Active Release Technique ART
Active Release Technique (ART)
Active Release Technique (ART)
is a movement based, soft-tissue treatment designed to relieve muscle adhesion or scaring.
When a muscle is overused and does not receive sufficient rest, tissues become injured. The result of the injured tissue is an adhesion, a type of scar tissue that needs to be treated before muscle function can have the opportunity to be normalized. When excessive adhesion formation is present in a muscle it can no longer function optimally resulting in weakness and very often pain.
During an ART treatment, Dr. Lauer or Dr. Ideus will locate the adhesion through palpation. Then, he will shorten the tissue and apply tension. While the muscle is under tension it will be actively lengthened, thus stretching and breaking the adhesion and restoring normal tissue function.
Patients with the following complaints may benefit from soft-tissue technique:
Headaches
Low back pain
Shin splints
Carpal tunnel
Knee pain
Tennis elbow
Plantar fasciatis
Sciatica
TMD
Conservative TMJ Treatment
Research and clinical evidence have shown a significant association between neck pain--a chiropractor's forte--and Temporomandibular Disorders (TMD) symptoms (Ciancaglini, 1999). Up to 50 percent of patients with cervical spine pain will have TMD, which is often the primary cause of pain (Lewit, 1999).
Dr. Lauer's and Dr. Ideus's conservative approach can help fill the gap between a patient relying on splint therapy and a very expensive visit to a TMJ specialist.
Through special training in the rehabilitative management of temporomandibular disorders at the
Central Institute of Human Performance (CIHP)
, Dr. Ideus is certified in the diagnosis and therapy of the head, neck and orofacial system. Medical Director of CIHP,
Clayton Skaggs, D.C.
, teaches an evidence-based approach that welcomes an integrated plan to the treatment of orofacial pain. Dr. Skaggs is also an associate professor of research at Logan College of Chiropractic and an adjunct faculty at Washington University, School of Medicine in St. Louis, Mo.
Dr. Ideus also combines his evaluation and treatment method of TMD with rehabilitation methods based on neurophysiological aspects of the locomotor system and the teachings of physiotherapist
Pavel Kolar, P.T., Paed., Ph.D.
,
head of the largest rehabilitation hospital in Eastern Europe, and the head physician for the Czech Republic Olympic teams. For pain management, Dr. Ideus uses
dry needling
, an evidence-based form of acupuncture.
When needed for difficult soft tissue cases, Dr. Lauer and Dr. Ideus also integrate
Active Release Techniques (ART)
.
DNS
Dynamic Neuromuscular Stabilization (DNS)
Developed by
Pavel Kolar, P.T., Paed. Ph.D.
,
Dynamic Neuromuscular Stabilization (DNS) is a strategy designed to assess and treat dysfunctions of the body's movement systems. DNS therapy takes advantage of the adaptability of the brain to optimize and retrain ideal movement and muscle coordination.
During therapy, DNS concentrates on global movement patterns because dysfunction of one muscle or poor position of one joint can affect far away muscles or joints. For example, a person with poor stability of the chest and pelvis will--with 100% certainty--have poor stability of the shoulder. This patient may present with shoulder pain and get the shoulder treated, but he or she may actually need stabilization of the chest and pelvis as well. This is why many popular soft-tissue and physical therapy techniques fail.
DNS integrates therapeutic exercise, body awareness, joint mobilization, soft-tissue treatment, reflex stimulation and patient education to ensure each patient's unique condition improves. It uses developmental kinesiology as its movement standard, meaning that exercises are based off the process an infant uses from newborn stages--turning, to crawling, to standing and, finally, to walking. Positions of development are used in treatment to retrain the brain how to use safe and economical movement, therefore, unloading over-stressed muscles and activating muscles it has essentially "forgotten" about.
DNS can specifically help:
Musculoskeletal Pain
: Any pain syndrome that arises from our joints can be effectively improved by DNS. Since DNS retrains ideal movement, joints are positioned in ideal positions for movement and overworked muscles are unloaded.
Athletic Performance
: Since DNS focuses on ideal positions of joints and muscle balance, an athlete can learn to have better control over his or her body. He or she can also get the most out of their body and also avoid injury. Some athletes have even stated they feel like they are "in the zone" after an DNS treatment.
Infant Development
: A large part of DNS curriculum is designated for understanding the development of the sensory/motor system of babies. DNS practitioners are trained to asses a baby's movement pattern to determine if development is normal or not. For example, if a baby skips stages such as crawling, it could have lasting effects on that patient into adulthood. Or a baby that doesn't develop the ability to cross midline with its eyes may have trouble reading in school. If these problems are caught early in development, the infant has a better chance of significantly altering these problems.
Neurological Syndromes
: Since DNS's main target of treatment is the brain, striking improvments can be seen in people who suffer from nervous system problems ranging from cerebral palsy, to stroke, Parkinson's and brain trauma.
Gait Analysis
Gait Analysis
A lot of information can be gained by simply watching a person walk. Dr. Lauer and Dr. Ideus will spend time watching your feet, ankles, knees, hips, back, and arms while you walk. Findings from this will lead to more focused screens and tests to find the weakest link in your body's chain, which causes a break down and the production of pain.
If custom orthotic posting is necessary, Dr. Lauer and Dr. Ideus will work closely with
Shawn Eno
, certified pedorthist and owner of
Xtreme Footwerks
, to create a custom orthotic that is specific to your foot and provides the necessary correction(s).
Motion Palpation Institute
Motion Palpation Institute (MPI)
Dr. Lauer and Dr. Ideus use a dynamic model taught by
Motion Palpation Institute
(MPI), which employs spinal and extremity motion analysis to reveal fixated, or "stuck," joints. Specific manual adjustments restore motion, reducing stress on joints, muscles and nerve tissue.
Both Dr. Lauer and Dr. Ideus have taken extensive post-graduate training in MPI.
Dry Needling Acupuncture
Dry Needling (Evidence-Based Acupuncture)
Dry needling is an evidence-based form of acupunture that
Dr. Ideus uses as needed for pain management. Dry needling works in several different ways including:
Nerves
: Needling stimulates nerves in the body, which results in an increase of endorphins in the central nervous system. The term endorphin is the combination of the words endogenous and morphine, so the endorphins work to reduce perception of pain by an individual. This helps the patient relax and speeds up the healing process. *
Muscles
:
When a needle is inserted into a tight muscle it breaks up muscle fibers, resulting in relaxation of the tissues around the needle. The needle also contacts sensory nerves that also contribute to muscle relaxation. *
Inflammation
:
After an injury, our body uses inflammation to help heal the injured area. But too often, the inflammation process becomes uncontrollable, spreading, swelling and resulting in heat, pain and loss of function of the tissues involved. This ultimitaly slows the healing process. Needling limits the injury and destruction of tissue, and triggers a controllable acute inflammation in the body that opens new blood vessels, which become active to engulf and digest invaders resulting from the destruction chronic inflammation. Usually when several needles are inserted into inflamed tissues, swelling, inflammation and pain will subside and healing will be accelerated. *
*
Info from Biomedical Acupuncture for pain management by yun-tao ma:
http://dryneedlingcourse.com
/.
Graston
Graston Technique
Graston technique is instrument-assisted, soft-tissue management utilizing six differing stainless steel instruments that conform to differing body regions. Graston instruments are used by numerous professional and collegiate teams to help manage and rehabilitate overuse and adhesive soft tissue injuries.
Treatment creates a "controlled micro-trauma" to the involved tissues that in turn signal the body's reparative components to realign and release the gummed up and dsyfunctional tissue.
Conditions commonly treat by Graston include:
Tennis elbow
Plantar fascitis
Rotator cuff syndrome
Bursitis
Tendonitis/tendonosis
Pulstar Low Force
Pulstar Low Force Instrument Adjusting
Pulstar is a system of force measurement and recording combined with low amplitute (light force) multiple impulse adjusting. The instrument head is pressed lightly but firmly over each vertebral segment and records the resistance of "stiffness" at each level relative to a norm. The patient is then adjusted at the indicated levels using the multiple impulse treatment head. A final re-scan tells Dr. Lauer if treatment has been successful or if certain areas require more work.
Patients who may benefit from Pulstar include:
Young children who require only minimal forces to adjust.
Elderly individuals who have osteoporosis or other conditions that make manual treatment unwise.
Patients who simply do not enjoy being manually adjusted and don't want to be "popped".
Cox Flexion Distraction
Cox Flexion Distraction Technique
Cox technique uses a special table that separates in the middle and allows the lower half to move independently in different directions. The goal of treatment is to create a distractive force or traction on the spine and intervertebral discs.
This results in a negative intradiscal pressure and passive pumping of the disc to increase fluid exchange. The result is possible reduction of bulging and herniated discs as well as an improved function of the degenerated discs to reduce pain and slow/prevent further degeneration.
Patients who might benefit from Cox Technique include:
Those with bulging/herniated discs
Those with degenerative discs
Those with spinal stenosis (narrowing around the spinal nerves)
Decompression Traction
Spinal Decompression/Traction
Dr. Lauer, Lincoln's only doctor certified in
Kennedy Decompression Technique
, uses a special treatment table and a computerized treatment head with programmed protocols, patients experience an anti-gravity effect on targeted areas of the lumbar or cervical spine. With a thorough examination, specific patient positioning and appropriate protocols, we are able to help reduce disc bulging/herniations by creating negative intradiscal pressure. This treatment also serves to revitalize degenerative discs by increasing circulatory exchange to the disc. Most of us do not realize that by age 30-32 we lose the microcirculation to the disc as a natural process of aging. The disc continues to receive circulatory exchange by spinal movement that creates a pumping effect on discs and draws in then pushes out fluids and nutrients.
Patients who might benefit from decompression/traction include:
Those with bulging or herniated discs
Those with degenerated discs
Those who have been told they need spinal surgery and want to try a more conservative route
Those with spinal stenosis
Gently drawing apart each joint like an accordion allows the spine to reset, and the pumping action enhances soft tissue nutrition and rehabilitation.
