with your problem, but one important component of your care is physical therapy. We employ various activities and exercises to retrain your vestibular system. Just as a young child needs to learn to walk and adjust itself to its imbalances, we employ techniques that teach you how to adjust to your surroundings affording you better balance and the ability to walk.

At times, balance disturbances are not due to the vestibular system but to other causes such as the nervous system. In this case, appropriate balance, strengthening and ambulatory activities are employed to once again retrain your ability to walk more normally.

Performance Rehabilitation has developed a Wellness & After Care Program for those whose active therapy program has ended but who wish to continue to get the benefits of exercise. Many of our patients have found that continuing their exercise regimen after the prescribed therapy period has ended makes a significant impact on ensuring continued strength, balance, flexibility and coordination.