massage

Physiotherapy – The holistic healing method

by with No Comment Physiotherapy

Head, shoulders, knees and toes: physiotherapy is used for numerous illnesses, injuries and functional disorders and makes an important contribution to the healing process. Especially when it comes to healing procedures for rehabilitation, for example after an accident or a stroke, physiotherapy is indispensable. However, it can also be used preventively to avoid physical limitations or pain. The different areas of application of physiotherapy make an important contribution to the amplitude of movement and functionality of the musculoskeletal system, and help to restore or maintain mobility.

What is physiotherapy?

Physiotherapy is mainly understood as the so-called movement therapy. It is a useful alternative or supplement to surgery or drug treatment. Physiotherapeutic applications can be carried out actively or passively. In active therapy, the patient’s independently performed movements are used to prevent or cure complaints. In passive therapy, this is done through treatment by a trained therapist.

What are the areas of application of physiotherapy?

Physiotherapy is mainly used for prophylaxis, therapy and rehabilitation. For the prevention of dysfunctions or injuries, for example, occupational malpositions can be counteracted with physiotherapy. Physiotherapy also helps to accelerate the healing process of orthopedic diseases and thus improves the quality of life. In addition, physiotherapy treatments are used for rehabilitation after prolonged illnesses or after accidents.

What effect does physiotherapy have on the body?

  • Support of metabolism and blood circulation
  • Pain relief or even relief from pain
  • Increase of physical fitness, coordination and mobility
  • Restoration and strengthening of mobility

Known tools in physiotherapy

 

Massage

Massage can be used to relieve all forms of tension in the muscles. Using special massage techniques, pain is reduced while blood circulation and metabolism are stimulated.

Lymphatic drainage

Lymphatic drainage uses special massages of the lymphatic system to activate the lymphatic vessels and reduce swelling or water retention. The healing process is accelerated, the tissue can be better supplied with blood and mobility is restored.

Manual therapy

Manual therapy remedies functional disorders of the musculoskeletal system, such as restrictions in mobility or pain during movement. Mobility can be restored with targeted mobilization as well as stretching exercises to relieve pressure.

Yours Michael Boettcher

Krankengymnastic am Gerät

Pelvic floor training

by with No Comment Physiotherapy

Why the pelvic floor muscles support our entire body center

Pelvic floor muscle dysfunctions are widespread in our society, but are still kept out of public talk. Women are most often affected, especially after one or more pregnancies. But the muscles of the pelvic floor also slowly weaken in men over the age of 75. Targeted exercises can provide relief and help those affected to enjoy a better quality of life.

What is the pelvic floor?

In medicine, the pelvic floor is the area in the pelvic cavity between the pubic bone and the coccyx, which is interwoven with connective tissue and muscles. The pelvic floor consists of several layers of muscles, tendons and tissues, holds the organs in place and ensures controlled opening and closing of the body’s orifices.

What muscles are there in the pelvic floor?

The muscles in the pelvic floor are arranged in three layers that effectively close the entire pelvic outlet. These three layers stabilize the position of organs in the abdominal cavity and the back. If the pelvic floor is overly stressed, problems such as bladder weakness can occur. This happens, for example, during childbirth, but can also be triggered by obesity or heavy lifting.

How does a weak pelvic floor feel?

In women and men alike, the pelvic floor can be weakened by obesity, physical overload, poor posture, pelvic surgery and, in some cases, medication. The most common symptoms that occur with a weak pelvic floor include, urinary incontinence and lower abdominal pain.

What are the possible consequences of weakened pelvic floor muscles?

Overstretching and overloading the stabilizing muscle layers in the pelvic floor can lead to bladder weakness or even lowering of the internal organs. Accordingly, such pelvic floor weakness can have serious consequences. For prevention, regular pelvic floor exercises under the guidance of a physiotherapist are advisable.

What treatment options are available?

Regular pelvic floor exercises can help to strengthen the weak muscles in the pelvic floor. If the symptoms are already present, they can be treated well with targeted exercises for the pelvic floor. The physiotherapist can create an individual exercise program for this purpose and accompany the execution of the exercises accordingly. The pelvic floor can only function properly when load and resilience are in balance.

Yours Michael Boettcher

 

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Autoimmune diseases – when the body fights back

by with No Comment Nutritional CounselingPersonal Training ENPhysiotherapy

An autoimmune disease is a disease caused by a reaction of the body’s immune system. Autoimmune diseases attack tissues or organs. The symptoms vary from person to person, depending on the disease, and only in some cases can be treated with medication. Autoimmune diseases affect many people and are among the most common chronic diseases in Germany.In Western countries, they affect about five percent of the population, with women being affected relatively more often. The best known and most common autoimmune diseases are:

  • Crohn’s disease
  • Hashimoto’s
  • Type 1 diabetes
  • Multiple sclerosis
  • Rheumatoid arthritis
  • Celiac disease
  • Lupus

What happens in the body during an autoimmune disease?

In an autoimmune disease, the body’s immune defense system attacks tissue. Which tissue is attacked depends on the type of immune disease. Normally, the immune system attacks mainly pathogens foreign to the body, such as viruses, bacteria or fungi. In the case of an autoimmune disease, the immune system can no longer distinguish between cells that are foreign to the body and those that are the body’s own, and therefore also attacks healthy cells. However, an autoimmune disease should not be confused with an allergy. In the case of allergies, the immune system does not behave in an autoimmune manner, but rather assesses harmless foreign material as threatening and then reacts to it in an exaggerated manner.

How can physical therapy help with an autoimmune disease?

Certain autoimmune diseases affect the skin or internal organs, while others, such as multiple sclerosis, affect muscle tissue and joints. The physical fitness and motor skills of those affected can be impaired, especially after an episode. With targeted exercises, we help maintain mobility and fitness and relieve pain in the long term. Based on a careful assessment, we develop an individual therapy program – adapted to the circumstances, the course of the disease and the personal needs of our patients.

Nutrition is the key to a better quality of life

In some autoimmune diseases, such as celiac disease or diabetes, a healthy diet is also an important factor for well-being. With our nutritional counseling, we help those affected to create a balanced diet plan tailored to their needs. Depending on the disease, certain diets can help alleviate symptoms. Basically, the diet should be low in sugar and rich in fiber and contain foods that are believed to have an anti-inflammatory effect.

Would you like a consultation or an appointment? Feel free to call us or use our online appointment tool.

Yours Michael Boettcher

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Stretching – lengthen your muscles

by with No Comment Personal Training ENPhysiotherapyRegeneration EN

Stretching exercises maintain the flexibility of muscles and the mobility of joints, which is a prerequisite for a healthy musculoskeletal system. Stretching can also improve training performance, relieve tension and reduce stress.

An indispensable part of professional sports

That’s why stretching exercises are a must in professional sports. If the sport requires particularly explosive movements or flexibility, stretching afterwards is indispensable. It increases flexibility, reduces muscle shortening and has a positive effect on performance. Stretching should be done for at least five minutes after each fitness session to promote recovery. One-sided movement patterns and incorrect posture can also be corrected through stretching exercises.

Effects on the musculoskeletal system

In the long term, stretching primarily improves the mobility of joints and surrounding structures. Tendons and ligaments are strengthened, and muscular imbalances are corrected in the short term by lengthening shortened muscles, thus reducing tension in the muscle. Additionally, it can reduce stress and restore circulation.

In the field of physical therapy, stretching is used to reduce muscular imbalances and correct problems caused by muscle shortening, as well as speed recovery from injuries.

Stretching correctly

However, to avoid injury, some important rules should be followed when stretching:

  • Stretch dynamically before the fitness session, as the muscles are not yet warmed up and thus injuries can easily occur.
  • The movements should be performed slowly and in a controlled manner
  • It is better to do static stretches after the training session.
  • Do not forget to breathe
  • The pain should be sustainable at all times
  • Always stretch on a non-slip surface

Static and dynamic stretching

Static stretching involves trying to pull the muscle to be stretched as far as possible and holding this position for 20-30 seconds. Static stretching should never be done before a workout, as it can reduce performance and lead to injury. Static stretching exercises are also not recommended if muscle soreness is noticeable.

Dynamic stretching exercises, on the other hand, consist of gentle movements that could also be described as springy. The muscle is stretched for a few seconds, but can always contract again. This form of stretching promotes blood circulation and thus also the oxygen supply to the muscle and is therefore particularly suitable as a warm-up before the fitness session.

If you want to improve mobility and promote health through regular stretching, you should be patient in your approach. The muscles need a few attempts to stretch properly, so it’s better not to rush things.

Your Michael Boettcher

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Pain in the knees from running

by with No Comment ChiropracticPersonal Training ENPhysiotherapyRegeneration EN
Many of our customers complain about knee pain while running. They often describe the pain as dull around the knee joint or as a twinge at the kneecap. Most often, the pain occurs during running or immediately following exercise. Clients often try stretching exercises or using a fascia roller to loosen the surrounding muscles and get rid of the pain that way. Unfortunately, the pain can be persistent and, in the worst cases, force them to take a longer break.

Causes of knee pain

The most common reason for knee pain is overuse of the lower leg extensor muscle quadriceps. If the muscle is used too frequently, so-called trigger points develop. These are small nodules in the muscle that have poor blood supply and cause a characteristic pain pattern. If there is overuse of the quadriceps, the pain tends to feel dull and is located around the knee. If the fascia is stuck or tight, the pain tends to be located on the sides of the knee or just below the kneecap (patellar tendinitis). In both varieties, the pain occurs during and after running.

Our holistic approach

Our strategy for this situation is first to lower the tension in the muscles by dry needling and massage. This is done by working on the fascia with a special tool to loosen it up and release any adhesions. With special tests we can determine if the connection between the nerve and the muscle is working properly. If this connection is inactive, the muscle will be overloaded or misloaded again and the discomfort will return even after the therapy is finished.

Functional Movement Screen

Once we have the local discomfort under control, we do a Functional Movement Screen and look at the patient’s overall movement amplitude. This gives us the opportunity to identify and target further faulty movement patterns. Through corrective exercises at home, discomfort and thus pain can be prevented in the future. Yours Michael Boettcher
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The cause-consequence chain

by with No Comment Altitude TrainingChiropracticDry Needling ENPhysiotherapy

The cause-consequence chain describes a state of irritation of the tissues in the musculoskeletal system that is directly related to an injury and has an effect on surrounding structures (a kind of chain reaction).
A general distinction is made between ascending and descending chains. An ascending chain is often triggered by trauma to the lower extremities, such as supination trauma (twisting of the ankle). Thus, there is sometimes a link between an old foot injury and acute hip symptoms.

Accordingly, in sports medicine there are also descending cause-and-consequence chains, such as discomfort or dysfunction in the hip, which can lead to pain in the knee. These are usually triggered by a dysfunction of the temporomandibular joint. This is followed by a protective posture with increased stress on the unaffected structures in order to minimize pain as well as further irritation of the affected structures.

Over a longer period of time, overload symptoms can occur, which are often characterized by local pain. However, these can also manifest globally in adjacent structures. This type of chain reaction can ensure that local therapeutic measures remain unsuccessful, as the actual cause of the pain present is often not included in the treatment planning.

It is therefore even the more important to include surrounding structures such as joints, muscles or ligaments in the initial examination as well as in the treatment and to structure the therapy holistically. Over the long term, better therapy goals can therefore be achieved and the quality of life sustainably improved.

If you have any questions about the cause-effect chain or would like to make an appointment for treatment, please feel free to call us!

Your Michael Boettcher

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CMD – Jaw problems

by with No Comment ChiropracticPhysiotherapy

What is CMD?

CMD (Craniomandibular Dysfunction) stands for a dysfunction of the skull and lower jaw and is an umbrella term for a variety of problems that can occur in the jaw joint or the chewing muscles. Symptoms include dizziness, pain in the head, jaw or neck, and even tinnitus. Stress, a faulty bite, accident-related head trauma or postural weaknesses are among the triggers of CMD. Since not only the causes but also the symptoms of CMD can be varied, it is often only recognised very late or often not at all. The patient is then plagued with pain for months or years and is limited in his or her physical and mental performance.

How can CMD be treated?

The treatment of CMD by a physiotherapist is coordinated with a dentist. The dentist prepares a functional analysis after examining the patient. The analysis forms the basis for treatment by the physiotherapist. Of course, each treatment is individual and is adapted to the respective patient and his or her complaints. However, there are basic treatment methods that the physiotherapist can use in the course of a CMD treatment. 

How can the physiotherapist help with CMD?

As part of the holistic healing concept, physiotherapy uses massage and stretching techniques to help relieve muscular tension and improve posture overall. First, the physiotherapist takes an anamnesis of the patient, in which the condition of the tissue, muscles, skin and musculoskeletal system is determined. The cervical spine in particular is examined, as problems in this area are often associated with CMD. Depending on the findings, the physiotherapeutic treatment is then adapted. Remedial techniques such as chiropractic and dry needling can also help with CMD. In this way, we restore the correct, pain-free function of the jaw in our physiotherapy practice and free you permanently from your pain.

Yours Michael Boettcher

Reflexive Performance Reset

Slipped disc – causes and treatment options

by with No Comment ChiropracticPhysiotherapy

The term “herniated disc” is often used to describe permanent stabbing pain in the lumbar region. In fact, it stands for the wear and tear of the mass consisting of cartilage and connective tissue between the vertebral bodies and the associated pain in the lower back.

Lack of exercise, poor posture, overweight or too weak abdominal and back muscles are among the most common causes of incorrect loading of the intervertebral discs. The result: increased wear and tear of the fragile outer structure of the intervertebral disc.

As a result, the outer ring of the intervertebral disc becomes brittle and tears when subjected to frequent and above all incorrect loading. The inside of the disc, a gelatinous mass, emerges and can press on the nerves in the back. This pressure in turn leads to severe pain and often to paralysis.

When pain no longer goes away, it becomes a burden. They restrict our everyday life and slow us down – at work and in our leisure time. We at American PT can work preventively on your back and trunk muscles to prevent a herniated disc or accompany you after a disc surgery with physiotherapy.

Through preventative exercises and applications in the field of physiotherapy and physiotherapy, chiropractic, dry needling or other curative practical procedures, we can restore the functionality of your body and thus give you back a piece of vitality and well-being.

Do you have questions about our services or would you like to make an appointment? Please feel free to call us!

Yours Michael Boettcher

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It all starts with mobility

by with No Comment Personal Training ENPhysiotherapy

Were you ever in the situation where you have back pain, visit your doctor and he tells you that you should work on the stability and strength in your back? The statement, however, only represents one side of the medal. A significant factor that can cause back pain is lack of mobility.

But what exactly do doctors, physiotherapists and sports scientists mean when they talk about mobility? In their Handbook of Training Theory (Hoffmann, 1993), Martin, D., Carl, K. & Lehnertz, K. wrote “Mobility is the ability to perform movements in a random and targeted manner with the required or optimal range of movement of the joints involved”.

In order for the musculoskeletal system to work properly, there must therefore be a minimum degree of mobility. Restrictions in mobility, on the other hand, lead to faulty signals to the central nervous system. This, in turn, affects stability and causes tension in the muscles.

Restricted mobility can have local effects or have an effect elsewhere. An example: If mobility is restricted in the ankle joint, this can lead to instability in the neck and associated tension.

In the anamnesis before treatment begins, we at American PT first try to find out whether it is a stability or mobility problem. Using the fascial roller and the fascial ball, we first release the tension in the muscle chains and then work on mobility with corrective exercises. These treatments not only help with tension, but also have a long-term effect on posture, movement sequences and energy.

If you have any questions about mobility or would like to make an appointment, please call us!

Yours Michael Boettcher

Krankengymnastic am Gerät

Medical rehabilitation training – effective and gentle on the joints

by with No Comment ChiropracticPhysiotherapyRegeneration EN

What is medical rehabilitation training?

Medical rehabilitation training is generally used after injuries and operations to restore mobility and treat diseased areas of the musculoskeletal system. Targeted training units are used to improve strength, mobility and endurance in the long term. The specially developed medical build-up training for therapeutic purposes is considered part of rehabilitation treatment and is often accompanied by a doctor.

For whom is medical rehabilitation training recommended?

In general, medical rehabilitation training is prescribed by a doctor after an injury or operation on the musculoskeletal system. However, it can also be used for persistent pain in the joints or back. The physiotherapist draws up an individual training plan tailored to the problem area and person. Medical rehabilitation training is also suitable for the prevention of painful muscle tension and resulting damage to the spine.

What is trained in medical rehabilitation training?

Depending on the type of training, medical rehabilitation training trains balance, coordination and posture, strength, flexibility, speed or endurance. The essential components of the medical rehabilitation training are: mobilisation and mobility training, strength and stabilization training, coordination training, endurance and cardiovascular training.

What equipment is used for medical rehabilitation training?

The medical rehabilitation training uses training equipment that is easy on the joints and yet highly effective, while putting optimal strain on the muscles and joints. Additionally, computer-controlled training devices such as the Power Plate or EMS allow a targeted training of the deep muscles and can be used, for example, for muscle building before an operation.

In our practice for physiotherapy we offer medical rehabilitation training for therapeutic purposes. Do you have any questions or would you like to arrange an appointment? Call us, we will be happy to assist you!

Yours Michael Boettcher