INDY PET CORE

Underwater treadmills (UWT) allow rehabilitation practitioners to harness properties of water such as buoyancy, resistance, and hydrostatic pressure to provide targeted exercise for many different diseases. UWTs can help patients to lose weight, gain conditioning, and heal from orthopedic and neurologic surgeries. The properties of water allow for decreased strain on joints while still providing muscle strengthening and cardiovascular benefits.

Ultrasound is commonly used on tendon and muscle injuries and also with certain conditions resulting in decreased range of motion. Therapeutic ultrasound breaks down scar tissue, increases the elasticity of the muscles, aids healing, increases circulation, and reduces pain and spasm.

We implement a mixture of strength-building exercises during our sessions to stimulate muscle growth and strengthening. We make sure to try new things with each patient to see what they enjoy doing and to establish whole-body health and strength. Some of our favorite exercises are: cavaletti poles, balance discs, peanut balls, wobble boards, walks on our treadmill, and walking hills outside while enjoying the fresh air and local birds!

Laser therapy uses light waves to repair tissues through photobiostimulation. Put simply, the cells in the injured areas use the energy of the laser to aid their healing. The intensity of the laser is less than that of lasers used in surgery. Laser therapy has been shown to relieve pain from muscle and joint soreness, relieve symptoms of arthritis, relax muscle spasms, and increase blood flow to an area, helping wounds to heal.

Neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) is the administration of a low-level electrical current that decreases swelling and allows muscle contraction and recruitment after orthopedic or neurological injury. Many parameters can be adjusted when using NMES in our patients to treat atrophy (muscle wasting), swelling, and pain.

Transcutaneous Electrical Stimulation (TENS) is used mostly for pain management. TENS decreases pain and inflammation by providing a low-level electrical current, which disrupts the normal pain perception pathways. TENS also can be used to stimulate acupuncture points to achieve a body-wide response.