Rehabilitation Therapy
Rehabilitation
Whether a patient’s need for rehabilitation treatment is related to surgery, trauma, or sports injuries, Dr. Andrew Kiper, Dr. Samuel Pare and Dr. Ivette Mendez of Lakeside Spine & wellness in the Ravenswood, Andersonville, and Lincoln Square area of Chicago, IL, are experienced in providing effective quality care. Their expertise and skill in progressive rehab are sought out by patients throughout Chicagoland.
Rehabilitation Q & A
What Is Rehabilitation? Rehab is physical medicine designed to return the body to optimum health and function following illness, sports injury, or surgery. Rehabilitation therapy at Lakeside includes a proper MDT assessment, muscle strengthening, balancing exercises, deep soft-tissue work as needed and home exercises to speed up the healing process. Chiropractors can also teach patients the correct ways to move to promote function, and proper mobility and stability.
Who Needs Rehabilitation? Most people would probably immediately think of rehab for serious injuries or stroke. However, rehabilitation therapy also teaches patients how to move correctly, prevent pain, and how to modify a movement after an injury. Poor posture can cause many musculoskeletal issues, and rehabilitation may be used to counteract the effects of postural problems. Rehab is also used after a bone fracture, in which case the goal is to strengthen the surrounding muscles and tendons, as well as, diagnose and address any balance changes.
What Are the Goals of Rehabilitation? Although the overarching goals of rehab are to reduce pain and improve stability and mobility, rehabilitation can also help with other issues. For example, a person who has a hip, knee, or back problems often compensates by changing his or her gait or posture. This sets up a series of musculoskeletal changes that can cause pain and muscle spasm or affect the balance. All of these factors must be taken into account in developing a rehabilitation treatment plan for each patient. Other considerations include the patient’s physical capability, endurance, cognitive abilities, and determination to heal.
What’s the Connection with Chiropractic Care? Rehab may encompass other components such as speech or occupational therapy. However, musculoskeletal issues are at the center of most rehabilitation plans. Chiropractic is one of the few health care disciplines that focuses on musculoskeletal issues. Classic physical therapy tends to use a joint-by-joint approach to rehabilitation with mostly strengthening muscles which takes months and months of care. Evidence-based chiropractic care (especially MDT) by contrast, addresses the entire patient as a whole, as posture, gait, muscles, skeletal alignment, and tendons are all interconnected. For example, foot or ankle issues can lead to pain in the knee or hips. For the best and long-term results, chiropractic treatment always treats a patient’s underlying problem/root cause and not just the symptoms. Our doctors are looking for major symptom change within the first few visits and will not continue to treat a patient if they are not responding well to care and will take the next steps whether that be an image or referral to another type of provider. We will not waste your time or money at Lakeside Spine & Wellness.
