Physical Therapy

Physical therapy (PT) is a form of health care that identifies, corrects and alleviates an acute or prolonged musculoskeletal or neurological dysfunction. The physical therapist at Quality of Life Medical Center achieve this by designing an individualized program for each patient following an extensive evaluation. Our physical therapy program includes a variety of exercises, functional activities, and treatment modalities to achieve strength, flexibility, and independence. A specially designed home exercise program, along with education in self-care, is also provided.

Physical therapy can benefit patients with:

• Degenerative, arthritic conditions
• Difficulty walking or instability
• Post fractures/post joint replacements
• Osteoporosis
• Amputations
• Musculoskeletal injuries: sprains, strains, bursitis, tendonitis
• Back/neck injuries and sport-related injuries
• Post mastectomy
• Lymphedema
• Balance disorders
• Neurological disorders: stroke, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease
• Fibromyalgia and myofascial pain syndromes
• Wound and minor burn care
• Weakness from medical conditions

Trigger Point Therapy

What is a Trigger Point? A Trigger Point is an area of hyper-irritability within soft tissue structures, characterized by local tenderness and sometimes referred phenomena. These referred sensations can include pain, tingling, numbness burning, or itching.

• Not all trigger points refer pain. Some are just localized.

• The origin of the trigger point is thought to be changes in the chemical balance in a local area, irritating the sensory systems.

• Trigger Points may form anywhere in the body, but are most commonly found at the sites of the greatest mechanical and postural stress.

Possible Causes:

1. Acute overload, overwork, fatigue, direct trauma, chilling.
2. Skeletal asymmetry such as a shorter leg or pelvic imbalances.
3. Other trigger points can cause new points to occur.
4. Arthritic joints.
5. B-6, magnesium, vitamin C, folic acid deficiencies, which are common after injuries
6. Hypoglycemia.

Treatment of Trigger Points:

• Pain management clinicians and medical researchers have found that trigger point pain often responds to non-invasive, firm, physical pressure, deep in the muscle tissue.

• This treatment approach may be referred to as "ischemic compression," “myofascial release" "neuromuscular therapy," "acupressure", "myotherapy" and deep tissue massage among many other terms.

• All of these and related disciplines typically involve deep, sustained pressure directly on trigger points. Such pressure usually causes the muscle to relax, making it possible to stretch and eventually exercise back to pain-free fitness and health.



Motor Vehicle Accidents and Physical Therapy
By: Lisa M. Oberstar, P.T.

“Whiplash” has become one of the most commonly used terms to describe neck pain, especially if it is the result of a motor vehicle accident (MVA). Whiplash is an acceleration-deceleration mechanism of energy transfer to the neck, which may result from a rear end or side impact of a motor vehicle collision. Whiplash related pain may be local in the neck, or it may radiate into the head, shoulders, or upper extremities.

Therapy generally encompasses pain relief, strength and flexibility training, proper postural alignment, regaining movement or range of motion, improving and correcting posture, endurance training, relaxation and stress relieving techniques, balance and coordination training, proper walking, education, safety awareness, and development, and implementation of a home exercise program.

Many and all can benefit from physical therapy. The most appropriate patients are those who have been in accidents (work-related, automobile, or falls), athletes with overstress injuries, arthritic patients, pre and post-operative patients, and those with general deconditioning, or strains.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I get started?

At Quality of Life Medical Center, we have made it very easy for you to get started. All you need to do is call (520-733-2250) and make an appointment. Typically, we can see you the same day, or, at the latest, within 24 hours of your call, and that call is the first step in getting you back on the road to recovery.

What should I expect on my first visit?

Upon arrival at our office, you will meet your personal licensed physical therapist and certified massage therapist, both of which you will work closely with throughout your entire recovery process. You will be asked to fill out some basic paperwork. The physical therapist will then ask you a series of questions about your past and present medical conditions, before performing a comprehensive evaluation of your muscles, joints, nerves, tendons, and ligaments including range of motion, strength and functional testing. Based on your physician’s diagnosis, our prognosis, and your personal goals, an individual treatment plan will be devised. You may receive treatment and home exercises on your first visit. Future appointments will also be scheduled.

What types of treatments will I receive?

We perform various types of treatments, and will customize a program combining the best treatments geared toward your particular injury. The types of treatments we do include soft tissue massage, deep tissue massage, joint mobilization, electrical stimulation, ultrasound, iontophoresis, phonophoresis, stretching, therapeutic exercises, gait training, functional activities, and heat/ice. The treatment program will vary based on your injury, and will be performed in a private treatment room as well as a gym setting using a variety of athletic and rehabilitation equipment.

How often will I need to attend physical therapy?

Most patients are treated two to three times per week. The total duration of physical therapy will depend on the severity of your injury. The more committed you are to your recovery (meaning, you regularly attend your physical therapy sessions), the more likely you are to recover faster. We try to set up permanent appointment times for you to help make scheduling consistent, and we offer early morning and evening appointments in order to enable you to fit physical therapy into your busy schedule.

How long will each appointment take?

Each visit is approximately 30 - 60 minutes in duration receiving manual treatment (deep tissue massage, joint mobilization, electric stimulation or other forms of specialized treatment for your injury) and stretching/strengthening the injured area via specific exercises and stretches.

Is there anything I can do at home to help speed the recovery process along?

Absolutely. We will customize a home treatment program comprised of advice on how to reduce your pain, exercises and stretches for you so that you can continue your rehabilitation process in between physical therapy sessions. It is essential that you follow the instructions and perform the home exercises regularly to control your symptoms and speed up recovery.

Do you know my doctor?

We are always in close communication with your doctor through frequent progress letters and weekly team conferences. We both share the same goal of helping you recover as quickly as possible, thus, work as a team to make sure that this happens.

What makes you different from all of the other physical therapists in Tucson?

There are a lot of reasons why you should choose to receive therapy from Quality of Life Medical Center. For one, the physical therapist has a Bachelor’s degree in Health Science, a Master’s degree in Physical Therapy, as well as an MBA. She has devoted her entire practice to caring for injured people, and works from experience. Our philosophy is that “Every patient is entitled to a 100% return to his or her preferred sport or exercise routine.” To that end, Quality of Life Medical Center employs only the best physical therapists and massage therapists, and treats each and every patient on an individual basis. Each patient receives personalized attention on every visit from a licensed physical therapist, and all patients are educated fully about their injury and their customized treatment program prior to starting it.