Services Offered


	Search for:

At APTOR, each patient receives a thorough evaluation to identify specific deficits and functional limitations. Then, in conjunction with the referring physician, the patient and other members of the rehabilitative team, individualized goals and treatment programs are developed and implemented for speedy recovery.

Services offered:

Physical Therapy

Massage Therapy
Anodyne Therapy

Aquatic Therapy

Fibromyalgia Program

Hand Therapy

Sports Medicine

Vestibular Rehab and Balance Training

Cancer Rehabilitation

Industrial Services

· Work Reconditioning/Hardening

· FCEs (Functional Capacity

Evaluation)

· Impairment Ratings

· Post Offer Employment Screenings

· Job Site Analysis

· On-Site Industrial Programs

Conditions treated may include:

Arthritis/Bursitis

Sprains/Strains

Neck and Back Pain

Muscle Tightness, Stiffness and Pain

Work Injuries

Fibromyalgia

Sports Injuries

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

Traumatic Injuries

Disc Injuries

Nerve Injuries

Massage Therapy is a gentle procedure that relieves pain, facilitates injury healing, and helps reduce re-injury. In some cases therapeutic massage can reduce or eliminate the need for medication or surgery.

Massage Therapy is applied directly to the muscles with stretching and kneading motions. Besides relieving pain, improving circulation and releasing tight muscles, therapeutic massage improves joint motion by stimulating the production of natural lubricants.

Massage can help heal injuries such as tendonitis, ligament/muscle strains, and inflammation. It also relieves secondary pain that can outlast the original cause. Some examples are headaches and lower back pain. Moreover therapeutic massage helps prevent injuries that might be caused by stressing unbalanced muscle groups, or by favoring or forcing a painful, restricted area.

Massage Therapy Can Help:

• General relaxation	• Relieve stress
• Revitalization	• Painful, sore or tight muscles
• Relieve tension headaches	• Pain or restriction in joints
• Recovery from sports activity	• Injuries
• Fluid Retention	• General Health and Fitness
• Secondary Pain	• Improve Circulation
• Posture	• Complement other healthcare

Treatment is rendered with monochromatic near-infrared photoenergy (MIRE) delivered by the Anodyne Therapy System (ATS)®. ATS is a new technology to treat chronic intractable pain, peripheral neuropathy with loss of sensation, and soft tissue injuries that require increased circulation for healing. It offers treatment for a number of chronic conditions for which other conventional therapies may have failed. It is believed this modality is life-changing in many patients enabling them to reduce costly and addictive pain medications, sleep at night, ambulate better and prevent costly alternatives such as chronic ulcer care, serious falls and amputation. It is also extremely useful in resolving other painful conditions with edema and inflammation.

Anodyne Therapy is a recognized treatment that works by increasing microcirculation to the affected areas through the release of nitric oxide. Several studies have been published in peer-review journals on its use in reducing pain and restoring protective sensation. Nitric oxide is a widely studied free radical that is a powerful vasodilator and a mediator of cellular and nerve function. By increasing local circulation, the Anodyne Therapy System is able to deliver oxygen and nutrients that assist in the restoration of normal membrane potential. This will speed wound healing, reduce pain and inflammation and restore protective sensation in diabetic peripheral neuropathy.

Conditions That Have Been Responsive To Anodyne Therapy:

• Neuritis	• Neuralgia
• Neuropathic Pain	• Ischemic Pain
• Carpal Tunnel	• Tarsal Tunnel

Fibromyalgia is a common form of generalized muscular pain and fatigue that is believed to affect between 3 and 6 million people (predominantly women between the ages of 20 and 50), approximately 2 % of the U.S. population. Fibromyalgia mainly affects muscles and their attachment to bones, and it is a form of soft tissue or muscular rheumatism. These individuals may experience a combination of symptoms and signs that include widespread muscular pain and tenderness, flu-like aching, fatigue, decreased exercise endurance, disturbed sleep, mood changes, anxiety, poor concentration, headaches, bowel and bladder disturbances, numbness, and tingling in hands, arms, feet, legs or face.

Diagnosis

Unfortunately, the exact causes and pathology of fibromyalgia syndrome lack physical and laboratory findings. Over the past 8-10 years, however, fibromyalgia has been better defined through studies that have established guides for its diagnosis. The presence of widespread pain in combination with tenderness in specific locations can aid in the diagnosis of fibromyalgia. Not all doctors have been trained to recognize this disorder, therefore it is important to see a doctor or rheumatologist that is familiar in the diagnosis and treatment of this condition.

Causes

There are many different factors that may trigger or cause fibromyalgia such as, a number of stresses, physical or emotional trauma, low fitness level, inappropriate exercise / poor posture, and /or hormonal changes. Eventually research may result in a better understanding of fibromyalgia, as well as more effective treatment and prevention.

How is Fibromyalgia treated?

Conventional treatment options for fibromyalgia include: medications for pain and to improve sleep, exercise programs, relaxation techniques and educational programs for understanding and coping with fibromyalgia. APTOR addresses many of these areas with its comprehensive fibromyalgia program.

APTOR implements a comprehensive program to address the problems of patients with fibromyalgia:

Moist hot packs
Electrical stimulators
Aquatic therapy
Soft tissue massage to increase tissue oxygenation
Slow prolonged stretching
Cardiovascular exercise
Education related to relaxation, dietary modifications and stress management.

For many years, physical therapists have seen the benefits of aquatic physical therapy. As well as treating patients with orthopedic injuries and chronic pain, aquatic physical therapy is also an effective treatment for post-surgical patients, neurological patients, post-partum patients and athlete rehabilitation.

Why Water Works

Water has numerous characteristics that make it conducive to meeting treatment goals. Hydrostatic pressure is the equal pressure on all body parts that are immersed in water; this trait often helps to reduce swelling when exercises are performed below the surface of the water.

When a person enters the water the hydrostatic pressure that is applied to all body surfaces creates an upward force known as buoyancy. Buoyancy decreases the forces on body tissues and reduces joint impact. It also allows exercise with decreased pain and improved mobility for those individuals who may be overweight or arthritic. It is remarkable to see how quickly patients improve when they begin aquatic physical therapy.

Another characteristic of water that makes it beneficial for treatment is resistance. Water is up to 700 times more resistive than air. This resistance provides weak muscles with needed strength training. The natural properties of water allow patients to improve quicker in water than they would on land.

Aquatic Therapy is Appropriate for Patients With

Benefits of Aquatic Physical Therapy

• Cervical and low back pain	• Range of motion
• Rheumatiod / Osteoarthritis	• Muscular Strength
• Fibromyalgia	• Cardiovascular endurance
• Joint sprains and strains	• Balance
• Total joint arthroplasty	• Coordination
• Athletic injuries	• General relaxation
• Post surgical orthopedic conditions	• Joint flexibility
• Osteoporosis	• Circulation

Aquatic physical therapy is a safe, non-threatening way to treat patients. In addition to the other benefits of aquatic physical therapy, professionals are finding that patients involved in aquatic physical therapy actually feel better about themselves. The water environment empowers patients to accomplish goals and see results. The pool atmosphere allows therapists and their patients to relax while working together toward treatment goals.

APTOR Physical Therapy is proud to welcome Dr. Juli Hart, DPT as the state of Alabama’s first STAR Certified™ Clinician. As a member of the STAR Program®, Dr. Hart provides APTOR with the expertise and training necessary to address the physical therapy needs of West Alabama cancer survivors who suffer from cancer and the side-effects caused by treatments. APTOR Physical Therapy is committed to providing the doctors and cancer patients of West Alabama quality cancer rehabilitation services.

STAR Certified™ Clinicians receive specific training to augment their areas of specialization and provide quality cancer care related to difficulties associated with brain, melanoma, breast, ovarian, and colon cancers. Conditions include:

• Difficulty returning to pre-morbid activities	• Weakness
• Fatigue	• Musculoskeletal or neuropathic pain
• Balance problems	• Gait problems
• Scar adhesions (post surgical)	• Lymphedema
• Shoulder problems	• Post-mastectomy pain syndrome
• Radiation fibrosis syndrome	• Brachial plexoplathy (e.g., radiation induced)
• Difficulty w/ADLs (dressing/bathing, etc.)	• Difficulty w/ADLs (chores/shopping, etc.)
• Adaptive equipment	• Strength exercise training

APTOR is aware that the most costly part of work related injury is wage compensation. We recognize the importance of returning workers to their jobs in a timely and effective manner. In the absence of aggressive early intervention and prevention programs, the costs of disability payments, lost productivity and worker retraining / replacement can become excessive and unpredictable.

In order to help employers manage their rehabilitation budgets, APTOR has designed its Industrial Program to aid in the prevention of on the job injuries and to return workers to their jobs effectively and safely with minimal lost work time.

APTOR offers expertise and participation on an employer’s disability managemant team to ensure that an injured employee moves from injury to case resolution efficiently and effectively. For workers who are not able to return to their former levels of employment, APTOR provides evidence and documentation of the following:

The level of consistency and participation in the rehabilitation process.
The level of functional ability attained.

In order to facilitate injury prevention and timely case resolution, APTOR Rehab Services offers the following interventions.

On Site Services
(Provided on an employers job site)

Off Site Services
(Provided on APTOR premises)

• Job site analysis
	-Ergonomics
	-Safety and Prevention Recommendations
	-Observe and Quantify tasks and job requirements
• Work Limitations / Recommendations
• Injury Rehabilitation
• Stretching / Fitness Classes
• Educational Classes
• Job Coaching

• Physical Therapy

• Work Hardening / Conditioning

• Functional Capacity Evaluations

• Impairment Estimates

• Post Offer Employment Screenings

• Hand Therapy