Modalities
Dealing with chronic pain? Our wide range of Therapeutic Modalities can help you!
Say Goodbye to Aches and Pains with Our Modalities
As a specialized physical treatment method that uses mechanical energy to encourage the healing process, therapeutic modalities can help you recover, regardless of the pain or distress, you’re under. These treatments may be used for pain management or relief, injury treatment, and everyday activity improvement.
Laser Therapy
Laser therapy is a Hawaii Sports & Balance Center procedure for treating pain and assisting patients in healing from a variety of conditions that is effective, dependable, and non-invasive.
Laser treatments work their magic by injecting photons into the tissues surrounding the affected region. These photons enable the damaged area to relieve pain, energize cells, and improve circulation.
Laser therapy has earned a reputation as being one of the safest, non-invasive treatment options on the market. Treatments are administered directly to the skin, to avoid contact with the eyes. Medical lasers are approved by the FDA and they adhere to strict ISO standards.
Cupping
Cupping is a rather complex technique. Our Lihue or Kapa’a physical therapists will use rubber pumps or silicone cups and put them upside down on your skin. As the air in the cup begins to cool, a vacuum is created, causing the skin to rise and the blood vessels to expand.
Cupping is sometimes referred to as a “tissue distraction release” technique. Cups glide over various parts of the body during the cupping process to raise and separate tissue.
This causes neural tissues, fascia, skin, ligaments, muscles, and tendons to loosen more easily. Cupping works by relaxing muscles, releasing trigger points, stimulating lymphatic flow, increasing local circulation, and releasing scar tissue adhesion.
Ultrasound
Decreases pain, increases tissue elasticity, degrades scar, increases cellular activity and increases circulation. It is widely used in treating soft tissue and sports injuries. It can help with deep or superficial areas of joints, tendons, ligaments, muscles, and scar tissue.
Ultrasound treatments help to increase blood flow, relieve pain, reduce swelling and inflammation, and promote the healing of tissues. Because of this, ultrasound therapy can successfully treat and reduce the painful symptoms of multiple conditions.
Electrical Stimulation
Electrical stimulation is a safe and efficient treatment choice for pain relief and rehabilitation. While it might seem daunting at first, it is a very successful method of pain relief that many practicing physical therapists use every day!
This modality can produce an intrinsic and fully natural analgesic effect by stimulating specific sensory nerve fibers (such as A-beta, A-delta, and C fibers), which decrease pain sensitivity and release neurotransmitters that prolong the pain-relieving effects.
TENS Unit
Home electrical stimulation unit designed to be worn throughout the day and to provide pain relief only. Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS) contains a variety of different modes to stimulate the nerves in different ways.
These modes all consist of different currents, and the current you are prescribed will be dependent upon the nature of your condition and the severity of it.
Phonophoresis
Phonophoresis is a therapeutic modality that our Lihue and Kapa’a physical therapists use to relieve inflammation in affected muscles, tendons, ligaments, or arthritic joints. With this treatment, high-frequency sound waves are employed through ultrasound technology, as a way to administer medication or another healing chemical to the injured body part through the skin.
Traction
Traction is a form of decompression therapy that we are happy to offer at our Lihue and Kapa’a physical therapy practices. It relieves pressure on the spine and alleviates pain from joints, sprains, and spasms. It can also treat herniated discs, sciatica, degenerative disc disease, pinched nerves, and many other back conditions.
Traction is performed by skilled physical therapists and/or the use of mechanical units. There are two types of traction we utilize at Hawaii Sports & Balance Center
Mechanical Traction: The specialized treatment technique of mechanical traction uses devices that work by stretching the spinal vertebrae and muscles.
Manual Traction: With manual traction, our physical therapists use their hands to stretch the spinal vertebrae and muscles.
Moist Heat Packs
Decreases pain, promotes muscular relaxation, increases circulation, and can be used for pre-exercise warm up. There are many benefits to heated compresses. Hot compresses ease pain by blocking the “signals” that come from the nerves in your lower back toward your brain. Heat also increases circulation.
This extra blood flow helps facilitate the healing properties found in your bloodstream. Cold compresses and packs come to the rescue with their ability to halt spasms, numb pain, and reduce swelling in the affected areas. Some people prefer one temperature over the other.
Ice Packs/Ice Massage
Decreases pain and decreases inflammation. Helps to circulate or bring “new blood flow” to the affected area as tissues re-warm. This extra blood flow helps facilitate the healing properties found in your bloodstream. Cold compresses and packs come to the rescue with their ability to halt spasms, numb pain, and reduce swelling in the affected areas. Some people prefer one temperature over the other.
It’s a good idea to ask your physical therapist about what kind of compress would be the best option for your at-home treatment. Both heating pads and ice packs are inexpensive and accessible options.
Get started at Hawaii Sports & Balance Center today
Our modalities are applied in a safe, ethical, and patient-centered manner with the goal of maximizing positive outcomes and minimizing the risk of injury. Ask us more about which modality you are interested in and we can discuss how to best implement them into your Physical Therapy program.
Find your relief today with the modalities offered at Hawaii Sports & Balance Center in Lihue or Kapa’a today!
