Latest News and Information

Trigger points, or knots in the muscles, can facilitate intense pain, decrease your range-of-motion, and impair the proper functioning of your body. However, physical therapists can utilize dry needling techniques to alleviate conditions associated with trigger point injuries. If you are experiencing knots in your muscles, you should learn about the dry needling treatments that the best Wyoming physical therapists can provide.  

Trigger Points
You can have premier Casper physical therapy services implement dry needle treatments for a diverse range of trigger point injuries. Trigger points refer to sensitive knotted areas or tight tension spots in the muscular system. Many problems are instigated by the development of trigger points. The knots often obstruct the circulation of blood throughout the affected area, decrease your overall range-of-motion, and delay the recovery process. The trigger points also typically inflict you with acute pain. The pain can linger while you are performing your daily activities, touching the sensitive area can exasperate the pain, and the sharp painful sensation can be concentrated directly on the trigger point or it can spread and expand to envelop the entire affected area of your body. The knots can also accumulate in many different areas of your body, including your neck, back, hips, legs, or extremities.  Additionally, without proper treatment the trigger points can stimulate the symptoms of aching or throbbing headaches.

Dry Needling
The top Wyoming physical therapists can apply dry needle treatments to relieve trigger point injuries. Dry needling enables the therapy experts to utilize sterile filament needles, penetrate the needles into your skin, and alleviate the trigger points or knots in your muscles. Because the knots are often difficult for the therapists to reach manually, dry needling provides an ideal method by which the therapists can access the specific location of the trigger point and release the knot that you are experiencing. Although the needles are similar to Chinese acupuncture needles, the procedures fulfilled by the physical therapy experts are established by Western medicine and supported by scientifically validated principals. Another common misconception is that dry needling can be painful. This is misleading because the filament needles usually do not instigate any pain. In contrast, the needles often generate a relieving and cathartic twitch from your knot being released and your condition being healed.  

Treatment Benefits
any benefits accompany the dry needling treatments offered by the best Casper physical therapy services. The ability for the experts to place the needles in optimal locations enables the needles to stimulate the knots and trigger points with precise accuracy. The stimulation of the knots can then significantly reduce the pain you are experiencing. For instance, the needles can loosen the injured muscle, release the tension from the tight band or knot, and improve the circulation of blood and oxygen throughout the area. The dry needling treatment can also increase your range-of-motion. Whereas the knots restrict muscle and limb movement, releasing the knots can substantially increase your flexibility and restore the proper functioning of the given area. Additionally, the ability to release the knots, reduce the pain, and improve the functioning of your body can substantially accelerate the pace of the rehabilitation process for trigger point injuries.

Contact North Platte Physical Therapy to receive dry needling treatment. Our expert staff is revered throughout the Wyoming and Nebraska areas for providing superior and customized physical therapy services. We can provide you with the full support that you deserve, we have access to the best treatment methods on the market, and we would be glad to implement physical therapy treatments that can improve the functioning of your body and maximize the quality of your life.

Sports injuries occur during activities, whether one is playing sports, exercising or working in a demanding physical environment. When an injury happens, it's important to see a physical therapist in Cheyenne, WY. Red flags include severe swelling, pain or numbness, aches, or if you cannot put weight on a certain area. When you experience this pain throughout your day, it's crucial to see your local doctor have it fixed so it does't become a long-term injury. Learn how to prevent sports injuries on the NIH website, and read about some of the top ones below.

Torn ACL
“ACL” stands for anterior cruciate ligament, which connects your leg bone to your knee. This type of injury often occurs when you quickly change directions or something hits the side of your knee extremely hard, which causes the ligament to tear. Upon this hit or change occurring, athletes experience pain and knee swelling. Some may also feel their knee is not stable, and as time goes on, there is a loss of full range motion, additional pain, and discomfort. While surgery is sometimes required, for others, physical therapy can help to get you back to normal in a few months.

Hip Flexor Strain
Hip flexor muscles help your legs or knees move up. People who do not stretch or warm up before exercise or playing sports are especially prone to this injury. When you tear or stretch these muscles too much, you can get an injury. Usually this happens when athletes have a quick change in direction or sudden movement. When the injury happens, you may experience pain, bruising, swelling or spasms in the area. After this injury occurs, stay off the area, ice the injury and take pain medication. If the injury does not heal, that is your key to look into physical therapy in Cheyenne, WY to help you solve the problem.

Shoulder Impingement and Rotator Cuff Damage
The rotator cuff muscles hold the shoulder together and manage the shoulder’s movements. When these muscles experience continuous weight or stress in a straight or upward motion, the head of the joint can become loose. Tendons can become swollen and very painful. If you experience this pain, no matter if it is minor or severe, talk to your doctor. They can assess the severity and see if medicine can resolve the issue or if physical therapy or surgery is needed.

Pulled Muscle
This injury is common to many who have played sports or even just have done strenuous work. When a muscle is pulled or stretched suddenly, the muscle may feel tired or weak, and it may not be flexible. It can also fall. This injury usually happens when one fails to stretch or warm up properly. Usually with this type of injury, an anti-inflammatory can resolve the issue. However, if time passes and the injury worsens, see your doctor.

If you experience an injury while exercising, playing sports, or through strenuous work, North Platte Physical Therapy’s premier services can help you get back to quality you are used to. With over 3.5 million injuries each year, you need a go-to therapist to help you resolve your issue. It is best to see a doctor as soon as possible to get back to normal. We can help with athletic training and treatments to help with injuries. Learn more about our sports medicine services today!

Congratulations to the Monument Physical Therapy team for taking home first place in the Spring Up the Bluff relay this past weekend held at the Scotts Bluff National Monument.  Each member carried the baton for a distance up the bluff to the summit.  It was a fun time had by all.  Team members included:  Mike Moravec, Amanda Libsack, Meghan Pollnow, Toni Hulinsky, Austin Freeburg, and Luke Moravec. 

Each year over 50 million Americans are affected by osteoporosis, a disease where the bones lose tissue and become brittle and fragile. In fact, according to the International Osteoporosis Foundation, 8.9 million fractures occur each year due to an osteoporotic fracture, or every three seconds. Below is information about this medical condition and when to seek Casper physical therapy.

1. Warning Signs: Early symptoms of osteoporosis have little to no obvious symptoms. As the disease progresses, the Mayo Clinic says some of the top symptoms include back pain, loss of height, stooped posture or frequent bone fractures. Women who have experienced menopause or those with Vitamin-D deficiencies are at higher risk to get osteoporosis, but just because you do not fall into either of those factors does not mean you are not at risk. It is definitely something to discuss with your doctor. If you experience any of the signs above, or pain or spine curvature, bring this up to your doctor.
2. Prevention: One of the best ways to get ahead of osteoporosis is to be screened. Women are the most at risk, and should start asking for screening at age 65. For men, the U.S. Preventative Task Force only advises to get screening if there are known symptoms of the disease. Some people are predisposed to the condition due to genetics, but that is not true for everyone. To help prevent it from happening, 30 minutes of exercise a day, especially strength training, will strengthen your bones. But various types of exercise that build strength and flexibility will help keep the quality of your bones strong, from yoga to aerobics. Ensuring you have proper posture is important as well. Also, you can also make sure you are getting enough calcium into your diet, which is not all from dairy. Calcium is found in many vegetables and soy products. Last, you can talk to your doctor about your Vitamin-D intake.
3. Physical Therapy: Upon receiving an osteoporosis diagnosis, physical therapy in Casper can help you with a treatment plan to prevent further bone breakage, and recovery from a fracture. It is also a great preventative method, in addition to the methods listed above. Physical therapy will have exercises to help you build bone strength in various weight-bearing activities from walking to weight lifting. Your physical therapist will provide you with a routine that is the best for you-- one which you can work on in the office, and at home as well. This will help reduce your risk for future bone fractures.  

North Platte Physical Therapy is your go-to premier physical therapy group in rural Wyoming and western Nebraska with a variety of services, including assistance with osteoporosis management. Whether you are dealing with the affects of osteoporosis or want to take preventative action, you can count on our local offices to help you get strong. Learn more about osteoporosis and methods and procedures, and then fill out a contact form to get started.

The Morrill Clinic was able to participate in the Annual Morrill Business Expo once again with Lisa Todd, PTA and Amy Banghart running the booth.  This event is a great way for businesses in the small community to come out and represent themselves and get the word out to the public about what we do and where we are!