Chiromedica in Chicago
Chicago Chiropractor
PPO Provider

REHABILITATION + Optimal Recovery

Rehabilitation is an essential part of reaching optimal recovery from an injury and preventing it's reoccurrence. Rehabilitation involves specific exercises and activities that stretch and strengthen muscles, or re-train muscles, to correct underlying injury. These work to improve posture, balance, and endurance. Physiotherapy modalities such as heat, cold, ultrasound, and electrical stimulation are also incorporated into most treatment sessions. Traction and soft-tissue massages are two other valuable techniques for functional improvement and pain reduction. Assistive devices such as crutches, braces, custom-fitted orthotics and taping are often used to increase patient function and independence.

During the course of the rehabilitation, we document progress, re-evaluate physical findings, and modify treatment strategies as appropriate.

Stretching
Stretching is vital to maintain good range of motion around a joint. After an injury or surgery, stretching is most important because scar tissue forms, and soft-tissue contracts. Even after the injury has healed, maintaining a regular stretching program helps keep tissues flexible, increases mobility, and
protects you from new injuries. We'll demonstrate and supervise you on stretching techniques until you're comfortable enough to do them on your own.

Strengthening
Strengthening is designed to recondition or improve function of weakened/injured areas to prevent recurrence of the problem. Common types of strength training include:

  • Closed Chain - Closed chain exercises closely replicate normal body function and provide compression to various joints which help strengthen the surrounding muscles, stabilizing the joint. These exercises are commonly used instead of, or in conjunction with, open chain exercises in rehabilitation and are designed to balance the muscle strength. An example is the standing leg squat. By performing closed chain exercises, the weak muscle (e.g. the quadriceps) and its antagonist (e.g. the hamstrings), will both be exercised and balanced. Open chain exercises, such as a leg extension, do not balance the muscles this way.
  • Propioceptive - Proprioception is the sense of knowing where a body part is in space. Because most proprioception occurs without conscious thought, it is a difficult concept to grasp unless you loose it. This can be a difficult concept to grasp until you lose it. For example, when patient loose proprioception of an ankle joint, often after a sprain, they often complain of an unstable sensation of the joint and tend to reinjure it multiple times. Proprioception training reteaches your body to control the position of an injured joint, increases strength and speed of movement.

 

ChiroMedica
730 N Franklin St. Ste 602
|    Chicago, IL 60654
|    312.440.0477