Physical therapists do Body Alignment Chicago to reposition the joints, muscles and soft tissue. Sometimes they use tools like a foam roller or massage stick to roll on the muscles of an area that is out of place or knotted up. A physical therapist will also use their hands to physically move your body into the new position.
The alignment process can be uncomfortable for some people because it might be the first time they’ve ever experienced physical therapy. However, it’s very unlikely that you will experience pain during body alignment.
Typically, the process only takes a few minutes and you’ll feel one of three sensations:
1. You could feel pins-and-needles or tingles as your muscles are being moved back into place.
2. You might feel a pop or snap as the joint is moved back into place.
3. Or, you might feel no sensation at all and just notice that your body feels different than it did prior to the alignment.
Most people find that the alignment process reduces their symptoms and helps them get back to doing what they need to do.
The purpose that a physical therapist uses Body Alignment Chicago for is to help the person regain function of their body after an injury or accident.
Physical therapists use Body Alignment Chicago techniques to help the spine, knees, hips, ankles and feet from getting injured again from everyday activities.
How Can Body Alignment Chicago Help You?
It is no secret that returning to sports after suffering an injury or after a long break can seem like a daunting task. However, it can be done. There are tons of examples of athletes who came back from what was thought to have been a career-ending injury, or athletes who returned to the top of the totem pole after time away from their sport. At Free Body Physical Therapy our expert team of Body Alignment Chicago will work with you to return to you to your pre-injury/layoff condition.
Preparation Recommendations
When preparing for your sports season it is critical to ensure that your physical conditioning is at its peak. You’ll want to do plenty of strength and endurance training so that your body feels good and is durable when the season rolls around. Lifting weights and running are two great ways to improve your strength and conditioning, respectively. Particularly, high-intensity interval training can be tremendous for building or maintaining your conditioning. Training with a partner or with your teammates is also highly recommended. This healthy competition will allow you to push yourself and will make everyone better in the long run. You should also maintain a healthy diet and try to eat as little junk food as possible, as it can decrease your motivation and compromise your performance.
Importance of Recovery and Knowing your Limitations
Although you should actively be pushing your limits and trying to be the best version of yourself as an athlete, you also need to be aware of just how important recovery is. People often overlook the fact that exercise is stress and that too much of it is damaging to your health. To make sure you aren’t burnt out from training too intensely in the offseason, be sure to take days off when needed. It’s also critical that you know your limits, especially when you are recovering from an injury. Pushing yourself too hard can result in reinjury if you aren’t fully healed, making it key that you find a happy medium between intensity and recovery.
Seeking Body Alignment Chicago?
If you are an athlete seeking Body Alignment Chicago, Free Body Physical Therapy is glad to help. Our talented team of physical therapists can ensure that you are feeling your best when your season rolls around. People often overlook the advantages that physical therapy has in terms of not only restoring full health but of increasing performance once full health has already been restored. To make an appointment and learn more about how physical therapy can help you as an athlete, contact us today!
When most people think of a session with our Body Alignment Chicago, they think of improving strength and their range of motion. Well, there are actually more benefits that physical therapy has to offer, such as improving your balance. At Free Body PT, you can take part in physical therapy Chicago sessions at the convenience of our Wicker Park location.
What is Balance?
The body is able to stand up straight and remains balanced due to a number of systems in our body working together. If one of these systems fails or is off, your balance will be affected. The first system that has an effect on balance is your visual system. One must be able to see around their environment clearly to remain balanced. Sometimes a simple prescription for eyeglasses just doesn’t do the trick, and our Body Alignment Chicago is what you need. Next, we have the vestibular system in the inner ear. Those with impaired hearing lose their balance very easily. The vestibular system provides information to the brain based on the position of your head. The fluid inside each ear allows the brain to know when then the head is being moved or spun. The last system is the proprioceptive system; which involves the body’s joints and muscles. The nerve endings in the joints and muscles tell the brain when to contract and when it moves its position. When this system doesn’t work, the body can easily lose balance. Overall, any interruption or damage to any of these systems can cause one to feel unbalanced and wobbly.
What Causes Balance Issues?
Balance is an extremely important part of our everyday lives. Our balance is essential to allow us to get out of bed and walk from place to place. Without balance, completing everyday tasks will feel impossible. There are many conditions that can cause one to feel unstable and struggle with balance issues such as migraines, head injury, motion sickness, BPPV, Meniere’s disease, and many more. If you suffer from one or more of these conditions there are a number of symptoms you will experience quite often. They are:
- Vertigo ( sense of spinning or motion)
- Feeling of lightheadedness
- Loss of balance
- Feeling like you might fall
- Feeling a floating sensation
- Vision changes (blurriness)
- Confusion
Techniques to Improve Your Balance
If you suffer from a condition that affects your balance, our Body Alignment Chicago can work with you to fix that. They can assess you to see which specific exercises are the best fit for you. There are four common basic exercises that many physical therapists use when improving the balance of their patients. The first exercise is walking a few steps and turning your head from side to side. This will challenge you to remain balanced while changing your visual field at the same time. The next exercise targets altering your visual system. The doctor/ physical therapist will hang up a picture with a crazy design (ex: checkerboard) and have you stare at it while walking backward. This photo can alter someone’s equilibrium making it harder to keep one’s balance. The next exercise is the single-leg stance; when one holds onto a chair or counter and lifts up one leg for a short amount of time. Once completed the patient can try again with the other leg, or even take their hands off the chair or counter. The last exercise is walking in a heel -toe pattern; forward and backward. This can be a bit difficult but can definitely improve one’s balance.
Who Can Benefit from Balance PT?
Many people can benefit from visiting our Body Alignment Chicago by improving their balance. Those people that can benefit have a large range, which you can see below:
- Older adults with limited functional mobility
- People who have fallen/ fall often
- Those who suffer from neurological conditions that can cause balance impairment ( ex: stroke)
- Injured athletes
- Those who have undergone surgery
- Individuals that suffer from vertigo
Call Our Body Alignment Chicago Today!
If you or someone you know suffers from any of these conditions call us today! We will improve your/their balance in no time. Our team of professionals is trained and educated to provide each of their patients with the best exercise treatments based on their assessment. We provide our physical therapy sessions in person and virtually, so you can complete your exercises anytime, anywhere. Many people enjoy our virtual sessions because they feel more comfortable and confident in their own homes. So check us out and schedule an appointment with one of our professionals, and we’ll have you living a balanced life in no time! Contact Free Body Physical Therapy today to learn more about how we can help!