Physical Therapy

Your ability to move pain-free and effortlessly is easy to take for granted – until you no longer have it.

Physical therapy can help you feel and function your best. At Benefis, licensed physical therapists and physical therapy assistants guide and motivate you as you work to recover from an injury or medical condition. We aim to lessen pain, restore mobility, and prevent disability.

What We Help

Benefis Physical Therapy can help with a wide range of medical conditions, including:

• Orthopedic problems caused by sports injuries or damage to bones, muscles, ligaments, or tendons
• Neurological disorders such as stroke, Parkinson’s disease, and traumatic brain injury that may affect mobility and cause muscles to weaken
• Concussions, that follow a blow to the head
• Health issues related to growing older, such as osteoporosis (weakening bones), joint replacement surgery, balance problems, and incontinence
• Heart and lung conditions that affect stamina and endurance
• Lymphedema, which is the accumulation of fluid in an extremity or the body, often caused by mastectomy, radiation treatments, trauma, or sports injuries

Treatments We Use

We evaluate everyone we see to assess their condition and form a care plan tailored to their specific needs. Then we use various treatments to aid recovery. Among them are:

• Therapeutic exercise
• Joint mobilization
• Strength training
• Heat and cold therapies
• Ultrasound to promote blood flow
• Electrical stimulation
• Light therapy
• Massage
• Orthotic and prosthetic training

Aside from helping people recover more quickly, these treatments may sometimes lessen the need for pain medication, help you avoid surgery, and prevent additional problems, such as falls.

Alternative Techniques

At Benefis, we offer alternative physical therapy techniques that may complement other methods of therapy, including:

• Dry needling. Dry needling is used to treat pain and stiffness in a muscle and the surrounding fascia (connective tissue around the muscle). Your therapist inserts tiny needles into the affected area. The needles should cause the muscle to start twitching, which helps to expand range of motion and decrease pain.
• Cupping. Cupping helps increase blood circulation to the affected area to enhance healing. With this technique, your therapist attaches powerful suction cups to the injured area. They may move the suction cups around or the cups may remain still. The suction causes tiny blood vessels under your skin to break and your body responds by sending more blood to that area to begin the healing process.
• IASTM technique. Instrument-assisted soft tissue manipulation (IASTM) is a manual technique used to help your body break up and reabsorb scar tissue. Your therapist rubs a specially designed steel or plastic tool over the injured area to treat restrictions, improve blood flow, and break up scaring.

Specialized Care for Lymphedema

Benefis Physical Therapy is pleased to have a therapist on staff who is certified in complete decongestive therapy (CDT) for the management of lymphedema.

CDT consists of gentle massage that helps drain excess fluid from the body, as well as compression bandaging, therapeutic exercise, and skin care for the affected area. It may significantly reduce pain and swelling and improve range of motion in people living with lymphedema.