Lapeer Physical Therapy

10/07/2025

National Physical Therapy Month

What Is Orthopedic Physical Therapy?
Orthopedic physical therapists help to prevent disability and provide physical rehabilitation for people with pain, injury, or disease of the muscles, bones, or joints that limit mobility. Orthopedic physical therapists diagnose, manage, and help prevent various musculoskeletal disorders. They are experts in assessing movement problems and assist their patients to move better, often with less pain, through a variety of techniques, patient education, and prescribed movement.
Orthopedic physical therapists often provide evaluation and treatment to help people of all ages manage:
• Back pain, neck pain, and joint disorders caused by diseases and injuries.
• Rotator cuff injuries and other shoulder problems.
• Osteoarthritis.
• Plantar fasciitis (foot and heel pain).
• Recovery from bone and joint surgery.
• Muscle strains.
• Joint sprains, pain, and swelling, including knee pain, and knee and ankle injuries.
• Chronic pain.
• Tennis elbow and golfer's elbow.
• Carpal tunnel syndrome.
• Temporomandibular joint disorders.
• Workplace wellness, injury prevention, accommodation, or disability management outcomes.

05/19/2025

🧘‍♂️ Struggling with pain or limited movement? We're here to help! 💪

At Lapeer Physical Therapy, our expert physical therapists create personalized treatment plans to help you:
✅ Recover from injuries
✅ Manage chronic pain
✅ Improve mobility & strength
✅ Get back to doing what you love!

✨ Whether you're rehabbing after surgery or dealing with everyday aches, we’ll guide you every step of the way.

📅 Call to book your consultation today and take the first step toward a pain-free life!

📍 Lapeer Physical Therapy
944 Baldwin Rd. Ste. E Lapeer, MI. 48446
📞 Call us at 810-710-8481

01/31/2025

Relieve Pain and Regain Your Life at Lapeer Physical Therapy

01/27/2025

01/14/2025

Kato said Lapeer Physical Therapy can help you achieve your New Year's goals by creating a personalized plan to improve your strength, flexibility, and overall well-being. A physical therapist can assess your current physical condition and design a plan that is tailored specifically to your needs. Whether you're looking to recover from an injury, increase your mobility, or build strength, physical therapy provides structured guidance and support to help you stay on track and achieve your goals. Additionally, it can help prevent future injuries, improve posture, and enhance overall performance in daily activities or sports. If you are lucky, Kato will be here to help you stretch 🥰

10/31/2024

National Physical Therapy Month


Dry Needling by a Physical Therapist: What You Should Know

Dry needling is a technique physical therapists use to treat pain and movement impairments. The physical therapist inserts a dry needle, one without medication or injection, into areas of the muscle.
Other terms used to describe dry needling include:
• Trigger point dry needling.
• Intramuscular manual therapy.

Dry needling is not acupuncture. Acupuncture is based on traditional Chinese medicine and can only be performed by acupuncturists. Dry needling is modern Western medicine and is supported by evidence-based research.

What Is a Trigger Point?
A trigger point is a small, highly sensitive area within a muscle. These trigger points are a common occurrence in people of all ages and often develop due to things like stress, injury, overuse, or poor posture. Trigger points can be very tender and touching them can cause pain or discomfort in other parts of the body.

What Kind of Needles Are Used?
When physical therapists perform dry needling, they use a very thin needle. The needle enters the body through the skin and is aimed directly at the trigger points that a patient and their physical therapist identify together. By using the needle in this way, a physical therapist can target trigger points that they are not able to reach with their hands.
Physical therapists wear gloves and take multiple safety precautions when dry needling. The needles are disposed of in a medical sharps’ collector.

Why Dry Needling?
When physical therapists use dry needling, it is typically part of a larger treatment plan.
Dry needling can inactivate trigger points to relieve pain or improve range of motion. Research suggests that dry needling can also improve pain control and reduce muscle tension. Study findings also show that dry needling can help with the way our nerves interact with our muscles. This can help speed up a person’s ability to return to active rehab.

As part of their entry-level education, physical therapists are well trained in anatomy and the treatment of the body. Physical therapists who perform dry needling obtain additional specific education and training. When contacting a physical therapist for dry needling treatment, be sure to ask about their experience and education.

10/28/2024

National Physical Therapy Month


How Physical Therapy Can Help Sciatica & Lower Back Pain

Anyone who’s ever had sciatica knows how debilitating it can be. You may believe that crawling in bed and resting for a few days is the best treatment, but that can be counterproductive. One of the most effective ways to relieve your back and leg pain is physical therapy that includes gentle exercise, like stretching.
A physical therapist can guide you through exercises that will keep sciatica and lower back pain at bay. Movement may seem counterintuitive when you’re in excruciating pain but physical therapy is usually the best treatment for sciatica.

What is sciatica?
The sciatic nerve is the longest and widest single nerve in your body. It begins with five nerves in the lower back that join to form one nerve that branches through the pelvic bone. From there, it travels down the back of each buttock and thigh to the back of the knee, ending in the heel area of each leg. The sciatic nerve provides motor function to the abductor muscles in the hips, the muscles in the front of your lower leg and calf, and some muscles in your foot.
When the sciatic nerve becomes inflamed and painful, it’s referred to as sciatica. Sciatica is a type of lower back pain, but not all lower back pain is sciatica. The cause of inflammation is usually pressure on the nerve from a bulging disc, overgrowth of bone, pregnancy, muscle spasms, degenerative diseases like spinal stenosis, or an injury. The inflamed nerve causes pain and sometimes numbness and tingling anywhere along its path. In severe cases, a person with sciatica can also experience leg weakness and bowel or bladder changes.

How physical therapy treats sciatica
With sciatica, resting can be counterproductive. Stretching and strengthening the nerves, muscles, and joints causing the pain, as well as education on posture and positioning, may help to decrease pressure on the nerve and thereby reduce pain. That’s why physical therapy can be of great benefit in relieving sciatica.
Your sciatica rehabilitation program may include:
• Backward bending (extension) and forward bending (flexion) exercises to promote movement of the spine.
• Manual therapy techniques to reduce nerve compression
• Exercises to strengthen the abdomen, lower back, spine, hips or legs and supporting muscles or tendons. This may include isometric or isotonic exercises.
• “Nerve glides” (nerve stretching exercises) to increase movement and reduce symptoms
• Joint mobilization or manipulation
• Gait training to correct walking patterns that may contribute to sciatica
• Hands-on movement of the leg, hips and back to facilitate movement of the muscles and joints contributing to the pain.
• Posture and lifestyle modifications
• Home exercise program
• Massage

10/23/2024

National Physical Therapy Month


Physical Therapy Guide to Tennis Elbow

Most people who get tennis elbow don't play tennis! In fact, less than 5% of all tennis elbow cases occur in people who play the sport. Tennis elbow can happen to anyone who repeatedly uses their elbow, wrist, and hand for their job, sport, or hobby. Physical therapists help people with tennis elbow gently heal the affected areas, build muscle strength, and avoid further injury. And, according to a new study, choosing physical therapy for tennis elbow outperforms steroid injections and is cost-effective.

How Can a Physical Therapist Help?

For the first 24 to 48 hours after acute onset of your pain, your treatment may include:
• Resting the arm by avoiding certain activities and modifying the way you do others.

• Applying ice treatments to the affected area.

• Using elastic bandages or supports to take the pressure off the painful muscles.

Your physical therapist will decide if a brace or support to protect your muscles will aid your healing.

After the First 48 Hours
Your physical therapist will begin a treatment program specific to your needs to speed your recovery. They may use treatments such as:
• Manual (hands-on) therapy.
• Special exercises to relieve pain.
• Ice or heat treatments, or both.

They also will design an exercise program to help correct muscle weakness that you can continue at home.
Your physical therapy program will include:
Improving mobility
Improving strength

Physical therapists prescribe several types of exercises during recovery from tennis elbow:

• In early treatment, when the pain is most intense, your physical therapist may perform gentle passive exercises for you. They will carefully move your wrist and elbow without straining the involved muscles.

• As your symptoms improve, you can begin to perform active exercises yourself, moving your wrist and elbow without assistance. Your physical therapist will guide you, to ensure your safety.

• As the muscles become stronger and your symptoms lessen, you may begin using weights or resistance bands to further increase your strength. Your physical therapist will carefully monitor your exercises to help you make progress and avoid reinjury.

10/22/2024

National Physical Therapy Month


Physical Therapy Guide to Parkinson Disease

Parkinson disease is the second most common degenerative brain disorder affecting adults. People with PD are at risk of falling and injuries due to movement and balance challenges. Treatment involves a combination of medicines and physical therapy as part of a team approach to care that also includes other therapies and community-based exercise coaching. In some cases surgery may be needed. Physical therapists partner with people with PD and their families. They help them manage symptoms, maintain fitness levels, and stay as active as possible.

Physical therapists are movement experts. They improve quality of life through hands-on care, patient education, and prescribed movement. You can contact a physical therapist directly for an evaluation.

How Can a Physical Therapist Help?
Because PD affects each person differently, your physical therapist will partner with you and your family. They also will team with your other health care providers to manage your specific case as your condition changes. You are not alone!

After a diagnosis of PD, your physical therapist will conduct a full evaluation. This will include tests to examine your:

• Posture.
• Strength.
• Flexibility.
• Walking.
• Endurance.
• Balance.
• Coordination.
• Attention with movement.

Your physical therapist will tailor a treatment plan to your specific needs and goals to help you stay as active and independent as possible. They will work with you to help you keep the strength and ability to:

• Move in and around your home or community.
• Perform everyday activities.
• Take part in sports or other physical activity.
They also will design a well-rounded exercise program specific to your stage of disease and your goals. They will teach you exercises and techniques to help you battle symptoms and slow the decline in physical condition that can result from PD. Working with a physical therapist can help you:
• Improve function (such as walking, balance, and reducing your falls risk).
• Recover lost function due to the disease or after a fall or injury.
• Maintain function over the long term.

10/21/2024

National Physical Therapy Month


Sports injuries happen to our bodies more often than we would like. Injuries can occur whether you are competing on a team or doing regular exercise.
The Role of Physical Therapy
A physical therapist can teach you ways to stay as active as possible during recovery. They will coach and encourage you and help you set goals to achieve small wins along the way.
Physical therapy treatment for sports injuries may include hands-on care as well as:
• Balance, strength, and mobility exercises.
• Patient education. A physical therapist can help you understand your injury and the recovery process and help you stay positive.
• Monitoring your progress of recovery to help your body and mind work together.
• Helping you set realistic goals that help you improve and stay focused during your recovery journey.
• Recommending safe physical activities that you can do while you recover. They also will tell you what activities to avoid.
Many people come out of physical therapy and injury stronger, more fit, and more focused than before. Physical therapists can look for weaknesses and muscle imbalances that may have affected your past performance. They provide strategies to prevent future injuries. Physical therapists also can recommend ways to build strength while you recover that may help to improve performance when you return to your primary sport. You can contact a physical therapist directly for an evaluation.

10/18/2024

National Physical Therapy Month


What Is Orthopedic Physical Therapy?

Orthopedic physical therapists help to prevent disability and provide physical rehabilitation for people with pain, injury, or disease of the muscles, bones, or joints that limit mobility. Orthopedic physical therapists diagnose, manage, and help prevent various musculoskeletal disorders. They are experts in assessing movement problems and assist their patients to move better, often with less pain, through a variety of techniques, patient education, and prescribed movement.

Orthopedic physical therapists often provide evaluation and treatment to help people of all ages manage:

• Back pain, neck pain, and joint disorders caused by diseases and injuries.
• Rotator cuff injuries and other shoulder problems.
• Osteoarthritis.
• Plantar fasciitis (foot and heel pain).
• Recovery from bone and joint surgery.
• Muscle strains.
• Joint sprains, pain, and swelling, including knee pain, and knee and ankle injuries.
• Chronic pain.
• Tennis elbow and golfer's elbow.
• Carpal tunnel syndrome.
• Temporomandibular joint disorders.
• Workplace wellness, injury prevention, accommodation, or disability management outcomes.