Photograph by Nick Gould
When an athlete gets injured, he or she wants to get back into action as soon as possible.
One of the paths to recovery is physical therapy. In some cases, physical therapy can do more than just fix the pain. It can get to the root of the problem and the result can be a stronger, more resilient body.
This is what happened with Jonathan Bitner, a Penn Manor High School runner. “He came into Prana with complaints of ankle pain and a diagnosis of Achilles tendinitis,” says Dawn Cox of Prana Functional Manual Therapy in Lancaster.
With some detective work, the staff at Prana was able to “find a very specific joint dysfunction of his rear-foot and mid foot,” she says.
Cox also saw that Bitner had a pelvic dysfunction that resulted in his knee not being positioned properly over his foot when he ran. In addition, Cox worked with him on his gait while running, she says.
A large part of orthopedics is physical therapy
The result of Bitner’s therapy at Prana: He gained 12 seconds on his mile and 8 seconds on his 2-mile events from his sophomore to his junior year, she says.
OVERUSE INJURIES
The most common injuries that the staff at Prana sees are those that occur over time, says Cox.
That is the same for Lancaster NeuroScience & Spine in Lancaster, says Dr. Chris Kager, a neurosurgeon and spine specialist. For example, Kager sees athletes for whom excessive movements have caused injury, such as gymnasts or cheerleaders who develop stress fractures from doing a lot of backbends. He also sees football players with stress fractures.
“[These] can be a chronic, nagging issue and difficult to treat,” he says.
“I think the key for us is we like to see patients pretty early on,” Kager says.
“Our rationale is to make sure they don’t have anything more serious from a structural standpoint [and that it is] not affecting spinal cord or nerves,” he says.
Once he is sure a patient does not have a serious structural problem, Kager says, they have several options. Those include using anti-inflammatory drugs, a short course of steroids or a muscle relaxer for more severe pain, or prescribed physical therapy.
LNSA has three physical therapists on staff. They work with all kinds of injuries, “but they do have a particular expertise in spine,” says Kager.
Having physical therapists in the LNSA practice helps to expedite care.
“We can alter treatment plans more rapidly. If I have a question about the type of treatments they’re doing, I can track them down and get an answer right away,” says Kager.
“And it is nice having people who have a particular expertise in spine. They have so much experience to add to what you are seeing, and they can oftentimes help [a patient] without needing any type of direction [from a physician], he says.
At LNSA, physical therapists work with more than 50 percent of patients who come in with athletic injuries, Kager says.
“Surgery is definitely not our first option. Only 15 percent to 20 percent [of patients] go on to need any kind of surgery,” he says.
Kager says he also will refer some patients to a chiropractor or the LNSA physicians who specialize in physiatry, which is a rehabilitation that uses different types of injections, such as in the spine, muscles or joints.
“It’s like a construction worker who has a tool box. We have all these different options. The art of it is trying to piece together the issue and get them through in the most efficient and best way,” Kager says.
EARLY DETECTION IS KEY
Orthopedic & Spine Specialists in York also has physical therapists in-house at its Powder Mill Road Campus, which includes its orthopedic clinic and physical therapy department. Five feet from the clinic building is the OSS Orthopaedic Hospital, also on Powder Mill Road.
“A large part of orthopedics is therapy. Many patients get therapy,” says Angie Hartman, business development coordinator with OSS.
With so many youth now playing sports all year round, there are a lot of overuse injuries. A therapist can strengthen muscles and joints to avoid further injury.
OSS has three physicians trained in sports medicine, Hartman says, but many patients start in the physical therapy department. The OSS Urgent Care office is also a gateway to the orthopedic practice and physical therapy when people come in with sports injuries, Hartman says.
With so many youth now playing sports all year round, there are a lot of overuse injuries, she says. The OSS doctors are good at catching those injuries and sending young athletes to therapy so they can work with a therapist to strengthen muscles and joints and avoid further injury, says Hartman.
OSS also has an aquatic program for swimmers who need therapy and for athletes who need non-weight-bearing exercise for joints.
“We try to make therapies sports-specific,” says Hartman.
OSS also has athletic trainers who work at local schools during games, so overuse injuries, such as strains or sprains, can be caught early, and the youth might have follow-up appointments at the OSS Powder Mill Campus.
Communication between the physicians and physical therapists is a big benefit of having a physical therapy department at the OSS orthopedic clinic.
“The physical therapists work closely with the physicians,” Hartman says.
And that helps athletes get through therapy more quickly and get back to the game.
