Physician Referral
You do have a choice of where to send your patients for physical therapy. We appreciate your trust in our abilities to provide the best care and attention possible to your patients.
Your patients will receive a thorough initial evaluation. They are involved in goal setting and the establishment of a treatment plan. We take an active role to educate your patient about the mechanics and treatment of their injury or condition. Through this, your patients better understand the importance of their roles and how much they can help their own recovery.
Following the patient’s initial evaluation, we will send a report and Plan of Care summarizing our findings. We will also provide you with regular computerized progress notes giving objective measures of your patient’s progress during the treatment period.
For your convenience, please use our downloadable Patient Physical Therapy Referral Form and fax to the desired clinic. If you want to discuss a particular patient, please contact us any time.
ASTYM: An Innovative Therapy Approach to Chronic Injuries
(A New Approach to Old Problems)
The ASTYMTM System is a relatively new therapy approach of treating soft tissue injuries causing pain, restricting movement, and limiting function. Treatment can be effective for nagging overuse injuries as well as for new injuries and post-operative scarring. Thomas Sevier, MD, of Performance Dynamics Inc. developed the ASTYM System.
Using the ASTYM System, trained and certified rehabilitation professionals use non-invasive hand-held instruments on the skin to locate and treat dysfunctional areas within the soft tissue causing pain and limitations to movement and use. The treatment process assists in "jump-starting" the body's natural healing process during which abnormal, scarred soft tissue is broken down and reabsorbed into the body.
Adhesions and fibrosis or scarring can result within the soft tissue following an injury or trauma, chronic irritation, tendonitis, or surgery. It is these adhesions and fibrotic scars that interfere with movement and function and cause pain. During treatment, the patient and therapist feel the abnormal "bumpy" or "rough" tissue as the instruments glide over the skin. Over the course of treatment, as the abnormal tissue is eliminated, the gliding of the instruments become "smoother."
This controlled "microtrauma" of the ASTYM treatment stimulates normal healing and repair of the affected soft tissue. Optimal healing can be achieved as the therapist develops and prescribes an individualized exercise program tailored to the patient's problem. The stretching, strengthening, and functional progression of the exercise program help to rebuild healthier and stronger tissue more suited for the activities, work, or sports the patient performs.
"This treatment technique is based on the normal healing principles of the body, and it is supported by research and outcomes data," says Belinda Hays, PT of Progressive Physical Therapy in south-central Indiana. "This approach provides an effective alternative treatment to persistent, chronic problems. But it can also be successfully used with newer injuries and post-surgical adhesions as well."
Some of the clinical diagnoses and conditions responding well to this treatment approach are:
- Post-injury scar tissue
- Post-surgical scar tissue
- Trigger finger
- Carpal tunnel syndrome
- Lateral epicondylitis (tennis elbow)
- Medial epicondylitis (golfer's elbow)
- Plantar fasciitis and heel pain
- Achilles tendonitis
- Chronic ankle sprains
- Shoulder pain
- IT band syndrome
- Anterior knee pain
- Hip pain and trochanteric bursitis
- SI and low back pain
- Muscle strains
To locate a certified ASTYM provider in your area, contact Performance Dynamics Inc. at 1-800-333-0244 or look on the web at www.astym.com. Progressive Physical Therapy provides the ASTYM System at three locations in south-central Indiana in Columbus, Seymour, and Greensburg.
