Collaboration is Critical for Physical Therapy in Workers’ Comp By: Dr. Abe Kopolovich, DPT, MBA, JD-IP Some 60% of workers’ comp claims include physical therapy, making it one of the common types of treatment needed. “When there is a complaint in this industry, from a therapy perspective, it is ‘my therapist told me one thing, my doctor told me something else and I’m hearing something different from my case manager,’” said Brian Murphy, vice president of clinical services at Results

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Water Massage-Aqua Therapy By: Dr. Abe Kopolovich, DPT, MBA, JD-IP Progressive physicians can now offer their patients the best in a full body combined therapy system with the Aqua Massage XL or PT-Pro product line. In clinical studies, massage therapy has been proven to increase range of motion and flexibility and help with musculoskeletal pain management. Aqua Massage offers patients of all ages the benefits of a hands-on massage with the therapeutic benefits of heat. The combined effects of heat and massage can also

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What is a TKR? By: Dr. Abe Kopolovich, DPT, MBA, JD-IP Who should go for total knee replacement? A patient should consider surgery when there is intolerable pain in spite of painkillers. One should consider surgery when there are radiological signs of arthritis that affects one’s lifestyle. According to Dr Paul McNamara, consultant orthopaedic surgeon, Medcare Orthopaedics and Spine Hospital, Dubai, patients need knee replacement for a variety of reasons, which could be attributed to injury, osteoarthritis, sedentary lifestyles and

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School-Based Physical Therapy Role By: Dr. Abe Kopolovich, DPT, MBA, JD-IP Physical therapists often start their career working in a hospital or nursing home. Another career option is working as a school-based physical therapist with children. If you have not worked as a school-based physical therapist, you might not be sure what to expect. Separating the misconceptions from facts can help you decide if school-based therapy is right for you. What Do Physical Therapists Do In Schools? All settings have

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How Does Physical Therapy Help to Prevent Poor Posture? By: Dr. Abe Kopolovich, DPT, MBA, JD-IP Posture is defined as the way that a person holds themselves and the way that their body is supported when it is in the sitting or standing position. Posture is a vital part of good health and can cause people unnecessary pain and fatigue. When a person is slouching, or hunched over, or has rounded shoulders, they have poor posture, and many individuals have

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TMJ Disorder By: Dr. Abe Kopolovich, DPT, MBA, JD-IP Problems with the TMJ are known as temporomandibular joint disorder or dysfunction (TMD) and is very common; more than 10 million people in the US have it. TMD can be caused by: Bad posture habits: One of the reasons TMD is so common is because many of us spend a great deal of time sitting at a desk, where we often hold our head too far forward as we work. But there

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What is Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy? By: Dr. Abe Kopolovich, DPT, MBA, JD-IP As physical therapists who specialize in abdomino-pelvic pain disorders, one of the toughest parts of the job is meeting men and women who have suffered with pelvic pain for years, only to be told by their doctors/healthcare providers that there is no help for them. It is not uncommon to meet a patient who has suffered for 5- 10 years without help before finding us. Musculoskeletal causes

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Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy By: Dr. Abe Kopolovich, DPT, MBA, JD-IP Duchenne muscular dystrophy, sometimes shortened to DMD or just Duchenne, is a rare genetic disease. It primarily affects males, but, in rare cases, can also affect females. Duchenne causes the muscles in the body to become weak and damaged over time, and is eventually fatal. The genetic change that causes Duchenne — a mutation in the DMD gene — happens before birth and can be inherited, or new mutations in

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The Human Balance System: A Complex Coordination of Central and Peripheral Systems By Vestibular Disorders Association, with contributions by Mary Ann Watson, MA, F. Owen Black, MD, FACS, and Matthew Crowson, MD Good balance is often taken for granted. Most people don’t find it difficult to walk across a gravel driveway, transition from walking on a sidewalk to grass, or get out of bed in the middle of the night without stumbling. However, with impaired balance such activities can be

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Decompression – Neck and Low Back By: Dr. Abe Kopolovich, DPT, MBA, JD-IP Since the days of Ponce De León, people have been searching for the Fountain of Youth, as well as the cure to back pain. The cost of this pain was made clearer with Newsweek magazine’s article, “The Price of Back Pain,” which stated: “Despite a growing array of sophisticated drugs, diagnostics, physical therapies, and surgical techniques, the millions of Americans battling back pain may not be any closer to

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