CORA is able to offer a comprehensive range of modalities and treatment options to meet the needs of our patient population. The skill and knowledge of the treating therapist, along with each patient’s desire to improve, can lead to significant improvement in most conditions that have a medical necessity for treatment. Treatment options available include:

Ultrasound for reduction in soft tissue inflammation: Ultrasound uses sound waves via a transducer to treat for a variety of conditions. Depending on the setting used by the therapist, ultrasound can increase blood flow, decrease muscle spasm, minimize inflammation, speed up the healing process, and decrease pain.

TENS (transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation): A small battery-operated unit that is used to disrupt pain signals that are sent between the affected area and the nervous system. Electrodes are placed around the affected area and a painless tingling or vibrating sensation is sent through them to decrease a patient’s pain level. A major benefit of a TENS unit is that it is portable and is often sent with patients for use at home.

Lumbar and cervical traction: Useful for patients who suffer from cervical and lumbar disc dysfunction. Belts and harnesses are placed around the patient as a pull is created by the traction unit to alleviate pressure from intervertebral discs and nerve roots. The purpose of this treatment is to alleviate pain and numbness/tingling from the arms and legs.

Thermal Modalities for reduction of inflammation and swelling:  Moist hot packs are an effective method to help muscles and tissues relax and decrease pain for a patient. Moist heat is used for almost any body part and generally is a quick and effective way to decrease a patient’s pain. Ice is used for areas of intense inflammation (i.e. ankle sprains). Ice helps to slow down the inflammatory process, reduce swelling, and decrease pain.

Iontophoresis and phonophoresis for non-invasive delivery of local steroid to decrease pain and inflammation.

Exercise Equipment includes:

  • Treadmill
  • Upper Cycle for range of motion and strengthening of upper extremities
  • Stationary bicycle
  • Free weights
  • BAPS board for improving ankle range of motion and ankle strengthening
  • Balance boards
  • Therapeutic balls for back strengthening and flexibility
  • AND MORE – we are always updating our equipment to meet the needs of our patients.

Hands-on manual therapies include:

  • Myofascial release techniques
  • Spray and Stretch techniques
  • Muscle energy techniques
  • Therapeutic exercise: Specific training used to increase strength and/or range of motion of a joint or of large muscle groups. This is a broad term to describe all active movements performed by patients as instructed by the therapist.
  • Passive range of motion/manual stretching: Used when a patient is unable to move a joint through its full range of motion. This is performed by the therapist in order to stretch ligaments, tendons, and muscle tissues surrounding a joint in an effort to restore normal mobility and requires no effort from the patient.
  • Active range of motion: These skills are performed by the patient, usually without weight or resistance. This is used in order to re-establish normal movement and muscle sequence in and around a specific joint.
  • Active assisted range of motion: Used when a patient is unable to or is not allowed to move a joint through its full range of motion. This requires some muscle activation from the patient along with assistance from the therapist or the patient’s unaffected limb.
  • Balance/proprioception training: Skills used to re-establish a sense of balance throughout the body or to re-establish balance pertaining to a specific joint (i.e. knee or ankle). This is especially important after a soft-tissue injury (to a ligament, joint capsule, or tendon) in which a joint has lost stability and needs to be reinforced by nerve endings that give the joint a sense of its position in space.
  • Postural correction: Modified to an individual patient’s current postural abnormalities, may involve stretching, strengthening, and an awareness of the position of body parts relative to one another.
  • Education on body mechanics/ work ergonomics: Important for those patients with physically demanding jobs in which they are more vulnerable to injury. This is crucial to preventing work-related injuries and remaining pain-free. Education on work ergonomics also includes instruction on proper work-station set up (i.e. computer height, placement of keyboard, etc) which is necessary to prevent injuries sustained from maintaining incorrect postures and work habits.
  • Gait training: Instruction by the therapist to re-establish a normal pattern of walking, either with or without an assistive device.
  • Modalities: Techniques and machines used for a variety of purposes. Some of these are to increase circulation, promote tissue healing, calm muscle spasm, decrease muscle tightness, etc.
  • Soft tissue mobilization/massage: Performed by the therapist to increase circulation, improve tissue extensibility of soft tissues, and decrease pain. This is a gentler form of massage that targets more superficial muscles, tendons, etc. and may include myofascial release.
  • Deep tissue mobilization/massage: Performed by the therapist and targets deeper tissues in order to improve tissue extensibility, increase circulation, minimize muscle spasm, and decrease pain. This a more aggressive form of massage and is very effective in restoring normal tissue length and function.
  • Joint mobilization: Techniques performed by the therapist in order to re-establish movement within a joint and its structures. Joint mobilizations can range from gentle to forceful, depending on the joint, precautions, and long-term goals.
  • Sport-specific rehabilitation: Exercise programs designed specifically for the athlete. This type of rehabilitation emphasizes those movements and skills that are needed for each patient’s sport and tends to be more aggressive than the typical rehabilitation program.
  • Job-specific rehabilitation/functional restoration: These terms refer to exercises that strengthen the specific joints and muscles that the patient will need to perform when he or she returns to work. Focus is placed on proper movement patterns and enforcing proper body mechanics with all movements in order to prevent re-injury.
  • Home Exercise Programs: Designed specifically for each patient which allows the patient to continue with his or her rehabilitation on their own. Written instructions with photos are issued to each patient along with suggested number of repetitions, frequency, etc. These home exercise programs are a vital aspect of almost every patient’s recovery.