What We Treat

Trigger point dry needling has recently been approved to be performed by licensed Physical Therapists in South Dakota. It is a safe and effective treatment and here at Acucare Physical Therapy, we were one of the first in Sioux Falls to implement it into our care plans. It is best when it is utilized in conjunction with other therapy techniques and has a high level of success.

While some patients experience slight pain with the procedure, and a muscle “Twitch”, it is generally not felt after 24-48 hours (about 2 days) post treatment. Ice, heat and hydration can help with any post procedural pain. This is different than Acupuncture as we are going into the muscle belly to work on the cause of the pain/restrictions versus the energy zone/meridians.

Call us at Acucare Physical Therapy today and find out if this will work for you. Why suffer any longer?

What is laser therapy? Laser therapy is a medical treatment using focused light to stimulate a process called photobiomodulation or PBM. During PBM, photons enter the tissue and interact with the cytochrome c complex with the mitochondria. This interaction triggers a biological cascade of events that lead to an increase in cellular metabolism, decrease in pain, reduction in muscle spasm, and improved microcirculation to the injured tissue. This treatment is FDA cleared. It provides patients with a non-invasive, non-pharmacological alternative for pain relief.

Laser therapy has been shown to be effective in helping treat acute conditions. When pain is better controlled it is easier to help the healing process and in general helps promote better outcomes.

Laser therapy has been shown to be effective in helping with chronic conditions. It helps combat pain and promote circulation to damaged tissues. It can be a powerful, non-pharmaceutical solution to help reduce pain without medication.

Laser therapy can be found on the sidelines of many professional, college and Olympic sports teams across the US, Europe and Asia. It helps with improving post-activity recovery times and reducing delayed onset muscle soreness.

During the sessions your body will have a number of healing responses in your body. You may feel a soothing warmth that identifies the beginning of the process of modulated cellular activity leading to decreased pain and improved local circulation to the area treated. To be successful multiple treatments, and the number of weeks will depend on the condition and severity of the symptoms.

Give us a call at Acucare Physical Therapy and let us introduce you to the healing power of Light Force Laser Therapy today. Why wait? Let us help you get on the path to feeling better!

There are a number of types of Ultrasounds used in the medical field. The Ultrasound we use at Acucare Physical Therapy is a noninvasive treatment method to relieve pain, improve circulation, and promote tissue healing.

Ultrasound therapy uses sound waves generated by a transducer heat, to penetrate soft tissue. Ultrasound provides deep heating to tissues, helping to ease pain. It can also be used to cause cavitation to help break up tissues and deposits.

Ultrasound is applied to the surface of your skin through a medium with the sound held being moved continuously over the treatment area. It is not painful. Studies have shown that it is safe to treat a variety of pain conditions and certain chronic pain conditions as an early stage, non-invasive option and as an alternative treatment to surgery.

Is Ultrasound an option for your treatment protocol? Give us a call and schedule an appointment and we can discuss Ultrasound as a treatment for you. Do not wait, give us a call here at Acucare Physical Therapy and schedule your appointment.

Electrical stimulation is a modality used by our Physical Therapists to help you on your road to recovery.
We can use electrical stimulation to strengthen muscles, block pain signals, reduce muscle spasms and
improve blood circulation.

You can expect to feel a slight tingling sensation, or a feeling of your muscle contracting. There are many types of electrical stimulation. Here are some of the common ones used in therapy:

• TENS – Transcutaneous electrical neuromuscular stimulation is used to manage short- and long-term pain. Your therapist will apply electrodes attached to a unit and you can control the intensity of the output to help with your pain.
• Iontophoresis – is a type of electrical stimulation that uses an electrical current to push various medications in through your skin and into your body. It is used to decrease muscle spasms or inflammation and can be used to break up calcium deposits. Different medications are used to accomplish different goals.
• Neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) – uses an electrical current to cause a single or group of muscles to contract. The therapist will place electrodes on the skin to achieve this goal. It can also help to promote blood flow to the area. This allows for faster healing from injuries.
• Russian Stimulation – a form of electrical stimulation that is similar to NMES and works to improve your muscle contraction but using a different waveform that may be more comfortable.
• Interferential Current (IFC) – an electrical current used by your Physical Therapist to decrease pain, relieve muscle spasms, or improve blood flow to various muscles/tissues. The electrodes are often placed in a crisscross pattern allowing the current to “Interfere” with one another and allows for a higher intensity while being more comfortable for you as a patient.
• High-Voltage Galvanic Current (HVGC) – utilizes high -voltage and low -frequency electricity to penetrate deep into tissues. It is used to relieve pain, improve blood flow, relieve muscle spasm, and improve joint mobility.

As you can see there is a good deal of choices utilizing an electrical current to assist you in healing and relieving pain. Give us a call to schedule an appointment to discuss if this is right for you.

Anodyne Red Light Therapy is used to treat inflammation, swelling, muscles spasms, stiffness, and pain in your joints and muscles. The painless laser treatment works by supplying energy to your body in the form of billions of photons of light. Your body absorbs this laser light on a cellular level, transforming it into chemical energy, and then uses this energy to fuel tissue repairs and facilitates regeneration. The light therapy helps to jumpstart the healing cascade in your body.

Your therapist may use the Anodyne Red Light Therapy to help you with peripheral neuropathy, helping you decrease your fall risk and improve your mobility of the lower extremities. Do not wait any longer, give us a call to discuss how we can help you with the Anodyne Red Light Therapy today.

Any time there is pain, manual therapy is sure to help alleviate that pain and promote healing. Here at Acucare Physical Therapy, our therapists use their hands to reduce back muscle tension/spasms, increase mobility, enhance healing and restoration of function. Several specific techniques are as follows:

• Soft Tissue Mobilization – (STM) also called Myofascial release, is used to break up inelastic/fibrous muscle tissue, often referred to as “myofascial adhesions”, move tissue fluids and release muscle tension. Our therapists use their hands to achieve these goals.
• Strain-Counterstrain – is used to correct abnormal neuromuscular reflexes that cause structural and postural problems causing painful tender points, or trigger points in the muscles. This is a gentle technique and can be used at various stages of the pain/spasm cycle. This positions the patient opposite of the restricted barrier and towards the position of greatest comfort. It helps to reset the muscle tissue to a normal level of tension and sets the stage for further healing to occur.
• Joint Mobilization – is used to mobilize restricted joints and lengthen shortened muscles. This is accomplished by providing slow velocity and increasing amplitude forces directly into the barrier of a joint, moving the actual bone surfaces on each other in ways you cannot move your joint by yourself. This procedure should be painless unless there is a major barrier.
• Muscle Energy Techniques – (MET’s) are techniques to mobilize restricted joints and lengthen shortened muscles. This is an active technique on the patient and therapists’ parts. It is generally well tolerated.
• Neural Tissue Tension Techniques – are used to release any tension, adhesions, or stuck nerves and restore optimal function. With 37 miles of nerves in the human body that are continuously sending and receiving signals to your spinal cord and brain.
• Craniosacral Therapy – utilizes gentle hands-on pressure to release tension and improve fluid flow, allowing your body to self-heal and calm the nervous system. Your Central Nervous System is your brain and your spinal cord. It is surrounded by fluid and membranes that can have tension in them, stick to structures around them or present with any number of dysfunctions. This limits the fluid flow and affects your nervous system function causing headaches, neck and back pain.
• Visceral Mobilization – is a specific technique to release fascia I adhesions deep in the tissues around your organs. This can cause pain.
• Passive and Active-Assisted Range of Motion – (PROM/AROM) is a technique where our therapists use their hands to glide your joint passively and/or actively with your help, through its range of motion. This helps to reduce pain and improve joint range of motion.
• Manual Stretching – is a technique our therapists use to help you stretch your muscles. It can be static, dynamic, pre-contraction or post contraction stretches.
• Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation – (PNF) is a highly skilled specific type and sequence of stretches. It works with the reflexes between the nerves, muscles, and brain to trigger responses in muscle contraction and relaxation.
• Manual traction – is a hands-on application of a pull or force to body tissues in opposition to an area of compression. Often done in the cervical spine region.
• Trigger Point Therapy – is a technique used to treat a highly sensitive point in the muscle that refers pain to another area. Some techniques can be taught for you to do at home to alleviate the tension and pain caused by the trigger points.

There are a number of exercises used to help with balance. The exercises Are targeted at restoring the communication between your feet and your body/brain so it knows where it is at in space. They are also used to improve the strength in the muscles that keep you upright, including your legs and core. This helps to improve stability and helps prevent falls. They can vary in intensity, resistance, impact, indoor or outdoor settings, open or closed eyes, and varying surface textures. Why put yourself at risk for falls? Call us here at Acucare Physical Therapy and make that appointment today and keep on moving!

LSVT BIG is an intensive, effective, one-on-one treatment created to help people with Parkinson’s Disease and other neurological conditions addressing walking and other joint movement. It uses neuroplasticity of the brain allowing it to change in response to signals. It helps people to “recalibrate” how they perceive their movements with what others actually see. It teaches how and when to apply extra effort to produce bigger motions. Because it is customized to each person’s specific needs and goals, it can help regardless of the stage or severity of your condition.

It will help to improve balance, increase trunk rotation, increase walking speed with bigger steps which all translate into improvements in activities of daily living including bathing, dressing, eating and writing. This allows for continued independence and a more enjoyable life.

Do you or someone you love have Parkinson’s? Call us at Acucare Physical Therapy and let our therapists evaluate you and determine if this is an appropriate treatment option. Let us help you move “big” again and stay active and engaged in life. This is an intense program, but you will not regret making that call.

Living with foot, ankle or lower extremity pain? Have plantar fasciitis, heel spurs, Achilles tendonitis/bursitis or bunions? Pain, have you sidelined from your regular activities because it is too painful to walk to participate? Our therapists at Acucare Physical Therapy cast and mold your foot in your subtalar joint neutral position to design a custom orthotic for your feet to allow you to move and reduce secondary strain on your ankles, knees, hips and back. By providing an accommodative device that helps to keep your foot position functional and assist with movement and general stability our therapists help you to keep moving and not dreading daily tasks and activities. Call today to be evaluated for a pair of custom orthotics.

Have pain or weakness, or just want to improve your health? There is an exercise for whatever ails you! Any number of exercises designed to improve strength, stability, balance, endurance, posture, decrease muscle tension and target specific areas.

Our Physical Therapists can design a custom exercise program to do after you are discharged and while you are actively engaged in you therapy sessions. Call Acucare Physical Therapy today and regain that strength and balance you risk losing or have lost!

Is an exercise-based specialized form of physical therapy used to treat vestibular disorders or symptoms characterized by dizziness, vertigo, and balance and posture issues. The treatment program is designed to promote vestibular adaptation and substitution. The goals of VRT are 1. to enhance postural stability, 2. to enhance gaze stability, and 3. to improve activities of daily living.

Canalith Repositioning is used for BPPV. Habituation exercises that place you in positions that trigger dizziness and allow your body to adjust and decrease the dizziness experience. Gaze stability training, balance retraining and exercise programs to address issues with weakness, decreased range of motion and stiffness are also utilized when appropriate.

If you or a loved one is challenged with dizziness or vertigo, call us at Acucare Physical Therapy and let us help you get back in the groove safely.

Is sitting at work making you hurt or readjust often to be productive? Our therapists are trained to analyze and implement workstation modifications for optimal workplace ergonomics. This helps to alleviate strain on the postural muscles and reduces chronic strain and fatigue. The employee will be more productive if they are not trying to get comfortable at their workstation. Call us today at Acucare Physical Therapy and let our therapists assist you or your employees in proper workstation ergonomics and increase productivity and happiness on the job.

Does your head hit the top of your car roof? Are your knees under your chin because your legs are too long? Do you get a backache after driving or do you have sciatic symptoms when you drive?

Our therapists are trained to evaluate car ergonomics to decide if a vehicle, work or personal, is a good fit for your body. We can suggest modifications as needed to help get you comfortable and keep you from being distracted behind the wheel. Do not wait to get comfortable and enjoy the ride, call us at Acucare Physical Therapy today to schedule your car evaluation.

Do you ever wish you could get back to running or even just walking? How about hiking, biking, or playing/participating in sports? Lower extremity pain or back pain causing you to miss out? Ever want to know what an astronaut feels like when they walk in space? Well, come in and try our AlterG (anti-gravity) treadmill and we will have you walking in outer space in no time and back into your activities. The AlterG was designed by NASA for astronauts to help them transition to weight bearing exercises once they return from outer space. While you may not be coming back from outer space, you might need help with walking without pain, and we can make that happen. We can decrease the effect of gravity on your joints easing your pain and allowing you to move and return to activities again. You will not believe how much you can do and how much better you will feel once you get moving again. Give us a call at Acucare Physical Therapy to start walking again without pain.

Learn more about AlterG

Having trouble controlling your muscles or body functions, experiencing incontinence of bowel or bladder? Having painful intercourse? Have trouble sitting because of tailbone pain? Experience pelvic floor trauma? Biofeedback may be the answer for your issues.

At Acucare Physical Therapy our therapists are trained in Biofeedback therapy to help your body make subtle changes to result in a desired effect. Biofeedback is painless. It involves having electrodes placed on appropriate places to measure the muscles electrical activity and give you visual, and/or auditory feedback to help you make those subtle changes to achieve the desired goals. Treatment will involve homework that you will do at home and your progress can be documented.

Let us help you regain control of your muscles and body. Call us today at Acucare Physical Therapy to get scheduled for a biofeedback evaluation.

Having trouble breathing, experiencing SOB, snoring, not sleeping well? Suffering from post-covid/long haul syndrome?

The Capno Trainer assesses your breathing and allows us to analyze your breathing and identify dysfunction. This information allows us to determine the next step in helping you to resolve your breathing problems. We may even ask you to tape your mouth shut!

Breathing dysfunction can harm/stress other organs creating multitude of associated health concerns. Let us help you breathe more efficiently and improve your health. Call us at Acucare Physical Therapy to be evaluated using the Capno Trainer. You will breathe easier once you make that call.