About ActiveCare Physical Therapy®
The Best Physical Therapists in NYC
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Our therapists are licensed in New York State and active members in the American Physical Therapy Association. We have advanced training in joint mobilization and myofascial release techniques.
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We are dedicated practitioners with a passion for the profession and a comprehensive, holistic approach to treatment and healing. We treat each patient as an individual and treat the whole person, with a plan of care designed to meet the patient’s set goals for health, functionality and a return to work, tasks and activities. We network with a team of physicians, chiropractors, acupuncturists and massage therapists in order to provide guidance to other modalities that may be effective in the patients’ care. We also offer superior Telehealth services for physical therapy.
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Physical Therapist and owner Dr. Karena Wu PT, DPT, OCS is a graduate of the Program in Physical Therapy at Columbia University and is affiliated with several healthcare organizations in New York City. She is certified as a Strength and Conditioning Specialist, Kinesio Taping Practitioner and Pilates Instructor, and uses SpiderTech Taping. She is also a Certified Orthopedic Manual Therapist, Strength and Conditioning Specialist, Graston Technique Specialist and Pilates Instructor. She holds LSVT BIG, FMS and SFMA Level 1 certifications as well. Dr. Wu also specializes in vertigo and temporomandibular joint disorders.
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ActiveCare is primarily an out-of-network facility. We accept all insurance with out-of-network benefits and file for most major insurance plans. We work with all prospective patients to create workable payment plans regardless of insurance coverage.
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ActiveCare accepts Medicare, No-Fault and Workers’ Compensation patients depending on schedule availability.
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ActiveCare’s administrators provide seamless and efficient concierge-style client service to all of our patients. And the whole ActiveCare team makes sure your time with us is a beneficial, productive and enjoyable experience.
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Category Archives: Shoulder PT
Rotator Cuff Injuries: Causes, Symptoms, Risks, Diagnosis, and Treatments
What are important things to know about rotator cuff injuries? Four muscles make up the rotator cuff, which helps to support and rotate the shoulder. They are a major contributor to shoulder movement. Your rotator cuff helps stabilize and move the shoulder joint every time you place your hand in space. Injury to the rotator cuff occurs frequently.
Strains, tears, and inflammation are the most typical rotator cuff injuries. Here is the information you need to know regarding this condition: its causes, symptoms, risks, diagnosis, and treatments.
What are the Causes of Rotator Cuff Injuries?
Any regular or strenuous activity can result in a rotator cuff injury. The following are the most common causes of rotator cuff strains or tears:
- Injuries of acute nature
- Over usage of muscles, especially overhead
- Wear and tear over time
Mild to severe rotator cuff injuries are possible. They typically fall into either the acute or chronic category. Overuse of the rotator cuff muscle mostly leads to acute or chronic pain. The tendons that attach muscles to bones are susceptible to injury, which leads to strains and partial or complete tears.
This condition frequently affects tennis players who employ an upward serve, athletes, and persons who must reach up overhead to do any work. A fall, a vehicle accident, or an unexpected movement can cause strain or rupture of the rotator cuff. These injuries frequently result in severe and immediate pain.
What are the Symptoms of Rotator Cuff Injuries?
Not every rotator cuff injury is painful right away. Some are brought on by degenerative diseases, which means the rotator cuff may be harmed for months or even years before symptoms manifest.
Typical signs of a rotator cuff injury include:
- Significant pain that makes you avoid physical activities using your arm
- Difficulty in reaching behind your back
- Tenderness and pain when you reach overhead
- Issues in reaching out to the side
- Frequent pain in the shoulder, mostly at night
- Increasing weakness in the shoulder
- Difficulty in sleeping on your affected side
Consult a physician if this kind of symptom persists for more than a week or if your arm stops functioning.
What are the Risks of Rotator Cuff Injuries?
Acute or degenerative rotator cuff injuries are both possible. A single incidence is usually what causes acute injuries. These can be brought on by falling, lifting something that is excessively heavy, or getting the shoulder pulled into an unnatural position. This kind of rotator cuff injury is more common in young people. Long-term usage is the cause of degenerative injuries. Those who are most vulnerable to these injuries are:
- Athletes who especially play baseball, tennis, rowers, and wrestling
- People aged above 40
- People that perform repetitive activities like painting and lifting
How can Rotator Cuff Injuries be Diagnosed?
To diagnose the rotator cuff injuries, your physician may do the following:
- Perform your physical examination
- Take your medical history
- Run some imaging scans
Your doctor might inquire about your work-related physical activity. These inquiries establish whether you are more likely to develop a degenerative condition. Your doctor will evaluate your strength and range of motion. They’ll also rule out related disorders like arthritis or a pinched nerve.
Any bone spurs can be found via imaging tests, such as an X-ray. The rotator cuff tissues may be rubbed against by these tiny bone growths, which can lead to discomfort and irritation. Another option is to utilize an MRI or ultrasound scan. These instruments look at soft tissues like muscles and tendons. Doctors use them to recognize tears and demonstrate their size and severity.
What are the Treatments for Rotator Cuff Injuries?
Resting the injured arm is one form of treatment, as is surgery. To prevent the injury from worsening, seek care as soon as possible. Around 80% of patients with rotator cuff injuries report symptom improvement with nonsurgical or conservative therapy. These types of therapies consist of:
- Exercising for restoration, strength and mobility
- Applying cold and hot packs to the area to reduce swelling
- Injecting the area with steroids that reduce inflammation
- Shoulder Physical therapies
- Over-the-counter medications to reduce inflammation
- Wearing slings to isolate arm motion
- Resting the affected area
Rotator Cuff Injuries: Conclusion
A rotator cuff injury is common and can be easily treated if diagnosed on time. If you are looking for the most suitable treatment for your rotator cuff injury, contact us at ActiveCare Physical Therapy ®.
Call us now to schedule a consultation. We would love to hear from you!
ActiveCare Physical Therapy ©
29 West 38th Street
Suite 601
New York, NY 10018
(212) 777-4374
staff@bestptnyc.com
Physical Therapy for Rotator Cuff Injuries
WHAT IS A ROTATOR CUFF TEAR?
The rotator cuff is a muscle group in the shoulder that is responsible for rotation and stabilization in the glenohumeral GH joint. It consists of the supraspinatus, infraspinatus, teres minor and subscapularis or SITS muscles. Supraspinatus is responsible for initial arm elevation; infraspinatus and teres minor are responsible for external rotation; and both Supra/infra and teres minor are responsible for depression of the humeral head during arm elevation greater than 90 degrees or above shoulder height. Subscapularis is an internal rotator of the shoulder.
A tear in the rotator cuff typically refers to a muscle or tendon tear (mild, moderate, severe) that limits ability of the arm motion, good biomechanics in the GH joint and rotation and stabilization.
HOW DO YOU TREAT ROTATOR CUFF INJURIES WITH PHYSICAL THERAPY?
ActiveCare Physical Therapy recommends a variety of exercises to treat rotator cuff tears:
Strengthening
External Rotation: rotating the back of the hand away from the body while the elbow stays tucked in at your side.
Full Cans: lifting the arm up sideways slightly in front of the body, leading with the thumb. Range of motion is limited to 60 degrees.
Stretching
Posterior shoulder stretch: hugging your arm across your body at shoulder height. You will feel a stretch in the back of your shoulder joint.
Supraspinatus stretch: bring your hand into the small of the back. Use the other hand to hold onto the wrist of the hand behind the back and pull the arm across the back.
Sleeper Stretch: Lie on the affected side with the arm out at 90 degrees (shoulder height). Bend the elbow. Use the other hand to hold the back of the affected wrist and rotate the hand down toward the floor without moving the elbow.
To learn more about rotator cuff injuries, prevention and physical therapy treatment, give us a call today at 212-777-4374 or visit www.activecarephysicaltherapy.com.
Physical Therapists Help You Heal from Your Shoulder Fracture
One of our recent patients to come through the clinic had an injury to her shoulder after a fall directly onto it during a skiing trip. She was diagnosed with a fracture of her Greater Tuberosity. Fractures such as these are going to be painful, debilitating, and in need of medical attention. Fractures of the shoulder can be quite serious, and they will often require physical therapy to heal to 100 percent and to retain range of motion. Reparation of the shoulder fracture, or greater tuberosity fracture, sometimes requires surgery, and it is after this surgery that the real work of healing is going to take place.
The greater tuberosity is the site where the supraspinatus muscle connects, and a fracture here is going to damage more than just the bone and joint. It is also going to cause some serious issues with the shoulder muscles, connective tissue, and more. If there is no dislocation of the bone, the area could heal without the need for any invasive procedures, but the patient is going to need to wear a sling, generally for about 4 to 6 weeks. In addition, proper physical therapy is going to be essential.
Treatment for Shoulder Fracture
When the physical therapist first begins to work with someone who is recovering from a shoulder fracture, it will be slow going. Strengthening and improving the range of motion slowly is the first order of business in most cases. This will often include some simple isometric muscle contractions. Follow ups with your doctor will involve x-rays and once it shows the bone is healing well, you may then be able to move on to more aggressive physical therapy.
At this point, you will move on to stretching and strengthening with advancement to plyometric exercise. This helps to improve the strength further. Another part of therapy will be soft tissue mobilization. In addition to helping the patient to relax, this also helps to facilitate faster healing and to make range of motion exercises a bit easier. Ultrasound, electronic stimulation, and cole therapy are all options that your physical therapist might employ as well. Something else that many therapists are starting to use is Kinesio taping. This taping method can help to facilitate the weakened muscles.
When you have a physical therapy consultation for your shoulder fracture injury, you will be able to go over the different types of treatment that you will be able to expect and the timeframe for healing. Keep in mind that people do heal at different rates, so it could take you a bit longer to make it through therapy. As long as you have a great therapist, he or she will be able to let you know how you are progressing.
You Deserve the Best
When you are looking for a physical therapy clinic, make sure you are working with only the best physical therapists. Your health and well-being is not something that you can take lightly. Contact the therapists at ActiveCare so you can have your physical therapy consultation and start getting the high quality treatment that you deserve.
Call ActiveCare today to start a physical therapy program today for your Shoulder Fracture PT.
ActiveCare Physical Therapy, PC
29 West 38th Street
Suite 601
New York, NY 10018
