Injury Prevention Physical Therapy

The Druid Hills Physical Therapy staff know that injuries are disruptive to your everyday routine and impair your ability to function the way you want. Our injury rehabilitation focuses on decreasing pain and returning you to normal functioning as quickly as possible. Whether it’s a foot injury from running, a neck injury following a car accident, a tennis shoulder injury, or back pain following a fall — we will create a treatment plan that both tackles the pain and restores movement.

Common injuries we treat include:

Upon evaluation, we will determine the cause of your back pain through a thorough examination. Our plan of care will be to fix the problem and not to simply decrease the symptoms. We are trained in many advanced manual techniques that will assist in your recovery such as McKenzie Method, trigger-point therapy, Active Release Technique (ART) and many other soft tissue techniques. We won’t just put Electrical Stimulation on you with a hot pack. We will provide you with individualized attention and care. Most importantly, you will gain insight into why you are feeling better each day of treatment and you can stay well.

Common Back Injuries

• Stenosis
• Bulging Disk
• Degenerative Disk Disease
• Arthritis
• Scoliosis
• Fibromyalgia
• Spinal Fusion
• Microdiscectomy
• Rib Dysfunction
• SI Joint Dysfunction
• Spondylolisthesis

Not just a problem for professional athletes. Given that the shoulder has so many degrees of mobility, it is very susceptible to a wide variety of injuries both traumatic and insidious in onset. Often due to repetitive stresses, shoulder problems are the result of poor mechanics and positioning. Upon evaluation, we will determine why you have your pain and what we specifically need to do to get you to your goals. Many people think the rotator cuff is a capsule in the joint but actually, the rotator cuff is a composition of four muscles in the shoulder that are the primary movers. Those muscles (supraspinatus, infraspinatus, teres minor, subscapularis) can be injured in many ways but our plan of care will be based on you. Every injury is different and based on why you are hurt, your body type, age, goals, body type etc. We will form a plan that will be yours and get you well fast. In many cases, we are even able to take a few strokes off your best golf round.

Common Shoulder Injuries

• Rotator Cuff Tendonitis
• Rotator Cuff Tears
• Shoulder impingement
• Thoracic Outlet Syndrome
• Broken bone (humerus, clavicle, acromion)
• Winging of the Scapula
• Post-Surgical Conditions
• Frozen Shoulder/Adhesive Capsulitis
• Labral Tears
• Biceps Tendonitis
• AC Joint Dysfunction
• Glenohumeral Arthritis

Elbow pain isn’t just for golfers and tennis players anymore. Many of the injuries to the elbow are frustrating to patients because they don’t know why they have tennis elbow when they have never played a match or why they have golfer’s elbow when they have never picked up a golf club. However, upon evaluation, we will determine exactly why your pain developed. In fact, often it is a result of too much strength in one compartment leading to a muscle imbalance. We will use state of the art manual techniques to calm the injury and provide proper progressive strengthening and stretches as we use various modalities to augment our treatment. When needed, the use of a brace might be necessary if it’s determined you are positioning your wrist or elbow in a poor position while sleeping.

Common Elbow, Wrist, and Hand Injuries

• Medial Epicondylitis(Golfer’s elbow)
• Lateral Epicondylitis (Tennis Elbow)
• Triceps tendonitis
• Fracture (olecranon)
• Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
• Ulnar Nerve Entrapment
• Trigger Finder
• Basal Joint Arthritis
• DeQuervain’s Tendonitis

Injuries to the hip come in many forms. Often the result of falls, overuse, deterioration or weakness, pain in the hip can lead to pain at every step and can have little relief when sitting. With more and more patients getting hip replacements, the need for hip wellness starts now. By increasing the hip range of motion through proper mobilizations and stretching backed up by proper progressive strengthening we know the recipe for success. Upon evaluation, we will determine how best to create a healing process that is right for you as an individual. Keeping in mind, that the hip doesn’t get the benefit of complete rest due to the fact that you have to walk to get around, our job requires complex considerations.

Common Hip Injuries

• Arthritis
• Hip replacement
• Piriformis Syndrome
• Sciatica
• SI Joint Dysfunction
• Labral Tears

Whether you are an athlete or a seasoned walker, knee pain can limit, alter or inhibit your favorite activity. A runner needs to run. A parent has to play. With many surgeries out there including knee replacements, recovery post-surgery is our top priority to get you well. Post-op patients have shown their willingness to do whatever it takes. We continue that mindset and will go above and beyond for you to get you back to your passion.

For those of you who are trying to avoid surgery, we will work our best to accomplish that goal. We don’t just focus on what’s damaged. Tears and deterioration don’t necessarily mean surgery. With the proper mechanics and supporting strength, being pain-free is possible. We look at the entire body to determine what individual factors may be contributing and require supportive attention. We never treat a diagnosis; we treat you. And you’ll feel the difference.

Common Knee Injuries

• ACL (anterior cruciate ligament)
• PCL (posterior cruciate ligament)
• MCL (medial collateral ligament
• LCL (lateral collateral ligament)
• Knee Replacement
• Medial Meniscus
• Lateral Meniscus
• Runner’s knee
• Patella Femoral Syndrome
• Patellar Tendonitis
• ITB Syndrome (Iliotibial Band Syndrome)
• Osteoarthritis (OA)
• Arthritis
• Fracture

Did you know that in each foot, there are 26 bones and 33 joints and more than 10 muscles? It’s important to realize that each bone, joint, and muscle is just as important as any other large joint in the body. Decreased range of motion, loss of mechanics or weakness can compromise the integrity of the foot and ankle and increases the probability of pain and impairment. Your physical therapist will assess every joint and muscle and determine what the reason for your pain is. Whether it’s arch pain, bunion pain, lateral ankle pain or heel soreness, we will help to put a plan that’s right for you. Soon you will have that spring back in your step.

Common Foot and Ankle Injuries

• Plantar Fasciitis
• Ankle Sprain
• Bunions
• Hammer Toe
• Arthritis
• Coalition
• Achilles Tendonitis
• Neuromas
• Lins Fanc tears
• Fracture
• Flat feet (pez planus)
• High Arches (pez cavus)