Conditions & Treatment
Sport Specific Injury
The ability to be at the top of your game depends on the ability of your body to perform at optimal peak when on demand. In order to run, jump, cut, kick, reach or pedal your body needs to have balance. You need the ability to shift your weight to the left as well as you shift your weight to the right. The strength & flexibility of your quadriceps needs to be balanced by the strength and flexibility of your hamstrings and gluteals. The tightness of your back needs to be offset by the strength of your abdominal muscles.
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Do you have difficulty balancing on your left leg compared to your right?
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Is it easier to cut in one direction compared to the other?
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Do you experience back discomfort while performing?
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Do you have frequent popping or clicking of your joints with pain?
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Do you experience frequent muscular cramps? Muscular strains or pulls? Ligament sprains?
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Have you had multiple or chronic injuries?
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Have you had previous treatment without results?
New Heights Physical Therapy can help you get back in the game. We focus on restoring your position to neutral so that your muscles can function at optimal peak. We teach you how to balance your muscular system so that your ability to shift from side to side, front to back is symmetrical. We devise a treatment plan that incorporates moves specific to your sport so that you can return to sport without re-injury and at optimal function
Gait / Running Analysis
Our unique approach to gait analysis includes a whole body biomechanical assessment. We address the underlying issues that are specific to your pain or musculoskeletal dysfunction. We not only have the expertise in gait/running mechanics analysis but we are dedicated to educating you about your individual problem and teaching you how to prevent injury in the future. We take the visual breakdown of your gait/running mechanics, and based on the results, give you an individual exercise program to address your limitations, weaknesses and imbalances.
We help you correct the imbalances of your muscular system so that you can be more efficient, stronger and hit your peak stride.
Dance Medicine
Specialized Physical Therapy for Dancers to evaluate, treat and prevent injuries. Evaluation of biomechanics and dance specific movements to assess cause, limitations, asymmetries and imbalances of your system. Treatment includes correction of imbalances, manual therapy and correction of dance alignment and technique. Prevention of re-injury by correcting movement patterns and dance technique to help you optimize your performance with out strain.
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Maryann Johnson is a specialized Dance Medicine Physical Therapist and a trained dancer. She understands the needs of the dancer and focuses treatment from an understanding and knowledge of a dancer’s perspective. Rehabilitation for dancers by a dancer.
Pelvic Floor Dysfunction
Our practice includes 3 experienced pelvic floor specialists who treat a wide variety of problems related directly to the pelvic floor and pelvis. Treatment time is typically 45-60 minutes in a private, caring environment. Our treatment philosophy is to focus on the whole person especially the balance and alignment of the body so that muscles are positioned in a state of relaxation and improved function. We incorporate into our treatment PRI techniques, manual therapy, exercises, relaxation and breathing, biofeedback, and modalities as needed.
Pelvic Pain: While other clinics may offer some services in pelvic floor treatment, we pride ourselves in treating the more complex pelvic pain problems including vaginismus, pudendal neuralgia, coccydynia, vulvodynia, interstitial cystitis, endometriosis, and prostadynia . Our approach includes education and self management, manual techniques to quiet irritated muscles, and balancing posture for improved rest and function.
Incontinence: Pelvic floor muscles can get weak from childbirth, trauma, hormonal changes with menopause or back & hip problems. We instruct in strengthening as well as correcting the muscle imbalances around the pelvis to restore normal function.
Male Pelvic Floor Dysfunction: Men with pelvic floor issues are seen at our clinic. Examples of diagnoses treated include: incontinence post prostatectomy, prostadynia, pudendal neuralgia, coccyx pain, and pelvic floor dysfunction. We will evaluate hip and back mobility, and look for imbalance in the trunk, which may cause overuse in the pelvic floor muscles. Treatment may include biofeedback to relax and retrain pelvic floor muscles, manual techniques to release tightness at the trunk, hip and pelvis, stretching, and strengthening to retrain weak postural muscles. Please feel free to call and talk to one of our pelvic floor therapist if you have questions.
New Heights staff is highly skilled and has years of clinical expertise in the treatment of back pain and spinal dysfunction. Common diagnosis include: sacroiliac strain, sacral/spinal instability, disc pathology, spondolothesis/spondylosis, scoliosis and spinal degeneration.
Although spinal injuries do happen as a result of trauma or accident related, most back problems occur as the result of cumulative trauma. Poor postural habits, weak or imbalanced core muscles, spinal, pelvic & ribcage malalignments or torsions cause a continual strain on the spine. This continual strain can result in joint inflammation, muscular spasm, pain and instability.
We believe in correcting the biomechanics that are causing the pain. We focus on making sure your alignment is neutral and that your muscular system is balanced. We assist and empower you to help manage and treat your specific spinal problem.
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You and your therapist will devise a plan to restore your posture, retrain your system and restore your function. Treatments may include: neuromuscular re-education, postural education, core strengthening, stability exercises, general flexibility, soft tissue mobilizations, spinal mobilization, traction and modalities as needed.
Spine Rehabilitation
New Heights Performance Physical Therapy staff is highly skilled and has years of clinical expertise in the treatment of back pain and spinal dysfunction. Common diagnosis include: sacroiliac strain, sacral/spinal instability, disc pathology, spondolothesis/spondylosis, scoliosis and spinal degeneration. Although spinal injuries do happen as a result of trauma or accident related, most back problems occur as the result of cumulative trauma. Poor postural habits, weak or imbalanced core muscles, spinal, pelvic & ribcage malalignments or torsions cause a continual strain on the spine. This continual strain can result in joint inflammation, muscular spasm, pain and instability.
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We believe in correcting the biomechanics that are causing the pain. We focus on making sure your alignment is neutral and that your muscular system is balanced. We assist and empower you to help manage and treat your specific spinal problem.
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You and your therapist will devise a plan to restore your posture, retrain your system and restore your function. Treatments may include: neuromuscular re-education, postural education, core strengthening, stability exercises, general flexibility, soft tissue mobilizations, spinal mobilization, traction and modalities as needed.
Chronic Pain
General Orthopedic Conditions
Physical Therapists are health care professionals that specialize in the diagnosis and treatment of musculoskeletal dysfunctions. These injuries include the treatment of muscles, joints and ligaments and how these systems to create movement.
If there is a failure in any one of these systems your body may be unable to move though its full range of motion without strain, pain or mechanical failure. Injuries may be the result of trauma or surgery but are often the result of cumulative strain. We evaluate your movement system; restore mobility & balance, increase strength & flexibility so that you may function without pain.
Diagnosis may include:
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Muscular tendonitis (foot & ankle, hip, knee, shoulder)
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Ligament strains/sprains or tears
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Hip impingement, snapping hip, hip tendonitis, labral dysfunction
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Patellofemoral syndrome, patellar tendonitis
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SI Joint Dysfunction
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TMD & fascial pain
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Osteoarthritis
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Muscular spasms, myofascial pain syndromes
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Shoulder impingement
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Spinal dysfunction
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Joint hyper or hypo mobility
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Post operative rehabilitation
TMD / Headaches
New Heights Performance Physical Therapy has therapists that are trained and experienced in treating temporomandibular joint disorders (TMD). TMD is a category of dysfunctions that include pain in the jaw joint as well as muscles around the head and jaw. TMD can arise from many things like trauma to the head or neck, faulty oral habits, posture imbalance and muscle tension. Symptoms can include but are not limited to facial pain, ear pain, jaw clicking/popping, jaw locking and headaches.
Our practice is also experienced in treating headaches. Headaches can originate from many different sources. Many headaches we see are the result of musculoskeletal issues in the head, neck &/or jaw. We focus on how to better manage headaches, but more importantly how to eliminate headaches and their underlying musculoskeletal issues.
At New Heights Performance Physical Therapy we start physical therapy for TMD and headaches by determining what the contributing factors are and devising a treatment plan to address them. We use many techniques such as manual therapy, modalities, exercise, behavior modification, Postural Restoration, and relaxation to improve pain and function. We work with each individual to help develop a program focusing on working towards their specific functional goals.
Pregnancy & Postpartum
Pregnancy: Often women may assume that it's normal to have back and hip pain while pregnant. They may not realize that there are several things they can do to lessen or alleviate these pains. We will assist clients in being more aware of their posture and body mechanics to decrease pressure off their painful joints.
Safe exercise will be instructed to keep trunk and pelvic muscles strong throughout the whole pregnancy. We often also use manual techniques to loosen tight muscles and keep the truck balanced. Occasionally, we will recommend a supportive belt to be worn to help lessen the load on the low back and pelvis.
Postpartum: Busy new moms have to hit the ground running, so to speak. They are so busy with caring for their new baby that they forget to take care of their own bodies. Our therapy is designed to work on areas of weakness and tightness from the pregnant posture. Specific exercise are taught to restore abdominal, hip and pelvic floor strength.
Ribcages can become elevated and tight from allowing room for the baby to grow, so breathing techniques and gentle manual work may be needed to restore correct diaphragm position. We will also evaluate abdominal position and screen for diastasis rect, and instruct in safe exercises to reduce this. Patient are taught good body mechanics ie: lifting, carring, pushing a stroller, to protect their body from strain. We can design exercise that can fit into a new mom's busy day!